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Long term effects of Zoloft

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  • Long term effects of Zoloft

    Is it safe to say that there are no ill long term effects of taking Zoloft in utero? Any studies that show normal development and health years ahead? It's nerve racking for a mother to take a medication in utero and not know if years down the road something could pop up due to the medication. How can we be so sure? Since the medication has been around for so long, are there adults who are fairly healthy physically and developmentally despite being on the medication in utero?

  • #2
    Honeybear:

    At this time, and after 20 years of using them, there is no real evidence in the literature that Antidepressants have any negative effects on neurobehavioral outcome in infants. Indeed, most all the many studies published show no effect on the newborn infant, and out the 4 years of age. We do have some reports of very rare pulmonary hypertension during the first week postpartum, but again this is fleeting and gone within a week or so.

    There are literally hundreds of papers published on the outcome of infants following gestational exposure to the antidepressants. Most are listed in PubMed.

    But at this time, those of us who work in this arena, conclude that the risks of untreated depression, are FAR worse than any known complication associated with the use of antidepressants during gestation.

    Tom Hale Ph.D.



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    • #3
      What about the risks of anxiety or OCD? Same as the risks for depression? And thank you.

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      • #4
        Honeybear:

        I've only seen papers on neurobehavioral outcome following exposure to antidepressants.

        If the antidepressant is used for OCD or anxiety, it would be no difference.

        As to whether antidepressants change the incidence of OCD or anxiety, in offspring, I doubt anyone knows.

        Tom Hale Ph.D.

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        • #5
          I meant are the risks of the mother having anxiety and OCD worse for her children than being on the medication during gestation? The mother takes Zoloft for these.

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          • #6
            I would suggest so, but this is something for you and your doctor to discuss.

            Dr. Hale

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            • #7
              So it's also safe to say that being on this medication while pregnant will have no ill effects on the child later in life if outcome is normal by 4 years?

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              • #8
                Just wondering if taking setraline while pregnant would be likely to cause any physical health conditions later in life? Or will this be always unknown? Just hoping I made the right choice by taking the medication. Took 25mgs.

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                • #9
                  Honeybear:

                  Check this new reference concerning pregnancy and antidepressants. Apparently no major risks at all.

                  Tom Hale

                  medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_167155.html

                  [url]https://medlineplus.gov/news/fullstory_167155.html[/url]
                  Last edited by admin; 07-14-2017, 01:43 PM.

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                  • #10
                    That's great to hear. Thank you. I took 25mg and then 12.5mgs of Sertraline (Zoloft) with my son and he is now 4 years old and very smart. No health issues either. I was just wondering if taking Sertraline while pregnant could cause any physical health problems later in life for the child and as an eventual adult? If studies show that no ill effects have taken place by 4 years old, would it be highly unlikely that something would show up later due to this medication?

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                    • #11
                      If studies show that no ill effects have taken place by 4 years old, would it be highly unlikely that something would show up later in their life due to this medication? No health issues anymore than a baby not exposed to this medication during gestation? I didn't set my children up for harm later in their lives by taking the medication?

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                      • #12
                        I really think that the long-term side effects of most medications are unclear. I know that SSRIs have been on the market for quite a while, but I still feel that it's been a relatively short period of time. Do we really know what could potentially happen to someone who takes an SSRI (or any medication for that matter) for 25+ years?

                        I'm not trying to scare you or anything like that. I just don't think enough years have surpassed to be able to make a definitive determination. The research done is probably minimal too. I feel like you can make yourself crazy by reading the limited content available. A couple of months ago, I read about a possible link between SSRI usage and bone loss. It's a scary thought.

                        I know that when I was taking Lexapro, my memory became terrible. If I continued taking this medication for the next 10 years, would it increase my risk of developing dementia or some other serious ailment? Who knows for sure.

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