Treatment of Depression During Pregnancy

AS a thumb rule, all kinds of medication are best avoided during pregnancy. Yet, there are conditions of the mother that call for medication. One such condition is: depression and general anxiety. One anti-depressant that has proved to be very successful in the treatment of such conditions is: Lexapro. This is the newest member of the Seletive Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) family of drugs. However, it should be remembered that Lexapro is a pregnancy category ‘C’ medicine. This means it should be prescribed to pregnant women only if the benefits outweigh the risks to the newborn.

Pharmacotherapeutic Care during Pregnancy

Treatment decisions often present difficult risk/benefit issues to pregnant women, as well as to their families and their healthcare providers.[11,24-26] In a Canadian survey of family physicians,[195] 23% of all respondents indicated that they would advise their patients who became pregnant to discontinue antidepressant medications. A further 51% of respondents noted that they "did not feel confident in giving advice on antidepressant use during pregnancy", and 38% considered SSRIs to be safe to use during pregnancy.

Many drugs, including antidepressants and their metabolites, cross the placenta. They have been identified in umbilical cord blood, amniotic fluid and fetal serum.[152] Thus, the extent of fetal exposure must be determined. Unfortunately, the risks in pregnancy have been adequately established for only a few drugs, providing little information on which to base risk-benefit assessments of medications.

Women often seek clinical consultation for antidepressant use both prior to conception and during pregnancy. Some women experience a new onset of symptoms during pregnancy, while those with a history of depressive symptoms are at increased risk. Nevertheless, clinicians are faced with the challenge of treating the mother without posing risks to the fetus. This review discusses risk factors for depression during pregnancy and the consequences of untreated depression. Nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatment options are reviewed, and guidelines for treating depression during pregnancy are presented.

Depression can be treated in several ways. Support groups may help. Some women go to therapy or counseling with a mental health professional (such as a social worker psychotherapist or psychiatrist).

Some people suffer from a type of depression that comes on during the fall or winter, when there is less sunlight. This is called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This condition is treated with light therapy. In her home, the patient looks into a box with special light bulbs. To avoid injury to her eyes, she looks at the lights indirectly. Typically, the patient does this from 15 minutes to two hours every day. The health provider may recommend a different number of minutes over time.

Psychotherapy is one of the chief ways in which depression is generally treated. It is so because psychotherapy is absolutely safe and healthy for both, the mother and the baby.

There are medications available for the treatment of depression during pregnancy, as well. Antidepressants are widely used to treat depression, although it is always better to take the advice of the medical practitioner before taking these medicines.

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