Pregnancy and Depression
I have been getting questions and comments from visitors concerned about the effects of antidepressants and psychotropic medications on pregnancy. Thus, I’ve been keeping a watchful eye on new research information published on this concern.
In the August 2007 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry was a medical education article called, “Antenatal Depression: Navigating the Treatment Dilemmas” by Dr. Marlene P. Freeman, M.D. Dr. Freeman described 2 patient case studies - a 35-year old professional woman with major depression whose illness relapsed when she discontinued her meds after becoming pregnant. Another was a 24-year old mother who became clinical depressed 20 weeks into her pregnancy. Both women posed concerns for the doctor because of the need to weigh the potential risks to the fetus from medication side effects and the risks to the mothers from not receiving medication treatment for their bipolar disorder or depression. Read more
ECT Underutilized in Resistant Depression
I just read this interesting piece from WSJ’s Health Blog, reporting on a new commentary published in JAMA on the underutilization of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients whose depression does not respond to antidepressant treatment. The idea of sending electric currents through a person (some may even liken the procedure to controlled electrocution) has created a stigma of ECT. Doctors often view ECT as a last resort. Yet, for patients whose depression fails to respond to main treatment modalities like medication and psychotherapy, ECT may be a lifesaver.
EU Labeling Contraindicates Acomplia for Patients with Depression
Acomplia (generic name Rimonabant) was not approved in the US because the FDA’s expert panel was concerned about suicidal thoughts that appeared as a treatment side-effect in patients. Acomplia is a drug that was approved in the EU for treatment of weight loss and diabetes. According to Forbes, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has updated the drug’s labeling to contraindicate (NOT USE due to dangerous including potentially fatal side effects) the use of this drug for patients who have major depression and/or are receiving ongoing antidepressive treatment. You may also read the company’s PDF press release here.