Balancing risks: dosing strategies for antidepressants near the end of pregnancy

Risks and benefits of pre-delivery taper in pregnant women taking antidepressants

BACKGROUND

Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are commonly used for treatment of mental health problems in pregnancy but may cause neonatal adaptation syndrome. It is unknown whether reduction or discontinuation of medication prior to delivery may mitigate this effect.

METHODS

We present a case series of 38 women who either tapered their medication prior to delivery or maintained or increased their dose.

RESULTS

Greater reductions in maternal antidepressant dose just prior to delivery were associated with fewer admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for infants. There was a slightly greater increase in depressive symptoms across delivery for women who tapered, which was not statistically significant.

CONCLUSIONS

NICU admissions may be less frequent among neonates whose mothers tapered their medication prior to delivery. Large prospective randomized trials are needed to further study this practice.

Raising the Minimum Effective Dose of Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Antidepressants: Adverse Drug Events

This review focuses on the dose-response of serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) antidepressants for efficacy and for adverse drug events (ADEs). Dose-response is identified by placebo-controlled, double-blind, fixed-dose clinical trials comparing various doses for efficacy and for ADEs. Reports from the great majority of clinical trials have consistently found that the minimum SRI effective dose is usually optimal for efficacy in the treatment of depression disorders, even though most American medical practitioners raise the dose when early antidepressant treatment results are negative or partial. To better understand this issue, the medical literature was comprehensively reviewed to ascertain the degree to which SRI medications resulted in a flat dose response for efficacy and then to identify specific ADEs that are dose-dependent. Strong evidence from fixed-dose trial data for the efficacy of nonascendant, minimum effective doses of SRIs was found for the treatment of both major depression and anxiety disorders. Particularly important was the finding that most SRI ADEs have an ascending dose-response curve. These ADEs include sexual dysfunction, hypertension, cardiac conduction risks, hyperglycemia, decreased bone density, sweating, withdrawal symptoms, and agitation. Thus, routinely raising the SRI dose above the minimum effective dose for efficacy can be counter-productive.

Returning to tricyclic antidepressants for depression during childbearing: clinical and dosing challenges

Managing depression and anxiety during pregnancy and the postpartum period is challenging. Both pharmacological treatment and the lack thereof can pose threats to a fetus. SSRIs are the drugs of choice for use during pregnancy, but there is considerable evidence for the safety and efficacy of older antidepressants during pregnancy as well. This study highlights a single case of the use of the tricyclic nortriptyline during pregnancy and postpartum. The subject involved had an unexpectedly high ratio of serum level to drug dose during the postpartum period. We monitored the subject for a significantly greater portion of the postpartum period than has been done in previous studies, and explored medical and lifestyle changes that could account for the level-to-dose ratios we observed. Differences in smoking patterns, coupled with the patient's status as a genetic poor metabolizer, were the most likely explanations.

Psychopharmacology decision-making among pregnant and postpartum women and health providers: informing compassionate and collaborative care women's health

Psychopharmaceutical use by pregnant and postpartum women is complicated by the complexity of prescribing as well as the sociocultural context in which medication-related decisions are made. This study sought to advance understanding of decision-making processes and communication experiences regarding use of psychopharmaceuticals during pregnancy by considering both provider and consumer perspectives. An electronic survey was conducted with health care providers (N = 88) and women consumers (N = 83) from July 2010 through October 2011 regarding the perceived costs and benefits of taking mental health medication during and around the time of pregnancy. Descriptive analysis compared and contrasted experiences between the two groups regarding consumer-provider communication, critical incidents and triggers in decision-making, and response to case scenarios crafted around hypothetical client experiences. Both similarities and differences were evident among health care provider and women consumer responses regarding costs, benefits, communication experiences, and case scenario responses. Both quantitative and qualitative survey results indicated the need for more accurate, unbiased, and complete information exchange around mental health and medication. Study results suggested the centrality of the client-provider milieu to guide decision-making and emphasized the expressed need within both groups to create a shared decision-making practice environment characterized by authenticity, non-judgmental decision-making, compassion, humaneness, and reciprocity.

On categorizing gestational, birth, and neonatal complications following late pregnancy exposure to antidepressants: the prenatal antidepressant exposure syndrome

INTRODUCTION

Late in utero exposure to antidepressants has been suspected of adversely impacting pregnancy outcome and compromising neonatal adaptation. Hence, the necessity exists to analyze published information on antidepressant use during late pregnancy to individuate potential recurrent patterns of iatrogenic complications.

METHODS

Computerized searches on MEDLINE, PsycINFO, ENBASE, and Cochrane Library through February 10, 2010 were performed for selecting literature information and investigating the safety of antidepressants when used during late pregnancy.

RESULTS

Antidepressant treatment during late pregnancy may increase the rates of poor pregnancy outcome and neonatal withdrawal/toxic reactions.

CONCLUSIONS

Because both gestational complications and neonatal adverse events acknowledge the same etiology, the author suggests including such iatrogenic events under the definition of prenatal antidepressant exposure syndrome, in order to increase clinicians' awareness about the spectrum of risks which may concern the mother-infant pair when antidepressant treatment is deemed indispensable during late pregnancy.

Depression and Related Disorders during the Female Reproductive Cycle

For some women, times of reproductive transition represent times of high risk for the onset or exacerbation of depressive symptoms. In order to maintain emotional stability, the female brain must adapt to fluctuations in hormones that affect neurotransmitter functioning. Difficulty with this adaptation, along with stresses related to social role transitions, may confer heightened vulnerability to depression. In this review, we summarize data regarding the course, expression and risks of depression and related symptoms during puberty and menarche, the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, the perinatal period and perimenopause. We note treatment strategies that have been found to be effective for depressive symptoms during specific phases of the female reproductive cycle.

Ethical issues in perinatal mental health

The principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice can guide clinicians in finding ethical approaches to the treatment of women who have psychiatric disorders during preconception, pregnancy, and postpartum. Table 1 summarizes some clinical dilemmas in perinatal mental health care, the ethical conundrums posed by these situations, and guiding principles or tools that can help clinicians resolve ethical conflicts. The concept of relational ethics helps resolve apparent mother-offspring ethical conflicts, and the practice of preventive ethics helps anticipate and reduce the risk of ethical dilemmas and adverse clinical outcomes. These central principles suggest the following guidelines in caring for perinatal women: In situations that seem to pit the needs of a pregnant or postpartum woman against the needs of her fetus or baby, reframe the problem to find a solution that most benefits the mother-baby dyad while posing the least risk to the dyad. In evaluating a pregnant woman's ability to make autonomous, informed decisions about medical care, assess her ability to decide on behalf of both herself and her fetus. When explaining the risks of treatments such as psychotropic medication during pregnancy, avoid errors of omission by also explaining the risks of withholding the treatments. Apply the principle of justice to ensure that women are not stigmatized by having psychiatric disorders or by being pregnant. When screening for maternal psychiatric symptoms, ensure that the benefits of screening outweigh the ethical costs by designing effective follow-up systems for helping women who have positive screens. When treating women of reproductive age for psychiatric disorders, proactively discuss family planning and, when appropriate, the anticipated risks of the illness and the treatment during future pregnancies. Offer preventive interventions to reduce these risks.