![]() ![]() Discontinuing venlafaxine can put you at risk of relapse and stopping abruptly can cause you to experience withdrawal symptoms. It is very important that mental health conditions are appropriately treated to ensure your wellbeing during pregnancy and while looking after your baby. What if I prefer not to take medicines during pregnancy? Similarly, women who have an unplanned pregnancy while taking venlafaxine should be reviewed at the earliest opportunity by their GP or specialist. Ideally, women planning a pregnancy should speak to their GP or specialist to determine whether venlafaxine is still the best option for them. If a woman’s condition is well-controlled with venlafaxine, it may be best to stay on it rather than try something new and risk a relapse. However, this does not work for everyone and some people may prefer to take a medicine. Some mental health conditions can also be treated with talking therapies instead of medicines. Other medicines can be used to treat depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. Are there any alternatives to taking venlafaxine? While this is reassuring, more studies are needed that follow children up to school age. There is no evidence that use of venlafaxine in pregnancy directly affects a child’s intelligence or behaviour. As a precaution, your baby will be checked for breathing problems by a midwife or paediatrician. ![]() There is no good information on whether venlafaxine use around the time of delivery increases the chance of PPHN. Medicines that work in a similar way to venlafaxine have been linked in rare cases to a lung problem in newborn babies called persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Observation of your baby after birth may therefore be advised. Venlafaxine affects the central nervous system and can potentially cause short-term withdrawal symptoms in the newborn baby if taken in the weeks before delivery. Studies investigating whether miscarriage may be more common following venlafaxine use have produced mixed findings, although the most reliable of these studies shows no increased chance of miscarriage. However, for some pregnancy outcomes, only small numbers of women have been studied and ongoing research is ideally required. Most studies of pregnant women taking venlafaxine do not raise concern that it causes birth defects, stillbirth, preterm delivery, or low infant birth weight. Are there any risks of taking venlafaxine in pregnancy? This is important for good quality of life, and to ensure that a pregnant woman remains well in preparation for looking after her baby. Venlafaxine can prevent or reduce the unpleasant symptoms associated with some mental health conditions. What are the benefits of taking venlafaxine? Venlafaxine (Alventa®, Depefax®, Efexor®, Majoven®, Politid®, Sunveniz®, Venaxx®, Vencarm®, Venladex®, Venlalic®, Vensir®, Venzip®, ViePax®) is used to treat depression, anxiety, and panic disorder. UKTIS has been providing scientific information to health care providers since 1983 on the effects that medicines, recreational drugs and chemicals may have on the developing baby during pregnancy. UKTIS is a not-for-profit organisation funded by Public Health England on behalf of UK Health Departments. This factsheet has been written for members of the public by the UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS). ![]()
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