Women who take the prescription drug Wellbutrin, an anti-depressant drug generically called Bupropion hydrochloride, during early pregnancy may have an increased risk of giving birth to a baby suffering from birth defects, specifically left outflow heart defects.
Congenital heart defects affect approximately 40,000 babies each year, and one of the primary known causes of these birth defects is ingestion of teratogenic drugs during pregnancy. A teratogen is a drug or other substance capable of interfering with the development of a fetus that can ultimately result in serious birth defects including ASD, VSD, Left Hypoplastic Heart Syndrome, coarctation of the aorta, Tricuspid or Pulmonary Atresia, Pulmonary Stenosis, transposition of the great vessels or any other heart defect), neural tube defect, craniosynostosis, and club foot.
Wellbutrin carries a Pregnancy Category C classification. A drug is a Category C when animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and when there are either no adequate or well-controlled studies in humans.
The recent study linking Wellbutrin to birth defects in women who consume this drug during early pregnancy is based on an article published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology. This study explores a positive association between early pregnancy Wellbutrin use and left outflow tract heart birth defects. Researchers caution that the findings of this study are not conclusive and that further research is needed to confirm the findings. Women taking Wellbutrin who are planning to become pregnant should speak with their doctors about the potential side effects and alternative options.
