Zoloft by Pfizer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Zoloft by Pfizer - Essay Example An interesting area of exploration for the use of Zoloft is in pregnant women who suffer from depression. Do the risks outweigh the potential benefits One study that examined the pharmacokinetics of setraline in pregnancy showed that the drug was metabolized at an increased rate, suggesting that a greater dose was necessary in these cases (Sit et al, 2008). Setraline is excreted through the breast milk of nursing mothers in a highly efficient manner (Kristensen et al, 1998). So another consideration is the health of the infant. There have been no teratogenic effects associated with the use of Zoloft, however it may be wise to weigh all of the potential drawbacks. Setraline has been used in pediatric cases of major depressive episode. Children as young as 6 years old have taken this drug. Animal studies of Zoloft on pregnant rats showed a destructive influence to the unborn rat pups (Pfizer ibid).Female rats who received setraline during the last third of the gestation period had an increased number of stillborn pups. The surviving pups had a lower birth weight than the pups in the placebo group. Researchers concluded that this effect was due to exposure to setraline in utero.