Anxiety Home > Luvox CR and Pregnancy
In animal studies on Luvox CR (fluvoxamine CR) and pregnancy, problems occurred when the active ingredient of the drug was given to pregnant rats. Some of the problems included eye defects, miscarriages, and low birth weight. If you are taking Luvox CR and pregnancy occurs, talk to your healthcare provider about the benefits and potential risks in your particular situation.
Luvox® CR (fluvoxamine CR) is a pregnancy Category C medicine, meaning that it could potentially cause harm to an unborn child, although the full risks are not currently known. Luvox CR is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that show side effects to the fetus in animal studies but have not been studied in humans. A pregnancy Category C medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman if a healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child.
In animal studies, giving fluvoxamine (the active ingredient in Luvox CR) to pregnant rats increased the chance of miscarriages, eye defects, and low birth weight, as well as the death of the pups during or after birth. In humans, there have been reports of problems in newborn babies born to mothers who were taking fluvoxamine during the last trimester. These problems can be as minor as irritability and as serious as seizures. Your healthcare provider may consider lowering your Luvox CR dosage during the last trimester of your pregnancy in order to avoid these problems.
It is important to note that untreated OCD or social anxiety disorder in the mother may also not be healthy for a baby. Therefore, the medication may be given to pregnant women if a healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.