Pregnancy Risk Categories of Agoraphobia Meds

In this post, I will share a rating scale used to assess the potential risks of medication during pregnancy and then let you know where various anti-anxiety medications used for agoraphobia fall on the scale.

The United Stated Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has assigned pregnancy risk categories to medications. The pregnancy risk category reflects the medication's potential to cause birth defects.

While it is not advisable to take medications during pregnancy, some people have to. The following rating system, designed by the FDA, is designed to help you decide which medications are a fairly safe risk and which are not.

Drugs in Category A are generally considered safe to use in pregnancy while drugs in category X should be avoided unless it is absolutely necessary to take them.

Category A: Adequate studies in pregnant women have failed to show a risk to the fetus.

Category B: Either one of two scenarios:

1) Animal studies haven't shown a risk to the fetus, but controlled studies haven't been conducted on pregnant women; or

2) Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus but adequate studies in pregnant women have failed to show a risk to the fetus.

Category C: Animal studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus, but adequate studies haven't been conducted in humans. The benefits to pregnant women might be acceptable despite potential risks.

Category D: The drug may cause risk to the fetus, but the potential benefits of use in pregnant women may be acceptable despite the risks (such as in a life-threatening situation or a serious disease for which safer drugs can't be used or are ineffective).

Category X: Studies in animals or humans show fetal abnormalities, or adverse reaction reports indicate evidence of fetal risk. The risks clearly outweigh potential benefits.

Now, here's how various anxiety medications rate:

Xanax is in category D

Buspar is in category B (Buspar takes a few weeks to start taking effect in the body but is a much safer anti-anxiety medication than most).

Librium is in category D

Valium is in category D

Ativan is in category D

Serax is in category D

Now here are the ratings of some anti-depressants commonly prescribed for panic attacks:

Anafranil is in category C

Lexapro is in category C

Prozac is in category C

Paxil is in category C

Zoloft is in category C


I hope this information has been helpful. This info has been taken from the Nursing 2007 Drug Handbook. Always consult your doctor before taking any type of prescription medication.