Infants Born to Women Taking Antidepressants at Increased Risk of Withdrawal Symptoms for First Weeks of Life, Study Says

Main Category: Pediatrics / Children's Health
Article Date: 19 May 2005 - 23:00 PDT

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Infants born to women who take antidepressants during the last trimester of pregnancy are more likely than infants born to women who do not take the drugs or take them only in early pregnancy to experience irritability, seizures, tremors and respiratory ailments, according to a study published in the May 18 issue of the... Journal of the American Medical Association, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Semuels, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/18). Eydie Moses-Kolko, an assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and colleagues analyzed previous research on the prenatal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors -- such as Zoloft, Prozac and Paxil -- and serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, such as Effexor. Infants born to women who took either SSRIs or SNRIs during the last three months of pregnancy were three times as likely as infants born to women who did not take the drugs or took them only early in their pregnancies to experience SRI-related neonatal syndrome as a result of going through withdrawal from the drug, according to the study. Although most of the SRI-related symptoms were mild and dissipated after about two weeks, about one in every 100 infants exposed to SRIs late in pregnancy experienced serious respiratory problems, according to Moses-Kolko.

Conclusions
"I don't think this is cause for alarm," Moses-Kolko said, but she added that patients and doctors should be aware of the potential risk of prenatal use of SRIs. In addition, patients should know that the risks of major depression during and after pregnancy might outweigh potential risks to offspring, she said (Tanner, AP/Long Island Newsday, 5/18). Moses-Kolko said the study was aimed at informing physicians about the risks of taking antidepressants during pregnancy and "by no means is it intended to say that women should not take these medications." As many as 20% of pregnant women have some symptoms of depression during pregnancy, and 10% of pregnant women experience major depression during pregnancy, according to a guide published by leading researchers on the topic (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 5/18). At least 80,000 U.S. women take SRIs during pregnancy each year, according to the researchers. Little research has been conducted to determine if prenatal exposure to SRIs can cause long-term problems, Moses-Kolko said (AP/Long Island Newsday, 5/18).

"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork.org kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/repro The Kaiser Daily Reproductive Health Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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