Babies can be affected by their mother's anti-depressants

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[sSRI-Research] Babies can be affected by their mother's

anti-depressants

 

 

 

 

 

Babies can be affected by their mother's anti-depressants

 

BBC News

4 February, 2005

 

http://www.laleva.org/eng/2005/02/babies_can_be_affected_by_their_mothers_antide\

pressants.html

 

 

Babies whose mothers use a type of anti-depressant during pregnancy

are at risk of being born with withdrawal symptoms, research suggests.

 

Spanish research found use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

(SSRIs) was associated with neonatal withdrawal syndrome, the Lancet

reports.

 

The researchers say doctors should avoid prescribing SSRIs to pregnant

women, or use them cautiously.

 

SSRIs have become a standard treatment for depression in the past

seven years.

 

If you can avoid medication in pregnancy do. Dr Patrick O'Brien

However, it is known that coming off the drugs can cause symptoms of

withdrawal in the user.

 

The latest study by a team at the University of La Laguna in Spain

suggests that unborn babies could also be at risk from their mothers'

use of the drugs.

 

Symptoms of neonatal withdrawal syndrome include convulsions,

irritability, abnormal crying and tremor.

 

Database

 

The researchers screened the World Health Organization database of

adverse drug reactions for cases of neonatal convulsions and neonatal

withdrawal syndrome associated with the use of SSRIs.

 

They found that by November 2003, a total of 93 cases of SSRI use

associated with either neonatal convulsions or withdrawal syndrome had

been reported.

 

Of these cases 64 were associated with Seroxat (paroxetine), 14 with

Prozac (fluoxetine), nine with sertraline and seven with citalopram.

 

The dose was only reported in 13 of the cases associated with

paroxetine and ranged from 10mg to 50mg per day.

 

The duration of treatment was reported only in eight cases. These

ranged from four months to five years.

 

Lead researcher Professor Emilio Sanz said: " The results suggest that

symptoms of withdrawal might be a greater problem for paroxetine than

for other drugs.

 

" Paroxetine should not be used in pregnancy, or if used, it should be

given at the lowest effective dose.

 

" With the other SSRIs, especially citalopram and venlafaxine, their

use should be carefully monitored and new cases promptly communicated

to drug vigilance systems. "

 

More work needed

 

Also writing in the Lancet, researchers at Yale University School of

Medicine said it would be wrong to assume that neonatal withdrawal

syndrome was only associated with paroxetine use.

 

Dr Vladislav Ruchkin said: " It remains to be seen whether Sanz and

colleagues' report ultimately reflects a minor problem for a

particular antidepressant, or further evidence of a larger set of

serious problems for SSRI use in young people.

 

" From a pessimistic extreme, these reports might jointly herald the

beginning of the end for the uncontested SSRI hegemony of the past

decade. "

 

He said that until further research replicated or refuted the

findings, it would be best to focus on non-drug therapies.

 

Dr Patrick O'Brien, a consultant obstetrician at University College

London Hospital, told BBC News the paper was interesting.

 

" There is an increasing tendency to prescribe these drugs in pregnancy

because of the perception they are completely safe, " he said.

 

" The strength of this study is that it is has uncovered so many cases

that one would have to accept that it suggests a link.

 

" But the weakness is that nobody has any idea how common these

problems are in women taking these drugs in pregnancy. Are we talking

about a risk of one in a million, or one in 10? "

 

Dr O'Brien said doctors had to weigh up the potential risk of

prescribing the drugs, with the need to treat women suffering from

depression.

 

" My advice is that if you can avoid medication in pregnancy do, but

without a doubt there will be women who should be taking medication

for depression during their pregnancy, " he said.

 

In December 2003 regulators told doctors to stop prescribing the

majority of SSRIs to children amid fears that they could make young

patients suicidal.

 

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4229851.stm

 

Published: 2005/02/04 00:47:32 GMT

 

© BBC MMV