A recent study has found that antidepressants, when taken during the last six months of pregnancy, heightens the risks of the child having autism spectrum disorder. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental conditions that include autism and the Asperger syndrome.
The study, which is published in the journal JAMA pediatrics, has found that a certain type of antidepressant called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRI, more than doubles the risk for the condition to develop in the child.
“Our study has established that taking antidepressants during the second or third trimester of pregnancy almost doubles the risk that the child will be diagnosed with autism by age 7, especially if the mother takes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, often known by its acronym SSRIs,” study lead author Professor Anick Bérard of the University of Montreal and its affiliated CHU Sainte-Justine children's hospital said in a press release.
Live Science reported that some of these SSRIs which are allowable for use during pregnancy include Prozac, Zoloft and Celexa.
For the study, Bérard and his colleagues analyzed data from 145,500 pregnancies that occurred in Quebec between January 1998 and December 2009. These mothers had a full-term pregnancy and gave birth to only one baby.
The researchers then followed up with all the children up to the age of 10 and recorded 1,054 that were diagnosed with ASD.
Then, they checked health records from Quebec hospitals, physician's records and a prescription drug database, looking at whether the women in the study had filled up prescriptions for antidepressants before or during pregnancy.
They found out that about 4,700 infants were exposed to antidepressants at some point while the mother was pregnant. Of these babies, 46 developed autism.
The researchers also found that those who took antidepressants early in pregnancy had no increased risk for developing ASD in their babies. Taking the medications during the second and third trimester, however, was linked to a greater risk for developing the condition.
Bérard explained that this could probably because the second and third trimesters are a very important time as the baby's brain is developing. Taking SSRIs affects this development. As such, Bérard suggested that antidepressants are not always the solution for gestational depression.
Earlier studies have found that depression, by itself, may already increase the risks for developing autism in the child. However, this new study showed that taking anti-depressants to combat depression during pregnancy might also cause more depression to the mother when the child grows – by causing the child to be at a higher risk for the problem.
