The Link Between Antidepressants And Autism

The Link Between Antidepressants And Autism.
Despite some concerns to the contrary, children whose moms in use antidepressants during pregnancy do not appear to be at increased peril of autism, a large untrained Danish study suggests. The results, published Dec 19, 2013 in the New England Journal of Medicine, make some reassurance. There have been some hints that antidepressants called particular serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) could be linked to autism as explained here. SSRIs are the "first-line" drug against depression, and incorporate medications such as fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), citalopram (Celexa) and paroxetine (Paxil).

In one up to date US study, mothers' SSRI use during pregnancy was tied to a twofold increase in the edge that her child would have autism. A Swedish study saw a similar pattern, though the risk linked to the drugs was smaller. But both studies included only limited numbers of children who had autism and were exposed to antidepressants in the womb web site. The supplementary study is "the largest to date" to look at the issue, using records for more than 600000 children born in Denmark, said chain researcher Anders Hviid, of the Statens Serum Institute in Copenhagen.

And overall, his group found, there was no clear link between SSRI use during pregnancy and children's autism risk. Hviid cautioned that the decree is still based on a small troop of children who had autism and prenatal exposure to an SSRI - 52, to be exact. The researchers distinguished that it's not possible to rule out a small increase in autism risk. "At this point, I do not regard this potential association should feature prominently when evaluating the risks and benefits of SSRI use in pregnancy".

Commenting on the findings, Christina Chambers, official of the Center for the Promotion of Maternal Health and Infant Development at the University of California, San Diego, stated, "I imagine this study is reassuring". One "important" nicety is that the researchers factored in mothers' mental health diagnoses - which ranged from decline to eating disorders to schizophrenia. "How much of the risk is related to the medication, and how much is tied up to the underlying condition? It's hard to tease out".