Fluoxetine is an antidepressant used to treat several conditions
including postpartum depression. This disease causes cognitive,
emotional, behavioral and physical changes, negatively affecting the
mother, child and family life. However, fluoxetine is excreted in breast
milk, causing short and long-term effects on children who were exposed
to the drug during lactation, so studies that seek to uncover these
consequences are needed. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the
effects of fluoxetine on rat milk’s properties and on the physical and
neurobehavioral development of the offspring. Lactating rats were
divided into 4 groups: control group and three experimental groups,
which were treated with different doses of fluoxetine (1, 10 and 20
mg/kg) during the lactation. Dams body weight and milk properties were
measured, as well as offspring’s physical and neurobehavioral
development. Results showed that the use of fluoxetine during lactation
decreased dam’s body weight and alters milk’s properties, leading to
implications on the offspring growth until adulthood. Therefore, the use
of fluoxetine during lactation needs to be cautiously evaluated, with
the benefits to the mothers and the associated risk to the offspring
carefully balance.
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