Mental Development in Late Infancy after Prenatal Exposure to Benzodiazepines—a Prospective Study

Abstract

Seventeen infants born to mothers who used benzodiazepines (BZD) throughout pregnancy were followed prospectively and compared with 29 infants born to mothers who had not used psychoactive substances. On the Griffiths' Developmental Scale, the BZD-exposed infants demonstrated consistently lower mean GQs and DQs for all subscales at 5, 10 and 18 months of age. The differences in GQ reached statistical significance at 10 and 18 months. The DQs differed significantly for all subscales at 10 months and for the personal-social behaviour and hearing and speech subscales at 18 months of age. We suggest that prenatal exposure to BZD may cause a general delay in mental development up to 18 months of age.

Association of prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and child internalizing problems: A sibling-controlled cohort study

“…These findings are in line with previous studies reporting delayed mental functioning up to the age of 1.5 years after exposure to BZDs [17,35,36]. Viggedal et al observed reduced "personal-social behavior" abilities at child age 1.5 years but found that externalizing problems such as hyperactivity or attention problems were not significantly different from controls [17]. This result is in line with our finding that internalizing, not externalizing, problems were reported.…”

“…Withdrawal syndrome and floppy infant syndrome have been reported in babies after maternal use of BZDs towards the end of pregnancy [12][13][14][15]. Results of previous studies on mental health outcomes in the offspring following prenatal exposure to BZDs or z-hypnotic drugs have been conflicting [16][17][18]. A sibling-matched study found no association with behavioral deviation in children at age 8-12 months after prenatal exposure to medazepam [16].…”

Structural Effects and Neurofunctional Sequelae of Developmental Exposure to Psychotherapeutic Drugs: Experimental and Clinical Aspects

“…However, most children exhibited a slower development during the first year, with a full recovery by 4 years of age (McElhatton, 1994). In another study, in utero exposure to BZDs may induce a general delay in mental development up to 18 months of age (Viggedal et al, 1993). In summary, given the limited information available, no clear association between the administration of BZDs during pregnancy and alterations in neurobehavioral development in humans can be established.…”

“I’m Not Waving, I’m Drowning”

“…In one study, nearly a third of long-term users (more than one year) were diagnosed with depression and between a third and half reported a current physical illness (Rodrigo, King, & Williams, 1988;Zandstra et al, 2004). Prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines led to subsequent dysmorphic features in the children of users, including cleft palate and mild to severe mental retardation (Oberlander et al, 2008;Viggedal et al, 1993). Long-term effects of these drugs are still being revealed, but include reduced cognitive performance persisting well beyond cessation (Barker et al, 2004) and increased risk of dementia in the elderly (Billioti de Gage, Begaud, Bazin, & Al., 2012).…”