The Association Between Antenatal Exposure to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors and Autism

Abstract

It remains unclear whether the association between first trimester SSRI exposure and child autism that was present in the case-control studies even after adjustment for MMI is a true association or a product of residual confounding. Future studies require robust measurement of MMI prior to and during pregnancy.

Third-party prosocial behavior in adult female rats is impaired after perinatal fluoxetine exposure

“…The mothers who do take antidepressants during pregnancy most likely suffer from a more severe depression, and untreated depression during pregnancy may also have negative impact on the offspring [18,[20][21][22][23]. In fact, when controlled for maternal mood and stress, the link between antenatal SSRI use and the occurrence of ASD in the offspring does not persist [24].…”

Patterns and predictors for prescription of psychotropics and mood‐stabilizing antiepileptics during pregnancy in Denmark 2000–2016

“…The use of psychopharmacological drugs during pregnancy has been subject to considerable controversy for the last decade. While there is reasonably consensus that antidepressants (ADs), specifically selective serotonin re‐uptake inhibitors (SSRIs), are unlikely to pose a substantial risk to the unborn child , controversy remains on certain specific issues, not least the hypothesized impact on childhood neurodevelopment . For antipsychotic drugs (APs), the amount of data is less impressive, and the amount of safety data available has been lagging the transition from usage patterns from first‐generation antipsychotics (FGAPs) to second‐generation antipsychotics (SGAPs) .…”

Maternal SSRI discontinuation, use, psychiatric disorder and the risk of autism in children: a meta‐analysis of cohort studies

“…The question whether selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use during pregnancy is associated with the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children has been an increasing focus of research in the last decade [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. The statistically significant association between SSRI use during pregnancy and risk of ASD in children was demonstrated by several studies [1,4,10,12], yet these results were challenged by the negative findings in some others [6,9], raising the possibility of confounding by indication, which is the term used when the clinical indication (e.g.…”

“…ASD) [19]. There is still no conclusive answer even after the publication to-date of eight case-control studies [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8], five cohort studies [9][10][11][12][13] and five meta-analyses [14][15][16][17][18].…”