The Op-Ed: Antidepressants, Pregnancy & Autism: A Potent Mix

Earlier this year, a study reported a link between antidepressants and autism, the second time in two years that such a relationship has been suggested. This week, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine found that children of women using SSRIs during pregnancy were not at increased risk of autism when compared with other children, although at the same time, the incidence of autism spectrum disorders in children born to women who used the drugs before pregnancy and then stopped was 46 percent than in other children. These results have fueled intensified debate over the extent to which there is cause-and-effect link. In the latest Pharmalot op-ed, Adam Urato, an assistant professor in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the School of Medicine at Tufts University, argues there is reason to be concerned that serotonin use that can alter the brains of developing babies… Does antidepressant use during pregnancy lead to autism in the exposed children?  This is obviously a crucial issue, given that so many women in the US use antidepressants during pregnancy (the rates vary in studies from around 5 to 15%) and given that rates of autism have been rising steadily over the past decades. Two very recent papers have been published on the topic of antidepressant use during pregnancy and autism in the exposed children—including a New England Journal of Medicine article that is being published today.  Unfortunately, the papers will be likely to generate more confusion...
Source: Pharmalot - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs