Maternal Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Use During Pregnancy and Newborn Neurobehavior
Just the idea that anyone would think these drugs would be okay to take during pregnancy amazes me. Forget the fact that no long term studies have been done to identify any effects.
In this study we find multiple neurological changes in infants born to mothers taking SSRIs. Geez!! The more I think about this the scarier it becomes. It is entirely possibly that these developing infants will develop in the womb with “overexposed” post-synaptic transmission, with the birth and subsequent withdrawal from the SSRIs leading to serious side effects. Ever talked to anyone trying to get off Paxil?? Magnify this in an infants’ brain that has known nothing but a glut of serotonin-mediated activity.
Pediatrics — Abstracts: Zeskind and Stephens 113 (2): 368 –