SSRI Discontinuation Syndrome - Neonatal Withdrawal

Neonatal Withdrawal

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning on July 19, 2006 that nursing mothers on SSRIs must discuss treatment with their physicians.

When taken by pregnant women, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) cross the placenta and have the potential to affect newborns. Although SSRIs have not been associated with congenital malformations, some evidence suggests that they are associated with neonatal complications such as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH).

SSRI withdrawal syndromes have been documented in neonates. Investigators found that by November 2003, a total of 93 cases of SSRI use associated with either neonatal convulsions or withdrawal syndrome had been reported. Subsequently, the authors of a study published in The Lancet concluded that doctors should avoid or cautiously manage the prescribing of these drugs to pregnant women with psychiatric disorders.

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