Study Links Autism to Antidepressants Taken During Pregnancy
Infants who are born to mothers taking SSRI antidepressants like Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Effexor, Celexa and Lexapro during all or part of pregnancy are twice as likely as other infants to be diagnosed with autism or a related disorder, according to a recent study, one of the first studies to thoroughly examine the correlation between autism and other antidepressant use.
The study suggests that a certain class of antidepressants (which includes new Zoloft, Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro) called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can be especially risky if taken early on during pregnancy. In many cases, children of mothers taking antidepressants such as Zoloft during pregnancy are up to four times as likely to have autism. Infants whose mothers took antidepressants during the first trimester of pregnancy were almost four times as likely to develop an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared with unexposed children according to the study found in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
According to Tim Oberlander, M.D., a professor of developmental pediatrics from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, “Poor maternal mental health during pregnancy is a major public health issue… Some children might be at risk from an SSRI exposure-and we don’t know who, and how that works-there are many mothers and their children as well who will benefit.”
Antidepressant Drugs Include:
Antidepressant Autism Lawsuit: Speak to an Attorney
Many new parents ask themselves what was the cause of my child’s Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Did it happen during pregnancy? The following antidepressants (SSRI’s) may be linked to causing the development of an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) of unborn babies, infants, and children when their mothers took them while pregnant:
- Zoloft (sertraline)
- Prozac (fluoxetine)
- Paxil (paroxetine)
- Celexa (citalopram)
- Lexapro (escitalopram)
- Effexor (venlafaxine)
Our law firm is handling individual birth defect and autism lawsuits against drug and pharmaceutical companies and currently accepting new Zoloft, Prozac, Paxil, Celexa and Lexapro cases. If your child was born with a severe heart defect, birth injury or autism that you believe may have been caused by taking an antidepressant during pregnancy, then you should contact our law firm as soon as possible for a free confidential review of your potential birth defect lawsuit case. All cases are handled on a Contingency Fee Basis (no attorney’s fees or expenses charged unless we recover for you).