SSRI antidepressant use during pregnancy may increase the risk of autism

Posted on December 17, 2011 by Dr. Jonathan

Summary: The use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, such as Prozac®, Celexa®, Lexapro®, Luvox® and Paxil®) taken during pregnancy—especially the first trimester—appears to increase the risk of autism spectrum disorders. There are evidence-based alternatives to SSRIs that support brain health without putting the fetus at risk.

A study recently published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry draws attention to a risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) born to mothers who took SSRI antidepressants during their pregnancy. The authors observe:

“The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased over recent years. Use of antidepressant medications during pregnancy also shows a secular increase in recent decades, prompting concerns that prenatal exposure may contribute to increased risk of ASD.”

Therefore they set out to…

“…systematically evaluate whether prenatal exposure to antidepressant medications is associated with increased risk of ASD.”

In order to do so they compared the data for 298 children with ASD to 1507 randomly selected control children, along with the data for both their mothers. Their findings support a cautionary approach to the prenatal use of SSRIs:

“Prenatal exposure to antidepressant medications was reported for 20 case children (6.7%) and 50 control children (3.3%). In adjusted logistic regression models, we found a 2-fold increased risk of ASD associated with treatment with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors by the mother during the year before delivery (adjusted odds ratio, 2.2), with the strongest effect associated with treatment during the first trimester (adjusted odds ratio, 3.8).”

In other words, the increase in risk for the whole year before delivery was 220%, but limiting the investigation to the first trimester it was 380%. Interestingly…

“No increase in risk was found for mothers with a history of mental health treatment in the absence of prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors.”

Meaning that it wasn’t a history of mental health treatment the year before delivery but specifically the use of SSRIs that accounted for the increased risk of ASDs. The authors conclude:

“Although the number of children exposed prenatally to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in this population was low, results suggest that exposure, especially during the first trimester, may modestly increase the risk of ASD. The potential risk associated with exposure must be balanced with the risk to the mother or fetus of untreated mental health disorders.”

This would be a troubling dilemma were it not for the fact that therapies supporting brain health are available to treat depression. Serotonin production and signaling, when indicated, can be supported in a physiological and sustainable manner that promotes the brain health of mother and fetus. A categorization and description of key resources that applies to adults as well as children is available in the Parents’ Guide To Brain Health.

Exercise scores as well as Zoloft for major depression

Posted on October 28, 2010 by Dr. Jonathan

Another outcome study to add to the massive body of evidence that the psychopharmaceutical model for treating depression is seriously flawed was published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. The authors pitted sertraline (Zoloft, an SSRI) against exercise and placebo as they set out to…

“…assess whether patients receiving aerobic exercisetraining performed either at home or in a supervised group settingachieve reductions in depression comparable to standard antidepressantmedication (sertraline) and greater reductions in depressioncompared to placebo controls.”

They randomly assigned 202 adults diagnosed with major depression were to either supervised exercise in a group setting; home-based exercise; antidepressant medication (sertraline, 50–200 mg daily); or placebo pill for 16 weeks. This was followed by a structured clinical interview for depression and completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Typically, the data showed little difference between the placebo and Zoloft, and virtually no difference between the medication and exercise:

“After 4 months of treatment, 41% of the participants achieved remission, defined as no longer meeting the criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and a HAM-D score of <8. Patients receiving active treatments tended to have higher remission rates than the placebo controls: supervised exercise = 45%; home-based exercise = 40%; medication = 47%; placebo = 31%. All treatment groups had lower HAM-D scores after treatment; scores for the active treatment groups were not significantly different from the placebo group.”

There is an enormous amount of science showing that this class of medications profoundly perturbs the brain in such a way that attempting to stop taking them after 6 weeks or continuing them long-term can result in the dismal trap of a brain sensitized to depression. This study would have been even more striking had they compared the unmedicated exercise group to those who were medicated after attempting to stop. As it is, the authors conclude:

“The efficacy of exercise in patients seems generally comparable with patients receiving antidepressant medication and both tend to be better than the placebo in patients with MDD. Placebo response rates were high, suggesting that a considerable portion of the therapeutic response is determined by patient expectations, ongoing symptom monitoring, attention, and other nonspecific factors.”

Historically, before the age of psychopharmaceuticals most cases of major depression tended to be self-limiting. For an objective, meticulous, articulate and gripping scientific and historical narrative on how anti-depressants, tranquilizers and anti-psychotic medications have promoted the skyrocketing levels of mental disability, I suggest Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker. Anyone considering taking or prescribing these medications should be aware of the science reviewed comprehensively in this text.

Antidepressants associated with strokes in women

Posted on December 15, 2009 by Dr. Jonathan

Here we have another good reason to use the body-friendly method of providing native precursors and cofactors to naturally increase neurotransmitters instead of using re-uptake inhibitors. This study just published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that “Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use was associated with increased stroke risk and all-cause mortality…SSRI use was associated with incident hemorrhagic stroke and fatal stroke.” Important: there IS another way, without side effects or hazards, to improve neurotransmitter levels. Contact us for more information.

SSRI’s associated with congenital malformations in early pregnancy

Posted on December 2, 2009 by Dr. Jonathan

Recent research published in the British Medical Journal reveals that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), especially Celexa and Zoloft, are associated with an increased prevalence of septal heart defects when their mothers were prescribed them in early pregnancy. As Lapis Light patients know, physiological neurotransmitter support with precursors and co-factors gives the body what it needs to raise neurotransitter levels naturally.