Antidepressants and Its Relation with Autism Risk

 Antidepressants and Its Relation with Autism Risk

Being a mother is not as easy as many people thought. Some of them may give a high risk to their child. The update from medscape.com wrote that the antidepressant that use in the second or third trimester of pregnancy will increase the risk of the child’s with autism spectrum disorder by age 7 years. The antidepressants, in this case, are SSRIs or Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor.

The Study Has shown the Fact

From multivariate analysis, it was found that treatment of depression with SSRI in the second and or in the third trimester of pregnancy was independently associated with an 87% increasing risk of having a child with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). It is claimed by Anick Berard, Ph.D. from University of Montreal, Canada. SSRIs are known to cross the placenta and it is found in amniotic fluid. The increased risk associated with SSRIs makes sense because serotonin is essential for brain cell development and SSRIs cross the placenta barrier. It makes the ASD may come to the child.

The result of the study is the use of SSRIs in the second and or third trimester was associated with a higher risk (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.20-3.93). In addition, the risk was significant after adjusting for maternal history of depression (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.20-3.93). The combined use of drugs from two or more antidepressant drug classes was associated with the highest risk of having a child with ASD (HR, 4.39; 95%CI, and 1.44-13.32). 

The research also found that the is no increased risk of ASD was observed with the use of an antidepressant in the first trimester. It may be because of the placenta is not formed yet in this trimester. Therefore, for you who take antidepressant and have a plan to get pregnant, it would be better for you to stop your pills although it is not the SSRIs type.