SSRI-exposed children did not have increased risk of functional nausea and vomiting or functional abdominal pain disorders<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter<\/b>
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FRIDAY, Dec. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is associated with an increased risk of functional constipation developing in offspring, according to a study published online Dec. 10 in Molecular Psychiatry<\/em>.<\/p>\n Helene Kildegaard, M.D., from the Hans Christian Andersen Children’s Hospital in Odense, Denmark, and colleagues examined associations between gestational SSRI exposure and offspring disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI) using population-based registries. All single-birth Danish children born in 1997 to 2015 were included. Children born to mothers who continued SSRIs during pregnancy were compared to those whose mothers discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy.<\/p>\n Of the 1,158,560 children, 1.9 and 2.6 percent were exposed to SSRIs prenatally and were born to mothers who discontinued SSRIs before pregnancy, respectively. The researchers found that the 15-year cumulative incidence of any DGBI was 15.5 and 14.7 percent in the SSRI-exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. The risk of DGBIs was increased overall in SSRI-exposed children (hazard ratio, 1.08), with the increase driven by functional constipation but not by functional nausea and vomiting or functional abdominal pain disorders.<\/p>\n “Our finding that functional constipation is increased following prenatal SSRI exposure should not be taken as a directive to change clinical practice or current recommendations for antidepressant treatment in pregnancy,” the authors write. “Treating depression in pregnancy is a high priority, as untreated depression can have significant adverse consequences on both the mother and the fetus.”<\/p>\n One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.<\/p>\n Abstract\/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)<\/a><\/p>\n