Neonatal adaptation following intrauterine antidepressant exposure: Assessment, drug assay levels, and infant development outcomes

M Galbally; O Spigset; AR Johnson; R Kohan; M Lappas; AJ Lewis

Journal article

Neonatal adaptation following intrauterine antidepressant exposure: Assessment, drug assay levels, and infant development outcomes

M Galbally, O Spigset, AR Johnson, R Kohan, M Lappas, AJ Lewis

Pediatric Research | NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP | Published : 2017

DOI: 10.1038/pr.2017.156

Abstract

BackgroundAlthough a meta-analysis has confirmed the association between antidepressant exposure in utero and subsequent poor neonatal adaptation, few identified studies included drug levels or standardized measures and only two studies followed up children who developed symptoms beyond infancy.MethodsThe study draws on the Mercy Pregnancy and Emotional Wellbeing Study and reports on 42 women/infant pairs at delivery. In all, 31 women continued to take antidepressants until delivery and 11 ceased earlier in pregnancy. Poor neonatal adaptation was assessed twice daily for up to 6 days by using the Neonatal Abstinence Scoring System (NASS). Drug levels were analyzed in umbilical cord blood and..

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University of Melbourne Researchers

Megan Galbally Author

Martha Lappas Author

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Grants

Awarded by Deakin University

Funding Acknowledgements

This study is supported through the 2012 National Priority Founding Round of Beyond blue in a 3-year research grant (ID 519240) and a 2015 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) project grant for 5 years (APP1106823). M.L. is supported by a Career Development Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC; grant no. 1047025). Financial support has also been obtained from the Academic Research and Development Grants, Mercy Health and Centre for Mental Health and Well-Being, Deakin University.