Effects of Prozac use on the fetus during pregnancy?

[OPUSof10ec]

My wife took Prozac during the pregnacy of my 5 1/2 year old daughter. We are now seeing some difficulty in attention span, impulse control, and social development.  Could the prenatal use of prozac be a factor in my daughters current difficulties? Are there sources for research and further information?

[Roger Gould, M.D.]

The latest textbook on the subject very clearly states that all of the studies following children into their school years have shown that Prozac during pregnancy does not cause a problem with the child later on.

If you want to get the original reports, you will have to hunt through the psychiatric and medical literature through search engines, some of which you can access from this site.

[Tootsy831]

Just a question for all:
How do you get to post your question on here..I have been trying for months & every time I hit post a question, it says they have had enough for that day, to try again later..Same thing happens next time..Would appreciate any suggestions..I do have some questions for dr...
Thanks in advance!!

[CCB]

I have had that problem too, I dont know what causes it, maybe try registering in a new name, I dont know if that will help or not.

[panicgirl]

I took paxil during my pregnancy and I noticed that 4 mos my baby had an aggressive way about her.  Now at 8 mos its a bit worse.  Other than that she is like every other baby.  It does bother me to think that a drug that I needed to help me through the pregnancy caused her aggressive personality.

[Peagee]

OPUS:  Here are a few studies because I HAVE done a "hunt" and while these do not say that there can be problems, neither do they show that there are "no problems" later on, after all the children in 17) must only be around 5 years of age (see date of studies):

"15) PRENATAL exposure to fluoxetine (Prozac) produces site-specific & age-dependent ALTERATIONS in BRAIN serotonin transporters in rat progeny
Evidence from autoradiographic studies.
Cabrera-Vera TM, Battaglia G.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther 1998 Sep;286(3):1474-81.

The results of this study show that prenatal exposure to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (Prozac) induces changes in the density of brain serotonin transporters in rats, which are particularly evident in regions of the limbic system, such as the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. These data indicate that fluoxetine alters brain function in rats exposed to the drug while in uterus.

16) PREGNANCY outcome following first-trimester exposure to fluoxetine.
Pastuszak A, Schick-Boschetto B, Zuber C, Feldkamp M, Pinelli M, Sihn S, et al.
JAMA 1993 May 5;269(17):2246-8.

The results of this study show that women who use the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) in the first trimester of pregnancy have approximately a 2-fold increased risk of miscarriage, compared to nonusers.

17) BIRTH outcomes in pregnant women taking fluoxetine.
Chambers CD, et al.
N Engl J Med, 335(14):1010-5 1996 Oct 3.

This study evaluated pregnancy outcome of women who took the antidepressant fluoxetine (a serotonin uptake inhibitor) while expecting, and compared it to that of women who did not take the drug. In infants exposed to the drug, the incidence of three or more minor anomalies was 15.5% vs. 6.5% in controls. Infants exposed to fluoxetine during the third trimester had, compared to those exposed only during the first and second trimester, reduced birth weight and length, an almost 5-fold increased risk of premature delivery, a 2.6-fold increased risk of being admitted to special-care nurseries, and an almost 9-fold increased risk of experiencing respiratory difficulties, cyanosis on feeding, and jitteriness. "


MD - It is difficult enough to get the TRUTH from GSK, ELI LILLY, the FDA, and other regulatory bodies outside of a court room about the side effects and withdrawal symptoms that exist in non-pregnancy situations re SSRIs.  These drugs have been on the market a relatively short time.  As this is the case, what hope have we of believing that the truth (or any convicting studies) will be given openly about the long-term results of children exposed to SSRIs in the uterus?  Perhaps, as you state they exist, you could post some on your site??  After all, as an MD, you must know that they are difficult to find for a professional and can be even more difficult to understand, let alone for a worried parent like OPUS.  

OPUS - here's a couple of sites that are specifically regarding Prozac where you can get the facts,information such as research and results, articles, books etc, and support.

http://www.prozactruth.com
http://www.***@****
http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com
http://www.pssg.org
http://www.truehope.com
http://www.prozactruth.com/taper.htm

Best wishes Opus. Thoughts are with you.
Paula