Research confirms antidepressant-autism link

A staggering 1 out of 50 American children has some form of autism and just as alarming is the fact that such a high number of American's are on an antidepressant. It's around 1 out of every 10 pregnant women are on some form of antidepressant. I always thought it was a definite no-no for any woman who is pregnant to be taking these type of drugs, so I was quite surprised to see that the percentages are that high. There are literally tens of millions of American women on antidepressants. That's very depressing, pun intended.

Indeed, multiple studies conducted over several years now lead research scientists to conclude that women taking any brand of modern antidepressants – commonly called “SSRIs” (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) – while pregnant run an increased risk of giving birth to a child with an autism spectrum disorder.

Yet, the public – most importantly, the tens of millions of American women currently taking antidepressants, including 7-13 percent of all pregnant women – strangely has heard very little about this research and its important implications.

Research confirms antidepressant-autism link

I don't think it would be any surprise to know these powerful brain inhibitor drugs can be harmful to unborn children. These studies are just now confirming what common sense should have already told us...ALL DRUGS ARE BAD FOR UNBORN CHILDREN. This includes crack, meth, alcohol, pain killers, and of course, antidepressants. I know of people who get pregnant and continue to party on, dude, like there's nothing wrong with it. Selfish, but more than that, it's amazing that pregnant women weren't discouraged from taking these drugs in the first place.

Two-and-a-half years ago, a groundbreaking peer-reviewed study out of California-based Kaiser Permanente documented a significantly increased prevalence of children born with autism spectrum disorders in pregnant mothers taking antidepressants, especially during the first trimester, compared with mothers not taking such medications.

And yet, the obvious implication of such a study – that pregnant women should probably avoid taking antidepressants – was all but neutralized by two factors: 1) It was the first human study, which understandably led the lead researcher, Kaiser Permanente’s Dr. Lisa Croen, to say more studies were needed to confirm the findings; and 2) most news organizations strongly skewed their coverage toward urging pregnant women to continue “taking their meds” despite the newly reported dangers to their unborn children.

Let's hope this catches on and is put in the same category as other dangerous drugs for the harm it causes to unborn children. The article linked describes how several studies have been done confirming these findings and yet, the media and the medical establishment have been trying to hide these facts, claiming that more studies need to be done while pregnant mothers should stay on their medications, despite the risks. Pathetic!

Well, I can see the women in the 1st trimester. If you get pregnant accidentally, you may not be able to do anything about some exposure. Most of these are drugs you can't quit cold turkey. I'm not taking an anti-depressant, but I am on one that is known to cause problems if you take it when pregnant. If I wind up pregnant, I have to wean off it as quickly as I can, but that won't change the exposure that happens both during the time before I discover my condition and after in the time it takes to wean off.

However, I can't understand how any responsible doctor would advise a woman to stay on her medications while pregnant unless she were dangerously unstable, and if that were the case ... what is she doing having children?

Well part of the problem is people seem to be taking these meds for feeling a bit "down" every now and than.

People get sad, we don't need to medicate every feeling away.

The suicide risk alone on anti-depressants needs to be analyzed more as well, to see if that extrapolates to more than just self harm.

But don't worry, Im sure they are working on the "autism " cure so they can shove it down these kids throats, and begin treating the next side effect to come.

Couldn't the fact that the mother has brain chemistry abnormalities strong enough to have her take antidepressants make it likely that genetics might play a role in the whole situation? Autism is a broad spectrum diagnosis ailment. Just as depression/bipolar is grouped under one umbrella. One of my best buds is a kid labelled autistic. He is genuine around me because I dont talk down to him. I know he is all there but can't express himself.

This seems like Jenny McCarthy biology. Except no scientist will make commercials about huffing e cigs after railing about immunology.

the owlbear
Couldn't the fact that the mother has brain chemistry abnormalities strong enough to have her take antidepressants make it likely that genetics might play a role in the whole situation? Autism is a broad spectrum diagnosis ailment. Just as depression/bipolar is grouped under one umbrella. One of my best buds is a kid labelled autistic. He is genuine around me because I dont talk down to him. I know he is all there but can't express himself.

This seems like Jenny McCarthy biology. Except no scientist will make commercials about huffing e cigs after railing about immunology.

Not likely, and NO.

Jenny McCarthy is an idiot, and her stance made no sense, the history for vaccinations is far older than Anti-depressants, and the risk for the most part are known and well documented. (now if the argument is something ADDED to them to cause, thats a conspiracy slant and another thing altogether for the sake of this argument)

This is CHEMICALs being added to a system, where as your premise (mother predisposition) is chemicals that have existed in humans since the dawn of time.

So something has changed logically.

IS it, the recording and document methods,

OR is it environmental, meaning we did something.

Could be a bit of the first, but more than likely there is more of the 2nd at play.

reply to post by benrl


Only part B...

I needed something to deal with my anxiety/depression and it was a perfect mix of wellbutrin and Xanax/finally valium. The first kept me going and happy, the latter I had to take to help me come down off of the day pills...kind of like a fighter pilot. I ended up having seizures so bad from the antidepressant that my breathing and heart stopped. I still crave it to this day, though. Scary.

the owlbear
reply to post by benrl

 

Only part B...

I needed something to deal with my anxiety/depression and it was a perfect mix of wellbutrin and Xanax/finally valium. The first kept me going and happy, the latter I had to take to help me come down off of the day pills...kind of like a fighter pilot. I ended up having seizures so bad from the antidepressant that my breathing and heart stopped. I still crave it to this day, though. Scary.

And what about your experience makes taking those meds a good idea?

reply to post by benrl


Funny you should mention DNA. Remember 50% comes from the father.
I read a great article about how autism is a holdover of genetics that allowed solitary hunters and collectors during the early days of homo sapiens sapiens.

reply to post by the owlbear


Yes, but if it's a holdover, then why is it becoming so prevalent only now?

reply to post by the owlbear


You have no idea how many "disorders"

I feel are no such thing, just different types of people that served some purpose through our development to where we are now.

Hold backs to a less civilized time who feel Uncomfortable or anxiety in this world we find ourselves in.

Indeed, multiple studies conducted over several years now lead research scientists to conclude that women taking any brand of modern antidepressants – commonly called “SSRIs” (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

Article makes antidepressants and SSRIs synonymous when they are not. SSRIs are but one kind. Granted they make up the majority. However, I was on Wellbutrin [Bupropion] in the past and that's a dopamine & norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

My point is there are antidepressants that are not SSRIs so are they saying all antidepressants or just the ones targeting serotonin?

benrl
Well part of the problem is people seem to be taking these meds for feeling a bit "down" every now and than.

People get sad, we don't need to medicate every feeling away.

The suicide risk alone on anti-depressants needs to be analyzed more as well, to see if that extrapolates to more than just self harm.

But don't worry, Im sure they are working on the "autism " cure so they can shove it down these kids throats, and begin treating the next side effect to come.

No, the truth is that some people feel down every day to the point of suicide. SSRI's do work. The conspiracy nutters like to believe these medications are for calcifying the pineal gland so we can no longer talk to Ashtar command. Here is a fact, they do not contain sodium fluoride, and they are not for population control and they help people in desperate situations.

ketsuko
reply to post by the owlbear

 

Yes, but if it's a holdover, then why is it becoming so prevalent only now?

Well it could be do to environmental stresses increasing, lets not forget our society has gone through MASSIVE changes the past 200 years.

and recently its only be at an accelerated pace.

CallYourBluff

benrl
Well part of the problem is people seem to be taking these meds for feeling a bit "down" every now and than.

People get sad, we don't need to medicate every feeling away.

The suicide risk alone on anti-depressants needs to be analyzed more as well, to see if that extrapolates to more than just self harm.

But don't worry, Im sure they are working on the "autism " cure so they can shove it down these kids throats, and begin treating the next side effect to come.

No, the truth is that some people feel down every day to the point of suicide. SSRI's do work. The conspiracy nutters like to believe these medications are for calcifying the pineal gland so we can no longer talk to Ashtar command. Here is a fact, they do not contain sodium fluoride, and they are not for population control and they help people in desperate situations.

I DID NOT SAY NO USE.

I said that OVER use is clearly a problem, SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUES, should be handled with medication, a mood swing should not.

I wasnt on anti-depressants and my child has autism - more likely to be all the crap that is added into our food. Something is affecting our children. Wish it was something as simple as avoiding anti-depressants whilst pregnant - that be easy to solve!

Maybe it's just me but there seem to be a lot of autism threads today with a general treatment of it being some sort of nefarious disease. I'm autistic. My son is autistic. We're just fine, tyvm. Autism lies on a spectrum so yes, there will be cases where it is in an extreme where everything is on overload. However, too much of anything can cause that. Every person that I know with autism at a moderate level really hates things like this because it's a majority opinion casting a negative light on the way we are without examination of the positives. Maybe people should actually consider what autism really is and where those in the middle of the spectrum end up going.



Too much of anything is a bad thing. No doubt about that and I feel the deepest of sympathies for my fellow autistics that are trapped by their minds. However, we're not all that way. I don't see myself as diseased. Not a single one of my friends or family members see ourselves as diseased or broken. Quite the opposite. If somebody offered us a cure, we wouldn't take it.

Think about that.

Correlation studies are important to look at but they do not, by their design, indicate causal factors. I've never taken anti depressants yet I have a severely autistic son. So, while important to rule out or confirm any causal relationship with further studies, it seems this is being shown as a possible factor in autism rather than a definite cause-and-effect conclusion. Interesting, and thanks for posting the info.

-AB

reply to post by benrl


I'm not, but I think this is the kind of thing that we would be seeing less of, not more, as society has changed and the needs in people have changed. It's been far longer than 200 years since there has been a marked societal need for hunter/gatherers. Also, if that were the case, I logically think you would be able to see heavier numbers of autism cases in those individuals who had stronger genetic ties to societies that only recently lost their hunter/gatherer status, within a generation or two, so you would expect that people who have immigrated from Africa would see higher cases of autism, and I am not so far aware that this is the case. Is there anything that suggests that people who have these kinds of genetic links have a higher chance of autism?

I'm far more inclined to go with developmental issues caused by momma using pharmaceuticals, myself. Since as far as I'm aware, no one has noticed any genetic preferences with autism.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


I've seen and worked with kids who were on all ends of the spectrum. Autism does not have to imply life-crippling, but people with autism are different in how they see and process the world. It would be useful to have an understanding of how and why that is so we can communicate with each other better. A lack of understanding breeds fear.

reply to post by ketsuko


Hi ketsuko. The current research points to a genetic predisposition combined with an environmental trigger. So while it may be possible that anti depressants during pregnancy may potentially be one of those environmental factors , it's certainly not the only possible one. Imagine a baby having the genetic factors and then being exposed to external "triggers" for those genes to switch on or off, thus the infant ends up on the autism spectrum. It is a highly complex, multi-system breakdown. So, what might be other triggers? Toxins in the environment after the child's immune function is already compromised might do it, or a "straw that broke the camels back" scenario, etc. There is no one trigger at this point.

-AB