Neonatal withdrawal syndrome following exposure to fluoxetine during pregnancy

ABSTRACT

A 2 day old term male newborn infant was admitted in our neonatal intensive care unit with irritability and jittery movements, No remarkable findings were detected on physical examination except irritability, increased tonus, and jitteriness. All of the paraclinical studies were within normal limits. His mother had been on 20 mg fluoxetine throughout her pregnancy for depression. The patient recovered quickly after supportive care, with no possible cause other than his mother's drug use. The symptoms were interpreted as withdrawal syndrome caused by the mother's use of fluoxetine during pregnancy. It is recommended that neonates born to mothers who have taken antidepressants up to delivery be observed during the first few postnatal days