Case Reports

Sertraline in Pregnancy: Not that Innocuous. Report of Two Cases and Review of the Literature

Main Article Content

Flávia Corrêa
Fernando Chaves
Olga Voutsen
Alberto Berenguer
Pedro Silva
Keywords:
Antidepressive Agents/adverse effects, Infant, Newborn, Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/chemically induced, Sertraline/adverse effects

Abstract

Sertraline, which is one of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), is commonly used during pregnancy, mainly for the treatment of depressive disorders. Because sertraline use during gestation is perceived as having a favourable risk/benefit ratio, the use of this drug in this context has increased over the past decade. Nevertheless, short-term adverse outcomes occur in up to 30% of infants exposed in utero to SSRIs, and SSRI-related symptoms have been attributed to both direct drug effects and to a withdrawal syndrome. We present two cases of neonatal adverse short outcome after the gestational use of sertraline for treating maternal depression, and discuss the literature and guidelines concerning the use of this drug during pregnancy.

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Corresponding Author

Flávia Corrêa, Unidade de Neonatologia, Hospital Lusíadas Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.

Flávia Corrêa [flavia.figueiredo.correa@lusiadas.pt]
Rua Abílio Mendes 12, 1500-458 Lisboa, Portugal