Antidepressants During Pregnancy and Lactation: Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Implications

Summary

Background: The childbearing years are a time of increased vulnerability to the onset of mood disorders in women and a high prevalence of exposure to antidepressant drugs during pregnancy and postpartum has been reported. However, the lack of information regarding the milk transfer and the safety of these drugs in breastfed infants and the related fear of adverse events for the sucking infant are some of the factors responsible for stopping prematurely breast-feeding or avoiding drug therapy. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) and selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) are the most frequently prescribed antidepressant drugs during pregnancy and the post-partum period. They exhibit a wide interpatient variability in their concentration profiles that has been related to numerous environmental, stereochemical, demographic and genetic influences that might alter the level of exposure of breastfed newborns. Limited information is available regarding the safety of use of these antidepressant drugs during lactation, and is generally derived from small studies. A comprehensive description of their distribution and quantification in milk in a larger cohort of patients under various influences and the resulting impact on milk concentrations is lacking. Objectives: The current proposal addresses the primary objectives of quantifying the range of concentration to citalopram, escitalopram, sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine, fluvoxamine, duloxetine and venlafaxine in mother plasma and breast milk in relation to genetic polymorphisms, stereochemistry, demographics and environmental factors in a large cohort of depressive mothers. This will enable to derive the exposure to the breast-fed child taking into account this variability and therefore better adjust treatment to potential influences. As secondary objectives, we will examine the neurodevelopmental outcome of a sub-set of infants subjected to SSRI/SNRI in utero and/or during breastfeeding at birth, 6, 18 and 36 months, and compared to that of a control population of infants not subjected to this treatment. Expected Results: The proposed strategy will offer new information regarding the expected level of drug exposure associated with each or with a combination of risk factors and help for optimizing the security and rationalizing the use of antidepressant treatment in lactating women. Hence, research on the safety of use of these drugs for the developing child is an area of great public health significance.

Timeline

Start

2012-08

Primary completion

2016-12

Completion

2018-12

Publications

• Background McNamara PJ, Abbassi M. Neonatal exposure to drugs in breast milk. Pharm Res. 2004 Apr;21(4):555-66. doi: 10.1023/b:pham.0000022401.14710.c5.
• Background Goldman AS, Hopkinson JM, Rassin DK. Benefits and risks of breastfeeding. Adv Pediatr. 2007;54:275-304. doi: 10.1016/j.yapd.2007.03.014.
• Background Marcus SM, Flynn HA, Blow FC, Barry KL. Depressive symptoms among pregnant women screened in obstetrics settings. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2003 May;12(4):373-80. doi: 10.1089/154099903765448880.
• Background Bennett HA, Einarson A, Taddio A, Koren G, Einarson TR. Prevalence of depression during pregnancy: systematic review. Obstet Gynecol. 2004 Apr;103(4):698-709. doi: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000116689.75396.5f.
• Background Poobalan AS, Aucott LS, Ross L, Smith WC, Helms PJ, Williams JH. Effects of treating postnatal depression on mother-infant interaction and child development: systematic review. Br J Psychiatry. 2007 Nov;191:378-86. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.106.032789.
• Background di Scalea TL, Wisner KL. Pharmacotherapy of postpartum depression. Expert Opin Pharmacother. 2009 Nov;10(16):2593-607. doi: 10.1517/14656560903277202.
• Background Sie SD, Wennink JM, van Driel JJ, te Winkel AG, Boer K, Casteelen G, van Weissenbruch MM. Maternal use of SSRIs, SNRIs and NaSSAs: practical recommendations during pregnancy and lactation. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 2012 Nov;97(6):F472-6. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2011-214239.
• Background Horstmann S, Binder EB. Pharmacogenomics of antidepressant drugs. Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Oct;124(1):57-73. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2009.06.007. Epub 2009 Jun 27.
• Background Baumann P, Eap CB. Enantiomeric antidepressant drugs should be considered on individual merit. Hum Psychopharmacol. 2001 Dec;16(S2):S85-S92. doi: 10.1002/hup.336.
• Background Panchaud A, Garcia-Bournissen F, Csajka C, Kristensen JH, Taddio A, Ilett KF, Begg EJ, Ito S. Prediction of infant drug exposure through breastfeeding: population PK modeling and simulation of fluoxetine exposure. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2011 Jun;89(6):830-6. doi: 10.1038/clpt.2011.23. Epub 2011 Apr 27.
• Background Lobo ED, Quinlan T, O'Brien L, Knadler MP, Heathman M. Population pharmacokinetics of orally administered duloxetine in patients: implications for dosing recommendation. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2009;48(3):189-97. doi: 10.2165/00003088-200948030-00005.
• Weisskopf E, Guidi M, Fischer CJ, Bickle Graz M, Beaufils E, Nguyen KA, Morisod Harari M, Rouiller S, Rothenburger S, Gaucherand P, Kassai-Koupai B, Borradori Tolsa C, Epiney M, Tolsa JF, Vial Y, Hascoet JM, Claris O, Eap CB, Panchaud A, Csajka C. A population pharmacokinetic model for escitalopram and its major metabolite in depressive patients during the perinatal period: Prediction of infant drug exposure through breast milk. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020 Aug;86(8):1642-1653. doi: 10.1111/bcp.14278. Epub 2020 Apr 14.

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Indications