Prolonged neonatal complications after in utero exposure to fluoxetine

This article presents the case of a female newborn with irritability, increased tonus, jitteriness, and eating difficulties who was referred to our institution. Her mother had been taking fluoxetine (20 mg daily) during the second and third trimesters of her pregnancy. The infant's signs began on the first day after birth and persisted for 6 weeks. Extensive investigations excluded infective, genetic, and metabolic causes, and a provisional diagnosis of fluoxetine withdrawal was made. There have been few reports of neonatal complications following maternal fluoxetine hydrochloride treatment. According to these, signs occurred within a few days after birth and lasted up to 4 weeks. To our knowledge, our patient demonstrated the longest duration of signs reported to date. We recommend that physicians be aware of these complications in newborns after fetal exposure in utero to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. These neonates should be followed-up closely for adverse signs during the first days of life so that signs can be recognized and treated if necessary.