Juvenile fluoxetine treatment affects the maturation of the medial prefrontal cortex and behavior of adolescent female rats

Prozac exposure during adolescence increases pain sensitivity in adulthood

Psychotropic medication prescription rates, particularly of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine (FLX; Prozac), are on the rise in the female adolescent population. Particularly, because FLX is dispensed for the treatment of numerous mood-related illnesses, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, as well as for pain management. Although FLX is deemed efficacious shortly post/during chronic treatment, the potential for unexpected long-term side effects has not been thoroughly assessed. For this reason, in this brief report, we examined whether exposure to FLX, during adolescence, influences thermal nociception in adulthood. To do this, postnatal day (PD)-35 female C57BL/6 mice were exposed to FLX (250 mg/L in drinking water) for 15 consecutive days (PD35-49). Once mice reached adulthood (PD70) they were evaluated on thermal nociception sensitivity adopting the hot plate test. We found that adult mice with FLX history displayed reductions in body weight (g) as well as reduced time (s) to display hindpaw-licking behavior, when compared to controls. These outcomes suggest that juvenile FLX exposure induces thermal hyperalgesia in adulthood, thus questioning the safety of antidepressant exposure during early-life stages of development in the female population.