A study of the effects of large doses of medazepam used for self-poisoning in 10 pregnant women on fetal development

Association of Prenatal Exposure to Benzodiazepines and Z-Hypnotics With Risk of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Childhood

IMPORTANCE

Evidence is limited regarding the safety of prenatal benzodiazepine and z-hypnotic exposure and its association with long-term neurodevelopment in childhood.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the associations of the timing and number of intervals of prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and/or z-hypnotics with the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This cohort study used data from the 1999 to 2008 population-based Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study, which are linked to the Medical Birth Registry of Norway, Norwegian Patient Registry, and Norwegian Prescription Database. Two populations of participants were created: a full sample and a mental health sample. The full sample included mothers and their live-born singletons, whereas the mental health sample was restricted to offspring of mothers who reported anxiety, depression, or sleeping problems during pregnancy or 6 months before pregnancy. Data were analyzed from September 2021 to February 2022.

EXPOSURES

Maternal self-report of benzodiazepine and/or z-hypnotic use during pregnancy was grouped into early pregnancy exposure and middle and/or late pregnancy exposure for analysis of the association with timing of exposure, and number of 4-week intervals of exposure was classified (single [1] vs multiple [≥2]) for analysis of the association with number of exposed intervals.

MAIN OUTCOME AND MEASURES

The outcome was ADHD, defined as time to ADHD diagnosis or filled prescription for ADHD medication. To control for confounding, inverse probability of treatment-weighted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used. Hazard ratios and 95% CIs were estimated. The weights were derived from propensity score modeling of the probability of benzodiazepine and/or z-hypnotic exposure as a function of potential confounders between the exposure and the outcome, including maternal symptoms of depression and anxiety.

RESULTS

The full sample comprised 82 201 pregnancies, and the mental health sample included 19 585 pregnancies. In total, 681 offspring (0.8%) in the full sample and 468 offspring (2.4%) in the mental health sample were prenatally exposed to benzodiazepines and/or z-hypnotics. After weighting, exposure in early (hazard ratio, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.39-1.94) and middle and/or late (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.35-1.61) pregnancy was not associated with increased risk of childhood ADHD. There was no evidence of substantial association between the number of exposed intervals during pregnancy and childhood ADHD.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Results of this study suggest that there may be no increased risk of childhood ADHD associated with prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and/or z-hypnotics, regardless of timing of exposure and number of exposed intervals. However, these findings should be interpreted with caution due to low study power.

Thoughts of self-harm and associated risk factors among postpartum women in Canada

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of thoughts of self-harm during the postpartum period is not well documented in Canada. To estimate the prevalence of thoughts of self-harm among postpartum women in Canada, this study explored prevalence by socio-demographic characteristics and examined the associations between thoughts of self-harm and aspects of maternal mental health.

METHODS

This study used data from the 2018/2019 Survey on Maternal Health which surveyed women living in the 10 provinces anywhere between 6-13 months postpartum. Participants were asked to report experiencing thoughts of self-harm, rate their mental health, and participate in the abbreviated Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) scale. Adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to examine associations.

RESULTS

Of the 6,558 respondents who agreed to share their data, 10.4% reported thoughts of self-harm since the birth of their child. Of these women, 37.0% reported low mental health, 54.2% had moderate levels of symptoms of postpartum depression (PPD) and 37.1% had symptoms of GAD. Women who experienced low mental health, moderate levels of symptoms of PPD and/or GAD were more likely to report thoughts of self-harm.

LIMITATIONS

As thoughts of self-harm and aspects of mental health are self-reported, there is the potential for social desirability bias and underreporting. The cross-sectional survey design did not allow the reporting of thoughts of self-harm at different time points.

DISCUSSION

The high proportion of postpartum women in Canada reporting thoughts of self-harm and strong associations with aspects of maternal mental health highlight the need for effective supports during postpartum.

Use and validity of child neurodevelopment outcome measures in studies on prenatal exposure to psychotropic and analgesic medications - A systematic review

In recent years there has been increased attention to child neurodevelopment in studies on medication safety in pregnancy. Neurodevelopment is a multifactorial outcome that can be assessed by various assessors, using different measures. This has given rise to a debate on the validity of various measures of neurodevelopment. The aim of this review was twofold. Firstly we aimed to give an overview of studies on child neurodevelopment after prenatal exposure to central nervous system acting medications using psychotropics and analgesics as examples, giving special focus on the use and validity of outcome measures. Secondly, we aimed to give guidance on how to conduct and interpret medication safety studies with neurodevelopment outcomes. We conducted a systematic review in the MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane databases from inception to April 2019, including controlled studies on prenatal exposure to psychotropics or analgesics and child neurodevelopment, measured with standardised psychometric instruments or by diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorder. The review management tool Covidence was used for data-extraction. Outcomes were grouped as motor skills, cognition, behaviour, emotionality, or "other". We identified 110 eligible papers (psychotropics, 82 papers, analgesics, 29 papers). A variety of neurodevelopmental outcome measures were used, including 27 different psychometric instruments administered by health care professionals, 15 different instruments completed by parents, and 13 different diagnostic categories. In 23 papers, no comments were made on the validity of the outcome measure. In conclusion, establishing neurodevelopmental safety includes assessing a wide variety of outcomes important for the child's daily functioning including motor skills, cognition, behaviour, and emotionality, with valid and reliable measures from infancy through to adolescence. Consensus is needed in the scientific community on how neurodevelopment should be assessed in medication safety in pregnancy studies. Review registration number: CRD42018086101 in the PROSPERO database.

Impact of prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and z-hypnotics on behavioral problems at 5 years of age: A study from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study

Many women experience anxiety or sleep disorders during pregnancy and require pharmacological treatment with benzodiazepines (BZDs) or z-hypnotics. Limited information is currently available on how prenatal exposure to these medications affects behavioral problems in children over the long term. Therefore, from a public health perspective, this issue is highly important. The present study aimed to determine whether prenatal exposure to BZDs and z-hypnotics affected externalizing and internalizing behavior problems in children at age 5 years. This study was based on The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study and The Medical Birth Registry of Norway. The final study population included data for 36 401 children, from questionnaires completed by the mothers throughout the 5-year follow up. Children’s behaviors were measured at age 5, based on parental responses to The Child Behavior Checklist. Children T-scores of 63 or above were considered to indicate clinically relevant behavior problems. We applied inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and log-binomial regression models to estimate risk ratios (RRs) and bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with censoring weights to account for loss during follow-up. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the robustness of the main results. The final sample included 273 (0.75%) children that were exposed to BZDs and/or z-hypnotics during pregnancy. The main, IPTW and censoring weighted analyses showed that prenatal exposure to BZD and/or z-hypnotics increased the risks of internalizing behavioral problems (RR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.73–2.49) and externalizing behavioral problems (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.86–2.64). However, based on sensitivity analyses, we concluded that the risks of displaying externalizing and internalizing problems at 5 years of age did not significantly increase after prenatal exposure to BZDs and/or z-hypnotics. Instead, the sensitivity analyses suggested that residual confounding and selection bias might explain the increased risks observed in the main analyses.

WFSBP * and IAWMH ** Guidelines for the treatment of alcohol use disorders in pregnant women

OBJECTIVES

These practice guidelines for the treatment of alcohol use disorders during pregnancy were developed by members of the International Task Force of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry and the International Association for Women's Mental Health.

METHODS

We performed a systematic review of all available publications and extracted data from national and international guidelines. The Task Force evaluated the data with respect to the strength of evidence for the efficacy and safety of each medication.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

There is no safe level of alcohol use during pregnancy. Abstinence is recommended. Ideally, women should stop alcohol use when pregnancy is planned and, in any case, as soon as pregnancy is known. Detecting patterns of alcohol maternal drinking should be systematically conducted at first antenatal visit and throughout pregnancy. Brief interventions are recommended in the case of low or moderate risk of alcohol use. Low doses of benzodiazepines, for the shortest duration, may be used to prevent alcohol withdrawal symptoms when high and chronic alcohol intake is stopped and hospitalisation is recommended. Due to the low level of evidence and/or to low benefit/risk ratio, pharmacological treatment for maintenance of abstinence should not be used during pregnancy. At birth, foetal alcohol spectrum disorders must be searched for, and alcohol metabolites should be measured in meconium of neonates in any doubt of foetal alcohol exposure.

Association of prenatal exposure to benzodiazepines and child internalizing problems: A sibling-controlled cohort study

Background

During pregnancy, many women experience sleep problems and anxiety that require treatment. The long-term safety for the child of maternal benzodiazepine (BZD) and z-hypnotic use during pregnancy remains controversial.

Method

We conducted a cohort and a sibling control study using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Data on use of BZD and z-hypnotics, internalizing and externalizing outcomes, and covariates were collected from mothers at gestational weeks 17 and 30 and when children were 0.5, 1.5, and 3 years of age. The total sample consisted of 71,996 children (19,297 siblings) at 1.5 years and 55,081 children (13,779 siblings) at 3 years. Short-term use was defined as use in one pregnancy period only. Long-term use was defined as use in two or more pregnancy periods. Linear full cohort random-effect and sibling-matched fixed-effect regression models were used to compare internalizing and externalizing behavior in children prenatally exposed compared to those unexposed in the full cohort of pregnancies accounting for family clusters, as well as within sibling clusters comparing pregnancies with discordant exposures. Propensity score (PS) adjustment included variables on indication for use (sleep problems, symptoms of anxiety and depression) and other potential confounding factors.

Results

Long-term prenatal exposure to BZD or z-hypnotics was associated with increased internalizing behavior in crude cohort analyses and at age 1.5 years after PS adjustment in sibling-matched fixed-effect models [β 0.60, 95% confidence interval 0.17–0.95]. Analyses on specific drug groups showed that prenatal exposure to BZD-anxiolytics was associated with increased internalizing problems at both 1.5 years [β 0.25, 0.01–0.49] and 3 years [β 0.26, 0.002–0.52] while exposure to z-hypnotics was not associated with any adverse outcomes after adjustment.

Conclusion

The findings suggest a moderate association between BZD-anxiolytic exposure and child internalizing problems that is not likely due to stable familial confounding factors.

Prenatal exposure to anxiolytic and hypnotic medication in relation to behavioral problems in childhood: A population-based cohort study

Benzodiazepines and benzodiazepine-related medications (BBRMs) are anxiolytics and hypnotics acting on γ-amino butyric acid (GABA)_A receptors. BBRMs are assumed to have a low potential for major congenital malformations, but research on more subtle and protracted developing symptoms of these medications is lacking. Therefore, we prospectively investigated the association between BBRM use in pregnancy and long-term effects on child behavior in a large population-based cohort study. The study population consisted of 104 children prenatally exposed to BBRM, 527 children exposed to maternal prenatal anxiety or phobic anxiety symptoms (without exposure to BBRM), and 5609 control children. At child age, 6years, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Aggressive Behavior and Anxiety Problems were assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) reported by the mother and the Teacher Report Form (TRF). Children prenatally exposed to BBRM had higher scores of ODD and aggressive behavior, but not of anxiety. However, these associations were explained by maternal anxiety symptoms during pregnancy. Moreover, prenatal exposure to anxiety (without exposure to BBRM) was associated with increased scores of child ODD, aggressive behavior, and anxiety. In conclusion, the current study demonstrates that prenatal BBRM exposure was not independently associated with ODD and aggressive behavior in childhood when prenatal anxiety symptoms were taken into account.

Suicidal ideation in pregnancy: an epidemiologic review

Suicidal behaviors are the leading causes of injury and death worldwide, and are leading causes of maternal deaths in some countries. One of the strongest risk factors, suicidal ideation, is considered a harbinger and distal predictor of later suicide attempt and completion, and also presents an opportunity for interventions prior to physical self-harm. The purpose of this systematic epidemiologic review is to synthesize available research on antepartum suicidal ideation. Original publications were identified through searches of the electronic databases using the search terms pregnancy, pregnant women, suicidal ideation, and pregnan* and suicid* as root searches. We also reviewed references of published articles. We identified a total of 2626 articles through the electronic database search. After irrelevant and redundant articles were excluded, 57 articles were selected. The selected articles were original articles that focused on pregnancy and suicidal ideation. Of the 57 included articles, 20 reported prevalence, 26 reported risk factors, 21 reported consequences of antepartum suicidal ideation, and 5 reported on screening measures. Available evidence indicates that pregnant women are more likely than the general population to endorse suicidal ideation. Additionally, a number of risk factors for antepartum suicidal ideation were identified including intimate partner violence, <12-year education, and major depressive disorder. There is a need for enhanced screening for antepartum suicidal ideation. The few screening instruments that exist are limited as they were primarily developed to measure antepartum and postpartum depression. Given a substantial proportion of women with suicidal ideation that does not meet clinical thresholds of depression and given the stress-diathesis model that shows susceptibility to suicidal behavior independent of depressive disorders, innovative approaches to improve screening and detection of antepartum suicidal ideation are urgently needed.

Maternal use of antidepressant or anxiolytic medication during pregnancy and childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes: a systematic review

Antidepressant and anxiolytic medications are widely prescribed and used by pregnant women for acute and maintenance therapy. These drugs are able to pass the placental barrier, and may potentially influence fetal and brain development. It is possible that exposure to prenatal antidepressants or anxiolytic medication may disturb neurotransmitter systems in the brain and have long-lasting consequences on neurodevelopment in the offspring. As all medication during pregnancy may pose a certain risk to the developing fetus, the potential benefits of the medication must be weighed against the risks for both mother and her unborn child. Therefore, information to guide patients and physicians to make a well-balanced decision for the appropriate treatment during pregnancy is needed. In this systematic review, an overview of maternal use of antidepressant or anxiolytic medication during pregnancy and childhood neurodevelopmental outcomes is provided. Some studies indicate a relation between prenatal exposure to antidepressants and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes such as delayed motor development/motor control, social difficulties, internalizing problems and autism, but cannot rule out confounding by indication. Overall, the results of the observational studies have been inconsistent, which makes translation of the findings into clinical recommendations difficult. More well-designed observational studies and also randomized controlled trials (e.g., maintenance treatment vs. cessation) are needed to move forward and provide a comprehensive evaluation of the risks and benefits of antidepressant and anxiolytic use during pregnancy.

Psychopharmacological treatment of mood and anxiety disorders during pregnancy

Many women with psychiatric disorders want to become mothers and only a minority seek advise prior to becoming pregnant. In those women, in whom pregnancy can be planned, the decision, if a medication is required for stabilisation and which one to choose if this is the case, is easier to make than in women in whom pregnancy occurs unplanned. The physician has to weigh the risk that a relapse of the psychiatric disorder during pregnancy poses to the foetus against the reproductive risk of psychotropic drugs. This presentation is intended to assist in understanding the general principles of pharmacotherapy during pregnancy as well as the morphological, perinatal and neurobehavioural toxicity of antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines and mood stabilisers.

Benzodiazepine exposure in pregnancy and risk of major malformations: a critical overview

OBJECTIVE

Benzodiazepines (BDZs) safety profiles in pregnancy suggest that the risk of major malformations (MMs) cannot be considered simply as a "class effect". The aim of this paper was to review and update the available literature on the risks of MMs in women exposed to BDZs in the first trimester of pregnancy.

METHODS

PubMed was searched for English-language articles, from January 2001 to November 2011, introducing as keywords "teratogens", " major malformation", "foetus", "infant", "newborn", "pregnancy", in conjunction with "benzodiazepines" as a keyword or BDZ generic name as text words.

RESULTS

Twelve studies were selected for the review. BDZ exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy seems not to be associated with an increasing risk of congenital MMs. Diazepam and chlordiazepoxide should be considered drugs of first choice.

CONCLUSIONS

Data published in the last 10 years did not indicate an absolute contraindication in prescribing BDZs during the first gestational trimester. In any case, studies analyzed suffer from a number of methodological limitations such as lack of careful report of BDZ patterns of use in pregnancy, possible influences of recall bias, lack of controlling for confounding factors and lack of data concerning possible MMs in aborted fetuses.

A study of the potential teratogenic effects of large doses of drugs rarely used for a suicide attempt during pregnancy

The available data set regarding pregnant women who attempted suicide during pregnancy was evaluated to estimate the teratogenic effect of very large doses of drugs based on the rate and distribution of congenital abnormalities of exposed children. These pregnant women were identified from patients of central toxicological inpatients clinic, Budapest, Hungary, 1960–1993. Of 1044 women with self-poisoning during pregnancy, 411 delivered live-born babies; 367 of these children were examined in this study. Data for 12 frequently used (10 or more times) drugs were published previously; this paper presents 77 medicines (58 drugs and 19 medicinal products including multiple components) that were rarely used for a suicide attempt by 197 pregnant women. Although 23 (11.7%) exposed children had congenital abnormalities (CAs), in general, a causal relationship of the CA and the drug taken by the pregnant woman cannot be assumed. This is because the suicide attempt often did not occur during a critical period for producing the CA. Of 67 pregnant women who attempted suicide between the 3rd and 12th postconceptional week, that is, the critical period of most major CAs, 7 (10.5%) children were affected with CAs. This high rate of CAs in exposed children can be explained by the intensive medical examinations, including diagnosis of mild CAs and minor anomalies, or the low socioeconomic status and hazardous lifestyle of mothers. None of the rarely used drugs was identified as a potential human teratogen. Experience of the authors shows the feasibility and benefits of using the self-poisoning model in estimating human teratogenic/fetotoxic risks of exposure to drugs.