Taking some popular drugs during pregnancy increases the risk of autism in the child by almost half
A large-scale study has shown that some drugs, when taken during pregnancy, increase the likelihood of autism developing in a child. And if they are taken simultaneously, the risk increases significantly. These include antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and cholesterol medications. Here's what these medications are and what scientists advise.
Photo: ccnull.de/CC BY 2.0 DE
A study conducted by scientists from the University of Nebraska Medical Center and published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, covered medical records of children born in the USA from 2014 to 2023. Specialists found an unexpected link between fifteen popular drugs and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders in children.
These drugs belong to different classes — antidepressants, statins, blood pressure medications, and cholesterol medications. But they are united by one common side effect: the ability to block cholesterol production at the cellular level.
Although cholesterol in adults is often associated with heart disease, for the fetus it is a vital building material. It is especially necessary for the brain, the organ that contains the most cholesterol. Around mid-pregnancy (approximately at 19-20 weeks), the fetal brain begins to synthesize its own cholesterol independently, and disruption of this process can lay the groundwork for serious problems in brain development.
The study's figures are striking: taking at least one such drug during pregnancy was associated with a 47% increase in the relative risk of autism in the child. Moreover, the risk increases exponentially if a woman is prescribed several drugs at once.
For each additional drug, the probability of autism increased by 1.33 times, and if the patient simultaneously took four or more such drugs, the risk for the child already exceeded the baseline by 2.33 times (by 130%).
The situation is complicated by the fact that the popularity of these drugs among pregnant women is rapidly growing. According to the study data, the proportion of pregnant women who were prescribed at least one such drug more than tripled — from 4.6% in 2014 to 16.8% in 2023.
To confirm that the problem lies precisely in the medications, and not in the mother's diseases, such as depression or schizophrenia, which also have a genetic risk factor for autism, the researchers performed additional statistical adjustments. Although accounting for psychiatric diagnoses slightly lowered the indicators for some antidepressants and antipsychotics, the overall association remained evident.
At the same time, researchers strongly warn against self-discontinuation of treatment. These drugs are vital for many adults whose developed brains are almost unaffected by cholesterol blockade due to its slow metabolism.
If you are taking such medications, you should consult a specialist — either during pregnancy planning or at least immediately once pregnancy is known.
Here are the drugs that inhibit sterol (cholesterol) biosynthesis in the body and are associated with an increased risk of autism in a child:
- Antidepressants: Sertraline, Fluoxetine, Bupropion, Trazodone,
- Neuroleptics (Antipsychotics): Aripiprazole, Cariprazine (showed the highest individual risk, increasing it by 2.59 times), Haloperidol,
- Anxiolytics: Buspirone,
- Beta-adrenergic blockers (medications for high blood pressure and heart disease): Metoprolol, Propranolol, Nebivolol,
- Statins (for lowering cholesterol levels): Atorvastatin, Simvastatin, Rosuvastatin, Pravastatin.