Oswald Matthew, El-Chaar Gladys, Canter Marguerite
Department of Pharmacy (MO, GE-C), NYU Langone - Long Island, Department of Pediatrics (MC), NYU Langone - Long Island, Mineola, NY.
Department of Clinical Health Professions (GE-C), St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Queens, NY.
J Pediatr Pharmacol Ther. 2024 Dec;29(6):654-659. doi: 10.5863/1551-6776-29.6.654. Epub 2024 Dec 9.
Maternal antidepressant use has increased during the past 2 decades, with venlafaxine emerging as a common agent during pregnancy. Both venlafaxine and its active metabolite possess prolonged half-lives in adults; however, abrupt discontinuation may lead to withdrawal including irritability, jitteriness, lethargy, restlessness, and insomnia. The drug and its metabolite readily cross the placenta, posing additional considerations during pregnancy. Two neonates were admitted to our hospital on 5 and 6 days of life with hypothermia and lethargy among other symptoms of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) requiring an extensive medical workup. Both neonates were exposed to venlafaxine and exclusively fed infant formula since birth. Given that venlafaxine crosses the placenta and into breastmilk, NAS was suspected as a result of the abrupt discontinuation of venlafaxine upon delivery, and the decision was made to introduce mothers' breast milk. Symptoms of NAS, including hypothermia, resolved in both patients. The reported incidence of NAS with venlafaxine alone is limited, likely due to variation in breastfeeding practices among new mothers. Diagnosis of NAS due to venlafaxine requires a high index of suspicion because symptoms are nonspecific and the presentation may be delayed after birth. The effective treatment of NAS using mothers' breast milk illustrates the importance of counseling mothers to provide breast milk as a preventative strategy for withdrawal in their newborns. The cases involving the 2 neonates described in this article emphasize the importance of assessing exposure to medications beyond the immediate newborn period and their possible role in causing unusual symptoms in newborns.
在过去20年中,孕妇使用抗抑郁药的情况有所增加,文拉法辛已成为孕期常用药物。文拉法辛及其活性代谢产物在成年人中半衰期较长;然而,突然停药可能导致戒断症状,包括易怒、神经过敏、嗜睡、烦躁不安和失眠。该药物及其代谢产物很容易穿过胎盘,这在孕期需要额外考虑。两名新生儿在出生后第5天和第6天因体温过低和嗜睡等新生儿戒断综合征(NAS)症状被收治入院,需要进行全面的医学检查。两名新生儿均在出生后接触了文拉法辛,并一直以婴儿配方奶粉喂养。鉴于文拉法辛可穿过胎盘并进入母乳,怀疑NAS是由于分娩时突然停用文拉法辛所致,因此决定让母亲提供母乳。两名患者的NAS症状,包括体温过低,均得到缓解。单独使用文拉法辛导致NAS的报道发病率有限,可能是由于新妈妈们母乳喂养方式的差异。由于文拉法辛导致的NAS诊断需要高度怀疑,因为症状不具有特异性,且症状可能在出生后延迟出现。使用母亲的母乳有效治疗NAS说明了建议母亲提供母乳作为预防新生儿戒断策略的重要性。本文所述的涉及两名新生儿的病例强调了评估新生儿出生后一段时间内接触药物情况及其在导致新生儿出现异常症状中可能作用的重要性。