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Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, Side Effects and Autism

A recent study examined the use of antidepressant medications which affect brain serotonin and intracranial bleeds. (Christel Renoux, Sarah Vahey, Sophie Dell'Aniello, Jean Francois Boivin, "Association of Specific Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors with the Risk for Spontaneous Intracranial Hemorrhage," JAMA Neurology 77, no.2 (2017): 173-180, doi:10.1001/jamaneurol2016.4529. 1,363,990 individuals were studied. Medications which strongly inhibit the reuptake of serotonin into cells were associated with greater risk of bleeding. The risk is higher within the first thirty days with these medications, and the risk is higher with anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners. Individuals with autism already have neurological impairments and if there is a bleed in the brain, there is a potential for worsening of brain function.