Neonatal Toxicity Following Maternal Citalopram Treatment

Late gestational exposure to citalopram, may be associated with a neonatal toxicity syndrome with immediate onset at birth or soon after birth and sometimes may be mistaken for neonatal withdrawal syndrome. A 3860 g infant was delivered at 40 weeks gestation. The mother had been taking citalopram 20 mg/day until the day of delivery. Fifteen minutes after birth, the baby became hypertonic. Neonatal serotonin toxicity due to citalopram seems the most likely mechanism, though an important differential diagnosis is a citalopram withdrawal syndrome. We suggest the hypothesis that neonatal withdrawal syndrome may follow citalopram serotonin toxicity.