Common Medications During Pregnancy Linked to Increased Autism Risk, Study Finds
- A new study has found a significant association between prenatal exposure to certain commonly prescribed medications and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children.
- The research, led by scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and published in Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed 6.14 million maternal-child health records from the Epic Cosmos database,...
- Researchers identified that medications known to inhibit the cholesterol synthesis pathway—referred to as sterol biosynthesis–inhibiting medications (SBIMs)—were consistently linked to higher rates of autism spectrum disorder in offspring...
A new study has found a significant association between prenatal exposure to certain commonly prescribed medications and an increased risk of autism spectrum disorder in children.
The research, led by scientists at the University of Nebraska Medical Center and published in Molecular Psychiatry, analyzed 6.14 million maternal-child health records from the Epic Cosmos database, representing nearly one-third of all U.S. Births between 2014 and 2023.
Researchers identified that medications known to inhibit the cholesterol synthesis pathway—referred to as sterol biosynthesis–inhibiting medications (SBIMs)—were consistently linked to higher rates of autism spectrum disorder in offspring when taken during pregnancy.
These SBIMs include specific antidepressants, antipsychotics, anxiolytics, beta-blockers and statins. The 15 medications studied were: aripiprazole, atorvastatin, bupropion, buspirone, fluoxetine, haloperidol, metoprolol, nebivolol, pravastatin, propranolol, rosuvastatin, sertraline, simvastatin, cariprazine, and trazodone.