POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FLUOXETINE HYDROCHLORIDE AND COLIC IN ANINFANT

This is a case study of a 6-week-old infant referred for colic whose m other was using fluoxetine hydrochloride and breast feeding the infant . The mother switched to a commercial formula and reported a dramatic decrease in the infant's crying. We asked the mother to feed the infan t breast milk from a bottle and she agreed. Throughout the study the m other kept a daily diary of her infant's crying, sleeping, stooling pa tterns, and feeding problems. Analysis of the mother's breast milk sho wed concentrations of 69 ng/mL for fluoxetine and 90 ng/mL for norfluo xetine. Infant blood serum/plasma level was analyzed for fluoxetine hy drochloride following return to breast milk. The concentrations were 3 40 ng/mL for fluoxetine and 208 ng/mL for norfluoxetine. The diary rec ords showed increased crying, decreased sleep, increased vomiting, and watery stools when fluoxetine hydrochloride was transmitted through b reast feeding or breast milk in bottle. These symptoms were reduced wh en the infant was formula fed. We suggest a possible relationship betw een colic and associated symptoms and fluoxetine hydrochloride in mate rnal breast milk.