Topic - Treating Down Syndrome with Prozac

The University of Texas Southwestern began a study in 2010 using the antidepressant, Prozac, to treat fetuses identified with Down syndrome. 

The experimental treatment was prompted by the mother of a non-verbal seven-year old boy with the genetic disorder.  

She convinced the pediatrician to add Prozac to his regimen of vitamins in order to enhance his development. It worked. 

A group of twenty-one pregnant women agreed to start taking Prozac.  Then, for the next two years after birth, their babies would continue taking it to see if their overall development was improved beyond the level typically associated with Down syndrome. 

Six thousand children are born with this genetic disorder every year; they have severely impaired IQs and a shorter life expectancy. 

These mothers felt that the risks were worth the potential gains.  We can only hope.