August 29, 2011 - Children whose mothers smoked while pregnant may be more likely to end up on medications such as antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs, antipsychotics, stimulants, and drugs for addiction, according to a study from Finland published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Researchers analyzed Finnish data for 175,000 children born between 1987-1989, looking at whether the new mothers smoked during pregnancy. Of children and teens whose mothers didn’t smoke during pregnancy, 8 percent were on at least one of those drugs during the study period. That compared to 11 percent of those whose mothers smoked fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, and close to 14 percent whose mothers had lit up more than 10 times a day. Exactly how smoking may change a growing baby or child’s brain is unclear. It is possible that nicotine could affect brain development, or that access to oxygen during pregnancy might be reduced when the mothers smoke, researchers said.

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