Beth had been told it would be safe, but her video shows the result
A baby was born with withdrawal tremors after his mum took a common drug she was told would be safe through her pregnancy. Beth Tricklebank was taking 200mg of Sertraline – an antidepressant – throughout her pregnancy, but baby Jack showed visible signs of being affected by the medication when he was born.
Jack could be seen shaking in his cot, with the tremors lasting for the first three weeks of his life. She is sharing her experience to raise awareness among other parents prescribed the drug.
Beth shared a clip of little Jack visibly shaking as a warning,. “This was really tough on me – the mum guilt was insane,” said Beth, from Derbyshire. “The tremors started as soon as he was born. The midwives were pretty confident it was my meds and the doctors confirmed this once we were at the hospital.
“There were no other signs that he had been affected by the medication, aside from the tremors. The doctors knew what was causing the tremors as soon as I confirmed the medication I was taking. They explained that sometimes this happens and that there wasn’t anything they could do to help him other than monitor him.”
Beth had been prescribed the medication following the loss of her mother in September 2021, which caused her mental health to deteriorate. Relying on them “to function”, Beth says her doctor told her the risk in coming off the drug throughout her pregnancy was “far greater” than any risk Sertraline would pose.
She said: “It would have been a risk to come off Sertraline during pregnancy due to both my depression and the length of time I had been taking them. My mental health was certainly not strong enough to come off of them completely, and due to the high dose I was on, coming off them cold turkey would have been dangerous for me and the baby due to the effects withdrawing would’ve had on my own body.”
But she claims she wasn’t made aware of what to expect when her baby was born in July 2024. She said: “When I was prescribed them, the GP didn’t mention anything about pregnancy as I wasn’t pregnant when they were prescribed. I contacted them once pregnant and they said there was a very tiny chance of the baby withdrawing but this was very rare – and they did not explain what this would look like, and didn’t talk about wanting to lower my dosage.”
In the video, Jack can be seen experiencing tremors, while Beth has added text to indicate a quote from a medic, reading: “Don’t worry, Sertraline use is completely safe in pregnancy, there’s only a very tiny chance of it affecting baby.”
The tot wasn’t given any medication to treat the tremors, though doctors advised Beth to breastfeed so a tiny amount of Sertraline would be passed into his system, to help ease the withdrawals, though she didn’t find it helped. Thankfully, her baby is now “fully fit and healthy” and has met all developmental milestones, so his mum doesn’t believe he is suffering any long-term effects.
While Beth acknowledges she needed to have the medication, and “couldn’t have survived” pregnancy without it, she is advocating for lower dosages to be prescribed in the weeks leading up to birth, to limit the impact on the baby. The mum added: “It made me feel very guilty – and surprised, because I was never made aware this could happen.
“I decided to share my story to make other people aware of the risks, so they can discuss with their doctor the best way to proceed. And to also remind doctors that informed consent is absolutely paramount in pregnancy, and women should always be given the full and entire facts.
“I’d love to spread awareness so other mums can be informed and aware – because I wasn’t.”
Sertraline is generally considered a safe and preferred antidepressant during pregnancy and breastfeeding, with the NHS advising that the benefits of managing severe depression/anxiety often outweigh the small risks. However, it may be associated with a very small increased risk of congenital heart problems, or with temporary, mild withdrawal symptoms in the baby.
