CHICAGO -- Researchers say taking antidepressants late in pregnancy may have an effect on newborns.

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A University of Pittsburgh study shows women who took the drugs in the last three months of their pregnancy raised the risk that their babies would suffer jitteriness, irritability, feeding problems and serious respiratory problems during their first couple of weeks.

Some doctors call it neonatal behavioral syndrome, or withdrawal syndrome.

Based on their review of medical literature, researchers noted that symptoms are mild and usually disappear after about two weeks, but infants exposed to antidepressants late in pregnancy had twice the rate of hospital admissions of those not exposed. But reports of prolonged hospitalization are rare, and no deaths related to neonatal behavioral syndrome have been recorded.

The study is published in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers said at least 80,000 U.S. women take antidepressants each year during their pregnancy.

The greatest number of antidepressant-related complication reports involved exposures to Prozac and Paxil. Complications related to Zoloft, Celexa and Effexor were less frequent, but still significant, said Dr. Katherine Wisner, one of the study researchers.

The researchers said that the findings don't necessarily mean that mothers-to-be should stop taking antidepressants during pregnancy.

"Uncontrolled maternal psychiatric illness during pregnancy carries its own dangers," Wisner said.

They said gradually tapering back medication in the final stages of pregnancy might be an option, but only on a case-by-case basis.

"We still don't know whether a tapering strategy might be effective to limit neonatal behavioral syndrome, but an increased risk for maternal postpartum depression is well known," said Dr. Eydie Moses-Kolko, another study researcher. "Until we know more, treatment of the disabling disorder of depression must be a primary consideration."