Cipro and Autism - A question that begs an answer...

In the year 2000 my daughter was in my womb, comfortably waiting to be born. It was my first pregnancy and I was extra careful, because it had taken three years to successfully conceive.

When I developed a severe chest cold in late winter in 2001, my doctor said that I needed some type of antibiotics. Cipro was category C, "but" I was late in pregnancy "and" I was allergic to so many kinds of antibiotics. I had taken the drug several times in my twenties and seemed to have no adverse health effects. I assumed since I wasn't allergic to it, it was fine.

My daughter has Aspergers, which is a form of autism.

It was not discovered right away. She taught herself how to read at 2 and a half and was reading novels by 5. We just thought she was gifted, and sensitive.

As the years passed, she was not maturing socially. She was easily overwhelmed. She was extra particular about where things went. She would fly off in a rage and tear things off the walls. Two days ago she screamed for 20 minutes because she could not find a particular pencil.

Cipro is a fluoroquinolone.

The FDA ordered a warning to be added to this class of drugs due to increasing reports of serious side effects, including liver disease, depression, retinal detachment, kidney disease and neuropathy. It had already had a warning about increased risk of tendon rupture.

In 2004 my Achilles tendon ruptured while walking across a busy intersection. I did not associate this with Cipro use at that time, however in 2012 I was prescribed Cipro for a urinary tract infection. For a month afterward I struggled with thoughts of suicide. I did some research and found the connection.

Given that the brain is part of the nervous system, that fluoride is part of the Cipro makeup, and that fluoride is attributed by some to cause neurological damage I pose this question:

Is it possible that the use of fluoroquinolone drug during pregnancy may result in an increased risk of autism in the child?