I've suffered from anxiety and depression for the past 10 years. I'm currently 8 month pregnant and weaning off my anti-depressant before I deliver. I want to stay off any, if I can, so I can nurse. I was able to with my first and it was a wonderful expereince. However, does anyone have experience with either a natural treatment or a speicifc anti-depressant that you used and were still okay to breastfeed. I plan on talking to my doctor about a plan B, but just curious if anyone has been through this situation....any advise is very much appreciated.
Thanks!
Talk to your doctor about taking Turmeric. You can get it in the vitamin section of stores. It really helps me and my hubby with depression. I would think it is safe to take while breastfeeding since it is natural.
Zoloft is considered safe while breastfeeding. It is commonly prescribed for post-partum depression.
You our your doctor can look up various medications at Dr. Hale's website http://www.infantrisk.com/
A lot more medications are safer than the packaging claims. The packaging is going to go worse case to avoid a lawsuit. Better to say no. If you have an iphone there is a fantastic app called Lactmed that you can use to look up medications and their compatibility with breastfeeding. I use it all the time.
Check out the book "The Mood Cure" by Julia Ross. There is a lot of information in that book that might be helpful to you. I'm not against RXs, I've taken my share of them over the years but, the side effects were worse than the symptoms I was taking them for. I do think there is a whole slew of natural foods & supplements that can be safer to you & your baby, without side effects to you. If it's not helping, you can always go back to the RXs. Good Luck & Congrats on your new baby!
Please do talk to your doctor about this. It's my understanding that there are safe meds, and your history may mean that you are at higher risk for postpartum depression. It may be safer for you to stay on the right med, to avoid possible PPD. But only your OB can really advise you on this.
Zoloft is by far the most studied and considered to be the safest to take while nursing. I started it the day I had my baby and nursed for 16 months with no problems whatsoever. Of course, ask about other options, but I would say your doc will most likely prescribe Zoloft.
