Treating PPD with Antidepressant BEFORE Baby Is Born

I took a low dose of zoloft when I was pregnant with my son (now 2) for most of the pregnancy. My mother freaked out because she read online about possible side effects for the baby (blood pressure changes, don't remember what else), but my doctor told me that having a calmer, happier mama on zoloft was better for the baby than having a stressed out, drug-free mama. My son is healthy and had no problems. I'm sure your doctors will tell you this, but I would suggest a very low dose for the first couple of weeks to let your body get used to it again, and then build up. I hope this helps. GOOD LUCK!

Hi A.- I had PPD when I had my DD, 6 yrs ago. I'm now 13wk pregnant and have been on 50mg Zoloft for about 6months before we even conceived. I'm told the risk is low for birth defects and I was told the benefits outweigh the risks, in my case. I think it really depends on what you decide and what school your doctor believes in. I would go with what the Peri says because they probably have more experience with it. I'm also seeing a Peri and she didn't even bat an eye when she saw that I was on Zoloft. I agree with Molly. It's better to take care of yourself before the baby is born, than be sleep-deprived, stressed, AND depressed once the baby is here. People who have never been there do not know what it's like. It's better to be safe than sorry. Good luck!

I had PPD really bad after my 3rd (it got worse with each birth) and I WISH I'd had a doctor that had prescribed Zoloft to me before the birth.

I'd take it... if it was horrible last time, it's likely to be worse this time. People who haven't had PPD don't realize how bad and even dangerous it can be for some people.

I strongly recommend you get your nutritional status checked. Low B12 can really, really contribute to depression and many of your symptoms. Many of us (1 out of 3) do not high enough levels of the enzymes necessary to properly metabolize B12 in the gut, so even if it's in your prenatal vitamins, you may not be absorbing - this applies to other B vitamins with B6 being really, really important for a sense of wellbeing.

Also, you don't mention whether you breastfed, but often that can minimize the impact of PPD since your hormones return to normal in a much, much slower manner. It is some of the dramatic hormonal changes that can also contribute to PPD.

And, finally, please have them check your thyroid and not just TSH. Have then check Free T3 and Free T4 (FREE is very important as that's what's bioavailable). Also, have them check for thyroid antibodies. It is very, very common for folks that are borderline hypothyroid to become more hypo during and post childbirth. If you have autoimmune thyroid disease (which is what most low thyroid people have), then your thyroid levels can vary dramatically, thus this is something that you should check now and post childbirth and really should be the first thing any doctor tests for before they ever Rx anti-depressants and again, they need to measure much more than TSH, which is actually a pituitary and NOT a thyroid hormone.

Personally, I don't think PPD is necessary inevitable for anyone and I think your regular OB is very wise. Also, if none of these doctors are testing your thyroid or nutritional status, you might want to find a really good PCP that knows about these things. Most OBs know virtually nothing as they just don't have time to study this subject.