Anti-depressants for breastfeeding moms

Friday, Jan 29, 2010

New moms attempting to breastfeed need to be aware of problems associated with certain types of anti-depressants. Yahoo Health quoted an article published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology about a class of anti-depressants, SSRI (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitor).  Drugs such as Prozac and Paxil showed delayed onset of lactation for these women.  Further details can be found in:  http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/100127/science/science_breastfeed_antidepressant_ssri_1

The study found:
1) 431 new moms took the SSRI medications,
2) It took @ 85 hours for SSRI-taking moms to establish milk flow;
3) 69.1 hours for women not taking SSRI medications,
4) Breastfeeding moms taking SSRI drugs may benefit from extra support of a lactation consultant,
5) More data are needed for full recommendations

*Serotonin is one of the neurotransmitters that governs milk secretion at the right time.  When this chemical is reduced, it can affect milk product of breastfeeding moms.

So, what happens to the breastfed babies of moms taking SSRI?
Go to:    http://www.breastfeeding.org/newsletter/v2i4/page2.html                                                Amount baby can get
Antidepressant    Trade Name     with respect to what mom gets    Use during BF OK?
Fluoxetine                  Prozac                 6.5%                                  Least desirable SSRI
Bupropion               Wellbutrin               <3.0%                                  Probably OK
Citalopram                 Celexa                     4.4%                                 Probably OK
Nefazodone               Serzone                  <1.0%                                 Probably OK
Paroxetine                  Paxil                        2.0%                                   Preferred
Sertraline                   Zoloft                       1.8%                                   Preferred
Venlafaxine                Effexor                     4.6%                                 Probably OK


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