feedback for "Baby Blues"

1. Excellent article. The decisions you have to make when pregnant are indeed crazy-making - and if you're already feeling crazy... So, I switched from Lexapro to Zoloft when I got pregnant, as my dr said at least Zoloft had been around longer... and my daughter is fine - better than fine - which worries me - when she stops breastfeeding, is she going to need a pill, too? Thanks for addressing this issue... !
   

   posted by : maiaoming on 7/3/2007 at 12:08 PM Flag For Abuse

2. I remained on antidepressants with both my pregnancies and breastfeeding (paxil- which was actually found to be dangerous to newborns, given the withdrawal effects on adults, I was not surprised when some newborns were having reactions http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/548176, paxil has some sketchy side effects)  unfortunately this info came out after I weaned my own "better than fine" daughter- now 4 and still okay.  I too wondered if my spiked breast milk chilled her out.  I was switched to Effexor, which I stayed on through my pregnancy and current breastfeeding of my son (11 months).  I am a doctoral candidate in psychology and truly believe that you must discuss risk/benefit with your psychiatrist/psychologist before stopping psychotropic medication.  If your ob/gyn  (or your friend's ob, or just your friends/family) encourage you or guilt you to stop your meds, talk to your therapist and have your psychiatrist consult with your OB. depression, anxiety, etc are not women having pity parties, and effect how you care for yourself and your baby-  such an important issue!  not to be left to the "you know they say..." camp-
   

   posted by : pandak6 on 7/3/2007 at 11:20 PM Flag For Abuse

3. Thanks for writing this. I'm almost through my first trimester and am on Cymbalta and Wellbutrin after a heinous drawn-out bout with PPD after my daughter's birth. Though my doctor says its okay, I'm still a little apprehensive. You strengthened my resolve to stay on these medications, since happy mothers usually make for happy babies.

   posted by : babysinblack on 10/4/2007 at 3:26 PM Flag For Abuse

4. I'm glad that this issue is being addressed here, but also disappointed that this piece brings nothing new to the public discourse. As someone who also takes Lexapro regularly, I can't imagine that having a pregnant wife-then mother on the brink of a breakdown can be a positive thing. I can imagine that post-partum depression on someone who is used to being on ssris to stay balanced is an absolute nightmare. This piece leaves me just as conflicted as I was before. Then again, there's no one to provide us with either a clear answer or absolution for our choices.
   

   posted by : stephanerd on 10/5/2007 at 2:53 PM Flag For Abuse

5. I have Seasonal Depression and have been on antidepressants for about 7 years.  When I got pregnant, I was advised by my OB to stay on Cymbalta.  Though it's one of the newer SSRNIs, it's still class B and most of the other SSRIs out there (with the notable exception of Paxil) have been taken by pregnant women without too much fanfare.  She did caution me that since Cymbalta hasn't been on the market very long, she couldn't say with certainty that it was 100% safe.  I switched to Zoloft the last two weeks of my pregnancy because it was the only anti-depressant that my GP would let me take while breastfeeding.  I had to switch back to Cymbalta and stop breastfeeding two weeks after my son was born because I couldn't take Zoloft's side effects anymore.
   
   My son was born Dec. 5th with VSD (a hole between two of the chambers of his heart).  He is fine and the hole is closing on its own, however, the higher rate of VSD is why pregnant women are not recommended to stay on Paxil.  He also had the shakes from going through withdrawal, but it didn't seem to bother him. After a week they were gone.
   
   Knowing the risk, would I stay on Cymbalta if I were to get pregnant again?  Probably.  I barely had any baby blues and definitely didn't have major PPD.  Depending on the time of year, I might try going off the meds for the first trimester when the heart is developing (that's when VSD forms).  
   

   posted by : ambalish on 2/13/2009 at 2:24 PM Flag For Abuse