Zoloft and ppd

[clar1401]

Hi there,
I gave birth a week ago to a beautiful baby boy. Throughout the pregnancy, I suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum (see helpher.org for more info.) and because of dealing with that illness, I developed depression. My doctor determined that the benefits of taking zoloft outweighed the risk. I struggled with this decision, but realized by the second trimester that my doctor was right, and have been going to counseling and taking the zoloft consistently.

Now that the baby is born, I'm still on the medicine. I'm concerned about the risks of exposing the baby to it through breastfeeding, which I'm doing exclusively. However, the birth was traumatic as I hemorrhaged and had to have emergency surgery right after the birth with little anesthesia. I feel like my hormones are crazy- I go from feeling elated to completely overwhelmed, to fighting the memory of the traumatic birth. So I understand I need the zoloft and counseling, but then feel afraid I'm harming the baby by taking it. I was so healthy before I got pregnant, then I developed hypothyroidism, gestational diabetes, anemia... I'm still very anemic from all the blood loss. I can barely walk from the delivery, have terrible back and uterine pain, am extremely tired and have constant headaches. My doctor says to give it another week before I'll start to feel better.

Any advice?

Thanks :-)

[copeace]

Hi,

Congratulations on your new baby boy!

I'm sorry you had these complications with your pregnancy and birth. We hope you start feeling much better very soon!

Dr. Hale rates the medications by risk. L1 is the safest and the scale goes to L5. The L5 medications are the medications you should avoid while breastfeeding.

Zoloft is rated an L2. Zoloft has been extensively studied in many breastfeeding mothers. The data is consistent that levels in milk are quite low (about 0.4% to 2.2% of the mother’s dose). Studies of platelet function further suggest that Zoloft is poorly absorbed by the infant and at levels too low to affect platelet function. Another thing to consider is your baby got more of the medication in utero than he will be getting through your breastmilk. Because you took the Zoloft while you were pregnant, your son has already adjusted to the medication. Zoloft is probably compatible with breastfeeding, and is the preferred antidepressant to take while breastfeeding.

If you have any further questions, please call us at the InfantRisk Center. We are open Mon-Fri from 8:00am – 5:00pm, CST.

Colleen Peace, BSN, RN
TTUHSC, InfantRisk Center