Wellbutrin

[peppermint77]

Hello-

I have chronic depression and have been on generic Welbutrin 300mg XL for 3 years before I got pregnant. Stopped taking at 4wks pregnant. Now I'm 9 months postpartum and really want to get back on my medicine. My doctor prescribed me the lower dose of 150mg XL. I got it filled but am nervous. I'm not a risk taker and had a completely natural birth because I just really don't like drugs at all lol. But feel this is necessary. I don't want anything to happen to my little guy. Would this be considered safe or no longer recommended? I cannot take SSRIs . Thanks!

[admin]

Peppermint:

At 9 months I don't think bupropion would be contraindicated at all. That said, there are now 2 case reports of infants whom have had seizures while being exposed to bupropion in milk. In the first case report the infant had a seizure at 6 months of age, this seizure occurred after the mother had taken two doses of 150 mg SR about 36 hours apart (she had been on the drug pre-pregnancy/then stopped during pregnancy). At the time of the seizure the infant was not known to be febrile but did have a respiratory tract infection; therefore, a febrile seizure could not be ruled out. The seizure did not recur (although the mother switched to sertraline for a few days then stopped all drug therapy and continued breastfeeding).

I think this was a rare side effect. Thousands of women have used this product without a problem. I do worry a bit about your Prolactin levels and therefore your milk production. I'd suggest you start taking a low dose and progress upward over a month or so. Talk with your doctor about this.

Tom Hale Ph.D.
InfantRisk Center

[peppermint77]

Thank you so much! So the dose of 36 hours apart was taken correctly right? Mine is once a day, so 24 hours apart. And are these 2 cases out of thousands? So a very small percentage? Thanks again!