Brintellix and 19 month old

[ClaireFraser]

I just started Brintellix 10 mg for depression and anxiety. This is the 5th medication I will have tried. I took celexa through my pregnancy with my now 19 month old daughter, but afterward it didn't work and so I've been trying others, while continuing to breastfeed. A mesication seems to work ok for a while, but then stops.

I am still nursing her, normally just for naps and bedtime and sometimes overnight. But she has been sick the past few days and wanting to nurse much more. I know Brintellix is newer but I'm wondering if the risk would be similar to other antidepressants?

[admin-james]

Hi, thanks for your post.

Unfortunately, there are no published studies that examine the amount of Brintellix (vortioxetine) that is excreted into the breastmilk or the effect of incidental medication exposure to nursing infants. Judging from the drug's chemical properties, we expect the milk levels to be very small. However, this medication differs somewhat from traditional SSRIs in how it works in the brain. We have good data on SSRIs showing that they do not affect the newborn's development. It is likely that Brintellix will be similar, but that is just speculation without data to back it up.

-James Abbey, MD