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Prior to birth of my son, I consulted a perinatalogist who confirmed my personal research that the risk of not managing my bipolar disorder was greater than the risk that 450 mg trileptal and 1 mp risperdal I take 1x daily posed to my developing baby. This was confirmed by a second perinatalogist who also agreed that the data for breastfeeding was too little to make an adverse determination against using the medication throughout pregnancy and breastfeeding. I am diligent about following both doctors' recommendations about taking 4 mg of folic acid daily in addition to prenatal/postnatal vitamins with DHA from NatureMade. I had an ultrasound done every month because I was classified as high risk due to medication exposure and each month it was confirmed that I had a perfectly healthy baby developing 
My son is now 7 weeks old and I couldn't have prayed for a healthier baby!
At week 5.5 I was prescribed 30 mg Cymbalta 1x in a.m. for postpartum depression/anxiety and an increase in my p.m. dose of trileptal to 600 mg. I was referred to this website by my lactation consultant to determine risk. After reading the information on this website and forums, I determined for myself that the risk was low at that dose but have been on the lookout for a change in behavior. I am sure to take my Cymbalta in the am and the Risperdal/Trileptal in the p.m. after feedings. I have seen no changes thankfully!
However, every morning when I nurse him, naturally as a worrisome Mother who is already prone to overthinking everything and being anxious, I get a little worried and finally thought perhaps I should just post to this site and ask the experts in this arena.
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering so I really appreciate the informative review of the literature that is provided because I could get lost in the literature myself since this is not my area of expertise.
My questions are twofold:
(1) I have been watching for symptoms of exposure and have seen none. Are my current levels of daily 600 mg trileptal/1mg risperdal/30 mg cymbalta safe for my 7 week old baby? Or should I cease breastfeeding or dilute my breastmilk 50/50 with supplemental formula?
(2) I have frozen breastmilk since 3 weeks postpartum as well as monthly ultrasound measurement data and paper pictures, would this "data" be useful for a case study? If the breast milk could be tested for medication levels and/or the ultrasounds/medical records would be useful, I would be happy to contribute in any way I can to expanding the literature in this area.
Thank you in advance for your time in responding and your wonderful research!
My son is now 7 weeks old and I couldn't have prayed for a healthier baby! At week 5.5 I was prescribed 30 mg Cymbalta 1x in a.m. for postpartum depression/anxiety and an increase in my p.m. dose of trileptal to 600 mg. I was referred to this website by my lactation consultant to determine risk. After reading the information on this website and forums, I determined for myself that the risk was low at that dose but have been on the lookout for a change in behavior. I am sure to take my Cymbalta in the am and the Risperdal/Trileptal in the p.m. after feedings. I have seen no changes thankfully!
However, every morning when I nurse him, naturally as a worrisome Mother who is already prone to overthinking everything and being anxious, I get a little worried and finally thought perhaps I should just post to this site and ask the experts in this arena.
I am a Ph.D. candidate in Biomedical Engineering so I really appreciate the informative review of the literature that is provided because I could get lost in the literature myself since this is not my area of expertise.
My questions are twofold:
(1) I have been watching for symptoms of exposure and have seen none. Are my current levels of daily 600 mg trileptal/1mg risperdal/30 mg cymbalta safe for my 7 week old baby? Or should I cease breastfeeding or dilute my breastmilk 50/50 with supplemental formula?
(2) I have frozen breastmilk since 3 weeks postpartum as well as monthly ultrasound measurement data and paper pictures, would this "data" be useful for a case study? If the breast milk could be tested for medication levels and/or the ultrasounds/medical records would be useful, I would be happy to contribute in any way I can to expanding the literature in this area.
Thank you in advance for your time in responding and your wonderful research!
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