Looking for Input on Experience with Zoloft and Nursing

Hi L.,

I was put on a high level steroids (for bells palsy) and subsequently stopped nursing because of my fear with passing it to my daughter. Since then, I've taken a pretty hard look at holistic care and healing. It has done wonders for so many things I've experienced in the past several years. I believe there is a place for traditional medicine, but I do not discount the amazing things that exist with various "non-traditional" medical approaches that have been around for hundreds of years. In hindsight, I wished I would have taken a different approach with the bells and minor bouts of depression. It would have made all the difference then, but at least I have and use options now that are viable and healthy alternatives. The more I find out about the pharmaceutical industry and the healing abilities of my own body, the more empowered and healthy I feel. I've made minor changes to my diet to reduce stress and feed my healthy mind and now am more attuned to symptoms that require more than quieting with a drug. Just something to think about...

Best wishes, as I know this must be a difficult and stressful time. ~C.

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Hi, L.!

I'm a 37-year-old mother of a son who is 4 and a daughter who is 10 months. I have struggled with anxiety for much of my adult life and have been on and off Zoloft. My anxiety definitely reached an all time high right after my kids were born. I didn't take the Zoloft during my pregnancy, and struggled with whether or not to take it while I was nursing. I finally decided to take it, and I'm so glad that I did. It made me a much better Mom, and didn't seem to affect my kids at all. In fact, my son is amazingly healthy. He has never been sick (no fever or runny nose, even) in his 4 years, even though he has been in pre-school since he was 2.9, and exposed to a lot of other sick kids. He's also been labeled "advanced" in his development. I think you should give the Zoloft a chance. Chances are, your anxiety could have a more negative impact on your baby than the Zoloft. Children are really sensitive to the moods of their mothers, and as your child grows into a toddler, you will need the patience! As far as timing goes, I didn't time when to take it. I took it once in the morning and once at night. Trying to stay on top of your sleep deprivation and nursing schedule is hard enough to keep track of! I hope this helps. I wish you the best of luck! Regina

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Dear L.,
Unfortunately since the advent of drug commercials on TV, our culture looks to drugs for the answer to everything.

I apologize in advance if you are offended by my response. I hope you can see it comes from a space of concern and love for a fellow human being.

Drugs are only a bandaid. To find the source of your anxiety will be healing for you and your family. I hope and pray that you can look inside and realize that you are strong beyond measure. Your body, mind and spirit have the ability to overcome anything God sends you.

In the long run, drugs will affect you and your baby...even if introduced through your breast milk. Why take the chance of ill effects when you have so many other natural alternatives to your anxiety.

My philosophy (may or may not be yours)is that drugs are not the answer. Breathing, yoga, counseling, meditation, prayer, a good cry, sleep, loving relationships, etc. go a long way to reduce anxiety in ones life. If you are doing too much, slow down and smell the roses...hug your family and tell them how wonderful they are and how much you love and appreciate them. Forgiveness, gratitude and self reflection (first to yourself, then to others)goes a long way in keeping your sanity when you have young children.

I will probably never meet you and I asked myself why I should even respond. The answer I got back was that maybe my words would touch you and remind you of something you already know...you can trust in yourself and your amazing capacity to heal from the inside out. Chemicals do not heal...only love heals.

I wish you a wonderful life and I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Dr. P.

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Tough one, huh!
I too went through all that. I even met with a big hotshot, big
wig pschopharmacologist. He was very nice but here's the bottom line. There is no long term study of the effects and so there is
little known. It is known that Zoloft is excreted in breast milk.
Here's the other bottom line and the one I lived with. I'm a much better Mommy on this medication than not. I have nursed two
wonderful little girls for three years each and through the pregnancies.
I've never noticed any kind of reaction for them. I would not
recommend doing this without thought or frivolously.
I am content with my choice (easy since I saw no effect), but I would also recommend that you go to a health food store and do some research, or go to a Naturapath doctor.
There are herbal mood enhancers or balancers that could also help, although if it's to an extreme point than you just need immediate help. Have you tried exercise or meditation?
5Http is a 'precuser' to Serotonin. Serotonin is what the zoloft will help keep bouncing around in the helpful part of your brain. Zoloft does not increase serotonin. 5http increases serotonin.
I hope you feel better soon.
Peace.

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Call your local La Leche League leader. She will either have or know where to find a copy of Dr. Hale's breastfeeding and medications book. Also check out the medications page at the Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition.

http://massbfc.org/meds/

Hope you work things out. The best thing you can give your child is a happy Mama. Good luck.

I took Zoloft for several months while nursing my daughter. She is now 3 and I haven't noticed any effects on her - what I did notice was how much better it made me feel. It really was like a dark cloud being lifted. I know that my whole family benefitted from my taking the Zoloft. It is definitely a personal decision - you have to decide what YOU are comfortable with. If your anxiety is effecting your daily life, it's also effecting your daughter's. My father is a doctor and he supported my decision to take the Zoloft, and I would do it again, if I needed to. I hope this helps! Good luck!

L.,
First let me say that it takes a lot of courage to stand up and say that you need help. Good for you! Now about the meds...I take Celexa for depression. Have since before I had my boys. I switched to Prozac when I was pregnant because it was the most researched on prenatal health. I didn't nurse for a bunch of reasons, so I didn't have to worry about the meds in my milk. I will tell you this. If your anxiety and panic issues are affecting your daily life, then they are affecting how you parent. You have to weigh what is the most beneficial. A small amount of medication (that can be timed or pumped and dumped to avoid any exposure) or a mommy who may not be able to get through a day for whatever reason. Baby needs Mommy. I wish that I had more resources (websites, etc)for you. I have only my experience. There is something to the saying "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy" Good luck to you.

Hi -
I took Zoloft while I was pregnant with both my children and while I nursed my daughter. My children are normal little kids! My daughter is 4 1/2 and my son 3 1/2 (less than a year apart...hence the reason for needing it!) :)

I was leary about taking it as well, but after speaking to my doctors, the benefits of Zoloft out weighed my concerns at the time. I was depressed, and was not sleeping. I needed to take it. And in the long run, it made me a BETTER mom because I had more patience with the kids and not so tired all the time.

I think that taking Zoloft for your panic and anxiety issues, will help you in the long run, and will not harm your baby.

I did not time it, I just took the Zoloft at night. but just do a google search of Zoloft and breast feeding and you will get a ton of information.
http://www.drgreene.org/body.cfm?id=21&action=detail&...

Good luck!
L.

I had been on Zoloft for years and decided to come off of it before becoming pregnant. I used St. John's Wort to help me wean off the medicine. It worked well, as well as the zoloft. I then was completely off of everything before I got pregnant. Now, I am not sure of the side effects of nursing and St. John's Wort, but it may be worth looking into as an alternative.

Hi, I don't know how you will react to my advice, but please know that it is given with the most respect for you and your baby. I think it is more important for your baby to have a healthy / happy Mommy than to continue with the nursing. In a few months she can even have regular milk. You have done a wonderful thing for her by providing the best nourishment and antibodies nature can provide. You have bonded with her and created a wonderful relationship. Now it's time to go to the next step and be well yourself. You can wean her over the next few weeks. She won't be any worse for it, just hold her when you feed her and as always, love her up. Good luck and God bless. L.

First of all, I would not recomend Zoloft for panic & anxiety. I have the same disorder and the Zoloft made it so much worse. I have tried all of the new SSRI's and can't take any of them. Ask your doctor about the old meds like Elavil or nortriptilyne (may not have spelled that right :))
They have been around much longer and have fewer side effects. I'm sure that you can research the meds yourself on line. I know that what works for me might not work for you in terms of breastfeeding. Just some more info for you. Good luck! ~L.

Hi, L.. It's wonderful that you are considering whether you take this medication so carefully, and of course it's important that you feel comfortable taking it while nursing. Many women have taken it and feel better and their children do well. I would recommend that you contact our lactation consultant, Debbie Page for the most updated research information (accessible mostly to medical professionals, harder to get in the general public) on Zoloft and nursing. She would be happy to talk to you and let you know what the facts are in addition to what your doctor has told you.
Debbie's phone number is ###-###-####. We also have a Nursing Moms Circle starting in March that you might be interested in joining. www.mothersandcompany.com
J.
Mothers & Company
Boylston, MA

I have been taking Prozac since I was pregnant with my son. I nurse him and he is now 9 months old. We have not had any issues on this medicine and I feel like I am a better mom without having as much anxiety. Check out Kellymom.com for info on Zoloft. Good luck and take care.

I would recommend going to the following web site:
www.womensmentalhealth.org to find out more info.
I did not take Zoloft, but I did take a different
antidepressant. Hope this helps !

I am a stay at home mom with a two year old
daughter.

I haver been on Soloft since I was in the 8th grade for similar reasons as you. I have had 2 boys since and nursed both of them until they were over a year while taking the meds. At first I was concerned but my doctor assured me there was no danger. I came to the conclusion that I was better off taking it to be a healthy mom and it turns out there was no risk after all. I hope this helps.

T. N.

L.,
There is a specialist in Boston that focuses on pharmacology and neonatology. She can give you research about taking drugs and also looks at you and your own situation. The group is at Mass General. I can't find the card right now but if you are interested I can dig up the name. I saw the assistant director (woman). In the end she said you are the heart center of your family and if you aren't happy no one is. You also have to weigh your anxiety against the anxiety of worrying "if" there is a chance "some" effects of the drug impact your baby. I worried that later on everytime there was behavioral issues or "something" in my child I would worry that it had something to do with the drugs....She brought up the counter point that my child might have a genetic predisposition to anxiety/depression since I had it and it could happen regardless of taking something. It is a difficult balance and in the end which will cause the LEAST amount of anxiety.....Anxiety about giving up breast feeding, Anxiety from not taking something or anxiety about taking something?

Good luck
I.

hi, i tried going off prosac to get pregnant and it was a long haul BACK to being on the medication. I talked to many professionals and the verdict was definitely in favor of staying on the med. Better a happy mom...
I eventually adopted so i don't have nursing stories, but I planned to nurse and had the support of trusted doctors in the field to stay on my medication. good luck. S.

L.,
I take zoloft (150mg/day) and just recently weaned my 16 m onth old. I was on zoloft the whole time I was nursing him- and for me, there were no side effects in him. I was on prozac when I nursed my daughter, and she is now almost 3 and had no side effects either. Have you contacted La Leche League? They have probably the most up to date info on meds and nursing- and zoloft was one of the safer of the meds to nurse with. For me, the anxiety would become debiliting, so I had to take it- but it never bothered the baby (hmm. people would comment on how happy my babies always are, LOL, though I don't think that is from the meds, as my older kids were like that too, without meds.)
K. H

My Psych. switched me from Celexa to Zoloft during my pregnancy because it is the safest out there for breastfeeding. I'm still on it and see no affect on the baby that I can link to it. I mean, if my baby has tummy trouble, how do i know if it's the meds or just regular baby stuff? Anyway, I don't worry about it and I don't think about the timing. I take it every morning.

With my first child, I was on Celexa the whole time and had no problems with that, either.

L.,

Call your doctor or your local La Lache League Leader and ask them to look up Zoloft in the Thomas Hale book. This book is simply a reference book of medications and their compatibility with nursing. You can read in this exactly what the timing is for when it is released into the milk and how much is released into the milk and how much of that get passed onto the baby. I was nursing for a while on Prozac (though I was nursing a toddler which is slighly different than an under-one), which I felt comfortable doing after I had all that information. Good luck!

Hi L.,
If you believe that taking Zoloft at this point in your life is the right thing to do I would suggest you consider weaning your child. I have friends that, when they wanted to go off Zoloft permanently, had a very difficult time of it. One friend took 3 years to go off of it, and still had a difficult time. Her body chemistry had changed as a result of taking the Zoloft. Your baby does not deserve to ingest any unnecessary medications at this point in her life. Your decision to nurse her for the past 8 months was an excellent decision and has made her immune and intestinal systems strong.
In my opinion, if you weaned her now before going on Zoloft yourself, she would fare very well whereas if she started ingesting Zoloft, who knows what situations it could create sooner or later on in her life. As you said you can't find any information around it so there probably are no studies that could tell you conclusively how your child might fare.

I urge you to be on the safe side with your precious daughter.
Sincerely,
S. A. Kane
Food As Medicine
www.sanctuary-healing.com

I have been taking Zoloft since the fifth month of my pregnancy, and my daughter is now almost four months old. I took 50mgs daily all along, except for three weeks after she was born when I increased it to 75mgs daily.
She is an alert, happy, developmentally on-target baby! I have seen absolutely no side effects from the medication. My obstetrician did not believe that there was any concern with regard to "timing" when I take the medication. I breastfeed my daughter exclusively (she has not yet had any formula supplements and I have never used the "pump-and-dump" tactic).
Honestly, I believe I am a better mother because I am better able to control my emotions. I would not hesitate to stop, however, if I thought the medication had any effect whatsoever on my child. She is beautiful and bright, and even slightly ahead of most infants her age. I hope this puts you more at-ease. You have to take care of yourself, too, in order to take care of your child.

I took Zoloft while nursing my second child. I started it when she was about six weeks old through when she weaned at about 14 months. I didn't notice any ill effects on her and I know I was a better mom because I was taking it. I wish I had recognized the anxiety/depression I had after my first child and had taken something for it. They are little for such a short while and you miss too much of the fun if you are anxious!

good luck!

Hi L.,
After my daughter was born in Aug. 04 I went through a grueling year of stress and panic and sleeplessness before finally "giving in" to meds. I ended up on three different ones, one of which was lexapro, another antidepressant. I was still nursing but not as much as I once was. I continued to nurse for another year and a half. What I understood was that timing of when the meds are taken and what kind they are important. I wouldn't have done it if I felt I was jeopardizing my daughter's health at all. Dr Hale has written a lot about breastfeeding and medication. Search him on the web. Good luck with all of this. You will be a better mom if you get this under control. It's really hard to feel this way! I'm not out of the woods yet honestly and my daughter will be four this year. M.

Hi L.,
I started taking Zoloft right after my daughter was born and I could nurse her no problem. It didn't affect my milk supply, and it didn't affect her routine. She was such a good baby. She was happy and so was I! Take the Zoloft... the symptons of not taking it are much worse than the side effect of taking it. Your mental and physical health is VERY important right now.
A.

L.,

I understand that you want to protect your little one, but if you do not take care of yourself you will not be the best Mommy that you can be.

A small amount of medication will allow you to better enjoy your little girl.

Hi L.-

I actually started taking zoloft in my 6th month of pregnancy and while breastfeeding. I also had concerns and my doctor told me it was more harmful to be unhealthy for my child. I am thankful because it made me feel a lot better and my son is absolutely fine! I did stop breastfeeding at 3 months b/c it just wasnt working out for me.

Hi L.!

I took Zoloft while nursing all 3 of my girls! My OB, and our pediatrician, felt absolutely comfortable with my taking the zoloft while nursing, and it was the best thing ever! I had pretty bad post partum depression after having my first and finally went on the zoloft - i'm glad i finally went on it, and wished I had gone on earlier! With the other 2 girls, I went on immediately after giving birth, more as a preventative measure - because i didn't want to waste one minute feeling bad. Anyway I used to take my pills in the morning because i had some insomnia associated with the zoloft. From all that I've read and heard, Zoloft is completely safe. I nursed each child for 1 year, and took zoloft the entire time, and never noticed any effect on my girls. It was just so positive for me! If you are feeling anxious, I would really start taking it right away - you are going to feel so much happier once you do!

Hi L.,
Many years ago with the births of my 3 boys, I suffered terribly from anxiety and post natal depression; the first for 6 months, 2nd was 12 months and 3rd 18 months of absolute hell. My doctor put me on several different medications which all made me feel tired and zombie like so I stopped taking them. Learnt to meditate and found that was the best medication of all. I still meditate today as I found it benefitted my entire health and wellbeing and still does. Im 55 and work in childcare. Ppl often tell me how calm they feel around me and my friends often come to see me, "just to get back their own sense of calm" so they tell me. It works in amazing ways and helps relationships too. Hope this is some help but if you dont wish to try, then I wish you well in your life.
Blessings
S. - Australia

I had to take the Zoloft also to deal with post partum depression after my daughter was born. It took me a while to take it also. It can make a world of difference. If you feel this way this can have more of an effect on your child. You may feel in later times that you missed out on enjoying the begining months of your child's life

Hi L., I did take Zoloft after the birth of my second child and I also did nurse. She is now 5 and appears to be a very healthy and smart little girl..who talks a lot!! :-) I do not take Zoloft anymore but I do feel that it helped me somewhat get through a difficult time. You seem to be a cautious person and would appear to know if it were not working out for you. At 8 mos old I would feel comfortable in trying it out since you are still having some anxiety and stress perhaps. I'd say give it a shot. Good Luck.

M. D

I haven't taken Zoloft but I am a nursing mom on Prozac and let me tell you, it's a life saver. Zoloft is very researched and is very safe for nursing moms, especially this far out. Do yourself and your family a favor and take it, you'll be glad you did.