Anxiety Medication While Breastfeeding

Good for you for breastfeeding and for trying to take control of your anxiety. I struggle with anxiety, too. It is hard to explain to people how our fears go beyond jitters and butterflies in your stomach. Anxiety can be paralyzing and, at least for me, can make a person physically ill. I realize that some of my fears are irrational but I can't get control over them.

I do not like to take pills/meds of any kind. I do not use artificial birth control, either. Though Natural Family Planning works great for me, I still have to be aware of the potential for being pregnant at any time. When my doctor suggested Zoloft, I declined because of this potential. He then suggested guided imagery as a possible solution. He let me borrow a CD by Belleruth Naparsteck that uses guided imagery and affirmations as a way to combat stress, anxiety and the physical side effects. This is not a panacea but it I do feel more relaxed and more in control after less than one week of listening. It is a cheap, safe option to try. No pills, not danger to your nursing daughter, etc. There are TONS of books to help one deal naturally with the type of anxiety you are having - social anxiety - fear of getting up in front of crowds,etc. Feel good that you know what sets your anxiety off. My fears ERUPT while I am driving. (Bridges over water especially!) I never really know what it will be or when I will get set off.

My other suggestion would be (I know this is hard as I breast fed all 3 of my children for over a year) to wean your daughter so that you can comfortably take your medication. At 20 months she can stop nursing without any problem and you won't feel anxious about her health. All of the worries and stress of everyday life compound the anxious feelings you are having. Try to eliminate or gain control of some of those other things.

good luck!

I have struggled with severe anxiety and breastfed my baby for 10 months while on 50 mg of zoloft. Those people who say you shouldnt take drugs etc have never had anxiety and doesnt know what it feels like. I feel your pain, take the meds, you will feel better in a week or two. My anxiety was similar to yours, meetings, presentations, etc. Something else that also helped me was Chamamile tea, calms you down when you feel yourself getting anxious. Good luck and remember, while you are speaking, these people are not judging you the way you think they might be.

My concern is why would you take medication to handle fear of presenting a subject for school. It may be a matter of addressing the fear and practicing the presentation beforehand. Please do not risk the safety of your child to get past school work. What would you do if you land a job where presenting is a regular part of it? I hated giving presentations in grad school because I worried that I would somehow screw it up. I made 3x5 note cards and studied beforehand. I actually did well, and pushed past my fears. I was afraid of the what if. But, I had to think positive and know that even if I screwed up it wasn't the end of the world. I didn't mean I was a failure. It meant I let my fear get the best of me that time.

Medication with drugs is not always the best way to go. Especially since you only have two presentations to do and you are in your last year. YOU CAN DO IT - you are better than you think. I hope this perspective helps.

I HAD to take a LOW dose of Paxil. the lowest on the market to fight off severe depression. my baby is fine (an amazon at 2 1/2) and there was NO problem weaning her etc! ask your dr's lots of questions! and take care of yourself!

Hello L Q,

Thomas Hale, Phd, had written THE definitive book and done TONS of research about which drugs are safe and not while breast feeding. If you google his name you will find him, I used to have a copy of his book but the info is changing all the time due to new research, now you can buy an online subscription and its great, you can look up all you want that way with the latest info.

Take care, S.

That's sort of complicated - there have been zero studies, ever (at least in the U.S.) to check for the safety of psych meds in pregnancy and/or breastfeeding. No one is willing to take the risk of the study. So nothing is actually approved for it. Most recommendations are that if you need to take one, take one of the older ones on the market, as they have been used most often in breastfeeding women (just by sheer years of availability), without any known side-effects.
Good luck!