Breastfeeding and anti-depressants

[rickman]

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The nurse is minsinformed. There are ads that you can take when you're breast-feeding - you don't have to give up, as long as you see someone who is well-informed about the drug they are prescribing.

The first ad I was offered was Prozac, which I was told was OK for breast-feeding. There are others too but the nurse wouldn't necessarily be the best person to advise you. See your GP for advice, he may want to refer you to a psychiatrist or mental health nurse as they know far more about anti-depressants and which are best for use in particular circumstances.

I take Dosulepin Rickman and it was fine to take while pg and breastfeeding. I used to work for a psychiatrist so was confident about her advice!

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Prozac will be fine - there is info on the web about this. There is concern about Prozac with a very young baby, but not after the first few months. A two year old should not give anyone any worries at all.

How dreadful that nurses should be giving out advice like this, way outside their competence, and how dreadful that they don't know they don't know

You can get good evidence-based info at www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/AntidepressantInfo.pdf - it's a pdf and won't link properly, it seems, so you'll need to copy and paste. It includes the stuff about prozac.

Fluoxetine was what I have taken for 2 lots of pnd and was breasfeeding for well over a year while on them without any problems at all xx

so out of interest, how about st john's wort with older baby? friend of mine was wondering about this and wants to go natural route.

I was prescribed dosulepin for PND bcs I was b/fing.

Before that for same reason was given sertraline but didn't get on with it.

Nurse is ill-informed.

My community midwife told me that I wouldn't be able to breast feed and that we'd better warn them at the hospital so they could make sure dd was OK when she was born. It was utter bollox. I went home in tears but was straight on the phone to my lovely ex boss who put me right.

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Good luck wit it Rickman, hope they help you.
have you thought also about going the st john's wort route, any info in the stuff you read?

My GP prescribed amitriptiline (it's got a 'y' in it somewhere, I'm sure it has!) for pnd when ds was a month old and I took in for a year and a half and right throughout breastfeeding. Made me very drowsy when I took it but there are drugs for pnd that can be taken whilst breastfeeding and even during pregnancy.

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Hun, if you want to stop because you have had enough thats fine but don't give up because of someone elses comments xxxxx

Why would you give up bf, rickman?

You don't want to.

When you gave up last time you felt bad about it (and still do).

Your ds doesn't want to.

You can be treated with ads and still bf.

It is normal physiologically to continue to bf, and in many parts of the world it is normal socially and culturally.

Breastmilk is a nutritious and healthy drink however long it's given for.

Bf is a lovely part of your relationship with your ds.

I can't think of any reason why you would stop!

You don't have to stop if you don't want to, of course you don't.

You still want to do it. Ds still wants to do it and he's still getting benefits from it. No-one else's opinion matters.

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Awwwwww, I would say you probably need to give the Ad's a go 1st before giving up as it sounds more like you are feeling down about everything rather than just feeding and you may feel completely different in a few weeks xx

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If he/she doesn't then please see another doctor or talk to health visitor xx