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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

bfeeding, PND and anti depressents, URGENT advice wanted please

82 replies

4madboys · 15/07/2008 15:15

hi i am posting this on behalf of a friend, she is bfeeding her 7mth old, who is pretty much exclusively bfed, (doing BLW) and she has been suffering from quite bad pnd, feeling suicidal, unable to cope etc.

she has been backward and forwards to her gp who have been useless pretty much.

she went again today and they have said she MUST stop bfeeding and start taking citalopram and she is on the 'waiting list' to see a psychiatrist oh and she can have counselling if she pays for it....

she REALLY REALLY REALLY DOES NOT WANT TO STOP BFEEDING, is absolutely gutted, so i said i would ask here and see if this medication is ok with feeding or if there is an alternative, and get her some advice that she can take back to her gp.

so please help

OP posts:

Pannacotta · 15/07/2008 21:24

What an awful GP, how very disappointing asnd unprofessional.
Have to admit am no expert on PND (though am a long term b-feeder) but would have thought that all the oxytocin released while breastfeeding would be helpful in combatting PND/depression.
WOuld second seeing a different GP and compaining to the practice manager (if she feels strong enough).

TinkerBellesMum · 15/07/2008 21:25

Ring up, ask to speak to the Practice Manager and say you understand that they can't discuss personal issues but you want to tell them that your friend is very upset, too upset to ring herself, by the way the GP has spoken to her and her husband, that the information is incredibly ill informed and that you want something done as your friend is in a bad enough state as it is without this idiot doctor making things worse.

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 21:28

She can't ring a GP's practice in another city, where she's not registered to complain about a doctor she doesn't know and has never had any dealings with! jeez....

TinkerBellesMum · 15/07/2008 21:31

Why not and why the attitude?

If this was my friend I would be doing what I can to help - which it sounds like 4madboys is wanting to do. I know people who have done exactly what I said and it has been dealt with.

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 21:32

Because it's second hand information. The woman herself has the right to complain if she wants but not a go-between.

Pannacotta · 15/07/2008 21:33

NO harm in trying to help, this particular GP sound unprofessional and very ill informed - the practice manager ought to be made aware of this as this attitude will have an impact on all his breastfeeding patients.
Was no need to snap Nancy66.

vonsudenfed · 15/07/2008 21:35

I think the best thing to do for now is print out the links above and get them sent to her and her DH.

And can you also pass her on the numbers for NCT BF helpline and La Leche League. They will be able to speak to her and reassure her - and perhaps her DH too.

By all means deal with the GP - he certainly needs a rocket up his arse - but there's no point in doing that now, it won't help. She can sort him out later when she is feeling stronger and has all the facts on her side.

TinkerBellesMum · 15/07/2008 21:36

That is called "your opinion".

It can be done if 3madboys wants to. The PM will speak to her friend and see if she wants it sorted out and then deal with it. It saves a woman who is feeling very vulnerable right now having to make the first step.

You are being incredibly rude and there is absolutely no need for it.

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 21:38

I've been following the thread and I think she's being given some shockingly bad advice throughout.

Pannacotta · 15/07/2008 21:39

Have you anything constructive to say Nancy???

tiktok · 15/07/2008 21:41

Nancy - is the shockingly bad advice on the thread or from the GP?

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 21:47

On the thread.

This woman is so unhappy she is contemplating suicide and her doctor wants to put her on one of the most powerful of the SSRi's - he's advised her to stop BF - i would imagine the reason for this is because the long term effects of these drugs on BF children are not known.

doesn't that particular drug get through to the BM more than some of the others?

I don't think it's fair to say the doctor is crap and doesn't know what he's talking about - maybe he does. personally I'd take the advice of a doctor over a bunch of strangers on an internet forum.

With regards to complaing about the GP - it's third hand information - the GP said it to the husband who said it to the wife who said it to the friend. If the couple are unhappy with their GP it's for them to deal with.

Original poster

4madboys · 15/07/2008 21:47

nancy you are not being helpful.

i want to help my friend cos i know how important bfeeding is to her, but i live miles away from her, she has been txting me and is to upset to even talk

her dh is not being at all helpful

i just want to do anything i can to help her, i am printing out the links etc and will be sending them to her in the post, but she needs help NOW.

and i am at the gp, ffs they just dish out shit info and people believe it, or dont question it beause they think drs know best.

she just txted and her dh thinks '7mths is long enough' to bfeed for.....

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 15/07/2008 21:48

This is going to make her way more depressed if she stops now.

Can you contact the husband and show him this?

Original poster

4madboys · 15/07/2008 21:49

she is not strong enough to put up a fight and deal with this on her own, thats the problem, when you have pnd you are at your weakest and most vulnerable, there should be support systems in place to help women, arghhhhhhhh it makes me so mad.

and nancy the research shows that the medication should be fine and with all due respect i think tiktok knows way more about bfeeding and meds than you do.

OP posts:

expatinscotland · 15/07/2008 21:50

i also bf'd on ad's.

like daisy, i'm on ad's already at 24 weeks pregnant, so will be bfing on ad's again.

full support of my excellent GPs, who see no reason why i shouldn't bf on them.

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 21:53

and I imagine the GP knows more still.

of course your friend needs your support, i just don't think having a go at her doctor is 1) reasonable or 2) helpful.

expatinscotland · 15/07/2008 21:55

'and I imagine the GP knows more still. '

This GP is talking out his arse.

He really is.

If he had any sort of competence he could also see how much this is upsetting her.

He's beyond lazy. This information regarding ADs and BF is a point and click away.

He's an insult to all the good GPs out there, like ours.

tiggerlovestobounce · 15/07/2008 21:55

Nancy

Citalopram is fine for to take while breastfeeding. This is not just the opinion of breastfeeding organisations, but of mainstream health/psychiatry

Can you show some evidence to back up the claim that citalopram is "one of the most powerful of the SSRIs"

Maybe this baby has some health problem that might make the GP think it should not be exposed to citalopram, we dont know the circimstances of this case, but generally it should not be a problem.

GPs cant be expected to be right all the time, it is OK to question if they seem to have it wrong.

expatinscotland · 15/07/2008 21:56

And even if he thinks it might conflict, he can easily ring up a consultant psychiatrist and ask. Mine's always willing to give info to another doctor over the phone or via email.

Pannacotta · 15/07/2008 21:57

Lots of GPs are very ill informed about breastfeeding Nancy, and IMO this particular GP was bang out of order talking to the friend's DH about her giving up.
The OP is trying to gather info and opinions about ADs and breastfeeding, it's not very helpful to undermine her.

tiktok · 15/07/2008 21:57

I can confidently say that this thread, collectively knows more about bf and bf with depression and bf with treatment for depression than the GP in question - who may be a lovely doctor in every other way.

Nothing has been suggested here about treatment without good references which the mum in question can share with her doctor. In addition, people have been generous enough to share their personal experiences, clearly labelled as such, which can offer that all-important moral support to someone who is, we hear, in some distress.

(I don't think it would be a good idea for someone else to call the doctor on this woman's behalf, as it happens - she would not be taken seriously. But the rest of the thread seems to me to be unobjectionable. Nancy is being unpleasant, I'm afraid, and sees this as a way of getting at people who support women who want to breastfeed. It's very tiresome.)

ChukkyPig · 15/07/2008 22:02

Nancy I have to disagree. I have no idea about the different drugs and what have you. What I do know is that if I was stopped from BF my baby before I wanted to, that would make me depressed in itself. Surely stopping someone BF, and breaking that bond, would be a bad step in this situation.

I doubt they would be prescribing something via the NHS to mothers BF in one part of the country and not to mothers BF elsewhere as a policy. Sounds to me like the doc's not too clued up.

Original poster

4madboys · 15/07/2008 22:03

thankyou ladies

i shant be calling the dr, but i will be printing out and sending the bits of this thread that are relevant, i will omit your posts nancy

thankyou for your help

she is giving the baby a bfeed in the night and when her dh is not there for now, and is going to talk to psychiatrist and see if they will speak to her dh and reasure him that the meds are ok to take whilst feeding.

OP posts:

Nancy66 · 15/07/2008 22:17

Oh tiktok do piss off - I just think the poor woman is being given some very dangerous advice when she's obviously already in a bad way.

Maybe the doc wanted to stick her on a particularly high dose - 50mg instead of 10?

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