Breastfeeding and antidepressants

[Steaknife]

DD is 8 months and has been breastfed from birth, I would like to continue to BF up to 12 months.

I have PND and the Dr here (france) wont prescribe ADs because I am breastfeeding. I know from others MNers that ADs are prescribed in the UK to BFing mothers.

I am taking the names of a couple of ADs to the Dr tomorrow that I know BFing mums take in the UK and see what he says.

I really really do not want to stop BFing. As I feel that while I am still BFing I am still useful, if I stop then I am not needed anymore.

Am I being too stubborn? Would I be better to give up ADs.

Also DD won't take a bottle so it would be a bit of a task to swap her over.

Sorry, I meant would I be better to give up BFing?

no steaky try the ADs and see how you get on, even the relief of knowing you're getting some help should help, it did for me

Keep bfing, and get the AD's you need. Print out this as it has detailed information on all the ADs and bfing, so should be an acceptable source of information for the Drs

C&P from another forum: Contact the Drugs in Breastmilk Helpline, run by the Breastfeeding Network.
It's a great resource run by a pharmacist who's also a breastfeeding counsellor,
and she deals with health professionals and members of the public. But first,
read through all their info on www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/ as you
may find your topic is already covered. There is a sheet on analgesics, both
prescription- and over-the-counter, at
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/pdfs/Analgesics_and_Breastfeeding_March_2\
009.pdf which mentions that morphine is not usually used long-term with
breastfeeding, and discusses, for instance, which Codeine preparations are most
compatible with breastfeeding.

Because Wendy (the BfN pharmacist) is a strong supporter of breastfeeding, you
can feel confident that she will be looking for a way to make it work for you,
rather than simply saying "Oh no, that will be too much bother" - so if your
medication isn't compatible, it is possible that she might be able to suggest an
alternative which has worked for other women in a similar situation. It's got
to be worth a try.

There should be no reason for you to stop BF. There are several ADs that are safe in pregnancy and licensed accordingly.
Not sure why your dr wouldnt px them, can you get a 2nd opinion?

There is no need to stop - I have BF twice on anti d's (the second time from when DD was 7 days old). There was no ill effect (as far as I know) to either baby but had a tremendous boost to my mental health.

I took Fluvoxamine which is a lesser used one I think - it is particulalry good for anxious symptoms as is used for OCD too I think

Hope you get the answer you need.

Thanks for the links.

My ideal is to continue BFing and to get the ADs but I am restricted if he still won't prescribe as he doesn't know any bi-lingual counsellors either.

could you email one of the organisations here in the UK for some online advice?

I was thinking of doing that Dizzy, and using DHs email address so he can see I'm not just making it up.

I would hope any of the organisations that hand out free advice wouldn't withold it just because you're in France, certainly worth a whirl

Steaknife - DS1 was born in France and I had exactly the same problem with my French GP. She really couldn't see why I didn't want to stop bfing .

The English-speaking LLL in Paris were great and put me in touch with a fantastic doctor who is also a lactation consultant (and she speaks English). I was prescribed seroxat and took it for over a year while still bfing. I can dig out her contact details if you are anywhere near Paris, if you want, email me at kasha dot sarrasin at gmail dot com. Even if you're elsewhere in France, the English-speaking LLL are great people to contact, I think there's one somewhere in the south as well.

HTH. PND sucks

LLL France contact details:
www.lllfrance.org/english.htm

I was prescribed sertraline (aka Lustral) which I took throughout the third trimester (when I was still feeding DS1 once or twice a day) and when DS2 was born. (On the advice of a psychiatrist, who diagnosed my AND).

Thanks Kasha - a big help to know it isn't just me then.