The Healthy Mother - Healthy Baby intervention delivered by non-specialists cuts postpartum depression risk by 81% through anxiety-focused care.
Because women with bipolar disorder are at high risk for relapse during the postpartum period, we typically recommend that women continue treatment with lithium throughout the postpartum period. While this intervention clearly decreases risk for postpartum psychiatric illness, the use of lithium while breastfeeding presents certain challenges. Â
Clinically significant anxiety symptoms are common during the postpartum period and frequently complicate the treatment of postpartum depression.  While SSRIs are indicted for the treatment anxiety symptoms, especially when they co-occur with depression, many women may need to use a benzodiazepine for managing more severe symptoms of anxiety or insomnia.Â
There is little published data on the use of St. John's wort during breastfeeding and because we lack data, we would typically recommend using a conventional antidepressant, such as an SSRI or SNRI.Â
At this point, the medical use of cannabis is legal in 37 states and the District of Columbia (D.C.). The recreational use of cannabis has been legalized in 21 states and D.C. The downstream effect [...]
I am taking care of a patient with a history of severe recurrent depression. Although she did relatively well during pregnancy on duloxetine 120 mg, she experienced recurrent, severe depressive symptoms after giving birth. [...]
While data are limited regarding AEDs and breastfeeding, it appears that none of the AEDs are excreted at high levels into the breast milk, nor have they been associated with high rates of adverse events in the nursing infant.
Lamotrigine is detected in the breast milk and in the serum of the nursing infant; however, the risk of adverse events is very low.
Our information on the use of medications for smoking cessation in nursing mothers is limited.
A significant number of women consume cannabis while breastfeeding. What do we know about the effects of cannabis on the nursing infant?
