Dr. Hale or others--
I have a client who has suffered from depression in a 3 year cycle since
childhood. She has managed without the antidepressants during her pregnancy
and until now (child is 17 mo. old) but is realizing she needs help again.
She wants badly to continue nursing and feels it's crucial for her mental
health but is getting pressure to wean so she can go back on the drugs.

The drug she was on previously was sinequan (doxepine) and it was quite
acceptable to her with manageable side effects. Chemical Agents and Breast
Milk urge caution, especially in postpartum period, as does Drugs in
Pregnancy and Lactation.

My thought on drug therapy at this stage in lactation is that the impact on
the child are likely to be much less than on an infant. I wonder if there
are other alternatives that might be less questionable. I would appreciate
any comments from Lactnetters on this. I've been following the posts on
Prozac but since all the discussions have related to early postpartum
depression I wanted comment on the variable of a nursing toddler and drug
impacts.

Thanks.

Leslie Ayre-Jaschke, BEd, IBCLC
Peace River Breastfeeding Clinic
Peace River Alberta, Canada