In a message dated 05/16/2000 7:06:39 AM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:

<< Her baby is now 5 months. Mom has a history of depression and has taken
 Paxil, Effexor and is on Zoloft now. Increasing levels of Zoloft are not
 helping her out-of-it feeling so she went back to the doctor thinking it
 could be increasing prolactin between the diagnosis she had before and now
 nursing a baby.
  >>

Patti, as a therapist I obviously have some bias towards counseling but it
seems clear that this mother needs it!  Zoloft et al will not be helpful if
the cause of the depression is situational, rather than organic.  Your
description of her life was overwhelming (made me depressed!).  If she
can't/won't go for therapy, I'd try to plug her into LLL or some other
support group.  Isolation is a major component to depression in young mothers.

The newer research on the efficacy of our wonder drugs such as prozac, paxil,
and zoloft is rather disappointing.  According to my Family Therapy magazine,
long-term results are not as positive as had been hoped.  That aside, it
doesn't sound like all the drugs in the world are going to help this woman as
her life is just too complicated.

Meanwhile, checking prolactin levels and such are another important piece to
the puzzle.

Back to lurking.....

Nancy

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