Web address:
     http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/
     100126083128.htm  
Common Antidepressant Drugs Linked to Lactation Difficulties in Moms
ScienceDaily (Feb. 1, 2010) — According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM),
women taking commonly used forms of antidepressant drugs may experience
delayed lactation after giving birth and may need additional support to
achieve their breastfeeding goals.
Breastfeeding benefits both infants and mothers in many ways as
breast milk is easy to digest and contains antibodies that can protect
infants from bacterial and viral infections. The World Health
Organization recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed
for the first six months of life. This new study shows that certain
common antidepressant drugs may be linked to a common difficulty
experienced by new mothers known as delayed secretory activation,
defined as a delay in the initiation of full milk secretion.
"The breasts are serotonin-regulated glands, meaning the breasts'
ability to secrete milk at the right time is closely related to the
body's production and regulation of the hormone serotonin," said Nelson
Horseman, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati and co-author of the
study. "Common antidepressant drugs like fluoxetine, sertraline and
paroxetine are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
drugs and while they can affect mood, emotion and sleep they may also
impact serotonin regulation in the breast, placing new mothers at
greater risk of a delay in the establishment of a full milk supply."
In this study, researchers examined the effects of SSRI drugs on
lactation using laboratory studies of human and animal cell lines and
genetically modified mice. Furthermore, an observational study
evaluated the impact of SSRI drugs on the onset of milk production in
postpartum women. In this study of 431 postpartum women, median onset
of lactation was 85.8 hours postpartum for the SSRI-treated mothers and
69.1 hours for mothers not treated with SSRI drugs. Researchers
commonly define delayed secretory activation as occurring later than 72
hours postpartum.
"SSRI drugs are very helpful medications for many moms, so
understanding and ameliorating difficulties moms experience can help
them achieve their goals for breastfeeding their babies," said
Horseman. "More human research is needed before we can make specific
recommendations regarding SSRI use during breastfeeding."
Other researchers working on the study include: Aaron Marshall,
Laura Hernandez and Karen Gregerson of the University of Cincinnati in
Ohio; Laurie Nommsen-Rivers of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical
Center in Ohio; Kathryn Dewey of the University of California at Davis;
and Caroline Chantry of the University of California Davis Medical
Center in Sacramento.
The article will appear in the February 2010 issue of JCEM.

             ***********************************************

Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html
To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]
Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask]
COMMANDS:
1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail
2. To start it again: set lactnet mail
3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome