In a message dated 4/25/01 9:24:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
> TREATING MENTAL ILLNESS IN LACTATING WOMEN
> The increased use of antidepressants in the Western world in combination
> with the strong promotion of breast feeding has implications for the
> dependent infant.
> Medscape Women's Health 6(2), 2001
> http://womenshealth.medscape.com/36442.rhtml?srcmp=wh-042001
>
>
>
As I read this article it seems that this researcher has done alot of reading
but still doesn't get the whole picture. I say this because as you can see
below there is NO mention of the risks of formula to the infant. So when
counseling a women one must keep in mind--do you think that Paxil, Zoloft or
Elavil will cause DIabetes, cancer (in mother or child), asthma, pneumonia,
or SIDS? If you think not then the choice is clear, BREASTFEEDING
with an antidepreassant is MUCH safer than feeding formula without an
antidepressant. (And lets not forget that formula and the water it is mixed
with may have unknown contaminants such as heavy metals etc, etc) .
>>>Weighing risks to the mother against risks to infants exposed to a
psychotropic or to a depressed mother are not simple. The decision of whether
to breast feed should not be the physician's alone. When helping a woman
decide between her options, involving the partner in the decision, if
available, is important. It is his child, too, and he should participate in
the decision of whether to expose their infant to breast milk that contains a
drug -- especially if the woman is not thinking clearly because she is not
well. Such discussions may occur before or during pregnancy, and teratogenic
issues and risk of sedation at delivery need to be considered. For
medico-legal reasons, such discussions should be clearly documented.Whenever
prescribing to a breast-feeding mother, it is essential for the clinician to
fully inform her and her partner about the lack of data. In most situations,
the medications do not seem to have long-term effects, and any adverse
effects are generally side effects rather than toxicity and are reversible.
However, the data are sparse and rely on naturalistic studies rather than
randomized control trials; therefore, any negative effects -- on the
developing nervous system, for example -- may be subtle.<<
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