Parenting Forums

Posted: 01 April 2007 at 1:28pm | IP Logged

Just wondered if anyone who breastfed their baby, had done so whilst on anti-depressants, more specifically prozac or fluoxitine?

Just thinking as I was started on fluoxitine (a generic version of prozac) for my PND just as I was stopping feeding Ella and I can't recall what the doctor said, although he would have know I was still breastfeeding at that point.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Posted: 01 April 2007 at 5:59pm | IP Logged

Prozac does pass into the mothers milk when breastfeeding at amounts of 10-20% or the total amount the mother takes.  There are other anti-depressants better suited to mothers that breastfeed that pass much lower amounts into breastmilk.  Also Prozac can make women that aren't lactating lactate so it can play with your milk supply.  Prozac can cause problems with sleep in babies where they can't go to sleep.  I think it is one of those medications the benefit for the mother has to far out way the detrement to the baby before taking it.

I took a different anti-depresant to Prozac when I breastfed and then swapped to Prozac when I had stopped breastfeeding.