Zoloft and Breast Feeding

[Sri Radha]

Can you breastfeed while taking zoloft? Anyone have any experience?

[Caittune]

I believe it is one of the first ones "they" recommend actually. Probably your best bet to be sure would be to look at the motherisk website (canadian, with lots of good information) or thomas Hale's.

Hale has a forum where medical professionals can post questions. Laypeople cannot, but we are allowed to search and read. The link for that one is below. Good luck.

http://neonatal.ttuhsc.edu/cgi-bin/d...s&access=guest

[Sri Radha]

There seems to be 2 schools of thought. One that breastfed infants get very little zoloft in breastmilk and it is only found in trace amounts in the baby's blood. Breastfeeding outweighs the risk of the zoloft. The other is that there haven't been any long term studies so you should skip breastfeeding all together.

Ugh, I just don't know what to do!!!

[Mosaic]

Been there, done that... it's a lifesaver! They do consider it one of the "safest" anti-D's out there.

[Sri Radha]

I have been told it is safe in pregnancy so I don't understand why I can't breastfeed? A psychiatrist that works with my therapist said that the safest thing to do is to take the dose and not feed baby your breast milk for 12 hours. So pump and throw it out. It seems like such a difficult process that way. But I really haven't found anything supporting that online.

Mosaic, how old is your child and have you weaned? Have you noticed any kind of effects?

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by Sri Radha

I have been told it is safe in pregnancy so I don't understand why I can't breastfeed? A psychiatrist that works with my therapist said that the safest thing to do is to take the dose and not feed baby your breast milk for 12 hours. So pump and throw it out. It seems like such a difficult process that way. But I really haven't found anything supporting that online.

Mosaic, how old is your child and have you weaned? Have you noticed any kind of effects?

That is poor advice, and completely unnecessary.

I've breastfed on Zoloft for a total of 28 months - 22 with my son and 6 so far with my daughter. They were both preemies, and my medication has never caused a problem, not have I ever been advised to arrange my dosing and feeding schedule. Weaning DS was incredibly smooth and the Zoloft had no impact whatsoever.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by Sri Radha

There seems to be 2 schools of thought. One that breastfed infants get very little zoloft in breastmilk and it is only found in trace amounts in the baby's blood. Breastfeeding outweighs the risk of the zoloft. The other is that there haven't been any long term studies so you should skip breastfeeding all together.

Ugh, I just don't know what to do!!!

There are more known risks to formula feeding than there are from the tiny amount of Zoloft passed through breastmilk. Zoloft has been around for a while - I was on it for the first time almost 15 years ago - and has been well-studied.

[pbjmama]

Originally Posted by Sri Radha

A psychiatrist that works with my therapist said that the safest thing to do is to take the dose and not feed baby your breast milk for 12 hours. So pump and throw it out. It seems like such a difficult process that way. But I really haven't found anything supporting that online.

Ask the doctor for the info to support this information. Do your own research and have it ready to present.

http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT
Input zoloft (which is sertraline) and you will see some of the data from actual studies.

[Caittune]

I've never been told to pump and dump and I take one of the more "controversial" atds (effexor). Personally I feel like that sort of advice would only serve to sabotage a breastfeeding relationship.

It has been suggested to me that babies who's moms are treated (including with atd therapy) do much better than if the mom does not receive treatment. Some of the older atds are now able to have some studies of long term effects as well.

I took effexor throughout my pregnancy and most of the first year of her life (I switched to another hoping that it would help my milk supply and it did, but I couldn't function unmedicated) My DD is almost four and she is very healthy, active and intelligent.

[JavaJunkie]

I took Zoloft when my oldest was a toddler and still nursing. I took Zoloft during pregnancy and bfing with my DS6(weaned around 18 months) and DD5(weaned at almost 4). My psychiatrist was more than comfortable with it all, and said that it was much better for the baby to have a mother whose depression is under control and be exposed to the drug(in utero and bfing) rather than go without much-needed meds. I also was on Zoloft with my recent baby during pregnancy and her brief amount of bfing(her ffing is unrelated to my being on the Zoloft).

[Heba]

Dr Hale classifies it as L2 (i.e. "safer").
I can send you the information from the current edition of Medications and Mothers' Milk if you'd like. (He probably covers the same ground as the toxnet page, though.)

[MeepyCat]

My psychiatrist is also comfortable with Zoloft and breastfeeding. I was open about my use of the medication while my baby was in the NICU, and the staff encouraged me to pump for the baby (no pump and dump) and to nurse her when possible.

[Latte Mama]

I'm taking Zoloft now and have been since DS was about 4 months old. No problems whatsover.