Zoloft side effects

[ckumelos]

Despite all the medical professionals agreeing that Zoloft is safe to take while breastfeeding, I think this may not be true for all mothers and babies.

I am being diagnosed as bi-polar and was prescribed Zoloft as it is the only "safe" psychotropic medication for breastfeeding. After taking it for about 6 days I noticed my DS was sleeping FAR MORE than he had before. Then I noticed he didn't have a bowel movement for 3 days, when he was a 3 time a day baby before that. When he finally did have one on day 4, it was void of any of the snotty looking solids that breastfed baby poo usually has in it. Was just a thin yellow liquid. At that point I stopped taking the Zoloft.

My experience is probably not normal, but I just wanted to share that we still need to watch our babies for adverse side effects even though we have been assured by medical community that Zoloft is safe for breastfeeding...

[danipoppins]

When I took it for PPD about 10 yrs ago, we had the opposite issue - DS stopped sleeping well and didn't sleep through the night again until he was 2.5yo (when stopped taking it). 'Course, I didn't make the connection until I stopped taking it. I thought I had heard (and this is anecdotal) that Zoloft can increase episodes of mania in folks who take it who have bi-polar.

Have you looked at your diet and considered any supplements that might help? I have a friend who has bi-polar and the less grains she eats, the more balanced she feels. I've personally found a major improvement in my mental health since I stopped eating corn (like, I used to have scary rages and anxiety and when I stopped eating corn, the were GONE).

[kennymevrick]

The most common Zoloft side effects included:
1) Nausea
2) Insomnia
3) Ejaculation problems
4) Diarrhea or loose stools

[NSmomtobe]

How old is your baby? It is normal for the frequency of bowel movements to decrease significantly after 6-8 weeks.

[ckumelos]

I stopped taking zoloft and his bowel movements went back to once a day. My doctor (not my psychiatrist) told me to take a natural progesterone supplement to equalize my hormones. Hopefully that helps some.

Yes, there are lots of vitamins/minerals/amino acids etc that one can take to help with bi-polar. I have applied to the Pfeiffer Institute in Illinois but have not heard back from them. The Pfeifer institute has a very unique way of treating mental disorders and they say a lot of postpartum depression is caused by copper imbalances.

[LynnS6]

Some people are more sensitive to medicines than others. And if you have bi-polar, Zoloft was a bad choice for you, as the SSRIs are not the drug of choice for bi-polar.

I'm sorry you had a bad reaction. What you experienced was pretty rare. I hope you're able to find something that works for you and your little one!

[mom0810]

SSRI's like zoloft should NEVER be given to someone who is bipolar. What pdoc on earth prescribed that for you, you poor thing? I am sorry that happened.

The effects you mentioned are totally normal for going on any ssri, but they are also pretty normal for any baby. A lot of breastfed babies only poop once a week. It's completely normal. They go from pooping every feeding to only pooping every week or less. Completely normal. As for the sleeping more than usual, that could have been totally normal, too, and unrelated to the zoloft. Zoloft does not make it in to breastmilk in detectable amounts, so I highly doubt it was the medication causing either of these two things.

That said, zoloft is a terrible choice for you as someone who is bipolar, and you should find a pdoc who is aware of this. ssri's can make someone who is bipolar suicidal and/or more manic. Bad, bad choice of meds.

I live in Illinois. Is the Pfieffer center the one in Naperville? Let us know how that goes.

[pregnant@40]

I bet the MD prescribed an antidepressant rather than an mood-stabilizer because drugs like lithium are considered to be incompatible w/ breastfeeding. If she does not have psychotic features w/ her bipolar disorder, then only the lows of depression may need treatment. The medical establishment does not believe that any drug is known to be absolutely safe during pregnancy and breastfeeding, but if the woman's disorder places her and/or the baby at risk, then drugs are considered. Even though most drugs have expected side-effects, it is unknown which (if any) a mother/baby pair will experience until it is taken. Also, it's of course possible that the side-effects will be very unexpected & unique, since we're all individuals.

So her choices are to speak w/ the prescribing physician about going drug free, switching to another medication, or continuing to take this one & monitoring for any change in side-effects (ie. sometimes they decrease or go away over time).