Bipolar Medication Safe for Breastfeeding?

[essnce629]

There's a mom in my playgroup with a 9 month old daughter who was recently diagnosed with Bipolar II (milder version of bipolar disorder). Up until now she's been taking Zoloft, but her doctor thinks she should start a bipolar medication (I think it was called Lamictal). Her doctor said it's not safe for breastfeeding and wants her to wean her daughter who has been ebf and doesn't take bm in a bottle or sippy cup. She asked me today about how to wean even though her goal was to nurse for at least a year. I told her I would ask around to see if there was an alternative medication or if Lamictal really is ok for breastfeeding. I did a quick search on Lamictal and even though it gets into the milk it seems like the dosage used for bipolar disorder is much less than using it to treat epilipsy and therefore the amount to the baby is very small. Do you think Lamictal would be ok to use during breastfeeding, especially with an older infant who's only nursing about 5 times a day? Or know of any alternatives? Thanks in advance!

[Megan73]

Infantrisk.com should have the info you're seeking. They have a toll free number women can call if the info isn't on the site.

[loonar]

I have Bipolar I and took Lamictal for years. I weaned off it before trying to get pregnant and replaced with very high dose fish oil at my psychiatrist's recommendation. This has been working well for me throughout pregnancy and nursing my now 9-month-old son. May not work for everyone (I was diagnosed more than a decade ago and have lots of coping mechanisms and support systems in place). But it's something to consider, at least. Best of luck to your friend.