Xanax, Paxil and BF

[maylea_moon]

Hello. I suffered very bad PPD after my son was born and have been taking a half milligram of Xanax twice daily along with Paxil. I didn't nurse my son because these were the only drugs that helped me and I just assumed it was unsafe.

I really REALLY want to nurse my next child but am afraid of what will happen to me if I quit the meds. Supposedly my mom nursed my brother while she was taking a low dose of Xanax. He was BF until he was 3 years old. Is it safe? Does anyone have experience with it?

[Jish]

Xanax is a big NO NO during pregnancy so keep that in mind. It is thought to be associated with limb malformations.

When I went on meds when my ds2 was just about 2 I was told that the Benzos were incompatible with nursing. Then after speaking with my LC after I had weaned him she said that isn't necessarily the case. There are no definitive studies (not ethical to perform) but anecdotal evidence shows that babes can be lethargic, etc, but the big concern is that babies whose moms used it regularly (as opposed to "as needed" once in a while as I do) go through withdrawl symptoms when weaned.

Personally, I wouldn't have felt comfortable taking it on a daily basis while bfing a newborn or small infant whose system isn't able to metabolize the med very effectively.

Paxil didn't work well for me, but when I was put on Lexapro I did great and rarely need the benzo for the anxiety. Some meds work better than others for anxiety, perhaps you could try switching your ssri to one that is better for anxiety and see if you can get off the Xanax.