Has anyone taken Prozac for PPD?

[speck]

I had baby blues with my first, ppd with my second, and I can already feel it coming on and my third is not yet born (I'm 33 weeks). So, the doctor prescribed Prozac. I'm a little scared to take it, but I have filled it.

I guess I'm nervous about the potential side effects and just the different things I have heard about anti-depressants in general. I've never taken anything before, but I have heard that there can be a tunnel effect and that they can increase/cause (?) suicidal thoughts. Has anyone experienced this, or did it just help?

After baby #2 was born, it took a couple of months before I noticed any symptoms of ppd, but once I did I just dealt with it because I didn't want to stop breastfeeding. My ob assures me that it is safe for breastfeeding, and I feel like I need something especially since I am already feeling symptoms.

Unfortunately, the placenta is not an option since I will be having a c-section.

Any thoughts?

Thanks
Stacy

sorry for rambling

[samanthamommaof3]

why wouldnt the placenta be an option? i'm just curiouse. i'm sry i havent got any helpful advice. i wish i could help. i'm wierd about taking meds too. i wanted to ask too, did it go away before? like on its own?

thanks

sam

[goodygumdrops]

I don't have experience taking prozac for ppd. Hopefully, another mama will have a suggestion. I do think that there are side effects to taking ssri's but usually their short term.

Also, I don't see any reason why you can't get your placenta even if your having a c-section. I mean, you could tell your dr that you want preserved for a ceremony. I'm not sure if I could handle processing my own placenta but maybe you can find someone to do it. I unfortunately didn't get to because my midwife didn't offer it and I didn't know how helpful it can be. Anyway, my friends midwife dehydrated hers and put it in capsules

Congrads on your new baby.

[DiceKitten]

I did not breast feed, I got my milk way to late for the baby
I took
30 Mgs of Prozac and 100 MGS of TraZadone

It did not agree with me BUT EVERYONE HAS DIFFERENT CHEMICAL MAKEUP!
Take it and give your doc feedback on how your doing! Express concerns to your Doc about taking while breast feeding.

Friends of mine suggest Cymbalta and Lexapro and a HUGE Vitamin inventory.
I hate taking drugs but if it means I have to beon em for awhile to benefit me & the baby then I will do it. But REALLY HATE IT!

[Surfacing]

Just chiming in to say I started Prozac during my second trimester and am still on it a year later. It has been VERY helpful to me. Other than some increased anxiety in the initial loading phase, I have not had any ongoing long term problems with it. My baby was born without any withdrawal side effects whatsoever. She is a beautiful, healthy, calm, lovely baby. Perfect in every way.

People react very differently to drugs. I tried Effexor and Luvox previously in my life and they did not agree with me. But Luvox does great things for my MIL. : It all depends. My aunt said some anti-deps made her feel suicidal, but eventually she found something that worked. If you feel that way, you can stop taking that med.

I'm sorry you're going through this. It's hard to take a leap of faith and go into territory you're not comfortable with. Best wishes to you.

ETA - if you decide to try the med, stop reading about everyone and everything to do with side effects. I'd suggest that you just go with your experience.

As for the placenta, I've read here somewhere that if you have an epidural, then using the placenta for encapsulation and consumption is not recommended because of the drug. Just throwing this in there fwiw.

[Angioletto]

I took Prozac for depression before I had my son but not while pregnant because I actually didn't feel like I needed it. Immediately after he was born I started taking it again and had no problems with it. He was BF and had no side effects from it.

I am 2 months away from my due date with baby #2 and starting to feel extremely depressed and anxious so I will be talking with my midwife next week about starting the Prozac again now. We have also discussed other natural methods for dealing with PPD but honestly, I know that the Prozac works for me and I know how quickly my mild depression can become severe so I am not sure if I am going to be able to "try new things" when I know one thing works.

I never had bad side effects with Prozac. I initially started taking it because I didn't have insurance and coudln't afford Welbutrin. Now that I have insurance I am sticking with the Prozac because between it and Welbutrin I had less side effects.

Every person's experience is different so whatever you do you will want to keep in close contact with your doctor or midwife.

[MOMGOTSPUNK]

I am on Effexor now for PPD. I was on Prozac in the past before ever having PPD. I took Prozac for around 7 years. The one side effect that I struggled with is that it caused me to have more suicidal thoughts than I had had prior.

[shell024]

I am currently weaning myself off of Prozac, after having been on it for almost 8 months. I started taking it when my youngest was 8 months old. I had just ended the relationship between my partner and I, and feared I'd really spiral downward. I also started phone consultations with a PPD specialist at the same time.

I'm going to be completely honest here. I believe the prozac helped for the first two months, during that super rough time, but they would have been near useless had it not been for the "whole" of all the major changes I've made in the last 8 months. The combination of the meds, therapy, getting out of a toxic relationship, quitting my job to pursue my passion for art and writing, and just reworking my whole outlook on life, motherhood, career, my self. I made it my number one priority to do what I need for ME, and to stick to finding joy, even in the tiniest amounts. Whatever relief you can find, build on it! I read a lot of great books on personal growth as well. Also reclaimed my spirituality.

I never experienced side effects (started off with 10mg, then 15mg, then 20). When I increased to 40mg however, I felt definite shakiness and just an "off" yuckiness. So I went back down. Over the last two months, I been decreasing the dose or increasing the days between doses (since Prozac stays in your system for awhile longer than some other meds), and am down to taking a 20mg capsule once a week.