Question

I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use Sertralinum [Latin]? Is Sertralinum [Latin] safe for nursing mother and child? Does Sertralinum [Latin] extracts into breast milk? Does Sertralinum [Latin] has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can Sertralinum [Latin] influence milk supply or can Sertralinum [Latin] decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?

Sertralinum [Latin] lactation summary

Sertralinum [Latin] is safe in breastfeeding
  • DrLact safety Score for Sertralinum [Latin] is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
  • A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of Sertralinum [Latin] is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
  • Our study of different scientific research also indicates that Sertralinum [Latin] does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
  • Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of Sertralinum [Latin] safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
  • Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.

Answer by Dr. Ru: About Sertralinum [Latin] usage in lactation

Excreted in tiny amounts into breast milk. Serum levels of breastfed infants whose mothers are on Sertralinum [Latin] are usually undetectable or very low. No harm effect has been observed on health and short or long term development of infants. Transient troubles in the early neonatal period like drug withdrawal syndrome among newborn or premature infants with high serum levels as a result of treatment with Sertralinum [Latin] to the mother during pregnancy have been observed. Sertralinum [Latin] causes fewer problems related to galactorrhea than other antidepressant drugs. It is probably the safest antidepressant medication while breastfeeding. Mothers who are treated with antidepressant medicaction are in need of stronger support for a higher risk of early breastfeeding failure.

Answer by DrLact: About Sertralinum [Latin] usage in lactation

Because of the low levels of Sertralinum [Latin] in breastmilk, amounts ingested by the infant are small and is usually not detected in the serum of the infant, although the weakly active metabolite norSertralinum [Latin] (desmethylSertralinum [Latin]) is often detectable in low levels in infant serum. Rarely, preterm infants with impaired metabolic activity might accumulate the drug and demonstrate symptoms similar to neonatal abstinence. Most authoritative reviewers consider Sertralinum [Latin] a preferred antidepressants during breastfeeding.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7] Mothers taking an SSRI during pregnancy and postpartum may have more difficulty breastfeeding, although this might be a reflection of their disease state.[8] These mothers may need additional breastfeeding support. Breastfed infants exposed to an SSRI during the third trimester of pregnancy have a lower risk of poor neonatal adaptation than formula-fed infants.

Sertralinum [Latin] Side Effects in Breastfeeding

Two side effects possibly related to Sertralinum [Latin] in breastmilk have been reported to the Australian Adverse Drug Reaction Advisory Committee. Benign neonatal sleep myoclonus occurred in one 4-month-old infant[20] and agitation that spontaneously resolved was reported in another infant.[21] None of 26 infants with an average age of 16.6 weeks (range 4 to 28 weeks) whose mothers were receiving an average of 124 mg Sertralinum [Latin] daily had any detectable acute adverse reactions to Sertralinum [Latin] in breastmilk. All had been breastfeeding for at least 3 weeks.[9] Whole blood serotonin levels were measured in 14 mothers and their breastfed infants after 6 to 16 weeks of Sertralinum [Latin] therapy. Maternal dosages ranged from 25 to 200 mg daily. Although maternal serotonin levels were decreased from 159 mcg/L to 19 mcg/L by Sertralinum [Latin] therapy, infant serotonin levels averaged 227 mcg/L before and 224 mcg/L after maternal therapy. The authors concluded that these findings indicate that the amount of Sertralinum [Latin] ingested by the infants was not sufficient to affect platelet serotonin uptake in breastfed infants. Platelets and neurons both have the same serotonin transporter, so this lack of effect was seen as indirect evidence of safety of Sertralinum [Latin] use during breastfeeding. None of the infants experienced any adverse effects from Sertralinum [Latin] in breastmilk, including 6 exclusively breastfed infants under 3 months of age.[22] Twenty-five mothers who took an average Sertralinum [Latin] dosage of 82.4 mg daily breastfed their infants exclusively for 4 months and breastfed at least 50% during months 5 and 6. Their infants had 6-month weight gains that were normal according to national growth standards and the mothers reported no abnormal effects in their infants.[23] In 6 infants aged 5 to 34 weeks whose mothers were taking Sertralinum [Latin] 50 to 100 mg daily, no adverse reactions were noted clinically at the time of the study.[10] No adverse effects were seen in 7 infants who were 4 weeks old and whose mothers had been taking Sertralinum [Latin] 50 mg daily since day 4 postpartum.[18] One study of side effects of SSRI antidepressants in nursing mothers found no adverse reactions that required medical attention among 2 infants whose mother was taking Sertralinum [Latin]. No specific information on maternal Sertralinum [Latin] dosage, extent of breastfeeding or infant age was reported.[24] A small study compared the reaction to pain in infants of depressed mothers who had taken an SSRI during pregnancy alone or during pregnancy and nursing, to a control group of unexposed infants of nondepressed mothers. Infants exposed to an SSRI either prenatally alone or prenatally and postnatally via breastmilk had blunted responses to pain compared to control infants. Four of the 30 infants were exposed to Sertralinum [Latin]. Because there was no control group of depressed, nonmedicated mothers, an effect due to maternal behavior caused by depression could not be ruled out. The authors stressed that these findings did not warrant avoiding drug treatment of depression during pregnancy or avoiding breastfeeding during SSRI treatment.[11] An uncontrolled online survey compiled data on 930 mothers who nursed their infants while taking an antidepressant. Infant drug discontinuation symptoms (e.g., irritability, low body temperature, uncontrollable crying, eating and sleeping disorders) were reported in about 10% of infants. Mothers who took antidepressants only during breastfeeding were much less likely to notice symptoms of drug discontinuation in their infants than those who took the drug in pregnancy and lactation.[25] In a telephone follow-up study, 124 mothers who took a benzodiazepine while nursing reported whether their infants had any signs of sedation. One mother who was taking Sertralinum [Latin] 50 mg daily, zopiclone 2.5 mg about every 3 days as needed, and also took alprazolam 0.25 mg on 2 occasions, reported sedation in her breastfed infant.[26] A mother was taking Sertralinum [Latin] 150 mg daily during gestation, at delivery and postpartum while exclusively breastfeeding her infant. Her preterm infant born by cesarean section at 33 weeks gestation developed hyperthermia, muscle tone regulation disorders, and high-pitched crying during the first 24 hours after birth. The symptoms worsened on the 4th day of life, but breastfeeding was continued. On day 5, the infant had serum concentrations of Sertralinum [Latin] and its metabolite that are in the reported therapeutic range in adults. Breastfeeding was discontinued on day 9 postpartum and the infant's symptoms dissipated, serum drug levels decreased and the infant thrived over several months. The infant was later found to have genetically intermediate metabolism of two of the CYP450 enzymes involved in Sertralinum [Latin] metabolism. The authors attributed the infant's symptoms to serotonergic overstimulation caused by persistently high Sertralinum [Latin] levels from breastfeeding and reduced metabolism.[12] The reaction was probably caused by Sertralinum [Latin]. An infant was bei

Sertralinum [Latin] Possible Effects in Breastfeeding

Sertralinum [Latin] has caused galactorrhea in nonpregnant, nonnursing patients.[34][35][36][37] However, in a study of cases of hyperprolactinemia and its symptoms (e.g., gynecomastia) reported to a French pharmacovigilance center, Sertralinum [Latin] was not found to have an increased risk of causing hyperprolactinemia compared to other drugs.[38] The prolactin level in a mother with established lactation may not affect her ability to breastfeed. A midwife observed 6 patients who reported a decrease in milk supply after starting Sertralinum [Latin] (dosages not reported). One of the mothers had been taking Sertralinum [Latin] since the 6th month of pregnancy. She reported an increase in milk supply when she stopped Sertralinum [Latin] for one week at 4 months postpartum. When she restarted Sertralinum [Latin], her milk supply reportedly decreased. In all of the women, the milk supply increased in 2 to 3 days after increasing fluid and the frequency of nursing.[39] In a small prospective study, 8 primiparous women who were taking a serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI; 3 taking fluoxetine and 1 each taking citalopram, duloxetine, escitalopram, paroxetine or Sertralinum [Latin]) were compared to 423 mothers who were not taking an SRI. Mothers taking an SRI had an onset of milk secretory activation (lactogenesis II) that was delayed by an average of 16.7 hours compared to controls (85.8 hours postpartum in the SRI-treated mothers and 69.1 h in the untreated mothers), which doubled the risk of delayed feeding behavior in the untreated group. However, the delay in lactogenesis II may not be clinically important, since there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the percentage of mothers experiencing feeding difficulties after day 4 postpartum.[40] A case control study compared the rate of predominant breastfeeding at 2 weeks postpartum in mothers who took an SSRI antidepressant throughout pregnancy and at delivery (n = 167) or an SSRI during pregnancy only (n = 117) to a control group of mothers who took no antidepressants (n = 182). Among the two groups who had taken an SSRI, 33 took citalopram, 18 took escitalopram, 63 took fluoxetine, 2 took fluvoxamine, 78 took paroxetine, and 87 took Sertralinum [Latin]. Among the women who took an SSRI, the breastfeeding rate at 2 weeks postpartum was 27% to 33% lower than mother who did not take antidepressants, with no statistical difference in breastfeeding rates between the SSRI-exposed groups.[41] An observational study looked at outcomes of 2859 women who took an antidepressant during the 2 years prior to pregnancy. Compared to women who did not take an antidepressant during pregnancy, mothers who took an antidepressant during all 3 trimesters of pregnancy were 37% less likely to be breastfeeding upon hospital discharge. Mothers who took an antidepressant only during the third trimester were 75% less likely to be breastfeeding at discharge. Those who took an antidepressant only during the first and second trimesters did not have a reduced likelihood of breastfeeding at discharge.[42] The antidepressants used by the mothers were not specified. A retrospective cohort study of hospital electronic medical records from 2001 to 2008 compared women who had been dispensed an antidepressant during late gestation (n = 575; Sertralinum [Latin] n = 200) to those who had a psychiatric illness but did not receive an antidepressant (n = 1552) and mothers who did not have a psychiatric diagnosis (n = 30,535). Women who received an antidepressant were 37% less likely to be breastfeeding at discharge than women without a psychiatric diagnosis, but no less likely to be breastfeeding than untreated mothers with a psychiatric diagnosis.[43]
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