Question

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

Answer by DrLact: About Vilazodone usage in lactation

Because there is no published experience with vilazodone during breastfeeding, an alternate drug may be preferred, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant.

Vilazodone Possible Effects in Breastfeeding

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.[1] 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) 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.[2] None of the mothers were taking vilazodone.

Synonyms of Vilazodone

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