Celexa concerns
JFH2010
member
My midwife put me on celexa about a week ago. I EBF and she said that was fine. However, when I filled the prescription it says on the bottle "Warning: Not recommended for breastfeeding mothers." Of course that totally freaked me out. I did some research and it seems that zoloft is a better choice for bf-ing because celexa absorbs more easily into the milk. I don't know why my mw didn't go with zoloft right from the start. I emailed to see if I could change meds, but unfortunately she's out of the office for the next week. I don't want to quit celexa without having something else to go on, but I get anxious every time I take it because I'm worried about exposing DS! Kind of defeats the purpose. Does anyone have experience with celexa and bf-ing? WWYD in my situation?
Re: Celexa concerns
Thank you! I think you're right - if I'm going to be on it for at least 6 months, as my mw suggests, I should feel comfortable with it.
I took Celexa both after my DS and after my DD was born (I had severe PPD with my son but I wanted to take it preemptively this time around). I had mild anxiety and trouble sleeping, so I started taking it when my DD was about 5 weeks old. I EBF and I've noticed no changes in my DD, in fact she's more advanced developmentally at this age than my DS (who I FF after about 2 months due to the Celexa because I was scared). I was taking 20mg and I just weaned to 10mg about a week ago. Celexa IS safe for BFing as much as any other SSRI (there are just less studies on Celexa than Zoloft). And honestly, Celexa is a better drug for things like PPD/PPA because it combats both with less side effects.