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A commonly used kind of antidepressants could cause delayed lactation in new moms, which means they might require added support to be able to breast-feed their babies, a new study states. The researchers discovered that antidepressants referred to as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s), which include medications like Prozac and Paxil, could be connected to delayed secretory activation – a delay in the initiation of full milk secretion. “The breasts are serotonin-regulated glands. This means that the breasts’ capacity to secrete milk at the right time is closely related to the body’s production and regulation of the hormone serotonin,” study co-author Nelson Horseman, of the University of Cincinnati, stated in a press release from the Endocrine Society.
He went on to say that this means that SSRIs might “impact serotonin regulation in the breast, placing new mothers at a higher risk of a delay in the establishment of a full milk supply.”

Horseman and his colleagues studied the effects of SSRI medications on lactation in laboratory research using animal and human cell lines. They also weighed the effect of SSRIs in over 400 new mothers and discovered that the median onset of lactation was 85.8 hours after birth among those who took SSRIs, compared with 69.1 hours for those who were not taking the drugs.

Delayed secretory activation is usually defined as lactation that starts more than 72 hours after birth.

Horseman went on to say “SSRI drugs are very helpful medications for many moms, so comprehending and alleviating difficulties moms experience could help them reach their breast-feeding goals for their babies. Further human research is necessary before we can make specific recommendations in relation to SSRI use during breast-feeding.”

The study has been approved for publication in a future issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

REFERENCE: (2010) Antidepressants May Complicate Breast-Feeding Retrieved from http://healthfinder.gov/News/newsstory.aspx?docid=635373