{"id":19693,"date":"2024-02-15T13:56:01","date_gmt":"2024-02-15T19:56:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/postpartum-depression-pill\/"},"modified":"2024-05-23T14:28:56","modified_gmt":"2024-05-23T19:28:56","slug":"%d1%82%d0%b0%d0%b1%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%82%d0%ba%d0%b0-%d0%be%d1%82-%d0%bf%d0%be%d1%81%d0%bb%d0%b5%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b4%d0%be%d0%b2%d0%be%d0%b9-%d0%b4%d0%b5%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%b5%d1%81%d1%81%d0%b8%d0%b8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/ru\/postpartum-depression-pill\/","title":{"rendered":"\u041a\u0430\u043a \u0434\u0435\u0439\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u0435\u0442 \u043d\u043e\u0432\u0430\u044f \u0442\u0430\u0431\u043b\u0435\u0442\u043a\u0430 \u043e\u0442 \u043f\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0435\u0440\u043e\u0434\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u0434\u0435\u043f\u0440\u0435\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With the birth of my second child, so many things were different from my first time giving birth. I had a midwife I really liked. I had a quick delivery. And<\/em> my baby was happy, breastfed easily, and slept relatively well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of all these positive differences the second time around, there was a big negative one. Every moment of every day I fervently wished I could just stop existing<\/strong>. I hated feeling that I couldn\u2019t meet the needs of both of my children well, and I (thought I) knew<\/em> that I was doing a terrible job at being a mother and that nothing would ever change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But in time, things did. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few months, the darkness lightened enough that I found the strength to seek counseling, challenge my harmful thought patterns, and go on a run every day. While these steps didn\u2019t fix everything, the difference was still profound. It felt like seeing the sun again after months of clouds and rain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I knew that these months of hating myself and feeling numb, despairing, angry, and a certain paralysis over simple tasks would be diagnosed as postpartum depression<\/a> (PPD), I never sought medical help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is what I would recommend that anyone noticing symptoms<\/a> of PDD, in themselves or in a loved one, do differently. There are treatment options<\/a> available for PPD, and a new postpartum depression pill called Zuranolone may truly be a life-saver for some women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How the postpartum depression pill works<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Yale Medicine<\/a>, \u201cZuranolone is a synthetic form of allopregnanolone, a naturally occurring neurosteroid that the body makes from the hormone progesterone.\u201d Progesterone<\/a> is known to support sleep and relaxation, and this progesterone derivative helps receptors in the brain that regulate mood and behavior to function properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zuranolone is taken as a once-a-day oral medication over a 14-day period. In the clinical trial<\/a> for this treatment, women had significantly improved depression symptoms over the control group who did not receive the medicine [1]. For some women<\/a>, improvement was noticed in the first few days of treatment. The most common side effects included dizziness, sleepiness, and sedation, but these symptoms stopped after the two-week treatment period was over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology<\/a> (ACOG) recommends that physicians consider this treatment for their PPD patients, while pointing out the risks and limitations of this drug. Because drowsiness is a side effect, patients are instructed not to drive for twelve hours after each dose, and this drowsiness could add to the difficulty of caring for a newborn for already sleep-deprived moms. ACOG also points out that this study only included a six-week follow up period and excluded women who were breastfeeding. There is no data as of yet on how this medicine affects a breastfeeding infant. While this medication has its pros and cons, the potential to significantly improve PPD symptoms within days may be a powerful tool doctors can use to help suffering new mothers, especially since mental health issues have been found to be the leading cause of <\/em>maternal mortality<\/em><\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How is this different from other postpartum depression medications?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Only one other medication has been FDA-approved for postpartum depression treatment, and it uses allopregnanolone, the same active ingredient as Zuranolone. Brexanolone was able to produce the same rapid improvement of depression symptoms as Zuranolone but with one big drawback: Brexanolone is given as a 60-hour infusion, which means a three-day hospital stay hooked up to an IV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The in-hospital requirement makes this treatment expensive and logistically difficult for many new moms. Especially since financial stress, lack of support, and feeling overwhelmed in caring for the new baby are all<\/em> risk-factors for PPD in the first place, this treatment may feel out-of-reach for women already more likely to develop PPD. The at-home benefit Zuranolone boasts will help make allopregnanolone treatments more accessible to women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is medication the best treatment option for PPD?<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Postpartum depression pill Zuranolone isn’t your only option. Like with any medical treatment, the treatment that\u2019s best for you is going to depend on your specific circumstances. And while progesterone can certainly affect mood, it is not the only factor<\/em> that impacts mood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask yourself these questions to see what might be contributing to PPD<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n