Aviva Fried, edited by Laura Laplaud / Photo credit: CATHERINE DELAHAYE / PHOTONONSTOP / PHOTONONSTOP VIA AFP
For the first time, the American Medicines Agency has just authorized the marketing of a cachet to fight against the effects of postpartum depression. A disease that affects one in eight American women after childbirth.
An anti-baby blues pill. Usually occurring after the birth of a baby, postpartum depression is accompanied by various symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, stress. In the United States, one in eight American women suffer from it after giving birth.
For the first time, the American Medicines Agency has just authorized the marketing of a cachet to fight against the effects of postpartum depression.
Until now, women had to undergo intravenous treatment
Until now, the only way to fight postpartum depression via medication was in the hospital. Women had to undergo intravenous treatment for 60 hours. Now things are simpler. The Zuranolone tablet is taken daily at home for two weeks. On the CBS channel, Dr. Kristina M. Deligiannidis, who led the study on this drug, reports impressive results. “Women notice a rapid decrease in their depression from the third day!” she says.
Zuranolone acts directly on the neurotransmitters that regulate fear, anxiety, stress, all symptoms of postpartum depression that can last for months. As Dr. Deligiannidis reminds us, it’s not just a little depression. “It’s not the baby blues, it’s not the normal, temporary hormonal change that can affect mood after childbirth and goes away on its own.”
Driving and breastfeeding not recommended while taking the pill
The Medicines Agency currently advises women not to drive or breastfeed while taking the pill. Serious restrictions, but might be worth it. In the United States, depression and mental illness are responsible for 9% of pregnancy-related deaths.