Antidepressants today top the list of drugs prescribed to women. But what happens when you add pregnancy into the mix? Pregnant on Prozacis the first guide to separate the myths from the facts. Taking a pull-no-punches, prescriptive approach, it clearly spells out not only the possible risks of antidepressant use—whether it be Prozac, Wellbutrin, or any of the host of other drugs—by hopeful mothers but also the lesser-known yet serious risks to both fetus and mother from untreated depression. Shoshana Bennett answers such questions as: Does the media exaggerate the risk? What of options such as tapering the dose? What alternatives are worth pursuing? Most importantly, she empowers each woman with the knowledge to make the best decision for her. Pregnant on Prozac is a must-have for any prospective mother who has experienced depression or anxiety as well as anyone with a friend or loved one in this situation.

An A-Z listing of drugs by generic name. Each monograph summarizes the known and/or possible effects of the drug on the fetus. It also summarizes the known/possible passage of the drug into the human breast milk. A careful and exhaustive summarization of the world literature as it relates to drugs in pregnancy and lacation. Each monograph contains six parts: generic US name, Pharmacologic class, Risk factor, Fetal risk summary, Breast feeding summary, References

Fluoxetine, best known by the trade name Prozac®, unlike other psychotropic drugs whose effects were serendipitously stumbled upon, was the first developed for a precise mechanism of action, that is, the ability to selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake, based upon the theory that increasing the availability of serotonin would treat major depression. Once approved by the FDA in 1987, fluoxetine quickly became the most prescribed psychotropic drug worldwide and its success in improving mood disorders has triggered the development of a large number of congener molecules, commonly known as SSRIs after their purported mechanism of action. However, a quarter of a century after its development, the idea that fluoxetine asserts its positive behavioral effect through inhibition of serotonergic reuptake is not firmly established. This book reviews several preclinical and clinical reports suggesting that the pharmacological effects of fluoxetine may be mediated by means other than the regulation of serotonin, including the regulation of gene expression, modifying epigenetic mechanisms as well as modifying microRNAs. One of the most prominent mechanisms for the therapeutic relevance of fluoxetine relates to influencing neuroplasticity by enhancing neurotropic factors, including BDNF signaling and altering adult neurogenesis. The ability of fluoxetine to rapidly increase neurosteroid levels accounts for the fast anxiolytic effects of this drug. Fluoxetine action at sigma-1 receptor or modulating glutamatergic neurotransmission as well as the combination of fluoxetine with other psychotropic drugs is discussed in relation to its therapeutic effects. While fluoxetine was primarily prescribed as an antidepressant, this drug currently represents a treatment of choice for a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder and a range of anxiety disorders. This drug even possesses analgesic actions and is a valuable therapy for stroke. This book also highlights emerging evidence on the gender-specific effects of fluoxetine, its potential adverse features, including its addiction liability in combination with psychostimulants, and the impact of perinatal fluoxetine exposure.

The author of the acclaimed Welcome to My Country describes in this provocative and funny memoir the ups and downs of living on Prozac for ten years, and the strange adjustments she had to make to living "normal life." Today millions of people take Prozac, but Lauren Slater was one of the first. In this rich and beautifully written memoir, she describes what it's like to spend most of your life feeling crazy--and then to wake up one day and find yourself in the strange state of feeling well. And then to face the challenge of creating a whole new life. Once inhibited, Slater becomes spontaneous. Once terrified of maintaining a job, she accepts a teaching position and ultimately earns several degrees in psychology. Once lonely, she finds love with a man who adores her. Slater is wonderfully thoughtful and articulate about all of these changes, and also about the downside of taking Prozac: such matters as dependency, sexual dysfunction, and Prozac "poop-out." "The beauty of Lauren Slater's prose is shocking," said Newsday about Welcome to My Country, and Slater's remarkable gifts as a writer are present here in sentences that are like elegant darts, hitting at the center of the deepest human feelings. Prozac Diary is a wonderfully written report from inside a decade on Prozac, and an original writer's acute observations on the challenges of living modern life.

This 2019 edition of Beyond the Blues contains the most current pregnancy and postpartum resources for prevention and treatment of mental health challenges for all parents. Updated information and research about medications, as well as complementary and alternative options are included. Direct and compassionate, it is required reading for those suffering before or after the baby is born and for all professionals working with them. “An indispensable guide to understanding and treating prenatal and postpartum depression. This book is a gift not only to healthcare providers but also to family and friends of mothers suffering from these devastating perinatal mood disorders.” —Cheryl Tatano Beck, DNSc, CNM, FAAN Professor, University of Connecticut, School of Nursing Coauthor of Postpartum Depression Screening Scale “In Beyond the Blues, Bennett and Indman offer a compact yet surprisingly comprehensive manual on prenatal and postpartum depression. Readable and practical, they systematically address screening and assessment, finding a therapist, myths about nursing and bonding, and treatment. Interesting and helpful are suggestions for family and friends. For health professionals, there is detailed diagnostic and treatment information. Beyond the Blues is a quick read with an easy-to-handle format. Recommended for consumer health and health sciences collections.” —Library Journal “This book will be of great help for both women and their health care providers, providing information on all aspects of depression in pregnancy and in the post-postpartum, including safety/risk of medication therapy.” —Adrienne Einarson RN Assistant Director, The Motherisk Program, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada “Take prenatal vitamins for the baby, but for the long-term health of the mother, this is a must read for both her and her doctor.” —Timothy A. Leach, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. OB/GYN, San Ramon Regional Medical Center, John Muir Medical Center

From the author of Expecting Better, The Family Firm, and The Unexpected an economist's guide to the early years of parenting. “Both refreshing and useful. With so many parenting theories driving us all a bit batty, this is the type of book that we need to help calm things down.” —LA Times “The book is jampacked with information, but it’s also a delightful read because Oster is such a good writer.” —NPR With Expecting Better, award-winning economist Emily Oster spotted a need in the pregnancy market for advice that gave women the information they needed to make the best decision for their own pregnancies. By digging into the data, Oster found that much of the conventional pregnancy wisdom was wrong. In Cribsheet, she now tackles an even greater challenge: decision-making in the early years of parenting. As any new parent knows, there is an abundance of often-conflicting advice hurled at you from doctors, family, friends, and strangers on the internet. From the earliest days, parents get the message that they must make certain choices around feeding, sleep, and schedule or all will be lost. There's a rule—or three—for everything. But the benefits of these choices can be overstated, and the trade-offs can be profound. How do you make your own best decision? Armed with the data, Oster finds that the conventional wisdom doesn't always hold up. She debunks myths around breastfeeding (not a panacea), sleep training (not so bad!), potty training (wait until they're ready or possibly bribe with M&Ms), language acquisition (early talkers aren't necessarily geniuses), and many other topics. She also shows parents how to think through freighted questions like if and how to go back to work, how to think about toddler discipline, and how to have a relationship and parent at the same time. Economics is the science of decision-making, and Cribsheet is a thinking parent's guide to the chaos and frequent misinformation of the early years. Emily Oster is a trained expert—and mom of two—who can empower us to make better, less fraught decisions—and stay sane in the years before preschool.

Now in its 17th Edition, Medications and Mothers’ Milk, is the worldwide best selling drug reference on the use of medications in breastfeeding mothers. This book provides you with the most current, complete, and easy-to-read information on thousands of medications in breastfeeding mothers. This massive update has numerous new drugs, diseases, vaccines, and syndromes. It also contains new tables, and changes to hundreds of existing drugs. Written by a world-renown clinical pharmacologist, Dr. Thomas Hale, and Clinical Pharmacy Specialist Dr. Hilary Rowe, this drug reference provides the most comprehensive review of the data available regarding the transfer of various medications into human milk. This new and expanded reference has data on 1,115 drugs, vaccines, and herbals, with many other drugs and substances included in the appendices. New to this Edition: Many new drugs, vaccines, herbals, and chemicals. Major updates to existing drug monographs. New tables to compare and contrast the suitability of psychiatric medications. New table to compare and contrast pain medications. Updated table and new monograph on hormonal contraception. If you work with breastfeeding mothers, this book is an essential tool to use in your practice.