Question

A breastfeeding mother requires treatment for depression. Which drug would be safe to use if the mother wishes to continue breastfeeding the newborn?a. Fluoxetine
b. Paroxetine
c. Valproic acid
d. Methotrexate

Answer 1

I also believe it is B.) paroxetine

Answer 2

Answer: B. Paroxetine

Explanation:

The answer to the question is Paroxetine and this is because there has been a series of researches conducted at different laboratories and found undetectable serum levels in infants and there were also no reports of short term adverse effects.

As for valproic acid, it is usually passed into the infant through breastfeeding and makes the infant susceptible to liver liver toxicity.

Methotrexate on its part is a drug with known harmful effects and though there are very few researches that can actually prove its harmful effects in infant, it is a drug that can be passed to infants in small amounts and this logically implies that it can be dangerous to infants breastfeeding.

As for Fluoxetine, there has been a lot of researches which proved colic, fussiness and drowsiness in infants breastfeeding from mothers taking the drugs