Please help, any experienced breastfeeding mothers?

Ok, I have suffered from depression and anxiety most of my life, but haven't taken "legal" medication for it for years. When I found out I was pregnant, of course the only option was to clean up my act and do what is best for my baby. However, now my depression and anxiety both seem to have hit me full force all at once and it's just too much for me to handle on my own. My little girl will be five months the 1st and I exclusively breastfeed. I have been told that there is nothing at all that can be taken while breastfeeding, that I should quit breastfeeding and take care of myself. The thing is if I were to stop breastfeeding just for myself I would feel extremely selfish and I think that it would only make things worse. I have also had others tell me that Celexa and Zoloft are safe to take while breastfeeding. Any information or personal experience would be much appreciated.

The best person of course to ask is your OB or pediatrician.

I do know people who have safely taken Lexapro while pregnant and while breastfeeding.

I don't know anything about the drugs, and their side affects while breastfeeding, but you need to take care of yourself to take care of your baby if you are having a hard time with your depression and anxiety, then maybe you should wean your baby and continue with your medication, unless your doctor says its safe and you can do both, but you need to be there for your baby so take care of yourself first

If is healthier for you and you child for you to take zoloft and continue breastfeeding, rather than do nothing or to wean and switch to formula. Though if you choose there are alternative treatments, see the link I provided for details.

st. john wart is a nuatural anti-depressant, I would do some research before breast feeding and taking meds. the meds mess around with your brain chemistry and you don;t want them messing with your child brain chemistry while his/her brain is still growing.
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/2/t029100...
try this link and see what you think. above-zoloft
also this link as well: celexa
http://www.healthcare.com/topic/celexa-a...

this is exactly what happened to a friend of mine! dont listen to those who say your s.o.l! there is natural ways to cure your depression and anxiety too. which would alow you to still breast feed and better care for yourself and baby. my friend had a nervous break down from those medicines and she also to this day(2 years later!) regrets quiting breast feeding her baby! its the most precious gift you can give your child, a nutritious head start in life, dont give up what you feel in your heart! my friend started seeing a naturalist physiologist. she is taking lots of fish oil and amino acids( 5 HTP, DLPA ) .look up the mood cure book the brand of 5 htp she takes is recommended by JULIA ROSS who is the authour. i suggest you find a naturalist physiologist who will help you deiced the right amount of mg. for your depression and anxiety. my friend has done a 180 since she started this 6 months ago. best of all the amino acids are natural and have no harmful side affects. she takes them while pregnant and i myself am nursing and take them and i have a very healthy little 3 month old. by the way amino acids are found in food like meat and dairy just a F.Y.I. good luck and dont give up! u will get better and i commend you for doing whats best for baby!!

What a load of crap that you can't take antidepressants and bf!! Especially with older infants you'll be fine. Take a look at this- it's based off of Dr Thomas Hale who is a great authority on bfing and medications:
http://www.kellymom.com/health/meds/anti...
Highlights were that:

The effects of an untreated depressed mom on the infant are significant and hazardous; but the marginal effects of any medication usually are less hazardous than those effects. Treating a mom with postpartum depression (PPD) is much preferable to not treating, since a baby has a better outcome generally (as measured by Bayley scores, measuring interaction skills and speech and language development) when being cared for by a non-depressed parent.
PPD is significantly more dangerous compared to depression outside of postpartum; PPD patients are sometimes more likely to commit suicide, and need to be treated with due haste. Waiting to wean before starting medication is not a sound option. Also, weaning in order to treat is not a good choice due to the loss of the positive effects of breastfeeding. The rate of depression in the general population in an individual's lifetime is between 3% and 17%. However, in the postpartum population depression is about 15%, and is often more severe. For example, it moves to psychosis more frequently.
In all studies thus far, any negative effects of medication usually occur in the first 30-60 days postpartum, so breastfeeding beyond that and taking medication is usually fine.
Babies exposed in utero can suffer "discontinuation syndrome" (a.k.a. withdrawal effects) but sometimes this is misdiagnosed as a reaction to the continued medications in mom's milk, when really the milk transfer rate for many of the SSRIs is negligible.
SSRI improvements over older drugs
The SSRI family of antidepressants is significantly improved over older antidepressants as follows:

Not addictive
No associated buzz
Mild withdrawal or "discontinuation syndrome" in some patients
More rapid onset as compared to older tricyclics
Side effects generally wane over time
Reported 60%-70% response rate in patients.
SSRI sequence of effects
The sequence of effects for SSRIs is as follows:

Sleep and anxiety normalize within the 1st week
Motivation, interest, hopefulness and appetite return within 2nd and 3rd week
Mood and libido may improve after (libido may worsen)
Specific drugs
Specific drugs discussed:

Prozac is the only drug "cleared by the FDA" for use during pregnancy. A mother on Prozac during pregnancy may wish to change drugs before birth or immediately after, or titrate the dose down in the last trimester since the existing blood plasma level in the newborn fetus plus the drug transfer through milk may lead to toxicity. Its effects on the breastfed infant have been reported in infants 2 months old or less.
Zoloft is the "best drug choice so far". It has a low, low transfer rate to breastmilk (17-173 ug/liter) in mothers taking up to 150 mg/day. In one excellent study of 11 mother/infant pairs, the zoloft was undetectable in 7 of the 11 breastfeeding infants' serum and minimal in the other infants. In two other studies of one and three mother/infant pairs respectively, zoloft was undetectable in the plasma of all 4 infants. A theoretical concern with Zoloft is that some babies may not gain weight as rapidly or as well when breastfed by moms on Zoloft; so weight gain should be monitored and dosage tweaked as necessary.
Paxil has low blood plasma levels in the mother, and a low transfer rate to human milk. It was undetected in the blood plasma of 7 of 8 breastfed infants in one study, all 16 of the infants in a second study, and all 24 of the infants in a third study. For babies exposed to paxil in utero, there is evidence that withdrawal may occur 24-48 hours after birth.
Celexa has a 4.3-16 nanogram/kg blood plasma level, but transfer rate is higher via milk. Use with caution and watch infant for side effects (per Hale, "There have been two cases of excessive somnolence, decreased feeding, and weight loss in breastfed infants.").
Effexor is a popular drug for treating depression in Australia. It is less popular here in the USA due to reported side effects. Effexor can also be used in breastfeeding mothers if it is efficacious. It may be effective against hyperactivity. It is an SSRI and NRI.
St. John's Wort is a weak SSRI. It also stimulates liver enzymes and may enhance the metabolism of other drugs. German varieties are found to be the most pure in independent testing; other brands may have contaminates and not be very pure. Documented drug-drug interactions have been found; the action of St. John's Wort on the liver can accentuate the metabolism of many drugs. For example, St. John's Wort may reduce the efficacy of birth control pill regimens, although this has not been documented.
Bupropion has a high milk to plasma ratio, and is excellent for