Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://www.instagram.com/p/Cy_f7hvRw2w/   One in every 8 new mothers experience postpartum depression.  The number is surging with a 7-fold increase over a 15 year period.  The FDA has now approved the oral neuronsteroid drug zuranolone, branded by Sage Therapeutics/Biogen as Zurzuvae.  This drug is a synthetic version of the naturally occurring allopregnanolone that stimulates the brain’s GABA-A receptors leading to a calming and antidepressant effect.  Phase 3 clinical trials have demonstrated that this oral drug works to effectively ease depression within 3 days whereas conventional therapy requires injections and may take weeks to become effective.  The downside: the drug passes into breast milk precluding breast-feeding until studies show that zuranolone is safe for newborns. https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-oral-treatment-postpartum-depression https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/postpartum-depression-pill-zurzuvae-zuranolone https://www.cdc.gov/reproducti