The United States Food and Drug Agency (FDA) has approved the use of an oral medication to treat Postpartum depressionwhich represents a radical change in his treatment, since “it was only available as an intravenous injection administered by a health worker.”
The drug will be marketed under the name Zurzuvae and that it should be consumed once a day for at least 14 days. Its most common side effects are dizziness, diarrhea, drowsiness and fatigue, among others. In addition, the medicine will also include a notice stating that it may affect the ability to drive and operate machinery.
The efficacy of the drug has been demonstrated in two randomized studies, in which people who took the drug saw a significant improvement in their symptoms compared to those who only took the placebo. Improvement that was maintained for four weeks after the end of treatment.
According to 2018 data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)one in eight women who have recently given birth develop symptoms of postpartum depression.
“It is a serious and life-threatening illness that leads women to experience sadness, guilt, worthlessness or even, in severe cases, to think about harming themselves or their children“, explained in a statement the director of the division of Psychiatry of the center for the evaluation of drugs of the FDA, Tiffany Farchione.