Postpartum depression pill approved by FDA, gives women another treatment avenue

TAMPA, Fla. - The FDA approved the first oral medication specifically to help treat postpartum depression.

The FDA approved Zurzuvae on Friday. It’s a pill that’s taken daily for 14 days.

Health care providers said this approval plays a bigger role than putting a medication on the market.

Charlie Rae Young is a midwife with Community Roots Collective in Tampa. She shared that so many women struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety in silence.

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"It's a lot," Young explained. "It like all stacks up. And there's really no formal support system in place across the board for everybody."

Many women don't know what postpartum depression is.

She said this medication is still something new that will take time to navigate, but explained that it continues the discussion about postpartum depression and gives women another treatment avenue to explore.

"I think any time we're talking about it, is getting one step closer to it maybe not being such an issue of shame for women," Young said.

Krystian Mitryk is a mother of two and said she experienced postpartum depression and anxiety after having her first child.

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"I didn't know postpartum depression was even a thing or postpartum anxiety," Mitryk said. "I just thought I was crazy, you know? And that's why I was afraid to say anything, cause I was like, ‘I can’t have people thinking that I'm crazy.'"

The postpartum depression pill being approved by the FDA opens up the conversation for new mothers.

Mitryk didn’t know where to turn at the time.

"At the time, I was like, ‘I can't, I can't say this to anybody,’" Mitryk recalled. "‘Are they going to take my baby? Are they going to think something's wrong with me? I just have to just sit in this and hope that it goes away or that I can somehow I come out of this somehow.’"

The FDA says Zurzuvae does come with a warning on the label, that the drug could potentially impact your ability to drive and could worsen your thoughts or behavior.

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Young said the medication doesn’t come without some concerns, like many new medications.

"It's such a sensitive time," Young said. "There are so many hormonal changes happening. There are just so many things, so many moving parts that sometimes adding a medication into that space could potentially make that even worse."

Zurzuvae is a pill that's taken daily for 14 days.

But she said this helps de-stigmatize postpartum depression, and shows women that it’s okay to ask for help.

"If someone knows that this exists, they can go to their provider and say, ‘Hey, I've heard about this. Do you think it's a good idea for me? What are my options?’" Young said. "And that then opens the dialog."

Young said there’s no one size fits all solution, but the more people share their struggles and experiences, the more it will encourage others to do the same.

"And whether that is, you know, having these organizations or maybe for some people, having this drug, you know, it's like the same thing with any type of mental health. Whether it's you go to counseling or you take drugs or a combination of both, you know, as long as it’s being talked about, that's the important thing," Mitryk said.

Health care providers encourage you to talk with your doctor about Zurzuvae before taking it.