There is no evidence to support fears that taking an antidepressant while nursing I harmful to the infant. Dr. Cynthia Neill Epperson of Yale University is one of the many researchers who have put this to the test. She recruited infants of depressed mothers, some breast-fed and others not, and then measured the level of antidepressant (in her work, Zoloft, which targets   serotonin) and of serotonin in the infants’ blood. Reporting on her work, Epperson states that she detected no Zoloft in their bloodstreams and that there was no change in the level of serotonin in most of the infants. She concluded, with the scientist’s reserve, that “it does not appear that the administration of Zoloft in breast-feeding women is likely to have a physiologic effect on their children.”
 Many depressed women derive much-needed joy from breast-feeding and become even more upset when deprived of the opportunity. Physicians who still caution against combining antidepressants with feeding except when the illness is severe recommend substituting a bottle once or twice a day to further reduce any possible risk. As always with depression, each sufferer should take into consideration all the known facts and with the of her doctor   make an informed decision. What is right for one person may be wrong for another.