FDA approves first pill to treat postpartum depression

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first pill to treat postpartum depression in adults, whose symptoms can range from sadness and loss of energy to cognitive impairment and suicidal ideation. Patients would take the drug (Zurzuvae) for 14 days. The only other approved treatment is an intravenous injection.

“Having access to an oral medication will be a beneficial option for many of these women coping with extreme, and sometimes life-threatening, feelings,” said Tiffany Farchione, M.D., director of the Division of Psychiatry in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention research shows that about 1 in 8 women experience symptoms of postpartum depression and that the rate of depression diagnoses at delivery is increasing.

The AHA recently released an infographic that highlights how hospitals can help support maternal mental health.