A pill designed to ease the symptoms of postpartum depression is currently under review by the FDA and may be approved within a week.
Zuranolone, a 14-day neuroactive steroid pill, demonstrated “rapid, clinically meaningful improvements in depressive symptoms at measured time points,” according to a release from The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health.
“Treatment with zuranolone compared with placebo resulted in statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms at day 15,” noted the American Journal of Psychiatry, which published the findings from the latest phase of the study on Wednesday.
“The greatest benefits of zuranolone are its rapid antidepressant effects, short at-home treatment course and generally well-tolerated side effect profile,” Dr. Kristina Deligiannidis, a professor at the Institute of Behavioral Science at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research in New York, and lead author of the study, told.
About 1 in 8 women in the United States suffer from postpartum depression, according to the CDC.
“For many patients, they may only need a short, acute treatment course followed by close monitoring.”
Approximately 1 in 8 women in the United States experiences postpartum depression, according to the CDC, which notes that the rate of depression diagnoses is increasing.
While the symptoms of postpartum depression can include the more well-known symptoms of depression, like low mood or severe mood swings, bouts of crying, withdrawal from family and friends, or thoughts of harming the baby or oneself, the Mayo Clinic points out that the symptoms are wide-ranging.
They can include feelings that many attribute to the “baby blues” or simply adjusting to new motherhood, such as “overwhelming tiredness,” loss of appetite, difficulty bonding with your infant, and sleep disturbances.
This was the case for Queens, New York, mom Sahar McMahon, 39, who participated in the study and received zuranolone, not the placebo.
She told that after the birth of her second daughter, “I never wanted to hurt myself. I just was existing.
There were points where my kids would be screaming. I would leave them screaming in the living room. I’d go in my room, close the door, scream into a pillow, and then I’d think, ‘What are we doing this for?’” she said. “My whole thought process was very pessimistic, and that’s not who I am at all.”
However, when McMahon started taking the drug, she told, “I woke up and I’m like, ‘OK.’ I immediately just started feeling more like me.”
“Having a baby is challenging and every woman deserves support. If you are experiencing emotional changes or think that you may be depressed, make an appointment to talk to your health care provider as soon as possible,” the CDC advises. “Most people get better with treatment and getting help is the best thing you can do for you and your baby.”
The FDA has given the drug priority review status and is expected to make a decision on its approval on August 5.
