Jennifer Lawrence is fiercely private about her personal life, but the No Hard Feelings star just got candid about her experience with postpartum anxiety.
In a new interview with The New Yorker, the 35-year-old shared that she had intense fears after welcoming her son, whose name and birth date she hasn’t shared publicly. “I just thought every time he was sleeping he was dead,” she said. “I thought he cried because he didn’t like his life, or me, or his family. I thought I was doing everything wrong, and that I would ruin my children.”
She also talked about crying after asking ChatGPT a question about breastfeeding. When it told her, “You’re doing the most amazing thing for your baby” and “You’re such a loving mother,” Lawrence said she felt like anyone who told her the same thing wasn’t being sincere.
Lawrence said that she eventually decided to seek help. Her doctor prescribed Zurzuvae, a medication designed to treat postpartum depression. Lawrence said it helped her so quickly and significantly that she thinks all new moms should be aware of it.
Zurzuvae isn’t a household name, making it fair to wonder what this medication is all about. Here’s what pharmacists and doctors who treat postpartum depression and anxiety want new moms to know.
A “breakthrough in women's health”
Zurzuvae (or zuranolone) was approved in 2023 by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an oral medication to treat postpartum depression. Before that, the only medicated treatment that was specifically indicated for postpartum depression was only available via a 60-hour IV infusion, Tamar Gur, MD, PhD, a reproductive psychiatrist and director of the Sarah Ross Soter Women’s Health Research Program at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, tells SELF.
“It’s the first new FDA-approved drug for psychiatric disorder in over a decade,” Dr. Gur says. “It’s been a wonderful breakthrough in women’s health.”
The medication is usually prescribed at a 50-milligram dose and should be taken once a day for 14 days in the evening with a fatty meal. (The “fatty meal” part is to enhance absorption, Dr. Gur explains.)
Catherine Birndorf, MD, founder of The Motherhood Center in New York City and an associate professor of psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College, tells SELF that she’s “excited” about the medication, but stresses that there are some important caveats for new moms to be aware of (more on those in a moment).
How Zurzuvae works to help combat postpartum depression
Zurzuvae enhances the effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that sends signals in the brain to calm nerve activity, Kelly Johnson-Arbor, MD, a toxicologist at MedStar Health, tells SELF.
“There are likely many components that increase a woman’s risk of developing postpartum depression, and abnormal GABA messaging activity has been identified as one such factor,” Dr. Johnson-Arbor explains. “Although its mechanism of action is not fully understood, Zurzuvae is believed to work by enhancing the effect of GABA messaging in the brain, creating a calming effect that may reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression in postpartum individuals.”
Postpartum depression can cause a range of symptoms, including intense feelings of sadness, anxiety, or despair that keeps new moms from being able to go about their daily life, per the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Postpartum anxiety is excessive worrying or panic that happens after having or adopting a baby, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
“Postpartum anxiety is wildly underdiagnosed,” Dr. Gur says. “People will describe it as not feeling safe if they don’t have their infant on them, checking on them all the time, or being terrified to carry the baby up the stairs.”
Zurzuvae works faster than conventional antidepressants
Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety are complicated conditions that have historically been treated with a mix of talk therapy and/or antidepressants. But common antidepressants like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) can take six to eight weeks to kick in, which Dr. Gur points out is a long time to wait when you’re struggling.
“It’s been incredibly helpful for people because of its rapid onset,” she says. “It can work over the course of days and weeks.”
In one clinical trial, patients who took Zurzuvae had significantly more improvement in their symptoms of postpartum depression compared to those in the placebo groups, and the impact lasted for at least four weeks after they took their last dose.
Like all medications, there are potential side effects. The FDA lists these as the most common:
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Diarrhea
- Fatigue
- The common cold
- Urinary tract infection
The FDA also notes that Zurzuvae may cause suicidal thoughts and behavior.
Caveats to keep in mind
While Dr. Birndorf praises Zurzuvae as giving women with postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety options, she also flags several caveats to this medication.
One is that women can’t drive for 12 hours after taking the medication. “That’s why you take it at night,” Dr. Birndorf says. It’s also considered a controlled substance and has the potential for addiction, she says.
But while the potential for addiction is there, it’s a “small amount of concern,” which is why this is listed as a Schedule IV substance by the FDA, Jamie Alan, PhD, an associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University, tells SELF. “Schedule IV has some potential for addiction, but it’s lower on the list,” she says. (She points out that Valium and Xanax are also Schedule IV medications.)
And then there’s the cost. “Because Zurzuvae is a relatively new medication, it might not be covered by every health insurance carrier,” Dr. Johnson-Arbor says. Out of pocket, Zurzuvae can cost up to $15,900 for a 14-day course of treatment. However, you may be able to get the treatment for significantly less (or even nothing) with a manufacturer’s savings program.
“My worry is that often medication alone is not enough—medications don’t talk and they aren’t going to solve all of your problems,” Dr. Birndorf says. “I worry that Zurzuvae is being perceived as a quick fix.”
Talk to your healthcare provider
There are several treatment options available for postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety, including talk therapy and SSRIs. But Zurzuvae is the only oral drug that’s specifically indicated for postpartum depression, which is why there’s so much excitement about it. “It’s very effective,” Dr. Gur says. “But unfortunately, it’s very expensive.”
She recommends starting with a conversation with your ob-gyn about your symptoms and discussing treatment options from there. If your doctor thinks Zurzuvae may be a good fit, they may be able to help navigate the cost of the medication.
“It’s really wonderful that this is available,” Dr. Gur says. “But it’s not the only thing that’s available.”
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