{"id":277881,"date":"2025-11-12T05:57:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T05:57:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/277881\/"},"modified":"2025-11-12T05:57:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T05:57:13","slug":"jennifer-lawrence-says-new-drug-helped-her-postpartum-depression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/277881\/","title":{"rendered":"Jennifer Lawrence says new drug helped her postpartum depression"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than just the \u201cbaby blues<\/a>\u201c, the severe low moods and anxious thoughts of postpartum depression (PPD) affect one in eight women<\/a> after giving birth \u2014 including actress Jennifer Lawrence.<\/p>\n

Until recently, PPD has often been treated much like other forms of depression, with antidepressants, therapy and lifestyle changes \u2014 which can all take time to make a difference.<\/p>\n

But a fast-acting treatment pill can help new moms turn things around in just a couple of weeks \u2014\u00a0and it\u2019s so new, many women don\u2019t know it exists.<\/p>\n

Lawrence, 35, may be changing that: The mother of two spoke about the 14-day treatment that \u201creally helped\u201d when it \u201cfelt like a tiger was chasing [her] every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"JenniferJennifer Lawrence talked about her postpartum journey and the medication that got her through it. WWD via Getty Images<\/p>\n

\u201cI had so much anxiety,\u201d Lawrence told the New York Times<\/a> about her experience after welcoming her second son with husband Cooke Maroney in March.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had nonstop intrusive thoughts that I was at the whim of. They controlled me. Just picturing every worst-case scenario and then just doubting everything I was doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

She eventually found relief with Zurzuvae \u2014 which, she noted, doesn\u2019t pay her to talk it up.<\/p>\n

What is Zurzuvae and how does it work?<\/p>\n

Approved by the FDA in 2023, Zurzuvae \u2014 the brand name for zuranolone \u2014 is the first pill<\/a> to treat postpartum depression. It hit the market in the fall of that year.<\/p>\n

It works similarly to antidepressants by increasing chemicals in the brain that regulate mood and behavior. Specifically, the drug increases the amount of GABA (Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid).<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen a woman has postpartum depression, she doesn\u2019t have enough allopregnanolone and her GABA-A receptors aren\u2019t firing right, which is what makes her irritable, anxious and depressed, among other symptoms,\u201d said Yale School of Medicine<\/a> psychiatrist Dr. Katrina Furey.<\/p>\n

\"PregnantZurzuvae is the first FDA-approved pill to specifically treat postpartum depression. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Studies have shown it can reduce PPD symptoms in as little as three days. A full treatment plan is 14 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe clinical trial results for zuranolone for postpartum depression showed a significant drop in the rating scale used to gauge depressive symptoms and saw improvement within three days of treatment, which is astounding,\u201d Furley added.<\/p>\n

What about side effects?<\/p>\n

Before this medication came along, the only medication made specifically for PPD was an IV injection<\/a> called brexanolone, which has to be given in a hospital and takes up to 60 hours to administer. It also comes with some serious risks, including excessive sedation and sudden loss of consciousness.<\/p>\n

Traditional antidepressants are also frequently prescribed \u2014 though they can take up to two months to start working and carry their own risks<\/a>, such as affecting breast milk or adverse effects on the mother.<\/p>\n

Zurzuvae also has some potential side effects, the most common of which include sleepiness, diarrhea, fatigue, dizziness and UTIs \u2014\u00a0but it\u2019s considered safe enough to be taken at home. <\/p>\n

Healthy mom, healthy baby<\/p>\n

In the two years since it\u2019s become available, Lawrence isn\u2019t the only new mother<\/a> who\u2019s found respite.<\/p>\n

One north Texas mom felt like she was in a fog of postpartum depression for nearly a year \u2014 and has held on to her now-empty box of Zurzuvae<\/a> as a reminder of what got her through.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just, again, our daily reminder of how blessed I was to be able to take this medication,\u201d Kristina Leos told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n

Other mothers said they felt immediate relief when taking the drug, finding a new lease on life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up the day after, and I\u2019m like, OK, I\u2019ve got things to do,\u201d Sahar McMahon told \u201cToday<\/a>.\u201d \u201cI felt like myself. I felt clearer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Many women go through these mental changes due to the extreme hormonal changes<\/a> during pregnancy and after childbirth.<\/p>\n

But even moms having their second or third children can undergo the emotional turmoil of PPD, something that surprises many, including Lawrence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just expected to feel the way I did with my first,\u201d she said. \u201cI feel like it should just be said, postpartum is just a physical experience that happens to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

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