Patient gets life-enhancing IV treatment at UC Davis Medical Center
(SACRAMENTO) — The birth of her son should have been a happy time for this new mother. But Bari battled with postpartum depression for the first three months after she delivered her baby boy.
Zulresso patient Bari with her baby. Photo credit: Jen Gagliardi Photography.
“I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. I was super anxious and rarely left the house,” said Bari, adding that she lost the will to eat and 30 pounds in a short amount of time.
Her depression and generalized anxiety disorder, of which she had a history, also plummeted to new depths of despair postpartum.
When Bari learned about Zulresso, the first intravenous drug for the treatment of postpartum depression to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), she and her doctor began researching where she could go to get treatment in Southern California, where she lives. Several locations offered the drug, but none was a hospital.
“I didn’t feel comfortable about getting this treatment outside of a hospital. They told me that UC Davis Medical Center offered Zulresso. I thought that was a good option,” Bari said.
Within a couple of weeks, she had a telehealth appointment with Shannon Clark from the UC Davis Maternal-Fetal Medicine Division, who assessed her and approved her for the treatment.
“The nurses were incredible and Dr. Clark was amazing,” Bari said. “Dr. Clark has a background and familiarity with postpartum depression. It wasn’t just any doctor giving me the medicine. She understood and made me feel comfortable.”
The 60-hour treatment, coupled with Bari’s existing anti-depression medication, provided the results she hoped for. Within a couple of days, she went to her first exercise class in months.
“It was the first time I had the motivation to go out and do something like that for myself,” Bari said.
Not long after her treatment, the coronavirus pandemic hit and shelter-in-place took effect, an emotional time for so many. Bari admits she’s had some down days, but despite these challenges, she can tell that the treatment worked.
Today, her son Max is 8 months old. She connects with him like never before and appreciates these precious days as a mother.
“I’m in love with my son. I’m in such a good place,” Bari said.
