Postpartum depression is a major depressive disorder episode which can occur anytime from the third trimester of pregnancy to 4 weeks postpartum. The primary treatments options for postpartum depression are psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy which include antidepressants. Severe drug resistant depression is usually treated with electro convulsive therapy, but its patient acceptability is poor. The approval of brexanolone for management of severe post-partum depression is a highly appreciated as none of the existing agents are specifically approved for this purpose. Brexanolone is a novel, allopregnanolone analogue acting as GABA A receptor modulator specifically approved for use in severed postpartum depression. This article reviews about pharmacology of this new agent.
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