Antidepressants and Pregnancy

[Kari]

I have been on antidepressants for 2 years (following the birth of my 2-year-old). My DH and I are trying to now conceive for baby #2 (more of my story is on Midwide forum under "Antidepressants and Pregnancy"). We have been trying for 4 months and I have been off Paxil 20 mg since then. I am started to get depressed again and wondered if anyone knew of any alternatives to take? Paxil is a Category C so I have tried Prozac and WEllbutrin, which are considered Category B, but had problems with both.
Also, should I go back on Paxil until I get pregnant? I just wonder how long this is going to take us! Our first DD was a surprise so I thought this one would be easy but it's not so far! I appreciate any help or comments.
Missi

[Winnie]

I was on Zoloft while TTC and during my pregnancy. I am still on it and have been for about 10 years now. I was glad to be on it during my pregnancy since it was a difficult one. I suffered "break-through anxiety" due to my complications and had to be put on Xanax temporarily. It would have been even worse if I wasn't on the Zoloft. I was on strict bedrest for 12 weeks, so my situation was different.

Good luck to you :)

[armo]

Missy, I'm so sorry :(. Depression really stinks in general and more so anytime before/during/after pregnancy. The worry of harming our kids can really make things worse. I'm glad you're taking a proactive approach to this as I'm sure you know avoiding severe depression is most definitely key.

I hope you're feeling better now, and have figured out along with your doctor what is best for you to take now.

Please feel free to email me anytime. I can certainly empathize!

[Denisemac96]

I have been on Zoloft since December of last year. I recently found out that I am pregnant again, and just had this discussion with my psychiatrist. She said that Zoloft is perfectly safe to take while pregnant. I also took it while breastfeeding my son. HTH. Good Luck with ttc. I know it is so stressful itself, adding depression to the mix is so tough.

[KimberlyAnn]

I am on paxil and we are ttc right now. I have 2 good friends that took it while they were pg and nursing and I took it while nursing dd. My doctor also didn't seem concerned about paxil while ttc/pregnant. Good luck in whatever you decide! :)

[Maya&Tristan'sMom]

I have been having a very complicated pregnancy with prolonged bedrest and at about 17 weeks I wasn't gaining weight, had no appetite and was sleeping poorly. My doctor recommended Zoloft. I am taking a really low dose and it has really helped me a lot. My OB feels this is perfectly safe. I guess there is a little question as to whether or not babies show withdrawal to the med after birth. My OB said the risk is small but has been noted. For that reason I plan to wean off it around 34 weeks. Then it will be out of the baby's system by term. It is the top recommended drug to take if needed when breastfeeding so it could be restarted then after birth.

I DID NOT want to take anything. I rarely even take tylenol. It was a very hard decision for me that I agonized a lot over. But I realized that I was hurting my baby by the anxiety, poor eating and weight gain, etc that I was expereincing. I am glad now I made that choice.

Good luck deciding. I know how tough it is...

[aliboo]

I preface everything by saying, I am from the UK and things may be dfferent here to the USA, but I add my experience as it seems relevant.

Before I TTC my daughter my Obs/Gyn consultant put me on a withdrawal programme for Paxil. I was taking about 20mg a day, and had been doing so for maybe 3 years or so.

She was absolutely clear that women TTC, pregnant, or bf, should never take Paxil and I had to be totally clear before she would recommend that I began TTC.

Paxil (aka Paroxetine, and Seroxat), has faced much media attention about the problems it's takers face in trying to get off it. If you put Paxil in any good search engine you will come up with a huge range of sites, some by medics, some the pharmacetical industry (SmithKlein Beecham (SKB), being the manufactorer, if I remember correctly), and others. The sites that seem most revealing are those set up to support people trying to 'get off' the drug, or inform people about it's recent history. There are some very insightful testimonies and information, incl stuff backed by lawyers, and medics who are fighting SKB in major law suits.

It all makes for an interesting read for women weighing up the different schools of thought on this issue and TTC or pregnancy.

Hugs and peace

Aliboo