Antidepressants and Pregnancy

Hi Everyone,

I am almost 18 months out and have been trying to get pregnant for the last 3 months.  The problem is I feel like I am losing it!  I have been off my antidepressants now for about a year and most of the time I feel ok but other times I am teary for no real reason and I flip out over nothing.  I just feel ike I can't cope. It has gotten pretty bad lately and my husband wants me to start taking my antidepressants again. I have no problem doing it except that I want to have a baby.  My husband is adamant about me not taking meds while trying to conceive or while pregnant so I don't know what to do.  It's like I have to make this impossible choice.  I also already have a 4 year old and he wants a sibling so bad.  I already feel that my children are going to be too far apart in age even if I were to get pregnant now and I have a family history of depression so I don't think this issue is ever really going to go away. So I guess my questions are:


What would you do?
Did you take antidepressants while pregnant and if so which one(s)?

Thanks for you help!

Jaime

This is a great question.
I have been researching this very question for a while. The answer that I have come up with is- Wellbutrin is about the safest you can take while pregnant. Another with low risks is Prozac. If you are clinically depressed, then you should be on something to help you cope.  There are big no-no's when it comes to meds while pregnant, but for anti-depressants, Wellbutrin seems to have no risks or side affects.
I currently take Effexor XR and am switching to Wellbutrin this month. Your emotional health should come first and don't let anyone dictate what you can and cannot take (unless it's someone with a medical degree).
Best of luck!

 Do what is best for YOU!  I took Wellbutrin almost my entire pregnancy and now have a 19 month old that is beautiful, well behaved and extremely intelligent!!  No joke, she can count at last to 5 and knows half of her ABC's.  She was a well behaved newborn, infant and is a pretty good toddler.  I am now pregnant with my 2nd and on zoloft for social anxiety issues.  I take them every now and again, mainly because I am so exhausted and forget.  My doctor put it this way....is it safer for you to be on them  while pregnant or safer for your baby for you not to take them?  Depression is rough, and not always the easiest to deal with, especially if it runs in the family.  Talk to your doctor so they can prescribe something that is safe for you and baby so you can enjoy life.

I agree, it's a lot more dangerous to try and be a wife and mother, with un-medicated depression, than a safely medicated pregnant woman. Look into Wellbutrin. Pregnancy is rough enough without adding depression and anxiety to the mix.

If the anti-depressent made me feel better, I would take it.

I got pregnant while on 30 mg of Lexapro. My psychiatrist has been gradually lowering 5 mg every 4 weeks or so during my pregnancy but advised me to stop when I started to feel uncomfortable. I have stopped at 20 mg because I was starting to get anxious alot and feeling down more but not sure if it was just pregnancy hormones. After I meet with him tomorrow, if he oks it, I may try 15 mg for 4 weeks but if I feel worse I will go back up to 20 mg.

My psychiatrist is fine with me being medicated and said that it is better for the baby for me to be medicated and not anxious/depressed 24/7 than for me to be med-free and crying all the time.  That would be worse for the baby and definitely not good for me. My OB feels the same way and believes that even 20 mg is better than 30 mg and if that's all I can do, not to worry about it.

I should be on Cymbalta but I try to take it only when I have to. I take it when I get really psycho (for a preggo) and that's it. If you talk to your gyn, they can help you on what you can take and then you can call your PCP and get on it. Good luck.

My OB doctors suggest Zoloft. It's perfectly safe during pregnancy & you can take it while you are breastfeeding.

You need to weigh the benefits vs the potential risks. I am also on Wellbutrin and am 7 weeks pregnant. There's NO WAY I can be off my meds. I'd have to be locked away. So I'd rather take that slight risk and be pregnant than off the meds and in the loony bin.