Depressed, Recently Separated, Four Yr Old and pregnant...advice on Zoloft?

J., I don't know how your other meds worked, but Zoloft usually takes a few days to kick in and begin to lift you up a bit. Also, don't know how the hormonal shifts might affect the drug efficiency, but best wishes on getting through this. I know there are scrapbooking groups out there, and getting into healthy routines (healthy being something you might enjoy:-)) can be a good way to combat depression as well. I also have a 4 year old, so that alone is enough of a challenge! Remember to feed yourself positive messages-especially important if you don't have anyone else doing it! This mama connection is great, too. I learn great things from other posts-most importantly that I'm not alone in my challenges. I wish you well, K.

As I read back through your post, I wanted to suggest trying peppermint oil to relieve your nausea and headache symptoms, especially if it makes sense to stay on the Zoloft. I use essential oil products from Young Living. I rub peppermint oil into my temples and at the base of my neck to help with headaches. You can also rub a drop or two into your palms and breathe deeply (or put a drop on your tongue) to help with nausea. I mix a couple of drops with some lotion and rub it on my daughter's chest or stomach when she's stopped up or says her tummy doesn't feel well. Great stuff (and natural!). Let me know if you have questions on oils or Young Living-I'll try to answer them.

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You have a very difficult personal situation for sure, but seem to also be aware of important aspects of your more positive outlets and especially your reaction to a very unsafe drug in general, much less during pregnancy. You may have acute and not severe depression---the former which should not be treated with antidepressants. If you have only taken the medicine for 2-7 days, there is no risk to simply stopping it. This is not the case after more extended use. Note also that it crosses the blood-brain barrier and that you are also dosing your unborn child. Much has been learned about ALL SSRIs (zoloft, paxil, prozac, effexor etc) in the past few years, and little is good. Please return to your physician immediately and be certain that ONLY a psychiatrist continues to recommend an SSRI during your late stage of pregnancy (or any other time).

PLease read this: "Washington, DC: Less than a year ago, in July 2006, the FDA issued a Public Health Advisory on a birth defect found to be associated with Zoloft and other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants by a study in the February 2006 New England Journal of Medicine that found a higher risk of a life-threatening lung disorder in infants exposed to SSRIs, stating:

"A recently published case-control study has shown that infants born to mothers who took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) after the 20th week of pregnancy were 6 times more likely to have persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) than infants born to mothers who did not take antidepressants during pregnancy."

PPHN infants have difficulty making the transition from breathing inside the womb to normal breathing after delivery, often leading to respiratory failure that requires mechanical ventilation. Even when treated, between 10% to 20% of babies born with PPHN do not survive...."

there is more to this simple article at http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/00984/zolof..., but substantial scientific literature exists which underscores the real risks of these products. Withdrawl of the newborn is another aspect of concern, as well as your own withdrawl. Please seek informed medical input ASAP. This is not another worry you need to add. You seem strong, and you will get through this. Plan to establish new scrapbooking connections now, so that when the baby arrives and you recover from the birth, you are ready with new friends and activities to support you. They will be far better therapy than any medications and can provide free "counseling" and "talk-therapy", while being better sounding boards as to whether you actually need to seek professional help after the birth. Best wishes with your next two months and a renewal of a happy life together with your children and friends.

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Keep talking to the medical person who prescribed the medicine with your symptoms. If it's a psychiatrist, also talk to the obstetrician, and vice versa. When they say, "this can be normal" that doesn't mean they would say the same thing the next day, or three days later..., so keep talking to them.
While you're making your daily calls to the Dr.s, keep in touch with a few friends - plan on 5 or so minutes of conversation on cute things about your four year old, a scrapbook idea you have and ask your friends for their thoughts. KEEP a network of support in people around you, as you weather these "rough waters."
I take medications for depression, etc. but haven't had Zoloft. Zoloft may have been the best pick for your condition, but that doesn't mean it's the best pick for your constitution. Keep following the prescription, but feel free to check up on second opinions from Doctors, and ask about options so you can decide which one you wish to follow. If you start feeling "trapped" into taking medication that makes it worse for you; TELL that to the Doctors. If they don't give you a new way to think about it that lifts your spirits, get a new doctor. Also, check with your network of friends to find out if they notice any differences in you- and let your doctors know. Medicine works best when dosages are monitored, feedback is maintained and your quality of life (and thoughts) improves.
Good luck, and give you, your 2nd baby, and your four year old this positive thought every day: "you are love-able as you are. No matter what, you are a love-able person before, now and forever!"

I don't often respond to these, but this was kinda close to home. My husband is actually going through a very tough time right now. We have a two year old, and her little sister that was born earlier this year passed away soon after she was born. So, while I'm not going through the same thing...i certainly have a bit of an idea how hard it is to deal with hard things, made even more difficult due to depression. My husband is on Zoloft right now, and a couple other medications. He has had all kinds of side affects. He has been in close contact with his doctor and has changed his dosage a couple times. I would say, like many others, check with your doctor, let them know what is going on. You may need to change dosage, or maybe even medication. I think if you could find a psychiatrist, or counselor, that would be very helpful for you, and your family. (I wish I had someone to recommend), but that is something we are looking into right now too. I always tell my husband--YOGA. Do yoga! It helps in so many ways. Helps your body, mind, and soul..relax and connect. If you have never tried it, it is so great! There are lots of pre-natal yoga classed out there. I have a pre-natal yoga video that I just did at home when I was pregnant with my first. That would be a less expensive option.
I certainly hope you start feeling better soon. I wish you all the best. I know that God can see you through these challenges.

I was on Zoloft for a while after my son was born. I don't remember it making me nauseous. I liked candied or pickled ginger while I was pregnant. There are ginger teas out there, but I didn't like them much since they seemed a bit spicy.

Hi J.,

Any one of those things, prego, having a 4 year old, recently separated, is a HUGE stress all by itself, add them all together and no wonder you are depressed. Are you seeing a good counselor? Also, a support group may be a help to you. Looking for other moms for support is good too, try meetup.com or yahoogroups.com to find like minded folks. If Zoloft doesn't work there are many other ones to try, I think most need a couple of weeks to work.

A few other things to remember, try very hard to take really good care of yourself, lots of water, good healthy foods, walk some each day.

Hang in there!!
S.

The first week on zoloft is rough, I was terribly sick! It will get better in a couple more days and it really helps get you out of the funk. I took it for several months until I didn't seem to need it anymore, stuff had improved, I'm glad I had it as an option when I needed it though!

I am surprised that they put you on zoloft. I have had depression on and off over the years and stayed on prozac through my pregnancy and nursing becuase i was so high risk for post partum depression. Prozac is the safest anti-depressant to use while pregnant and nursing. If you haven't tried it yet have them switch you. It is not normal to feel nauseous from an antidepressant and you may just be having a bad reaction to the zoloft. I would ask your doctor to switch you to a different one. Suggest prozac and the generic for it is dirt cheap at CVS.

I'm sorry for your situation. I hope you have a support group of friends and family. I would talk to your OBG about the medicine. Have you thought about starting a journal? Something that you can write your feelings in just to get them off of your chest? They help.

I hope you find the strength that you'll need as you and your kids start this newest chapter in your lives.
M.

hey Jen
couple of things
FIRST--go see your Dr and see if you can get something besides Zoloft while you are Pg...
2nd, I have collected LOTS of crafty stuff and looked for outlets to use/share it...in the end, I didnt move fast enough and the x;s new wife trashed it...if you are like me and want to have some choice in where things go, get on the phone with some of the help agency folks and get into contact with the ones that actually do the sharing. I know Salvation Army goes to adult assisted living places and does craft projects with them...And too, the homeless shelter always welcomes both the project and some help with them,,,networking is the key to your stuff and a different med while pg will help your moods to stablize. Hope this helps!

J., I agree about calling your Dr. to see about how long until Zoloft kicks in and how long the side effects last! And also what happens when you stop taking it. I wanted to mention that most scrapbook stores have days where you come in and scrapbook and it would be a great way to meet other people and see what they're doing. (I don't know how that would work with your work schedule, but I imagine they have some on the weekends.) Also, if you have a Creative Memories consultant they usually have workshops, typically in their homes but sometimes other places. If you have some CM stuff but no consultant you can go on their website to get a consultant. Good luck with all this, we're thinking of you! D.

You also need to fortify your social support system. Definitely consider therapy and reign in trusted family and friends to help you transition through this difficult time period.

Those symptoms are totally normal and will likely be that way for two weeks. Have you tried taking it before bed so you don't feel the side effects?

I really hope you stick with it. Did you start with a 50mg dose? Or are they having you start with a half pill a day (25mgs?) If you are taking 50mgs, and feel sick, you can break the pill in half and take half in the morning and half at night.
OR you can take half a pill for a week then after a week go up to the full pill.
I don't recommend quitting it- I think you need it. (and so did I.)
I am really proud of you for seeking help and trusting the medication. :)

The first thing I beleive you can do is to count your blessings. I beleive that there is at least one thing that is going right for you. Focus on those things. Feeling depressed is not good for you and especial not for your unborn. I also believe that your mood affects the unborn to the point that when he or she comes into this world it may carry that same attitude. Therefore do not focus on the negatives. It is harder than it seem, but it can be done. If you know the Lord He will take you through.

Here's my experience. I'll try to condense it for you. :-)

Pregnancy #1 - unplanned, not taken well by my boyfriend. I was put on Zoloft. Felt nasty the first couple of weeks (nauseous, shaky, spacey), but those side effects eventually subsided and I started to feel a little brighter and cried much less often.

Pregnancy #2 - unplanned (conceived despite taking the pill), not taken well by my husband (the same father as from pregnancy #1). Pregnancy ended in a miscarriage at 12 weeks. I went back on Zoloft. Felt nasty the first couple of weeks, but those side effects didn't go away this time ~ assuming it's because my hormone production was different than it was during pregnancy #1. Knowing that I was going to be trying to get pregnant within the next year my doctor had me try Wellbutrin. Felt nasty the first couple of weeks, but side effects once again lifted, as did my mood.

Pregnancy #3 - somewhat planned (just didn't expect it to happen so quickly). I've been on Wellbutrin for almost a year. I'm currently 27 weeks pregnant and I'm told that Wellbutrin is safe to stay on during the entire pregnancy.

*Please note that with each course of antidepressants I was also in counseling. The medicine can help with chemical imbalances, but it won't help you to deal with and work through your problems.

Good luck to you! :o)

I started taking Zoloft when I was pregnant and it made me feel really nauseous and tired with a bad headache for days. I started cutting my pills in half and then after a few days gradually increased the dosage and it seemed to make a big difference. Also, try taking it at night before you go to bed instead of in the morning. That way it doesn't affect you so much during the day.

In my opinion it's worth a try to give the medicine a chance to work because once it started working, it made a huge difference. I split from my ex while I was pregnant and was having a really tough time, but pretty soon I started to feel much, much better.

If you do stop taking it, don't stop all at once or you will go through withdraw...make sure you talk to your doctor and stop gradually.

Good Luck...

With any anti depressant you have to give it a few weeks to see if it is going to work for you. If those symptoms you are naming are all from the zoloft than maybe you should see if your dr wants to put you on something different. I have taken Zoloft before and had no problems but anit depressants are kind of trial and error unfortunatly. I am not even sure if there are other ones that you can take while pregnant. Just talkto your Dr but dont stop taking anything without consulting him or her.

On the scrapbooking note - check out scrapbooks plus in Chantilly - they have classes there with plenty of scrapbooking buddies to meet.

Good luck with everything!

Some people are very sensitive to antidepressants. When I went on Zoloft and Lexapro after pregnancy, I had horrible stomach pains, feeling spacey, headaches, I found I had to take 1/2 the dose for several days and then step up the full dose. Check with your doc, you maybe helped by doing the same.

Hi J., First I am so sorry you have to go through this hard time while pregnant. When I went through the hell of first getting on my anti-depression meds I was not pregnant and can't imagine how it would be. Second hang in there. Third I had horrible side effects with the first script they put me on and I did experience nausea, headaches, heightened anxiety, and lethargy. I went through that for 3 weeks hoping it would get better like the drs said it would before I went in to insist on something else. My next med work wonderfully with not many side effects for not long at all. Definitely talk to your Dr. like the other mom are suggesting. You should not have to experience this especially while being pregnant. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Oh, honey. What a tough spot. I'm so sorry.

I have two children, and I've suffered from depression (occasionally very serious) since I was a teenager. Childbearing + depression = hell. Here's what I suggest:
1. The Zoloft may not be working. Try it for another couple of days and if the side effects don't improve, ditch it. No point in adding to your suffering--but you also don't want to quit before you find out those side effects were going to be temporary.
2. Who's prescribing the Zoloft? If it's your ob-gyn, you should get a second opinion from a psychiatrist. These meds can be quite tricky, esp during pregnancy. And make sure these two doctors are talking to each other; insist that the second opinion doc faxes a summary to your ob-gyn.
3. If the Zoloft turns out not to work, keep trying with other meds, or maybe even a combination of meds. And give them time to work, though sometimes you can note an improvement in the very first few days.

You are doing the right thing seeking treatment; so many women think that depression in pregnancy is just something to suffer through "for the sake of the baby." In fact there's research showing that severe depression in pregnancy itself can adversely affect the baby. It also raises your risk for postpartum depression, which is the last thing you need. So hooray for you, for trying to get on top of it.
4. See if you can enlist a friend to be your medical advocate, and go with you to dr's appts. Dealing with depression is hard enough; dealing with it during pregnancy and a separation is more than any mortal should have to bear. You're in a place where your memory may be impaired (pregnancy always wrecked my short-term memory) and, in general, you just need help. If you don't want to take anybody with you, take a notepad and pencil. Write down things you want to say before you go; write down what the dr says while you're there.

I have way too much experience in this field, so feel free to e-mail me offline if you have any more questions. I may not be able to answer them all but I know where to find the answers. And I'm not selling anything. Good luck.

Hi J.. I just wanted to tell you that I have been in the same situation as you. The first two weeks that I was on zoloft I felt horribly sick. I made an appointment to go and see my doctor, but by the time my appointment came, I was feeling better. At the start of the 3rd week it was like someone had turned on a light switch. I felt so much better. I was so depressed that I was suicidal but after 3 weeks on zoloft I felt almost normal for the first time in a long time. Hang in there. Things will get better.

I started taking Zoloft after I had my baby and was nursing. I too had many of these symptoms and my psychiatrist had me cut back my dosage. I started out with 25 mg for 2-3 weeks then upped it to 37.5 for 2 weeks, then to 50 which is where I'm at now. It took a while, but once I was used to it it worked great (and still does). My psych said I was very sensitive to medications and that it just took me a while to adjust. I have talked to friends who tried other meds with similar results when they first started taking it, but I personally haven't tried anything else. If you're more concerned I would talk to your psych or dr.

If you really believe you need it fine. I feel that you are stronger than you may think so try some relaxation techniques with your 4 year old and make it like a game. This way you are teaching her/him how relax while you are calming yourself. Also if you are the kind of mom I am, my children are my therapy. When there is stress in the house we watch movies even though its not movie night. We play uno or color, etc. I have really hard time also but I find that praying is the only answer. If we ask god and then wait on his answer everything will work out fine.

Call the prescribing doctor. I don't know the impications of suddenly stopping tha tdrug, but you need to check. They won't mind the call, that's what they are there for. But they willprobably want to make sure that they see you ASAP to see if they can giv eyou a better prescription. They may also tell you tha tthe side effects are short-lived and to wait it out a day or two. I can't speak to that , but you do need to speak wiht them.

I don't know if you were prescribed this by your OB or a general practitioner. But I think you need ot ask for a referral ot a psychologist. Counseling can provide tremendous relief and strategies for coping day to day. It doesn't have ot be long-term, but can help get you through the acute crisis. He or she will also hav ethe ability to get you an appropriate prescription and monitor your reactions better than a GP or OB.

Good luck. I am sorry you are feeling this way and dealing wiht so much. All I can say, is I have been ther in my own way, and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. For you and your kids, seek a therapist's help. It will do a world of good for all of you.

I went through the same thing 4 years ago, but I wasn't pregnant and I had a 15 month old. Stick out the zoloft if you can, it has made a world of difference for me. I would love to communicate with you more, if you are interested. My email is ____@____.com.
~S.
PS--I am an avid scrapbooker, too.

It usually takes a few days for antidepressants to really get into your system and take effect. That said, you should be in contact with your doctor if you are noticing increases in symptoms. Antidepressants can be very helpful in helping your body to regain its chemical balance; however, they are certainly not a one size fits all item. There are many different varieties that all impact people very differently. There are fewer that are deemed safe for pregnant women, but there are still options. Bottom line - get in contact with your doctor. You need to make sure you are doing what is right for you and your children. If it is making you feel worse, chances are, it's not right.