Effexor XR in Pregnancy and Withdrawl Symptoms

S.,
I would recommend you talk to a local lactation consultant. If you don't know one, then just call the hospital where you will be delivering and ask for that department. You can ask her if she knows if Effexor is safe for breastfeeding. If it is then talk to your OB about the REAL safety issues with Effexor during pregnancy. Those sheets that you get from the pharmacy can really scare the pants off you for no good reason. You can ask your doctor if you can look at the "PDR" information on Effexor and see exactly what the issue is with pregnancy. It may just be that they don't have any good studies or that 1 person in 100,000 had problems. Do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your doctor first. He may be able to put you on another med short-term to deal with the withdrawl symptoms. It's okay to treat your depression. If you have a history of depression you may be prone to pretty bad post-partum depression. I think it's best for the kids to have a Mommy who doesn't cry everyday even if they have to be on formula. I am sorry to hear that you are so stressed about this. Just try to approach it systematically, one step at a time to make an informed decision. Good luck. I've been there too.

I took Effexor XR 150 mg before, during and after my pregnancy and talked a lot with my doctor (psychiatrist) about all the pros and cons. I'm still taking it. He assured me it was fine and so did my OB. My baby is 2 now and absolutely healthy and normal. I think if you need it you better take it.

i don't have experience with effexor, but i did have my gallbladder taken out when i was 7 1/2 months pregnant. so if it comes down to that and you have questions, feel free to email me about it!

If you had no complications taking Effexor XR while you were pregnant and breast feeding your previous baby, why, just because you read the precautions, would you suddenly have complications now??

S., you are borrowing trouble. Relax and take your medication, you will have a healthy happy baby, that you will nurse, just like before.

The precautions that they post about medications, are what possibly could happen, not what will happen.

You have been on this medication long enough and through a previous pregnancy and breast feeding. So why would you make yourself crazy with it now.

Relax and enjoy your pregnancy honey and stop worrying about something that will apparently NOT happen to you.

Good Luck.

Hi S.,

I understand exactly what you are going through. I was on Effexor XR also taking the same dose of 150mg daily. It was great for the depression however, it made me gain weight. I decided to go off the drug by myself. I had leftover samples and proceeded to wein myself off of it. It was a nightmare!! I experienced all of the side effects you mentioned severely. I started researching online about the drug. Scarey..information. People called it the "Devil Drug". I contacted my doctor very worried about my symptoms and a little upset about her not informing me completely about this drug. Anyway, enough of what you already know. If you truly want to get off you need to do it over time. Ask your doctor for samples of different mg. 75mg, 50mg, 25mg and wein yourself off slowly. I would suggest over at minium 1 month or even 2-3 months. Take the 75mg for about a month and then start reducing and see how you feel. This is a serious drug and you will be completely worthless feeling terrible like me if you try to do it too fast. A frozen eye patch on my forehead helped me deal with the vertigo feeling and alot of rest. Talk seriously to your doctor about the potential side effects to your baby and see if there are any studies or percentages out there to look at maybe staying on it is not that bad? I am not a doctor but various people have said this drug has the ability to have long term effects on your brain. I don't know for sure. You also may want to seek out Lexapro or generic Celexa. I am on this now and have heard women who are pregnant use it with less problems. Just go slow and good luck..

S.,

I've been taking Effexor for the last few years. I went through my last pregnancy and nursed my daughter for 1 1/2 years all while taking this drug. My daughter is 100% healthy and there were absolutely no side effects. For me the benefits of me being on Effexor far outweighed the risks. I have the same horrible withdrawal symptoms that you have when either missing a dose or trying to wean myself of the drug and I hit rock bottom very quickly if I'm not taking medication. Try not to worry so much and just enjoy your pregnancy and your little girls.

I would make sure that you research the possibilities of harm coming to your child very well before thinking about getting off Effexor XR. You don't want to have to go through the withdrawels of this drug if ya don't have to. I have been on this medicine for a long time and have tried to come off of it (with Dr. help) and have not been able too. Some of the withdrawel symptoms never go away for some people. I have accepted that I will be on this medication probably for the rest of my life. It is the best antidepressant I have ever been on but the hardest to get off of. Good Luck and definitely talk to your Docs about this, don't try and come off of it without their help.
Good Luck
Tam

Hi S.,

I had a similar problem when I was pregnant with my last child, I had been on prozac for just over a year when i found out I was pregnant, and I was concerned about the side effects to the baby and the doctor and I decided that the side effects were not great enough a risk to warrant taking me off the medication. I continued on the drug until around 8 months and then he switched me slowly over to zoloft because it is safer for nursing that prozac. The adjustment was a bit rough with dizziness and nausea but it was short and then the zoloft actually had less side effects than the prozac did. I have stayed on that drug since then with no complications to myself or my son. The only thing that we did notice with my son was that he did not cry as much for the first 24 hrs as the other babies in the nursery, which I quite liked, he was very content. It just meant that I had to keep a closer eye on the clock and make sure to feed him every 2-3 hours instead of letting him wake and cry on his own. But that wore off very quickly enough and then the normal newborn set in with the sleepless nights and the on demand feedings. It was much better for me to be healthy for my son than for me to not take the drugs just in case and me not be able to care for my son when he was born. If I were not on zoloft/prozac I would have ended up on the pysch ward after he was born with postpartum I'm sure, just from being overwhelmed... I certainly think that the benefit outweighs the slight risk in this case, maybe talk to the doctor about switching to zoloft though, it is safer than the one you are on. Good luck and congrats on having a boy! Now you have girls and a boy, I just have boys, 4 of them in fact!!

Best Wishes!

Ask your pharmacist about it or a Pharm D. They will know far more about the drug and its dangers during pregnancy and breastfeeding than your doctor will. Also, sometimes it is better to take the drug than risk the depression because the chance of side affects may be very small. Ask your doctor specifically why he isn't worried about you taking it. He may have a very good reason.

Hey S.,

I wasn't on Effexor, but I was on Lexapro during my pregnancy. I admire your concern for you unborn child! Like some of the suggestions listed...I started weaning myself slowly so I didn't get major withdrawl symptoms. I was also taking Melaleucas Prenatle Pack and Phytomega (Omega 3 Fatty Fish Oils to help with the babies brain developement and it also boosts the seratonin level in your brain and that helps with depression) and it helped A TON!!! The vitamins gave me the energy back that the symptoms were trying to take away, and I knew I was doing the best thing for myself and my baby in the long run! I don't sell the Vitamins but I can show you how to get them straight from the manufacture to save 30-40% off Retail!

Good Luck, my thoughts are with you!

J.
WAHM of 2 girls! Helping Moms create a healthy environment for their families! SaferisBetter.com/4myfam

What kind of doctor have you been going to? Your Primary Care Provider (PCP) or a pyschiatrist or APRN? If it is your PCP I would suggest going to a Mental Health Provider. They are further educated on pscyhiatric medications. As there is no medication that is 100% guarenteed safe for a baby, you could always check with a pregnancy risk hotline (just google it and you'll find several). They can tell you if there have been any cases reported either safe or unsafe on that medication. There are some medications that are safer than others and they should be able to tell you that also.

Good Luck!!

Hi S.!
I guess I dont really have much advice, but I was taking Effexor XR all throughout breastfeeding. My son is now 11 months and we're still breastfeeding. I recently was forced to get off the medication because my prescription needed renewed, we dont have insurance, and couldn't afford to go to the doctor. I have always had the same withdrawal symptoms that you are describing and it gets BAD so I understand. Well since I couldn't really do anything about it, I just had to push through the withdrawal and I'm not sure why but this time it hasn't been too bad. As far as my baby, he's just the same happy little guy that he has always been. I haven't ever noticed any change in him when I go off the medication. This has made me think that MAYBE it doesn't always go through the breastmilk, but they have to warn you just in case. I dont know though. Also, I have no experience with the medication during pregnancy because I didn't start on it until after he was born. I think if you talk to your doctor about it, you can get off it slowly by reducing to 75mg for a little while and then 37.5mg until you can get so you dont have to take it at all. That might be the best way to go considering your unborn baby and all the withdrawal symptoms and everything, it would be pretty tough on the little one who is most definitely exposed to it. Hope this helps! Best of Luck!

You need to talk to your doctor about this. You need expert advice to know the pros, cons, and ways to cope.

My info is about 6 years old now, but I can tell you what my doctor said. Migraine and meds like Effexor are thought to work the same way in the brain. Both are "C" class drugs, which means they are not recommended during pregnancy or nursing. At that time, the main reason was that there was not enough evidence to say whether the drugs were safe or not. (No one wants to test on babies, so they have to wait for enough people to take the drugs anyway.) At that time, my doctor preferred to use other methods of treatment if possible, but was willing to prescribe something if needed. I chose not to take anything, which worked well for me. Turns out I don't have a problem with migraines during pregnancy. I'd do some research and find out if it's that they're really not recommended, or if it's still that there's just not enough research to say they're safe. BTW, Congratulations! I hope everything goes well, including your surgery.