Struggling with Anxiety... Meds?

I've been taking Celexa since 2001...through my first and now my second pregnancy. I know there is some anti-anxiety component to it.

I also recently started taking Wellbutrin while preg. Not exactly only for anxiety-but there are definately meds out there you can take while pregnant or trying.

My psch worked with my ob to come up with the right combo.

I suffer from anxiety and depression and I have taken Zoloft for the last four years and through two pregnancies. It's one of the safest to take while pregnant/nursing (the other is called Celexa I think?). I love it. I'm myself again, and I can enjoy the little things instead of stressing about them. I really recommend talking to your doctor about it.

Allison,
I, too have struggled with anxiety since my early 20s and totally understand your situation. After lots of research myself, personal experiences, and discussions with my ob and psych/psychologist, I believe it is best to take medication if you need it. The benefits totally outweigh the risks! Prozac and Zoloft were the two medications that were recommended to me by my psychiatrist and ob. Also, I have taken psych meds for a few months (during really stressful times) and it has helped greatly just to get me by. I also highly recomend talk-therapy during your pregnancy...it really helps! There are also other meds that you can take on an as-needed basis (e.x. Adavan and clonzepam), but those are not safe to take while you are pregnant and breastfeeding. Those meds may help you temporarily before you conceive. Good luck!

G. B

Oh, nothing silly about anti anxiety meds. Any change in hormones will bring on an increase in anxiety. As in, pregnancy, post pregnancy, menopause.

I don't know how I"d do it without the meds I had during these hormonal periods.

Some people swear by holistic meds, or an increase in exercise, or change in diet.

For me, I know that if 1. I don't exercise 2. or do not stay away from caffeine or 3. do not get enough sleep, then my anxiety kicks in.

I have to exercise 1/2 hr daily, get at least 8 hrs sleep, and never have caffeine. That way, I'm at my safest. BUT during difficult times, I will request meds for up to 3 mos. They've always helped.

Good luck.

This is my experience. I honestly have not met anyone who shares it, but here it is. I also have had anxiety since my late teens/early 20's. I was on medication for about a year in there, but have not been on any since. When I was preg w/ #1, I had big anxiety issues, but got through them. They ended early in my second tri. With #2, I had huge anxiety issues; I was almost hospitalized. They wanted to put me on an anti-depressant (an SSRI) but honestly, since I'd done that once before, I knew it would make things worse (for a week or two) before it made things better, and I seriously couldn't deal with that idea; I was already contemplating ending the pregnancy, a thought I can't quite believe I had, in retrospect. Anyway...we're now contemplating #3, and I'm not sure what to do either. If I'd known how awful it would be w/ #2, I would have gone on an SSRI in advance. Then again...when I have anxiety, I gag a lot, and I'm also throw-up phobic, so maybe I wouldn't even get them down. :)Anyway, that's my story; not sure if or how it applies, but just one more thing to add to your store.

I would stronly suggest reading the book, "The Chemistry of Joy." It provides you with a formula for handling anxiety and depression naturally. I used used it for my teenage son and it worked wonders. He was vitamin B and essential fat deficient and that really impacted his mental health.

If you are looking to try to handle this naturally, I would add essential oils to the suggestions that have already been made. We use Young Living essential oils. They are truly much more expensive than other grades of oils can be, but because of their superior quality, they can do amazing things. They do actually change my mood. They are sold usually by individual distributors, so you should be able to find one who can tell you details about them.

Hello! I have anxiety and depression and my psychologist put me on Zoloft as soon as I found out I was pregnant. He said that Zoloft and Prozac are the two safe ones that have been around for 15 or more years and there have been extensive studies proving that they are safe. I was on Wellbutrin before I was pregnant and he took me off of that right away because it isn't safe. So yes, I believe that you should get on something. And what I was told by him and my OB is that anti-anxiety meds are on a case to case basis and they have to see if the benefits outweigh the risks, cuz you don't want to have an anxiety attack when you're pregnant cuz that's not healthy either. Good luck!

While I would check with your dr regarding pregnancy and medication for anxiety but having anxiety may actually stop you from getting pregnant. Now I would definately contact your Dr if you are getting anxiety attacks. I have them but my medication I can take only if I have one of my attacks and ther are days I don't take any and others I can take 3 times a day. Please contact your Dr. Anxiety attacks are horrible and can decrease the wonderful world that is out there for you.

I was on Zoloft before i got pregnant with our third. I stopped taking it, under my dr's watch, for the first trimester. After the first trimester I was going to start back and would get sick to my stomach when I took it (I was also only taking 25 to 50 mg/day)so my dr advised me to stop..she said sometimes when you get pregnant the increase in hormones means some people can go off their meds, so I did not have to take any throughout my pregnancy. I still have not started back on it yet but continue to see my dr. every 3 - 4 months to monitor my symptoms, but like you, I have also dealt with anxiety since my mid-twenties and am good at recognizing when I need the extra help...talk with your doctor to help you make the safest decision:) Good luck in the meantime...PS..there are NO safe sedatives to take while pregnant (like Xanax, etc..)
S.

I am not certain but check with your doctor. I was put on Celexa while breastfeeding and that wasn't a concern for our daughter's development or anything so I wouldn't think that it should be if you are pregnant. But, I am not a doctor. I don't know that I would put my body through starting a new med for anxiety and then coming off of it and then potentially going back on it. That is a lot of adjustment for the body and with pregnancy your body goes through enough change. Good luck!

As I read through your post, I kin of wondered if you may have a hormonal problem. Then I noticed you also had a miscarriage. After seeing that, I would highly recommend that you see a doctor and have your hormones checked. They may still be out of wack from the miscarriage or they could have been off and caused the miscarriage. I had two stillborn children and had terrible anxiety. They discovered that my thyroid wasn't producing enough T3 for the amount of T4 in my system and my progesterone was waaaaaay to low to keep a pregnancy. I ended up having to take progesterone throughout my entire pregnancy to keep my last baby. I would also suggest you find a doctor that is trained by Dr. Hilgers at the Pope Paul the VI Institute. He check ratios of hormones which not a lot of doctors will do. He also monitors progesterone throughout the entire pregnancy if needed. Most doctors will stop testing progesterone after the first trimester. I would have lost three children had I not switched to a doctor trained by him.

I will say a little prayer all works out.

I've also struggled with panic attacks and anxiety for years. I've taken 200 mg. of Zoloft for quite some time, including through pregnancy and nursing. After the death of my 9yo daughter (7 years ago tomorrow), I started having really bad anxiety attacks and my doctor prescribed Ativan.

I hate taking meds or even Tylenol, so I only took it when I couldn't self-talk myself out of the attack. Depression is a fear of the past and anxiety is a fear of the future, so whenever I feel anxious, I try to identify what I was thinking about when it started. I've gotten pretty good at it and thankfully I don't take anxiety meds anymore.

I've actually been putting a website together (at http://www.panicanxietycenter.com ) and writing articles about this topic. I haven't done any pregnancy ones yet, but they are coming.

I also have hypothyroidism which can contribute to anxiety--the advice to check your thyroid levels is good.

Best wishes for a good pregnancy and healthy baby!

Well i'm currently pregnant (34 weeks) and have generalized anxiety disorder. During the first trimester all they would let me take was buspar. It takes a month to work but it helped some. Alot of doctors will let you take Zoloft and think it is the best and safest during pregnancy because it has been widely used. It is an anti-depressant that also helps with Anxiety. I could't go that route though. :(

The usual benzo's like xanax, ativan, klonipin can't be taken at all unless for emergencies I was told. Too much side effects on the infant and too big of risk of birth defects. For all trimesters.

So you have a few options but I'll admit my anxiety is barely under control while pregnant and there isn't much they can do. I don't respond to anti-depressants well so I couldn't take zoloft. But Buspar did help some. So like I said if I was going to try and conceive and wanted to take meds I'd tell my doctor about it so they don't just rip you off a med as soon as you get pregnant and you have to start the whole process again. That is no fun!

Your best option is to talk to your Doctor. They know a heck of a lot more about the drugs and the affects those drugs will have on your body.