Antidepressants While Pregnant

My OB/GYN prescribed me prozac when I was pregnant. My son came out happy and healthy. He was diagnosed with ADHD a couple of years ago but I don't know if it is related to the antidepressants or not. One word of caution though. My primary doctor never took me off the medication and 5 years later I had gained A LOT of weight that I'm still struggling to get off. Good Luck to you

A.,
I have taken Sarafem for depression and yes I did take it while I was pregnant with my last baby. I do not take my meds everyday and never have, I take them everyother and did while I was pregnant and I had a very healthy little girl. Good luck and hope this helps.

The answers to your questions: Yes, and yes. Get good medical advice, but once you're okay with the med and the dosage don't be afraid to do it. The effects of untreated depression can affect your baby even more than medication can; depression raises cortisol levels in the body (it's a stress hormone) and that can definitely affect fetal neurological development. Not all antidepressants are advisible during pregnancy but others are just fine and much preferable to foregoing treatment.

I took a low dosage of Effexor while pregnant and everything turned out fine. Talk about it with your psychiatrist and pediatrician to be absolutely sure.

Hi A.,
I took zoloft before I became pregnant. However, I stopped without consulting my doctor when I became pregnant. After I delivered my daughter, I experienced serious depression that would have been better if I had simply stayed on the zoloft. My doctor assured me that with my next pregnancy it would be best (and safest) to stay on zoloft.

Hope this helps.
R.

I was on Wellbutrin SR before i became pregnant, and took it through out my whole pregnancy. My son is 3 months old now and i am still taking it. There was no problems with him or myself while taking it. I did lower my dosage because i was worried it was too much but the doc did reassure me that the original dosage was ok to take. I am thinking about going back up to my old dosage now that he is getting a little bit older. good luck

Hi there A.....

I have taken them with my last two children and had refused to take them with my first. I have 3 healthy boys with no effects of the medication at all. In fact, my 2 pregancy with the antidepressants were much happier and better. I believe that if you need them, take them. It will only help you and your children in the long run.

If you're concerned about taking medications, I had success taking 5HTP, which is just an amino acid that your body turns into seretonin (which is the chemical the antidepressents mimic).

Just an idea!

R.

I look an antidepressant while pregnant, but I take one on regular basis. I just took a lower dose. No complications with the pregnancy and my son is 2 yrs old. Perfect health and development.

Hi, A.. Here it is, one of the most exciting times in your life, and you're miserable. And incredibly normal. Hormones are crazy things, and every pregnancy is different. Anyway, talk to your doctor. He may know something you can take that won't harm the baby. Good luck with everything.

Hi
some of my close friends were ok'd to take zoloft, 50 mgs throughout.

I've had depression most of my adult life. When I got pregnant the first time, a PA told me to go off my Paxil cold turkey. Bad idea! I almost decided to have an abortion. I was on Paxil throughout pregnancies 1-4. I lost baby #4 so I was on Paxil and Welbutrin for pregnancy number 5. All babies were fine with the exception of some mild tremors in the first few weeks of life. I breastfed #1 until they told me to stop and see what happened. The tremors almost diapeared within a week. I never breastfed the others and their tremors were all much milder and ended sooner. Some Docs thought it was withdrawl from the drug, others thought one had nothing to do with the other. I think the initial thought was correct. When I got pregnant with #6 the Dr. switched me to Zoloft b/c they had learned more about the side effects of Paxil. I was still taking the Welbutrin Happily, I felt much better and the baby had no tremors or problems of any sort. People who will tell you to try not to take it or get off the meds cannot possibly understand what it's like to truely suffer from depression. It's not fair to you or the baby to not take the best care of yourself that you can.
Good luck and take care of you so that you can take care of that sweet baby with all the love he or she deserves! M.

I have a 2 yo and while I was pregnant with her I was taking Zoloft for anxiety. She is the healthiest baby and now I am pregnant again 17 weeks and still on it. I've been on this med for a long time and it helps me. Hope this helps.

I am 33 weeks pregnant and have been taking Lexapro 20 mg during my entire pregnancy.. I can let you know in a few weeks if the baby is ok, but I have no reason to think that there is a problem. Good luck.

I have not myself. BUT a good friend of mine did and her babies, now children are doing really well. Whatever you decide please know that there is a ton of research out there showing that a depressed mother is linked to many developmental delays and an increased risk of other problems in the children....Thus getting some sort of treatment is really critical. Oh and don't forget if you are having a really hard time even with treatment a couple or more days a week of 1/2 day preschool/daycare for your little boy would be great for both of you.

Hang in there! Take care of yourself!
R.

I lost my first baby when I was 6 months pregnant (preterm labor). As you can imagine, I was very anxious about the 2nd pregnancy. I took Zoloft until just before the 3rd trimester. My doctor assured me it was safe until then. I hated to do it but was so stressed that ultimately it seemed the right thing to do. Having a mentally and physically healthy mama is too important during a pregnancy. My son was born healthy and so far, at 5 months, seems normal. Good luck to you.

I took antidepressants with my last baby, I was on zoloft and he was a healthy baby boy. He was just in a hurry to come in the world. My last two babies was 10 1/2 months apart so they say your hormones never get back in wack. hope this info helps.. If your concerned before you start the antidepresseants speack with both Drs about it. I did ...

A., please remember that, when you are pregnant EVERYTHING you take into your body goes to the fetus. The placenta may be somewhat of a filter, but your share your sweet baby inside of you shares your bloodstream. So be VERY careful as to what you take into your body at this point. You might want to try not worrying about small things, (and in the big picture,it is all small stuff.) And try to get enough rest. A tired mommy is a depressed mommy. Take naps and go to bed earlier. So the house isn't spotless, you are helping life come into the world!