Anyone on antidepressants/anti-anxiety medication?

[tcinks]

Just wondering if anyone is on this while pregnant. I'm thinking of talking to my doctor about this.

 

[Mrs Dragonfly]

I'm not but I might talk to my Dr about starting. I had harsh ppd with DD and feeling depressed lately. My anxiety goes through the roof during first trimester, I remember that from my first.

 

[Xpecta]

I am. The one I'm on is safe for pregnancy and boy Oh boy does it help!! I got bad postpartum from my last babe. I finally asked for it when he was about a year old.

 

[DobbyForever]

Certain medications are no associated risks, but the way my psychologist described it was there are cases where things were fine and others where they weren't. It hasn't been studied/proven completely either way. So she would have weaned me off once I got pregnant, so I opted to up my therapy sessions and not start the meds to begin with. She also said that pregnancy hormones tend to either make the depression/anxiety worse or make it better, and I'm finding that I have not had a single panic attack of any degree this week. I feel overall lighter and happier. If I had gotten worse, then we would have looked into which meds to take and what kind of monitoring we would do. Sometimes the benefits for the mom outweigh the costs of taking it. Though the latest version of what to expect says that it's not the amount of stress you face, but whether or not it's your normal amount of stress. So if you have always been stressed out and cope with it well, then your bub will be fine. But if you were like super chipper and then shit hits the fan while pregnant then it could pose problems. I was born with high anxiety disorder because my mom was physically abused during her pregnancy and spent the last month of it in a battered women's shelter and I had to be taken out early or we could have both died. Other than myself I haven't met someone who had stress affect them in utero.

I think asking your gyn AND the psychologist would be a good idea. Get multiple opinions. And make the decision you think is best for you.

 

[Mummafrog]

They will be able to keep you on medication don't worry and it's safer for you and baby to keep taking it until you're given advice on how to adjust it or change the type of meds etc so best thing to do is go to gp (or whoever sorts your meds), say you're pregnant and what you're currently taking and hopefully they can adjust the meds if needed for you.
Just keep taking them as advised for now and get an appointment soon xx

 

[Chiochick]

I've been on depression/anxiety meds for about 7 years. My first baby, my doctor weaned me off due to potential risks. My 2nd baby, I quit because I knew they would have me quit anyway.
This is my 3rd baby and my SO pressured me to quit them cold turkey so I did. I have a different doctor than before and she flipped out on me and said that the medication may carry some risks but the benefits way outweighed the risks. She said that feeling anxious or depressed could cause more problems than the medication.
I didn't start them again but she is still monitoring me and will put me back on them if I start backsliding.
I somewhat regret quitting them again.
So, basically, if you need them, take them. It will help you and baby in the long run to have your mood stabilized.
You could always consider counseling as well but I opted out of that due to cost.

 

[Wish85]

I am on Zoloft/Sertraline which is apparently the safest one for pregnancy and breastfeeding however is still a Class C drug. I started taking it for severe PND after giving birth to my son and after many attempts to wean off my depression always came back. I stopped it when I got bfp with my current pregnancy however about a week ago I was in a really bad way - very depressed, anxious, withdrawn, felt alone, helpless etc so I just started taking them again.

I have done copious amounts of research, read articles, blogs, others people's experiences etc and everything I've read has said that whilst no drug is safe in pregnancy you have to weigh up the benefits and risks. The only reason it is considered a Class C drug is because it hasn't been taken long enough by pregnant women to establish whether it causes harm or not. There has been no evidence to suggest that women who have taken zoloft and who's babies were born with problems was caused by the medication because every woman has a 3-5% base line of having babies with problems without medication.

 

[Fruitmash]

I've been taking quetiapine and pregabalin for about a year, my quetiapine was fine, I've taken it all through my pregnancy but they took me off my pregabalin straight away and never allowed me an alternative even when I asked, I've had such a terrible time 'cause of it I don't think I'll have a third baby. If they want to take you off, insist on them offering you an alternative

 

[eaj555dreamer]

I was on escitalopram and bupropion (Lexapro and Wellbutrin in the USA) as well as buprenorphine while pregnant with my son. I was closely monitored by my doctor and midwife at the time, who were adamant that untreated depression and anxiety were worse for my developing baby than the small risk from the tiny amount of medication that would be passed through the placenta.

Now I am currently on escitalopram and buprenorphine with #2. Of course I remain cautious about it, but I truly believe that is what's best for me, my growing babe, and my family.

 

[misspriss]

I am on anxiety medication and I just found out I am pregnant. My psychiarist assured me that if I did become pregnant again it would be safe, but I am going to follow up tomorrow just to be sure.

 

[tcinks]

Thanks ladies for sharing your personal experiences. I really appreciate it I was on anti anxiety medication a few years ago but have since stopped. I'm thinking I need to see someone about getting back on something, I think it was Zoloft I had before. I don't have a psychiatrist but I was told there was one who actually works with my high risk doctor's office! So hopefully I can get in to see her soon.

I appreciate all of you.

 

[DobbyForever]

I actually want to add one more thing. I still stand by only you and your healthcare team can decide what is best for you, and if you need the medication then you do. But I need to know I give my whole experience.

I had my phone prenatal with my gyn, not a nurse but my gyn, to check in. We went from laughing joking to her asking me in a very serious voice if I was still taking Zoloft. I explained that I actually never ended up taking it because of ttc impending, and she told me that's good because she would have concerns and would have asked me/my psychologist if I could be taken off of it. She did ask me how my anxiety Nd depression have been, which is way better now. So maybe her opinion would have changed if I was struggling, but she made it very clear she would prefer I only take it if I really had to.

 

[KV_Tadpole]

I have severe anxiety and my dr is aware of this, but I think I would be in a worse state if I was taking meds.. I know they're supposed to help but I would spend the first week (or however long they take to kick in) getting worse from fear.
I mostly concentrate on doing happy positive things and try and meditate. If you've never done meditation, you might think that's a weird idea, but use a guided one and it can definitely distract you and calm you if you try hard enough xx

 

[misspriss]

I have severe anxiety and my dr is aware of this, but I think I would be in a worse state if I was taking meds.. I know they're supposed to help but I would spend the first week (or however long they take to kick in) getting worse from fear.
I mostly concentrate on doing happy positive things and try and meditate. If you've never done meditation, you might think that's a weird idea, but use a guided one and it can definitely distract you and calm you if you try hard enough xx

It took me the first about 9 months I was seeing my psychiatrist to realize that I didn't need to be anxious about taking medication for my anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.

Usually when my anxiety hits, it is not a time when I can stop what I'm doing and meditate, it's usually when the s**t hits the fan and I'm alone with two small children and they both need me and something else is breaking or going bad. Deep breathing? Yes. Doing something positive and meditating? Not happening.

I guess it is different for everyone. I see it as if I were able to distract and calm myself easily, don't you think I would? Do you think I choose to be anxious just because I enjoy it so much, and if I want to I can just "quit" being anxious?

 

[KV_Tadpole]

I have severe anxiety and my dr is aware of this, but I think I would be in a worse state if I was taking meds.. I know they're supposed to help but I would spend the first week (or however long they take to kick in) getting worse from fear.
I mostly concentrate on doing happy positive things and try and meditate. If you've never done meditation, you might think that's a weird idea, but use a guided one and it can definitely distract you and calm you if you try hard enough xx

It took me the first about 9 months I was seeing my psychiatrist to realize that I didn't need to be anxious about taking medication for my anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.

Usually when my anxiety hits, it is not a time when I can stop what I'm doing and meditate, it's usually when the s**t hits the fan and I'm alone with two small children and they both need me and something else is breaking or going bad. Deep breathing? Yes. Doing something positive and meditating? Not happening.

I guess it is different for everyone. I see it as if I were able to distract and calm myself easily, don't you think I would? Do you think I choose to be anxious just because I enjoy it so much, and if I want to I can just "quit" being anxious?

I understand that it is near enough impossible to control in certain situations. Once it happens, it happens and its too late. My measures are based on trying to do it every day before it kicks it. Because if I'm already too far in, I can't concentrate for sh1t. The mind just doesn't shut up.

Everyone live in different situations so it may be harder for people to find time for this, but I try and stop every few hours and force myself to concentrate on .. well, not doing anything, not thinking about anything. As I said, this can only be done if you're not mid attack, but sometimes attacks are a built up of subconscious goings-on that you don't know are happening until it explodes. So I try my best to push it back down the escalating later. However, like I said, not everyone lives in situations where they can spend time on this.

I am awful at keeping up the practise, and awful at doing all the stuff I have read and been told I should be doing to keep my anxiety on the low end. To me, a good period is when I only spend 10 out of 30 days in a complete messed up state, rather than spending nearly all of them. I haven't been free of it for many years.

 

[Fruitmash]

I have severe anxiety and my dr is aware of this, but I think I would be in a worse state if I was taking meds.. I know they're supposed to help but I would spend the first week (or however long they take to kick in) getting worse from fear.
I mostly concentrate on doing happy positive things and try and meditate. If you've never done meditation, you might think that's a weird idea, but use a guided one and it can definitely distract you and calm you if you try hard enough xx

It took me the first about 9 months I was seeing my psychiatrist to realize that I didn't need to be anxious about taking medication for my anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.

Usually when my anxiety hits, it is not a time when I can stop what I'm doing and meditate, it's usually when the s**t hits the fan and I'm alone with two small children and they both need me and something else is breaking or going bad. Deep breathing? Yes. Doing something positive and meditating? Not happening.

I guess it is different for everyone. I see it as if I were able to distract and calm myself easily, don't you think I would? Do you think I choose to be anxious just because I enjoy it so much, and if I want to I can just "quit" being anxious?

I understand that it is near enough impossible to control in certain situations. Once it happens, it happens and its too late. My measures are based on trying to do it every day before it kicks it. Because if I'm already too far in, I can't concentrate for sh1t. The mind just doesn't shut up.

Everyone live in different situations so it may be harder for people to find time for this, but I try and stop every few hours and force myself to concentrate on .. well, not doing anything, not thinking about anything. As I said, this can only be done if you're not mid attack, but sometimes attacks are a built up of subconscious goings-on that you don't know are happening until it explodes. So I try my best to push it back down the escalating later. However, like I said, not everyone lives in situations where they can spend time on this.

I am awful at keeping up the practise, and awful at doing all the stuff I have read and been told I should be doing to keep my anxiety on the low end. To me, a good period is when I only spend 10 out of 30 days in a complete messed up state, rather than spending nearly all of them. I haven't been free of it for many years.

I actually tried this out! Well, I tried mindfulness which is essentially the same thing, and if I was fairly calm it was pretty effective, you'd come out of it feeling so relaxed. Then I'd end up getting so anxious because I couldn't find the time to do it, or when I tried I couldn't find the quiet and I ended up worse than when I started
Apparently it really does help a lot of people, both of my therapists recommended it but it just wasn't for me. Big up on my meds personally but I do think it's something to be open minded about, what with there being no cost or side effects

 

[KV_Tadpole]

I have severe anxiety and my dr is aware of this, but I think I would be in a worse state if I was taking meds.. I know they're supposed to help but I would spend the first week (or however long they take to kick in) getting worse from fear.
I mostly concentrate on doing happy positive things and try and meditate. If you've never done meditation, you might think that's a weird idea, but use a guided one and it can definitely distract you and calm you if you try hard enough xx

It took me the first about 9 months I was seeing my psychiatrist to realize that I didn't need to be anxious about taking medication for my anxiety. It's a vicious cycle.

Usually when my anxiety hits, it is not a time when I can stop what I'm doing and meditate, it's usually when the s**t hits the fan and I'm alone with two small children and they both need me and something else is breaking or going bad. Deep breathing? Yes. Doing something positive and meditating? Not happening.

I guess it is different for everyone. I see it as if I were able to distract and calm myself easily, don't you think I would? Do you think I choose to be anxious just because I enjoy it so much, and if I want to I can just "quit" being anxious?

I understand that it is near enough impossible to control in certain situations. Once it happens, it happens and its too late. My measures are based on trying to do it every day before it kicks it. Because if I'm already too far in, I can't concentrate for sh1t. The mind just doesn't shut up.

Everyone live in different situations so it may be harder for people to find time for this, but I try and stop every few hours and force myself to concentrate on .. well, not doing anything, not thinking about anything. As I said, this can only be done if you're not mid attack, but sometimes attacks are a built up of subconscious goings-on that you don't know are happening until it explodes. So I try my best to push it back down the escalating later. However, like I said, not everyone lives in situations where they can spend time on this.

I am awful at keeping up the practise, and awful at doing all the stuff I have read and been told I should be doing to keep my anxiety on the low end. To me, a good period is when I only spend 10 out of 30 days in a complete messed up state, rather than spending nearly all of them. I haven't been free of it for many years.

I actually tried this out! Well, I tried mindfulness which is essentially the same thing, and if I was fairly calm it was pretty effective, you'd come out of it feeling so relaxed. Then I'd end up getting so anxious because I couldn't find the time to do it, or when I tried I couldn't find the quiet and I ended up worse than when I started
Apparently it really does help a lot of people, both of my therapists recommended it but it just wasn't for me. Big up on my meds personally but I do think it's something to be open minded about, what with there being no cost or side effects

Good to hear it worked for you, even if just a bit Life today is just so hectic and it breaks your mind and it is very hard to get out of the cycle.
I can catch mine before it goes extreme because i have been through the same cycle for many years. Unfortunately I still get to about 70% anxious state before I notice, but I can notice an anxiety attack is knocking on my door because i start behaving really erratically so i know something has to be done now before I 100% lose it. I'm never 100% free though so maybe if I am finding it harder during pregnancy, I will do something medically about it. But for now I've opted for some more counselling/therapy.

 

[Fruitmash]

Have you tried something more sensory based? It's not a miracle but I have found it's what's working best for me now meds are a no go. Like, a lovely smelling bubble bar from lush, which you can crush and squish under the tap. That's been amazing but now I'm too big to fit it in batht properly! Or a scent that calms you. Just some ideas to try, maybe they'll help you too!