Chronic Depression and Pregnancy

[codegirl]

About 4 years ago I was diagnosed with Chronic Clinical Depression. I have worked very hard to get off my meds in order to be as healthy as I can be while TTC. I got off the drugs last August and then we started TTC in March and WAM, it worked (go figure).

Now, at week 16, I am having some of the signs of a crash. My Dr. wants me back on some of the meds (specially to sleep) but I'm scared to. I really want to do this pregnancy "all natural" if I possibly can. My DH is so scared that it will turn into a full blown crash that he would rather see me on the drugs. I did accept the fact that I need some help sleeping and am starting tryptophan (the enzime found in turkey that makes you sleepy).

I really don't have anyone else to talk to cause I don't want the rest of my family to know, specially if I can keep it from turning into a full blown crash.

Anyone else battling Depression and Pregnancy? What do you do to keep yourself from falling into the "pit of despair"?

Ug, I HATE feeling like this!!

 

[lifeguard]

I also have chronic depression. In my opinion the risks of a full out crash are not worth being without my meds. I am good to no one - last of all my baby if I'm crashing & what if I didn't pull out before the baby arrived? There are a lot of well known, well studied meds on the market that have been out there long enough that they know the effects on the baby. There are safe meds. I wouldn't take the chance myself - I've worked too hard to become stable & to become pregnant (we also had fertility problems).

 

[Sarahkka]

I definitely sympathize with your desire to be drug-free during pregnancy, but I think you may need to re-assess. Pregnancy adds all sorts of biochemicals to your system, and many women find that they experience depression for the first time during and after pregnancy. If you already know that you have a depressive condition, I think you need to consider that those meds may be a necessity for you. Nothing to be ashamed of there! Depression is about imbalances of certain chemicals in your body, just as diabetes is about imbalances of important chemicals in digestion. We would think that a mum-to-be with diabetes was taking an unnecessary risk if she decided to go off insulin during her pregnancy. I think the same applies to your case. The meds help you keep balanced and healthy. If your doctor thinks you need to consider staying on them, I would work with him to choose something that is the least risky for baby (if that is a concern), but if you trust him and have a good relationship with him, I think you need to take his advice.
You aren't failing by going back on meds - you're doing the right thing for you and future babies!

 

[Uvlollypop]

i have just gone back on meds cause i couldnt cope without them if you want to talk pm me

 

[oof23]

i stayed on my meds. my ob/gyn said that, ideally, i'd be off meds, but that decision needs to be made with a psychiatrist. i just saw a psychiatrist this week, and he says that my meds (prozac) are perfectly safe. i was thinking about possibly trying to go off in 2nd trimester, but i'm not sure what would be the point of that. i'll probably be on it even when breastfeeding as i'm at very high risk for post-partum depression (because i'm already depressed and recovering from anorexia).

you need to find a psychiatrist that you trust and let him/her guide you. please pm me if you want to talk.

 

[Hope22]

I was advised to stay on meds (Celexa) while TTC and if/when I fell pregnant. My depression is worsened by hormones - I had severe PMS, and doc feared pregnancy hormones could trigger a serious downward spiral. I'm SO glad I listened to her; I feel great, my mood has been fantastic all the way through so far.

Most of the meds used these days are very safe, certainly a lot safer than going into a depression while pregnant. I respect and applaud your desire to stay drug-free, but if you're feeling blue I'd deal with it ASAP - you're doing what's best for both yourself and the baby.

When I objected to taking a drug for my depression, my doc explained what an SSRI is and it brought things into perspective for me. All these meds really do is tell your brain to leave the seratonin it produces in place. They prevent 'reuptake' - in other words, rather than your brain making something that makes you feel good and then removing it, the drug just allows the feel-good chemical to remain in place long enough to work. The way I think of it is this: my meds allow me to help myself feel better. And they work! I was suicidal, very nearly hospitalized numerous times, and this drug quite literally saved my life.

 

[taperjeangirl]

You are much safer to yourself and your baby to carry on taking any meds you need for depression during pregnancy.
My friend thought the same way as you, she wanted to have an all natural pregnancy, she found out she was pregnant at about 6 weeks and stopped taking her meds straight away, by 12 weeks she was feeling suicidal and felt that nobody cared and became really paranoid.
So she had to get back on her meds, for her and her unborn baby. There are aparently Anti Depresants out there that are safe to take during pregnancy, she went on to have a perfectly healthy 8lb wee boy! The only thing that was different was that she had to stay in hospital a big longer to see if the baby had any withdrawal effects from the meds, which he didn't :thumpup:
Good Luck to you xxxx