Taking Benzo's vs. Severe Stress/Anxiety

HaRLeQuiN

Pregnant - 1st Trimester
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I have been taking Ativan for two years now for agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder. I am now 10 weeks pregnant and with my doctors supervision I'm taking 0.5mg to 2mg just on days when I feel overwhelmed by panic. Although my doctor says its ok for me to take it, I still try not to. What I'm worried about is, does the benefits of taking benzodiazepines outweigh the risks when compared to extremely high levels of stress and panic? I would think that stressing and panicking all day would be much worse for the baby, but I would like some feedback on this. thanks
 
Hi there, I'm afraid I can't really give you much medical advice, but I just wanted to give you a :hug: from someone who suffered from panic attacks. Has your Dr offered you any other kind of help if your dose if being lowered?
 
Hi there,

I have no personal advice on this but I would probably just take your doctors advice, as long as you have full confidence in him/her.
I do however work in mental health and have dealt with a few pregnant ladies who are on hardcore medication for their issues and they have all followed their MH consultants advice regarding stopping or continuing medication, which all seems to be individually tailored. You would be told to stop your meds totally if there was a huge risk to the baby but if you've been advised to continue, albeit at a reduced dose then I would, it's all about your health too! The benefits of you being healthy obviously, in your case outweigh the risks to your baby. Your baby needs a healthy and stress free mummy!

I hope this helps! :hug:
 
Well, I was on 2mg four times a day ( so 8mg total) before i became pregnant. The only thing my doctor did was lower it to 2mg. once every eight hours. But I just take it when I need it. Every eight hours seems like too much to me. And for some reason I've noticed that since I've been pregnant, any medication seems ten times stronger than normal. Has anyone else experienced this?
 
Hi there! Firstly congrats on your pregnancy :happydance:

From the perspective of someone who has suffered agoraphobia and social anxiety, and is now a psychi nurse, I know exactly how you feel. I'd say your doctor would not put you or your baby at risk, and perhaps the symptoms you may experience if you do not take the Lorazepam may put you under extreme anxiety, which I would say is not good for yourself or your baby, and may make your situation much worse for you to handle. 0.5mg is a low dose, and there's room to increase the dose if you are taking 2mg. You say you try not to take it everyday, and only a small/sligtly below standard dose, so you are still not taking too much by any standard. The maximum dose is 10mg in 24 hours.
If you stop the meds this should be done gradually as there are known withdrawel symptoms associated with benzo's.
I hope you feel better soon, and find a happy level with your symptoms and meds. You are the only expert on how you feel.....do as you feel, with your doctors approval.
It took a while but I got over my illness, so I'm sure you will do too :hugs:
 
Well, I was on 2mg four times a day ( so 8mg total) before i became pregnant. The only thing my doctor did was lower it to 2mg. once every eight hours. But I just take it when I need it. Every eight hours seems like too much to me. And for some reason I've noticed that since I've been pregnant, any medication seems ten times stronger than normal. Has anyone else experienced this?

I can't say I've experienced it as I'm not taking meds but I do know that when I had a tiny sip of red wine it went straight to my head, just a sip. I guess we must be more sensitive in pregnancy.
 
Sorry, just read your other post and saw you had tried CBT.....x
 
Hi there, i'm taking clonazepam .5 three times a day for anxiety, but am afraid to get pregnant while on it. Has anybody taken it in pregnancy and had a baby with no problems? Please help truely madly worried but want to concieve!
 
Hi there, i'm taking clonazepam .5 three times a day for anxiety, but am afraid to get pregnant while on it. Has anybody taken it in pregnancy and had a baby with no problems? Please help truely madly worried but want to concieve!

Studies on animals show adverse effect and toxicity on fetus.
No adequate and well controlled studies done on pregnant women.
Drugs should be given only if the potential benefit outweighs the potential risk to the fetus.

Got this off net maybe talk to doc about changing to safer meds b4 ttc good luck xxx
 
I have been taking Ativan for two years now for agoraphobia and social anxiety disorder. I am now 10 weeks pregnant and with my doctors supervision I'm taking 0.5mg to 2mg just on days when I feel overwhelmed by panic. Although my doctor says its ok for me to take it, I still try not to. What I'm worried about is, does the benefits of taking benzodiazepines outweigh the risks when compared to extremely high levels of stress and panic? I would think that stressing and panicking all day would be much worse for the baby, but I would like some feedback on this. thanks

This drug is cat D so I believe your doc must think like you that the high stress is worse then the effects of the drug also he is only giving you a very small dose I would try not to worry as that wil defeat the object if these pills :hugs:
 
i am in a similar position on morphine for my disability and was told to not use it if i could help it. so i stopped taking it and have just had to have the dr out cos of the pain. my blood pressure was so high thorugh the pain the dr said that was worse for the baby and to carry on taking oramorph when i needed to. i am very worried of course but thing is stress is v bad for the baby too. its a hard one. you are on a low dose so i would use it when you feel you need to and only then. panicking and being anxious will not help your baby either. and stay closely connected to your dr as i am. i know how you feel, i feel so guilty and scared. good luck xx
 
There's a great book by Dr. Gabor Mate called "When the body says no" on stress and illness. If you also read his book "Hang on to your Kids" (or something like that) he goes on about the possible effects of stress on the fetus. It isn't the stress per se, it is the surging stress hormones that can have an effect on development, especially on the part of the baby's brain that deals with emotional regulation and attention. Worth a read. I would say that there are definite pros and cons in either direction, so talk to your doctor, do some research, and make a decision that you can live with, as it will be you who will wonder if every allergy was caused by the ativan, or if every lapse in attention was caused by your anxiety when the baby was in utero. In some ways, we are all damned if we do and damned if we don't! LOL! Ah! Thank god there are no perfect children or perfect mothers! Just my humble opinion!!!!

:)
A
 
I am a psychologist and have also, in the past experienced panis attacks. They are the single most frightening thing I have experienced in my life and I completely understand where you are coming from. CBT often does work well and you can access this via your GP who will refer you to either primary or secondary care depending on severity (if you are UK based). However, in the meantime can I recommend that you download Paul McKenna's 'Instant Confidence' download from his website. I found this to be really excellent and it certainly helps in getting a good nights sleep... xx

oops i see you are from las vagas- sorry xx
 

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