TTC with anxiety, anyone else?

[Shortstuff88]

Hi ladies, I've been suffering with anxiety on and off for around 5 years now. I was suffering during my last pregnancy. I don't know if it was my hormones or if it was just my mental attitude but whilst I was pregnant I managed to cope with it much better. However, I suffered severe anxiety for a few months after having my son. Hubby and I are TTC at the moment and recently I've been suffering again. On my previous episode which was over a year and a half ago now I was taking citalopram to help me with my anxiety and I feel that I may be heading that way again.
My question is whether anyone has taken this while pregnant and what your experience was? There isn't much research on it in pregnant women and any research that has been done is inconclusive.

I understand that some people may think I'm completely irresponsible for tryig to get pregnant when anxious but I've waited 2 years for us to be in a position to try again and I'm scared that if we wait until my anxiety is completely gone we'll never have our chance.
Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[MindUtopia]

No experience with meds while pregnant, though I have taken citalopram in the past (when not pregnant) and it made me really sick, literally stuck on the toilet with diarrhoea and leaning over the bath at the same time vomiting. It was awful and really didn't agree with me. I have found that lorazepam helped me for panic attacks, but it's not the sort of thing I'd want to take all the time and not sure it's pregnancy safe. One thing you might try if you want to or need to avoid meds (not saying you should, but if it's something you would consider) is cognitive behavioural therapy or hypnotherapy. I have some friends who have had incredible success with CBT for anxiety. I also used hypnotherapy for pregnancy anxiety and also for my fear of flying (used to have to take a lot of lorazepam just to get on a plane) and it worked really well. I was really relaxed when I was pregnant with my daughter and also no longer have a fear of flying. I haven't had to take any meds in probably 7 years. Just an option if it's something you'd consider.

 

[aj611]

I would hope people would not think you are irresponsible! If they do, their opinion doesn't matter. I also suffer with anxiety. I don't t
have any experience with the med you are talking about, but wanted to send you some positive vibes!

 

[Kiwiberry]

No experience with meds but I have BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) with severe anxiety. Like the tied up stomach 24/7. You are not alone and you're not crazy for trying to conceive. I've actually found a lot of support on here despite my issues and I'm sure some of the ladies can tell I struggle with it.

If you ever need to talk I'm here to listen.

I was in CBT and DBT therapy for 2 years. I'm a severe case and have a lot more than just anxiety but its the preferred treatment for BPD. I'm sad to say though that it didn't help me but I hope that if you choose that route that you have better luck. There's probably no help for me.

 

[Shortstuff88]

Thanks ladies! It makes me feel better knowing that I'm not alone. I have an appointment to see my doctor again tomorrow to discuss things further because I feel like I need to do something. I've also booked myself an appointment with a clinician who works with Mind to get back into my therapy again. My hubby and I have also discussed possibly paying for me to see someone if this doesn't work.

 

[Kiwiberry]

Some psychologists taken surance. The lady that I had took insurance but not mine I ended up having to pay out of pocket. It was $125 per visit I went every other week for almost 2 years. She was trained in CBT and DBT specifically for BPD, so that could be a contributing factor to the cost.

 

[Shortstuff88]

I live in the U.K. so I can get some help for free which is the Talking Space therapists but if I want something more in depth I'd probably have to pay. I suppose it's going to depend on how they assess my case.

 

[Kiwiberry]

I live in the U.K. so I can get some help for free which is the Talking Space therapists but if I want something more in depth I'd probably have to pay. I suppose it's going to depend on how they assess my case.

If you try seeing a psychologist or a therapist and it doesn't end up working for you you can try picking up learning to play an instrument. Or maybe something else that you can focus on that you can be passionate about. Learning the flute has been helpful for.me.

 

[Shortstuff88]

So I visited my doctor yesterday and we decided that it was best I went back onto citalopram as well as speaking to my counsellor. I have my first assessment with them this afternoon. She wasn't too concerned about me being pregnant while on the meds. She said there is a very small chance of problems but that they are so small that the ladies who had them might have had them whether they were on the tablets or not. But she did say that if I want to come off them when I find out I'm pregnant then I can wean off them and then restart after Baby is born if I need to. I'm feeling much happier just knowing that I'm getting help again and that I can still get pregnant without too much worry. To be honest the stress and anxiety would probably have done much more damage than these tablets. Especially seeing as I haven't been eating very much. So fingers crossed I'm going to be on the mend. Again!