Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

We are getting ready to ttc #2. I went for a check up at my Ob/Gyn, and I told him that I started Prozac about a month ago. He told me that it was not safe to take any antidepressant during pg.

I started taking 10 mg of Prozac daily for anxiety. I get dry mouth and headaches, but I feel that it has really helped me. I never realized how much I needed it, until I stopped taking it..

I stopped taking it about a week ago and am starting to feel bad again. I have also researched it online, and see mixed opinions on safety. Some articles say it causes heart defects- and that scared me. Other articles say it is fine.

I obviously don't want to hurt an innocent baby, but I also want to be a happy wife to my husband and a happy Mother to DD. What should I do??? Should I find a new OB who is less conservative??? Should I deal with the anxiety and not risk hurting the baby?? Should I be miserable for 9 months??? Or should I not have a 2nd child because of the risks??????

Do or have any of you taken an antidepressant during pregnancy??Which one? How many mg's????? Is the baby ok???

Please, any advice is appreciated. Thanks, Tara

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I don't have any personal experience, but I have to imagine that there is an anti-depressant out there that is okay for pregnant women. Did he offer any suggestions about alternatives?

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I took Zoloft during my entire PG. 100 Mg. I was on Paxil for anxiety and there were warnings it wasnt safe, and was raised to a dangerous class of drugs so I switched to Zoloft.

my OB, My RE ( We did IVF to get PG) and my Regualr Dr. All felt it was VERY safe to take when PG and its in the same class of drugs as tylenol.

MY OB felt antiobiotics are worse in PG then Some antidepressants.

I never felt nervous about its affects, And I believe its the same class as Prozac.

My son is over 7 weeks old now. He is FINE.

I would think the stress would be worse on you then the possible slight slight effects of the drugs.

I think your OB is very conservative.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I just had this exact same convo with my dr cause we are thinking about having # 2 in a bit as well. Currently I take 12.5 mg of paxil and its worked great. Ive taken it for about a little less than 1 year. My primary doc said that its not good to be on anything and that I should complelty come off this paxil. Im currently weaning myself off. Also, he said that no antidepressant is completely safe cause I asked about switching to prozac or zoloft cause they are researched more and he said no. BUT my gyno said that if when I get preggo after the first trimester I feel like I need to go back on something than I absolutely should rather than suffer thru. Its supposed to be safer after the 1st trimester. I feel your pain though. I almost wish I never started with the paxil cause then I wouldnt know what I was missing. My anxiety attacks have all but gone away- Im not looking foward to dealing with them again.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I too suffers from anxiety. When I got pregnant, I wasn't taking anything but during/around my 2nd trimester my anxiety came back (not due to my pregnancy), I talked to my OB and he said it was OK for me to take them again. He prescribed Paxil CR 12.5mg.(same med i was taking before but not the controlled released). When my DD was born, there wasn't any signs of her having a withdrawal.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

i take siezure meds and as far as i know the baby is ok.. I think you will just have to have maybe an fetal echo cardiogram like i did.

My OB also prescribed folic acid from the pharmacy bc it has a little more in it.

I would look into it and ask tons of questions..


Also, your hormone levels change during preg. how were you while preg with your 1st? did you feel better? did you have anxiety attacks.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I take seizure medication also, and as far as I know right now, the baby is fine. They aren't a completely safe category of drugs to use during pregnancy either, though the risk of birth defects was something like 4-6%, In the general population it's 2-4%, so it's a judgement call, and DH and I agonized over whether we should have a child also.

You may need to take high doses of folic acid at the beginning (before you are even pregnant may be recommended), and get additional testing, such as the fetal echo.

One drug that seems to cause few birth defects is Lamictal. It's used as an anti-epilepsy drug, but it's also used for some mood disorders, though I don't remember which ones. I would ask your doctor about that, or the possibility of another drug that may not be as problematic as Prozac.

Good luck. It is a difficult decision to maek.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

i also took CVS brand prenatals prior to pregnancy and folic acid. then i got on Prima one once preg. and prescribed folic acid.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

When ttc with my boys, I was on 50mg of zoloft for anxiety. My OB and I had a long convo about it and he was more than ok with it. Have you spoken to your OB about what drugs he would be comfortable with?

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

Hi, Thanks for all of your advice. When I asked him, he said NO antidepressants were ok to take. SHould I look for a less conservative Dr????

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

my lil sister took zoloft during her PG and was fine. she would have been a disaster with out it.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

A sane mother is most important. The SSRIs are the safest antidepressants to take during pregnancy.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

This is a decision I'm faced with. I went back to therapy and she suggested medication for depression/anxiety but I know I am not willing to take it while I'm pregnant. I don't feel like any of them have been studied enough and for me I know I'm OK without it. I will just wait and start when I'm done having #2 and BFing.
It's definitely a risk vs. benefits decision based on how bad your depression is.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

I was told that I could take something for my anxiety during my first pregnancy but I am very happy that I did not. It's really a hard decision. I was told that I could continue Paxil and now almost two years later studies show that it did lead to certain birth defects. But, I don't want to scare you.

I was told about something called Rescue Remedy by my old OB- it's an herbal suppliment that it suppossed to be very good to calm anxiety. Since you are on such a low dose of Prozac why don't you try it. They sell it at Vitamin Shopp and online. I've been too lazy to get to the store. I'm going to try some this pregnancy because I my anxiety is starting to bother me again from the Hormonal Changes.

Good luck and do what make you feel best.

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??

Re: Antidepressant during pregnancy. Did/would you??