Taking anti-depressants in pregnancy

[JustabitConfused]

Please help, does anyone have any experience of Venlafaxin (or any anti D) in pregnancy? I've been taking 300mg until this week when I found out I was pregnant and dropped down to 225mg. The doctor says that this should be ok to take but I should decrease as weeks go by. Psychiatrist says that the risk to me is greater than to baby if I reduce any more than 225mg. But I want to put my child first, but at the same time I have a toddler already that needs his mum to be able to care for him.

I feel absolutely awful, like I am such a horrible nasty person to get myself and an unborn baby into this situation. I am delighted that there is new life growing inside of me, but I keep thinking about all the things that could go wrong and I am potentially harming this child for the rest of its life :(

I feel so guilty, for doing this. I've even considered abortion, not because I want to lose the baby (nor am I pro), but because this is wrong to do to a defenceless being. Did you feel this way? What happened?

I'm not sure what anyone can say, but I will really appreciate anything right now.

[JustabitConfused]

Anyone? I'm not a troll, I am a regular poster covering my identity..

[Knittingnovice]

I took 225mg a day of venlafxine with DS (now 4y8m) and 75mg a day when pg with DD (almost 3).

My GP was happy for me to take it at this level for both pg's. I did have to have consultant led care and DS was monitored for signs of withdrawal when he was born, but was actually discharged from the post natal unit before me

The psychiatrist I saw intmittantly throughout the pg was next to useless and was obsessed with trying to move me onto another AD which I had had before and had made me hallucinate ( can't remember which one off the top of my head)

DS and DD are fine and both BF for 16 & 17 months respectively while I was still taking venlafxine as well. I finally stopped taking AD in January 2011 and am currently pg with DC3 and am enjoying midwife only care.

[Knittingnovice]

I also did a lot of looking into why the psych wanted me to stop taking venlafaxaine and it is because it is a 'newer' drug so there are fewer studies etc showing the effects of it on the unborn baby and how much actually passes to the baby both while in utero & through breast milk.

I think it is Jack Newman who I ended up googling, but am sure someone else will be along with more accurate knowledge.

[fedupandtired]

When I found out I was pregnant I was told by my psychiatrist to come off it very quickly which I did but quickly became ill so started on amitriptyline which I took throughout both pregnancies. This was 11 years ago though so more may now be known about its safety in pregnancy but at the time it was a definite no-no. I also had to come off lithium very quickly too.

[DoctorWhoFan]

I completely sympathise with you OP. I take lamotrigine, fluoxetine and quetiapine and am ttc. I feel utterly guilty about taking the meds, but if I don't, I'm batshit. I've reduced the dose as low as my psych and I dare. He's supported my medication decisions throughout, nwhich is great.

I'm taking 4g of folic acid each day rather than the 400mg suggested to try and reduce neural tube defects to a foetus, and plenty of other vitamins, plus a really healthy diet. I'm doing all I can, but will still feel horribly guilty if there is anything wrong with any baby I should conceive. I'm having trouble conceiving but my psych says he feels this is nothing to do with my meds. I'm in my 40s...

[JustabitConfused]

Thank you all do much for your advice, it's nice to know there are others out there as at times I feel so alone, especially at this stage where you have to keep the news mostly to yourself!

Knitting, it's great to particularly hear of your experience as my next thoughts were, am I selfish to then breastfeed, would baby be better off with formula. But from what you said and my research that the amount in the milk still suggests that breastfeeding is better. I guess I will just try
and time taking it right after a feed.

Fed up I'm sorry about your experience, sounds like it was really stressful :(.

doctorwho it's so hard not to feel guilty isn't it. Do you have other children? I'm wishing you the best of luck conceiving. So how many folic acid tabs do you take, do they prescribe you stronger ones? I have so many pills to swallow daily (7) that I really could not face any more on top of this queasiness!

Pregnancy and motherhood is a bumpy enough ride without all of these health worries, isn't it. Still, I'm trying to stay out of that circle of dispair!

[DoctorWhoFan]

No other children. I'm trying for my first (at 45!). I've never met anyone before my current DP that I would want to have children with. I order my folic acid from Amazon. It's 1200mg per tablet. But they're sublingual, so they melt under your tongue, so I don't have to physically swallow any more tablets than I do.

Aside from my regular bipolar meds, I take a LOT of vitamins, along with my healthy diet. I've read somewhere, can't remember where sorry, about folic acid and the omega vits being good for your brain, so I try and get as much into my system as possible, cos i want to try and support my meds as much as I can. Only problem with that is they've not been cutting it for a while now, and I'm too chicken to change...

[DewDr0p]

Hi there OP

I can empathise as I took two different anti-ds (SSRIs) when pg. I was originally on Sertraline (pg was unplanned) but the obs cons wasn't keen on that and switched me to Fluoxetine.

I think of course in an ideal world we wouldn't want to take anything while pg but we don't live in an ideal world and you have to look after yourself for the sake of your family (born and unborn) and YOU.

Have you had a chance to discuss this with an obstetrician? Mine was very very reassuring - and the mw's told me he has a reputation for being very conservative where his expectant mums and medication is concerned.

My little boy is 5 1/2 now and he's fabulous.

I hope you can find a way forward that you feel comfortable with. (Here's a sneaky hug while noone's looking)