TTC & anti depressants

[DaisyMay25]

Hi Ladies,

I'm wondering if anyone can offer me any advice.
I've suffered badly with depression for a very long time, I decided to take myself off medication a few of years ago.
This past year I feel like I'm stuck on one of my down days, I can't shake it,I went to my doctor to see what I can do without medication, they referred me back to my psychotherapist who told me the truth, I need to be back on my tablets, there's nothing else that they can do for me.
This rut I feel like I'm stuck in was made worse in September by a mc and I've never recovered from it mentally at all, I even cried on my wedding day.
Sorry for the rambles, my question is how many of you are on anti depressants whilst ttc? I know there is next to no risk but if I get pregnant again whilst on them and something went wrong I'd feel guilty

I'm suffering from infertility which has turned mild depression into moderate with severe episodes.

I've just been put on fluoxetine as I was a basket case.

Low dose during pregnancy is recommended, but it's well-recorded how much all this can take a toll on your wellbeing and mental health.

Sorry for your loss...

I am on anti depressants and am now 7 weeks pregnant. I took the decision that I need to stay mentally stable for myself and the baby. I am on a very low dose.

I'm on 10mg citalopram for depression and mild anxiety. Doctor said it won't affect TTC or pregnancy at all. I suppose it depends on what anti-depressant it is you are taking. If you're worried, ask your doctor xx

I was on when ttc, throughout pregnancy and a year down the line

As far as SSRIs go, I know plenty of people who have taken citalopram throughout with no issues, although most GPs seem to suggest that you switch to sertraline when pregnant.

I ran out of my citalopram shortly after I found out I was pregnant and just went cold turkey as it was a low dose, and one of big causes of my depression was fertility issues.

@daisy I am on 20mg of citalopram for anxiety and depression and have made the decision to carry on taking it should I get pregnant. Having done some research, I have decided that me having a relapse carries many more risks than me taking the medication throughout my pregnancy. I really think it's worth you looking into some more speaking therapy as well along side the meds if that's not something you're already doing. TTC can be a tough old road, let alone for people that don't already suffer with their MH. Sending you a big hug x

I am on 20mg Citalopram and have been since suffering with post natal depression 7 years ago. I am 29 weeks pregnant and believed until a few weeks ago that there would be no impact on TTC or the baby, however I was casually handed a leaflet that changed everything in my eyes...

It seems very difficult to get any advice specific to the type of anti depressant you are taking, however the generic leaflet given to me told me two things that sent me into a panic:

1. Women who are on anti depressants post 28 weeks fall under a policy where they are expected to give birth in a hospital or midwife led unit where it is procedure that they are kept in for 24 hours post birth for monitoring.
2. There is a small chance that the baby will suffer with a problem (I can't remember what it's called) when born due to the anti-depressants, but it is very very slim. Also, the leaflet states that 1 in 3 babies born to mothers on anti depressants will suffer with withdrawal symptoms post birth (these are not serious but not nice either and won't last past 2 weeks).

I had no idea that I would be treated any differently, or that there could be a problem with the baby as literally nobody mentioned a thing to me until I was given that leaflet. I spent a long time talking it through / crying to a very lovely GP who persuaded me that the best thing to do would be to stay on the medication as it's so important for me to have good mental health. She also reassured me that whilst the leaflet lists things like withdrawal symptoms as a possibility she has literally never seen or heard of it happening, ever.

I have also agreed that I will be 'opting out' of the recommendation to give birth in a hospital and stay in for monitoring, as the reason for my PND is a traumatic experience giving birth in a hospital with poor treatment, so I am having a home birth and will decline to go in for monitoring (assuming baby is ok and there are no other problems).

She did say that if we could go back in time it would be better for me to be on a different anti depressant as there are others that do not cross the placenta / go into breastmilk as much as Citalopram, but was very firm that it is not actually a danger to the baby and I'm doing the best thing by staying stable on the same medication.

I hope that helps somehow.

I have been on citalopram in past and GP recommended fluoxetine if TTC as older drug so more is known about it. I decided not to take anything. I got pregnant v quickly after miscarriage and was pretty basket case like during pregnancy (also with long hours stressful job) but paid to see a psychologist once a fortnight instead. I normally use talking therapy but lower level and less frequently. My midwife told me citalopram was “completely safe” which is wrong, GP told me it was balancing potential risk to child through meds v balancing risk to child and to me continuing with anxiety but that medication was not the only way to deal. BUMPS (best use of medicine in pregnancy) summarises what is known about using SSRIs in preg, which is not a lot. Ultimately I felt like I didn’t want to take anything and would beat myself up if there was an issue. I also felt it would add to anxiety if I took them due to unknown effect and I was in tears when GP mentioned risk of withdrawal in baby although she was unconcerned about it and said it wouldn’t definitely happen and could be managed. But she said i know you want me to say it’s safe and I’d love to but I can’t and I am obliged to warn you of potential risks. So I decided I would pay for more frequent higher level taking therapy and see if that helped. (There is a peri natal mental health team but as I could pay it meant I was seen faster and felt fairer.) As well as that I did loads of mindfulness which I was very sceptical about but did help and I arranged to WFH one day a week and I started mat leave early so I had less on my plate. I have pretty bad OCD so it wasn’t easy. I was pretty much getting by. Im still not sure if I made the right choice. I think the problem is your head is already fried so you’re not in good position to weigh up anything and the information on risks is not really there. So I felt I was being told to weigh up risks but no one could tell me what the risks were. I guess I thought it through and had reasons for not taking meds and I took other steps so I wasn’t reckless re my mental health and equally if you think it through and do want to take meds that a sensible considered decision too? The only wrong decision is probably just keeping quiet and doing nothing.

Oh I also asked about best meds for breastfeeding in case I needed to go on afterwards but I didn’t and actually felt much better post natally compared to during pregnancy.

www.medicinesinpregnancy.org/Medicine--pregnancy/Citalopram/

This is the BUMPS link i mentioned

@DaisyMay25- I just want to say thank you for speaking out about this. I know it’s not easy and I have also found myself in a similar situation.
I suffer from anxiety and depression, I had a MC in January. It’s unimaginable pain for a woman without mental health problems, but someone with it just is like a black hole.
I went to the doctors and she’s put me forward for counselling which I start soon.
I just wanted to reach out and say thank you, seeing your post has made me not feel so alone in all this xx

Thank you so much for all the replies.
I guess I need to bite the bullet and go back to the doctors and see what they suggest.
You're all right about if I don't get help now it could get worse when I'm pregnant after birth.
Thank you all for sharing, I know how hard it can be to talk about.

I'm on Citalopram and TTC for 4 months. I spoke to my GP and she said its best to come off it when you're in late pregnancy. I think once I am pregnant I will probably (hopefully) feel a lot more positive and come off them.
Good luck to you OP 🍀 x

I take 50mg of sertraline a day.

There is no sound evidence that antidepressants harm the development of a baby.

There is some evidence of withdrawal in newborns but this is a very small risk.

There is lots of evidence that anxiety and depression in a mother can be harmful to a developing baby.