Conception and antidepressants

[CerysL]

I’m currently on 20mg of citalopram and wanting to start trying for a baby asap. I’ve been on citalopram for about 4-5 years. I’ve read online that it’s one of the safest antidepressants for pregnancy but it obviously has its risks (however small) and I’d rather come off citalopram completely. Has anyone had experience with this they can share please? I’ve spoken to my doctor who has written a script for 10mg to reduce my dose but that’s about as helpful as the conversation went. Tia

I was prescribed low dose naltrexone by my fertility doctor to help with fertility and low moods. Might be something to bring up with your dr?

I don’t have any experience with Citalopram but I have just finished coming off of sertraline for the purpose of having a baby. I too have taken my antidepressants for about 5 years. I have come off of them so gradually over the last 3 months and took my last one about a week ago so time will tell. So far I’ve been doing ok although I have had a couple of down days I think I’m going to do alright without them. Now I just hope I conceive soon!

Hello
psychiatric nurse here
10mg of citalopram is not even a therapeutic dose, so really, you may as well be taking nothing (unless I’m misunderstanding and you are actually on 10mg with the view to be at zero?) Even 20mg is a relatively low dosage. It is perfectly safe in pregnancy, and both citalopram and sertraline are both SSRI’s so changing to something like sertraline is quite pointless if you want to avoid the low risk. They are considered the safest anti depressants so I would advise that if your quality of life is significantly altered by coming off your anti depressant it’s about weighing the risk of that against the risks you are concerned about.

Hope this helps.

Hi em! Thanks for your response, really interesting points and I appreciate them! I’m on the 10mg with the view to soon stop taking them all together. Just going to 10 mg before I go to nothing to hopefully alleviate some of the physical withdrawals of coming off cold turkey. I know from missing a couple of days previously I get brain zaps quite badly.

Has coming off them gradually stopped any physically side effects? If I miss a couple of days I usually get brain zaps quite badly !!

congrats on feeling okay coming off them though and my fingers are crossed for a fast conception for you 😊

Coming off gradually has definitely helped me not have so many of the physical side effects that I used to get when I would forget to take one or two. I’ve just some headaches but not bad and a couple of low days but not unmanageable. I’m relieved but I suppose time will tell. I have only been off completely for about a week now so fingers crossed 🤞🏼