ADs and TTC

[MrsHuxtable]

Hello,
I'm currently on 20mg of Fluoxetine and am planning to start ttc from June onwards. I'm planning to phase out the ADs before then and will only go ahead with ttc if I feel stable without my meds.

I'm wondering if anyone else has done this, stopped the ADs before ttc? Or do people only stop taking them once pregnant or even take them throughout pregnancy?

I'm interested to hear different experiences.

TIA

I stopped before ttc (had gone from 60 to 40 to 20)although I was assured by my consultant psych that it was perfectly safe to be on when pregnant and that many manage to come off it when pregnant as hormone levels can change so much.

Good luck coming off it and good luck falling pregnant.

x

p.s. There is nothing wrong with continuing with the fluox if that's what your body and mind needs. x

Hi there, I think if you can manage without them it's a good idea to try and come off them before TTC, but if you need them to stay well as NoWittyName says, you should stay on them.

It's important to remember that being depressed during pregnancy also has consequences for the baby. Most dr.s would prefer to keep you stable and well during pregnancy than risk big mood fluctuations.

That said, I personally felt more comfortable coming off my ADs. I weaned myself off very gradually over about 6 months. Eventually I got pregnant whilst still taking a tiny dose (not fluoxetine BTW, a different AD) . Unfortunately I had an early miscarriage and although the dr said it was very unlikely to be due to the AD, I still decided I would def. like to be off them completely, at least for the first trimester if possible.

Am now 13 weeks pregnant and have been off the ADs the whole time. Still feel well, in fact I think the progesterone in pregnancy can counteract depression in some people (I feel better when pregnant mood wise).

Hope this helps and good luck

Hi, my experience was that I stopped taking my ADs before ttc. Probably if I hadn't been ttc I would have continued taking them but I was anxious and was convinced that if I continued taking them that either I wouldn't be able to conceive or something terrible would happen to the baby. My gp took the view that if it was going to make me that anxious I was probably better off without them! In hindsight I don't think I was as well as I would have liked to have been before stopping the ADs but my biological clock was ticking away and I thought it's now or never. The first trimester was shitty, but the second a vast improvement. By the third I was just bored of being pregnant and was really impatient to see my baby. I couldn't wait to give birth and this kept me buoyed up! Overall I'd say my mood improved whilst being pregnant and the first few months after the birth.

Good luck with it all.

Can only add my own experience, which is staying on an AD when ttc, as recommeded by dr's.