Alternative medication to Quetiapine for pregnancy

[Juhannus]

I have bipolar and have been struggling to remain on quetiapine for over a year now because I'm trying to get pregnant. It's making me miserable because it's so sedating that I can't seem to stay in any proper routine. I manage to wake up in the morning one day than the next 3 days I wake up in the afternoon or evening. I'm completely random. It's really getting me down now that I am getting more and more depressed because of it.

Last year I was in hospital and on 800 mg quetiapine slow release. This got reduced to 600 mg and then 400 mg. All along I haven't been coping well but my consultant insists there is nothing more suitable for me. So I am sacrificing my life because I'm trying to get pregnant. Sometimes I feel like I don't want to do this any more and am thinking of not taking any medication. I am now on the normal release quetiapine 400 mg and that is less sedating but my sleep and waking patterns are still random. I've become depressed and have no energy, no motivation, can't really take care of myself and am full of guilt and feel shit about myself. I wonder how the hell I could take care of a baby on this medication.

I have just been doing a bit of research on this brilliant website

www.infantrisk.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?29-Medications-and-Pregnancy

Here it suggests that Olanzapine, quetiapine, and lamotrigine have been used without an increase in the risk of premature birth or birth complications.

www.infantrisk.com/forum/showthread.php?67-Is-anyone-here

I feel that my consultant is just telling me to stay on quetiapine because that is what I have been on. But I hate it and wish there was something else that would suit me better.

I would love to hear about your experiences of medication while trying to conceive and through pregnancy. I am really fed up and I am struggling just to get through each day :(

I have no experience of through pg but I do take olanzapine while bf I have found the side effects to be minimal and I dont find it that sedative. I take it at 11 and have no trouble getting up at 8.

That's really encouraging :)

I will bring this up with my consultant. I'm not very happy with him. I'm going to have to be really assertive about it which i'm not so good at.

On quetiapine normal release I still need 12 hours sleep minimum and always feel groggy. certainly never want to wake up.

I have never suffered this badly with over sleeping and being so upside down with my routine before. So that should tell me it's not my fault :(

I feel so alone in this

Why dont you join us on the Bipolar support forum most of us have been through pg with Bipolar I personally choose to go med free as long as I could which I made it through the pg and only became ill after. Im not saying you should do this but on the support thread there are lots of us who have probably been in the same position at one point in our lives and you will see your not alone.

here is the thread.

Thank you Crawling

I will come and join you there. Just had a look and have no idea, there are a lot of people and I don't know where to start or join the discussion.

Do I just repost my opening post there?

Yeah try re posting your op there.

Thanks :) I will do that