anti-depressants in pregnancy...

[cath29]

... did anyone take them? the GP says the benefits far outweigh the risks.. i've been on and off citalopram since i was 10 weeks pg; i do feel better on it; worry about the effects but then again my situation is so bad at the moment i need all the help i can get... any advice welcome

Message withdrawn

Didn't realise u could take citalopram in pregnancy. I took it and thought the side effects were horrendous. wouldnt like to think what it does to a foetus. I personally wouldn't take it even though the GP said it was OK. It might come out in years to come that it can be damaging to take AD's in PG so don't take them is my motto.
Pregnancy is only 9 mths, try some relaxation techniques, exercise and healthy eating and I am sure it will help. If u feel u can't cope without them then ask your GP if there is something else u could take other than an AD.

Message withdrawn

the thing is they can't say that any drug is 'safe' because they just don't know the long-term effects. prozac and citalopram are in the same class, 'b' or 'c' ie. some possible risk identified but the benefits generally outweigh it.. the main things are miscarriage risk in first trimester, and withdrawal on baby's part after the baby is born. i started taking the citalopram at 9 weeks because my dp left me and i couldn't even get out of my house i was so low! since then i have taken it on and off. have now decided with gp to go down to 10mg and take this daily. then hopefully stop a few weeks before the due date so as to avoid withdrawal symptoms. it is a hard decision. i'm going to go to a naturopath too and see if over the next month or so i couldn't wean myself off. personally i react fine to citalopram whereas with prozac i have horrible side effects. think everyone is different

9 months is a long time if you're depressed, Alexa. In fact when I was really ill a couple of days seemed a long time to me.

I took Dothiepin all through my pregnancy Cath. I'd been on it for some years before then. Luckily my old boss is a psychiatrist and I checked it out with her beforehand. It's a tricyclic, which is one of the older style ads, and there's been loads of research on its use during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so I was happy to take it. It was preferable to getting ill again.

thanks surfermum i think i'll try the 10mg daily for a while see how it goes plus get some bach flower remedies, and whatever else, and drink gallons of camomile tea

Try not to worry Cath. Sure your dr knows what he is talking about.

I have taken Citalopram for the last 3 years, and have been on it throughout preg... now 34 wks. I did quite a lot of research on it before I became pregnant and the main draw back seems to be that it increases the risk of an enlarged bit of the heart from 2 in 100 to 3 in 100 ..at both scans I asked specially for it to be checked and all is fine(as far as I know). I have decided not to breast feed because of the drug but others seem to with apparently little or no effect, so I think that that is purely down to personal choice. I certainly would be in a very bad way if I were not on Citalopram- and this I think would have been worse for the baby. I have also been seeing the perinatal psychology dept at the hospital (really sorry can't spell at all) who have been great and are free and help in general and also with pregnancy/life fears and depression etc. The GP or the MW should put you into the system to see them. As with all medication, some work for some people and not for others, but for me it has been fantastic and the best of the bunch (effexor, prozac, lustral) that I have been on.

thanx myrty xx i had the 20 week scan and all looked normal with the heart as far as they could tell , would they have spotted an abnormality?