To take anti Drepressant whilst TTC/pregnant?

[Namechangeme1]

Currently TTC. I came off sertraline because of this, never taken meds for depression before but started a few months ago. Initially the first week made me feel very ill, but symptoms after this subsided and I had never accomplished more professionally or been balanced emotionally as I was on these.

Now my depression has come back since stopping taking them and it is affecting my work life most. I struggle to do my job efficiently feeling like this. Not great for my marriage either.

Whilst my mental health isn't severe (hence why I stopped them) I don't feel like I did on the tablets.

What shall I do, does anyone know about the risks of sertraline during pregnancy or has anyone taken it in pregnancy?

My GP advised to come off it whilst TTC as it does elevate risks of certain things in babies.

I'm really worried and don't know what to do for the best. I just want to feel better mentally but also don't want to feel responsible for harming a potential unborn child.

I came off them to get pregnant. I was erratic while pregnant. I went back on them at 6 months pregnant on the advice of a psychiatrist within the maternity hospital.
The baby was born with a mild shake, crying and eventually diagnosed as Autistic. Nothing to do with the medication although I felt guilty.
Many paediatric doctors and my own have assured me it wasn't the medication.
Afaik they're harmless excluding possible slight shake withdrawal similar to caffeine.
I wasted 6 months of enjoying pregnancy struggling to stay off them.
Speak to your GP.

I would say that you have considered their advice but are still concerned and ask for a referral to perinatal mental health (see 1.4.2.) www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg192/chapter/1-Recommendations#treatment-decisions-advice-and-monitoring-for-women-who-are-planning-a-pregnancy-pregnant-or-in-2

There are antidepressants that are safe for pregnancy, and you sound like you are really struggling. Pregnancy itself can be a time of enormous anxiety and antenatal depression (AND) is as much a thing as postnatal.

Go to your GP and ask about safe antidepressants.

There needs to be a balance between potential risks to baby and the importance of Mum staying well. BUMPs website (best use of medicines in pregnancy) should have information on Sertraline and others. Your GP should be working with you to make a plan which you feel safe and comfortable with and the differences in risk in first trimester for example

@spanielstail thank you although I find your comments quite harsh - to say anyone suffering with mental health shouldn't have children.

I'm late thirties and don't have the Luxury of waiting.

And as stated in my original post my men tap health whilst does affect me day to day is not severe.

Basically you're saying people in any kind of ill health shouldn't have kids. And I find the unfair and judgemental and quite upsetting actually.

DOI: a psychiatrist but not your doctor- please see your own doctor to plan your own treatment. If you have had an episode of serious mental illness then you can be referred for pre-conception review by a perinatal psychiatrist.

Sertraline has the least placental exposure of any anti-depressant and has no specific associated congenital abnormalities.
The major risk is of SSRI withdrawal in the period after birth- baby may be irritable, poor feeding etc.
The evidence on autism is far far from conclusive, (found in some small flawed studies but failed to be replicated in larger ones) and of course the confounding factor is that mum is being treated for a mental health problem. Mum having untreated depression increases the risk of baby having a major mental illness.
In general depression itself is associated with pre term birth, lower birth weight, and more adverse child behaviour outcomes.

The general rule is that the risks of having an untreated mum far outweigh the risks of the antidepressant- obviously depending on severity of illness in that individual.

Would add that I see women with major mental disorders like bipolar and schizophrenia who NEED medication and many have been supported to start families and have had happy healthy children. Major mental disorder does not erase the right to a family life and needing psychotropic medication doesn’t mean you can’t be a fantastic parent.

Hello, @Namechangeme1 - hope you don't mind but we thought that AIBU probably wasn't the best place for your thread so we've moved it over to our Mental Health topic and we hope you get some useful support and advice here.

Take care.

@spanielstail

‘Putting drugs in your body’ you are unbelievable. Plenty of people with physical and mental illness alike rely on putting medications in their body to stay well and those people have a right to a family life free from judgement.

It is attitudes like yours that stigmatise. You may not realise it but you are being able list and deeply discriminatory.

Please go away and have a good think about the privileges you have and how different things could be and knock yourself down a peg or three.

@spanielstail Your follow up comment should be deleted too.

I'm on 100mg of sertraline daily and currently 17 weeks pregnant, was told in discussion with my midwife at my booking appointment to not come off of it if I wasn't 100% comfortable with that as the importance of being in a good place mentally outweighs the risks, sertraline being considered the safest to take during pregnancy.

I have received such hugely advice on this from so many sources

#1 We dunno, make your own decisions
#2 Probably best to come off them unless you are become really distressed
#3 You NEED to come off them NOW
#4 Let me ask for some advice [and never get back to you]
#5 Not an issue. Would you like 40mg instead of 20 even?

So really, within the whole medical system, such an unknown.

A depressed mum is bad for the foetus's brain. Babies of mums with depression show developmental delays as toddlers. Babies of mums with depression who take antidepressants don't have these delays.