Talk to me about pregnancy and deppression/anxiety

[xkatyx]

Hi everyone,

Me and my husband desperatly want a 3rd baby, im currently on citroplan 20mg and plan to come off them very soon and doctor is also happy for this.

I'm just worried about the anxiety mostly getting out of controll if i fall pregnany, i know during my period the anxiety raises slightly and also remember in my last pregnancy i was very nervous and panicky all the way through (wasn't on any medication at all)

So really i was woundering if anyone has any personal exsperiences from this? and what help they recieved or self help they tried.

thank you

Anyone please?

I have not ever taken AD whilst pregnant so can't advise there. I did read some info somewhere (sorry to be vague) from a MH professional who was saying that she felt the advice and support for women in your situation was very poor. Think her basic message was that women are often taken off AD and messed around where instead they should be stabalised on a low dose of something safe and supported through their pregnancy.
Go back to your GP and check out if there is something you could take through your pregnancy if you wanted to.

have a look at the NICE guidelines regarding anti depressants in pregnancy

Hi,
I'm doing a similar thing. Coming off Venlafexine to TTC for baby no. 3.

I'm worried too about how anxious I may get. Sorry don't have any advice but wanted you to know you're not alone.

thank you destructogirl, nice to know i am not the only one, have you spoken to a doctor?

No, not spoken to doc, he tends to be the type to just write a prescription then shoo you out (which is good when that's what you're after).
I'm off to have my IUD took out next week and I'll have a chat with the nurse then.

It's weird, cos I'm currently excited, happy and yet twitchy and anxious at the same time

I feel exactly the same, i so excited, but so scared as well. I just think oh god what if i end up like that one of corrie lol even though im not no where near that bad, what if the hormones send me loopy? am i the only one who is a massive worrier lol

I'm a worrier too lol.
I'm also a complete bitch-monster-from-hell just before period so I dread to think what i'll be like when pregnant.

Hopefully, all the happy and excited feelings once pregnant will cancel out our anxiety and we will spend 9 months as calm, serene mothers-to-be.

We can do this!

Lol send some of those positive vibes my way please :-)

I have days when i think ok sod it i will cope with what ever comes my way, and others where i think oooh no i dont want to go back to feeling like that again.

ok we can do this :-)

I'm exactly the same but today is a good day

Am reading those NICE guidelines now, thanks GetDown!

Nice guidelines? is ther such things? :-( i tried clicking it but it wont let me.

I found the extra hormones and emotions involved in pg have affected me pretty badly in my pgs with DC4 & 5.

BUT once I understood what was going on it was easier to manage.

In my pg with DC4 i put it down to the fact I fell pg a year (almost to the day) after I lost my DD. But I had the same reaction when i was pg with DC5. This shocked me a lot and I really think its the hormonal changes.

It got a lot better as everything settled down. I also react v.badly to feeling ill (triggers memories of DD's illness) so once that cleared up I began to feel a lot better.

I would say be prepared and have some stratagies in place. Understanding what is going on seems to help a lot.

It is my understanding that women can stay on certain AD in pg.

Good luck

Oh no :-( that really worries me, i hate to think it would get worse :-(

xkatyx I didnt mean to worry you. Its just my personal experience based on my very specific set of circumstances. I have lost a child and this complicates everything that happens for ever more.

I have real difficulties with anything medical now. Even the normal pregnancy checks etc make me anxious. This has a big impact on how I feel in pg.

As I said, prewarned is prearmed. If you have any sort of condition its always a good idea to explore the issues before you get pg. It doesnt mean you shouldnt.

Sorry to hear you lost a child chegirlshadabloodynuff no wonder you feel anxiuos. i feel pretty dam silly worrying over intially worrying. xxxx

Come on xkatyx why should you feel silly?

We all have our reasons. Yours are no less valid than mine.

Please dont feel you have less right to express how you feel than I do.

I think you are entirely sensible to explore how another pg may impact on your condition.

With my first two pgs I kind of just went along with things. The pgs post losing DD needed more thought. I have found it better to be more proative. I did yoga and took vitamins etc. Small things like that help me feel more in control IYSWIM. I think this is important if you suffer from anxiety. I think we are treated a bit like idiots when we are pg and this can encourage our feelings of vunerability/helplessness.

Just a theory

i just had a long conversation with my sister .. and came to the conclusion i would be happy if my doctor actually said to me " you can stay on your tablets through out pregnancy, and you dont need to worry we wont let you go out of controll we will look after you" ha ha just for them to say that would make me happy!! silly i know.

your right we are treated like idiots, and people dpnt understand just say, well just sort your self out if the tablets arent good for the baby dont take them , which really does not help

x

I was on venlafaxine when I got pregnant the first time, tapered it down to almost nothing and then miscarried at 7 weeks. I was trying to get pregnant right away again, so decided to stay off ADs and it was a huge mistake for me. I have proven over and over again that I don't do well off ADs--am ok for a few months and then the downward spiral starts.

I got pregnant again just 3 months after the MC and very quickly got very depressed and ended up referred to the mental health team. They tried me on fluoxetine 10mg, then citalopram 10 mg, and I was still a mess, but finally they bumped the citalopram up to 20mg and I got much better very quickly. I stayed on it through the end of the pregnancy and after. DS is six months now and I have breastfed him exclusively. The Breastfeeding Network has a fact sheet about antidepressant use during breastfeeding which I found very helpful and reassuring.

Obviously it would be 'better' not to be on any medication, but I have to balance that against my sanity and ability to care for myself and a baby.

i took 10mg citalopram through my 3rd pregnancy with no complications. wanted to stop but the withdrawal was so bad i couldnt.

Glad to hear the medication worked for you ladies, i would feel so much happier if i would be aloud to stay on mine or reduce it atleast.