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Original poster

ANTIDEPRESSANTS DURING PREGNANCY

66 replies

Krythia · 02/09/2006 17:44

I am 9 wks pregnant with my third - unplanned - and am in the midst of being treated for PND from my second, who is only 14 months. Doctor says my antidepressants (citalopram) are safe during pregnancy but not BF, and that I must change, but baby will be born jittery. Do any of you know of any antidepressants which you can take for both pregnancy and BF? I would like to change sooner rather than later. (please, no comments along the lines of 'just come off them' as I really can't, for the sake of the whole family)

OP posts:

fussymummy · 03/09/2006 22:31

I've not read through all the posts, so sorry if i repeat what has already been said!

I've had AD's for over 6 years and have tried various ones with many different side effects.

I'm sure theres one called Amitryptelyne (sorry for spelling) that is safe in pregnancy and breast feeding.

Hope this helps you.

Make sure you have lots of support throughout you pregnancy as you'll definately need it.

I hate taking any sort of medication and wanted to prove to everyone (GP and Psychiatrists) that i could get through it without AD's.

Came of them before i conceived and was seen constantly throughout.

Was doing really well until the last 3 months which were a real struggle.

I was really bad after i had my baby.

Enjoy your pregnancy and take care of yourself and do what's right for you.

Original poster

Krythia · 04/09/2006 19:32

Hi Poppiesinaline, as I said in my first post, I cannot come off them - I tried to reduce as I said, but my husband noticed how bad I became v quickly, and I have 2 other children to think of. Thanks to everyone else for the suggestions - I have no faith in my GP - he actually said last week that in his experience 90% of pnd was tiredness, at which point I had to hold onto DS2 v tightly not to leap across the room and throttle him ('I'll show you tiredness'), but I have made progress today and persuaded him to refer me to a psychiatrist, and I have an appointment next week. Because we are in Germany it will be Army one, so I'll not hold my breath (more used to PTSD) but at least thanks to you all I can now go in armed with some suggestions.

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Surfermum · 05/09/2006 11:22

Well done on not throttling the doc! Tiredness my @rse. Good luck with the trick cyclist. Hope he/she is a bit more helpful.

Original poster

Krythia · 05/09/2006 20:22

thanks surfermum!

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harrisey · 06/09/2006 00:14

Krythia - if you are worried about any medication I am sure if you posted on the Breast/Bottle forum one of the bfcs on MN would pick it up and check in their 'Medicines and Mother's Milk' book for you. Iys more up to date then most of the info doctors have available. HTH

Original poster

Krythia · 06/09/2006 22:19

great tip Harrisey, I will check it out. Many thanks

OP posts:

Original poster

Krythia · 06/09/2006 22:19

great tip Harrisey, I will check it out. Many thanks

OP posts:

anniediv · 06/09/2006 22:27

Hello Krythia. I haven't read all the posts because I was quite upset by a couple from AnneB but if this helps...I was on antidepressants while pregnant last year, and was advised the same as you. I discussed with the consultant that I would try and taper down slowly if I could, and that my target for stopping would be 4 weeks before my due date. I have got to say it was the most difficult thing I have ever done, but I did manage to do it with the understanding that the consultant would have a prescription ready for me as soon as i wanted after the birth!! My problems with pnd stem from terrible breastfeeding experiences with dd1 and 2, so with dd3 after 1 day I decided to switch to bottles, and guess what? I have not had pnd this time round. I daresay there are lots of people who disagree with how I managed things, but it worked for me and my family. I just wanted to give you a bit of hope that if you did give up then you might not need to go back on them. Good luck whatever you decide to do.

anniediv · 06/09/2006 22:30

Just noticed pussycatmomma's post, it was venlefaxine I was on. FWIW the consultant told me there was no significant recorded effects during pregnancy but breastfeeding on it was inadvisable, and the baby would get possible withdrawal after birth.

Original poster

Krythia · 07/09/2006 19:20

Harrisey, I am being a bit thick, how do I get to the breast/bottle forum? I can't work it out....

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Original poster

Krythia · 13/09/2006 20:02

Hi Everyone. Just thought I would try and conclude this a bit, almost as a way of thanking you all for your support and encouragement. I went to see the psychiatrist today and he said that for me it is safer to stay on Citalopram and not to alter the dose, and baby would be more jittery if I tried to stop afterwards. I have to carefully monitor when I take the tablets after birth and not BF for 3-9 hrs afterwards, so mixed feeding for us. Sadly he said any damage done by tablets would already be done, but I would never know what that is . Anyway, on a more positive note, I feel in good hands and relieved that I have a solution. Any comments welcome (less Anne B, please). Thanks again chaps, you've been tremendous.

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retailtherapist · 15/09/2006 21:24

Have just read all the posts and feel very reassured.
I saw my obsetrician last week as I wanted to know if it's safe to ttc whilst on ad's. He is also a specialist in maternal and fetal medicine. (I am on 20mg of citalopram following two recent miscarriages and various other problems). He said that there is no known risk and that if the the benefit of the drug outweighs the risk then it is advisable to stay on it. However he then said if i felt I could wean myself off the a.d's it would be the ideal.
I don't feel ready to come off the medication yet as I have just started to become a 'patient' mother instead of an irritable old hag!! and am actually enjoying motherhood more than ever.
Having read all your posts I don't feel guilty about trying for a baby whilst on a.d's... yes even AnneB can't make me feel bad!!!
One of the main reasons I am on the medication is because I am not pregnant and until I am I need a bit of help coping. It's a vicious circle. Good luck to all you pregnant ones out there! Hopefully I will join you soon!

Bibiboo · 16/09/2006 10:33

Krythia,

I haven't had time to read the whole thread, so sorry if I reapeat someone else, but I was taking Fluoxetine (Prozac) when I found out I was pg and continued to take it throughout and for the short time I was b/f. I saw the Dr when I found out I was pg who looked into it for me and said that as I was taking the smallest dose of ad the amount getting to dd was also very small and the risk of that was outweighed by me coming off ad and being severely depressed. Also had a dr come speak to me while I was in labour about bf. She explained that yes, a small amount would be present in my milk and that the baby could be a little jittery or restless. I decided to stay on them, no new baby needs a severly depressed mother, and my dd was fine. I watched her sooooo closely through the first few months and she was no different to any other baby.

Good luck.

Bibiboo · 16/09/2006 10:36

And AnneB, I hope you are talking from experience, have yourself been depressed and successfully weaned yourself off ads, not judging something you have not experienced.

jabberwocky · 16/09/2006 10:49

Hi Krythia, glad you are sorting this out and am really just adding my experience for others in the same boat. I am on Zoloft currently. I started taking it for PN PTSD after having ds and was assured that it was fine during bfing. For this pg, I initially had to increase my dosage, but have now started a slow decrease for the 3rd trimester. Reason being the jittery newborn issue as you mentioned. I am now on only 25 mg per day. My doctor is monitoring the situation closely. Her advice has always been that it is far more dangerous for me to become depressed again than any effect from such a small dosage. She looked into weaning me completely off and said a study showed that women were more likely to have to go back on AD's if they were weaned off in pg. However, since I don't know if I'll ever get completely off of them anyway it may be a moot point. Currently my plan is to try doing an alternate day dosage in 3 or 4 weeks and maybe give it a shot coming off of them for 2 - 3 weeks before the birth. There's really no outline to follow in this situation, unfortunately.

AnneB, the withdrawal effects are only for 2 weeks and do not cause any long term problems for baby. As someone who has struggled with depression for some time and has found AD's to be a godsend in living a normal life I find your posts shocking and insensitive. You appear to believe that people with a history of depression do not deserve to have children ffs. I can only think that you are commenting on something that you have no knowledge or experience of whatsoever.

mears · 16/09/2006 11:05

Krythia here is information you might find useful

If you post on the Breast/Bottle topic you might find more mumsnetters with experience.

Click on 'by topic' at the top of the page. Scroll down till you find breast and bottle feeding. Create a new conversation. HTH.

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