From citalopram to Sertralin....help!!!

[xxJaslynxx]

hello everybody,

I have been on citalopram for about three months now and have been on citalopram before, I feel comfortale being on this antidepressant but now that im trying to get pregnant again my g.p has said i should go on sertralin...I have never heard of this med before and am a bit anxious to change meds and get pregnant at the same time.

Can anyone help me, does anyone have any experience on these meds and pregnancy.

Sertraline worked brilliantly for me - I didn't get on with Citalopram at all. I have also been offered it during my pregnancy (but actually am not in a place where I need to take it right now) so I am guessing that it is one of the better ones to take. I wouldn't worry too much, AD's are so individual - only you will be able to judge whether it is a good 'fit' for you.

ive been on citalipram all the way through my pregnancy, they jst advise not to take it for the first 12 weeks.
but if you feel more comftable on that tell your doctor
x

I've been on Citalopram for the past 5 years or so, and the GP and midwife both said it's fine to keep taking it. I'm on 20mg/day. I'm now almost 17 weeks. It's important for you to be in as good a place mentally as possible during the pregnancy and if you're concerned that switching meds isn't a good idea right now, discuss that with them ASAP. As has been said, which medication you take is a personal decision, no two people react in exactly the same fashion. What I can tell you is that my GP has no qualms in keeping me on Citalopram (and Mirtazapine, but that's another kettle of fish) throughout the pregnancy. Hope this has been of some help x

Sertraline is in the same family as citalopram but it's more baby-friendly, particularly if you want to breast feed because not as much of it is transferred to breastmilk.

However, like CaringForPod says, it's a personal thing because everyone reacts differently and citalopram has been used successfully for many years (including in pregnancy).

A bit further down the line I know, but this got me thinking and just found this factsheet about antidepressants and breastfeeding - it lists both Citalopram and Sertraline. Might be useful?

Sertraline is the antidepressant most commonly prescribed in pregnancy. It's from the same family of meds as Citalopram (SSRI) and works similarly, but a bit less crosses to the baby.

It's also safer to use in breastfeeding and there are more studies about it's use in pregnancy and breastfeeding at the moment than a lot of the other antidepressants.

Sorry to go against what everyone else had said but I've actually been told by my CPN that I shouldn't take sertraline in pregnancy (even though I was prescribed it during my last pregnancy 4 yrs ago!). I was on it for several years and came off it when we decided to try for a baby, but felt down a few weeks ago and asked to go back on it. My CPN said I could start a-ds again, but that she wouldn't recommend sertraline. Sorry, didn't go into the whys and wherefores as I've decided to keep going without meds for the moment.

thanks everyone for the advice, it has been very very helpful. I feel that citalopram has been really good for me and do feel very comfortablen on this med, I think i might go and talk to my g.p again. caringforpod is this your first pregnancy on citalopram?.

has anyone already had previous pregnancies on citalopram?and if so, did it affect baby at all?.
x

I've been on citalopram, on and off, for many years. I'm off it just now, but I spoke to a consultant at the hospital a while back and he said that if I need to go back on it while pregnant then that's fine.

I've tried sertraline in the past and found it didn't agree with me at all. It's important to find the SSRI that works for you, they're not all the same.

Good luck :)

I was on sertraline after citalopram. It worked better imo, but I came off when I discovered I was pregnant. Its up to each individual case though, I would have worried more had i stayed on it, and so far have been ok.