Does anyone have experience of taking diazepam in pregnancy? Really need advice

[Notmyselfatall]

Hi all, posted here last week
About this. I have severe OCD and severe depression, history of antenatal and postnatal depression. I had to resort to taking a 5mg diazepam last Sunday as my OCD was soo bad, the diazepam I had from before I was pregnant, I took it daily then, but I saw a dr who isn't my own dr last Monday and he was useless, said he would rush through my antenatal app for the mental health team, I have received that appointment through now and it's for the 20th July!!!! The GP knows just how bad I am but was so patronising, I am on setraline 50mg and it is not working at all.... The GP refused to put me on another antidepressant or to alter my current dose of setraline, he also told me not to take diazepam, However, today I have had to take another 5mg of diazepam. My OCD has been unbearable :( and believe me it takes me a great deal to take diazepam, as I have suffered 3 mc's in the past and would not do anything to jeapordise my baby. But I have been desperate. I don't have an app with my current GP until this Thursday. I am so scared I will damage my baby by taking diazepam and would like to know and hear from anyone who has experience of taking it during pregnancy, I was really ill after birth of dc2 and nearly hospitalised and unable to care for my dc. So do not want this scenario again, so for me, my health is imperative and my baby means the world to me, but I cannot let my OCD and depression get a proper grip as I have 2 other do to look after and my ds is severely disabled do needs me much more than the average child as he is 24 hour care. I am 16 weeks btw. Thank you so much for any replies in advance. Angela xx

Anyone ?

Can you call NHS Direct for some advice??
Your doctor should offer an out of hours service - call your practice and there should be a number available
Hopefully someone will be along with some more advice soon

I went to a doctor who refused to give me a repeat prescription in pregnancy, so suddenly stopped taking anti depressants and became very ill. (this doctor also advised lying down for half an hour to cure a migraine/wouldn't give me anything for migraine!)

Some of them seem to not understand depression at all. (or the effects of suddenly stop anti depressants).

I was soon after given dosulipin (also called dothiepin), antidepressant, by a nicer doctor, even early pregnancy. It does work if you get a high enough dose, they gradually lowered it so I wasn't on it by the birth, then was told "as soon as the head is out" start building it up again. You can also take it while breastfeeding. It doesn't have the effect as good or dramatic and (almost) instant as diazipam does, so doesn't help your question about that, sorry, but does help with anxiety and sleeping.

I'm no expert, but as diazipam has been around such a long time, and used to be precsribed very freely,IMO it should be ok. Also, at 16 weeks you have passed the stage where the baby is most vulnerable, I would think.

I suppose you have tried googling diazepam?

expecting you to wait until 20th July is ridiculous. Wonder if you could ring the number on the letter you got about it, expain you need urgent appointment. Or see a different doctor at your practice to get better help.

I hope someone more expert comes along soon for you.

as you were so ill after your other baby, something should be in place to support you and get medication right during this pregnancy and post natally for as long as you need. (hopefully that is what July appointment is for). I had someone to visit me in the end as couldn't cope with journey to appointments, with depression/anxiety and other children.

Can you call your CPN, if you have one, or emergency team? It is appalling that you are being left so long.

As far as I know, diazepam stays in your system for less time than temazepam, so is 'better' in that sense. None of these drugs can, ethically, be tested on pregnant women as such, so much of it is guess work - I think they would always say avoid if possible but take if what you are going through is unbearable, which is of no help at all. Sadly, the answer to 'can it harm my baby?' is, they don't know. I was certainly told that a one off is unlikely to do any harm, especially after the first trimester. How about taking 2mg and seeing if that helps?

Does anything else help at all? I don't mean that in a patronising way, I really don't, but do you have other ways of coping that would mean a smaller does of diazepam would be more effective if taken in conjunction with whatever usually helps?

Last thought would be to see if your maternity unit has someone attached who is able to help you? Some places have perinatal mental health support workers?

Take care.

Poor you! July is too far away for an appointment and if your Gp doesn't feel comfortable with prescribing antidepressants in pregnancy you should be referred to secondary mental health services not just mental health antenatal midwife.

Diazepam isnt the best treatment for OCD or depression and best avoided in pregnancy if possible. However, the known risks are in the first and third trimester so I really don't think you should worry about the odd dose you've taken.

Sertraline on the other hand is a good treatment and is often prescribed in pregnancy. However 50mg is the minimum dose and OCD often requires higher doses.

Also CBT is very helpful. In some areas you'd get bumped up the waiting list on account of your pregnancy. Because you are pregnant and because of what happened last time I would think you should meet criteria for secondary services - I'd go back to the Gp to aak for this on Tuesday.

Really hope you feel better soon.

I'd second pushing to be referred by your gp. When I had pre-natal depression my gp got me seen quickly by a consultant psychiatrist in case I needed medication and she didn't feel comfortable prescribing it. In the end, I decided to try a course of cbt first which worked, once I'd found the right counsellor.

I was really rushed up the waiting lists because I was pregnant so hopefully your gp will do the same.

Hun, do you have a local MH crisis team you could call? Sounds like you're getting very poor care with your MH issues (I would have thought that by now you should be under the regular care of CHMT or a Psych) Try by-passing the gp and make a personal emergency referral to crisis team. There should be someone around even today. If you don't have contact details already I would imagine that NHS direst might. Other option is turn up at A&E, I know thats a bit drastic but sometimes you need to shout and stamp to get the care you need. (btw I am bipolar and preg so I feel part of your pain, it is so important to have decent MH support, esp now xx)

I took diazepam occasionally in my first pregnancy but was advised to refrain for the first trimester. Have you thought about an alternative medicine from a benzo. I take an anti-psychotic (atypical) which has a similar effect which helped me cope with my first pregnancy and is helping with this one. Please note that these drugs are restricted and so a gp will not be able to prescribe one.

I also saw a consultant last time who was a specialist in high risk pregnancies involving medication. She had access to on-going research trials into the effects of medications on the foetus. Towards the end of my pregnancy I was so anxious that she recommended I take diazepam but to let the maternity unit know if I had taken it recently when in labour as it can make the baby drowsy during birth.

This time around I have access to a specialist midwife in mental health. However, I would agree that you need to be referred to your local CMHT - you will have to go through your gp for that.

I know it is a cliche but you have to decide whether your baby would be more at risk if you were unable to curb your OCD or from diazepam.

Hi all, ty soo soo
Much for yr lovely replies. It's just two days until I see my GP now. They are pretty useless tbh, I moved house in Oct to an adapted property as ds, 5 has SN. Had to move GP practices too, which is crap because my old GP was fantastic and I know for a fact he would have not sent me away like the current GP did as he really does know me inside out. I'm just really worried that if I continue to take diazepam when I feel really bad then the baby is at risk. . I haven't taken any since Sunday. I also don't have access to a crisis team at all and am no longer under any MH 'person' that I can go and see, which is pretty shitty tbh. Have had a psychiatrist and psychologist in the past, had CPN's when dd was small. She is now nearly 11, which for the life of me i cannot fathom why I don't still have a CPN or even when ds was born 5 years ago...as I was a lot lot worse then....the mind boggles I really should be watched very closely when pregnant as the GP knows this, I have notes FFS! They said they would watch me carefully when I first fell pregnant. ... Yeah, doing a 'great' bloody job of that, aren't they?! I feel soo bloody let down by the whole new GP practice and their treatment of me....

Have you moved far? If not, could you go back to your old gp, either regularly or as a one off emergency? I know it's not the best long term step, but if he/she knows you so well then the least they should be doing is liaising with your current gp.

Could this be a possibility?

I have just been prescribed diazepam by my ivf doctor as an alternative to Xanax, so you should be fine.

Has anyone successfully conceived on diazepam?