Coming off antidepressants due to surprise pregnancy. Who's been through it?

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I discovered I was pregnant a week ago and spoke with my GP who was happy for me to try to come off my escitalopram 10mg. She recommended a gradual reduction and prescribed me 5mgs. She said that it was fine to take escitalopram through pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the risks. I daren't google the risks so don't go into details please, I really don't need the stress right now.

Had I not been pregnant I would have happily continued with the ADs as they do help to level out my mood. But it's been 3 years, I can't honestly say I'm depressed and all the things which brought on the depression are now resolved.

So a week later, and i'm coping well with 5mg every second day and apart for the occasionally wave of dread I've been fine. It helps to know that the waves of dread are for a reason if that makes sense.

What are your experiences of coming of AD's in pregnancy?

I came off a low dose of sertraline whilst trying to conceive but actually overlapped and would have been 3-4 wks pg when I finally came off them for good. I felt ready m&s found te slow withdrawal process manageable. I was taking them primarily for anxiety rather than depression ( caused by pnd). I have found myself having up days am down days which is to be expected but it surprise me as I felt so good having been on them 2 years.

You are definitely doing the right thing and don't worry about the risks of taking them this far. Your baby will be fine. I do advise, however, asking for a referral for CBT or similar as soon as you feel things start to slip. I have found early pg to be fraught with various anxieties and am worrying more and more - I am due to start CBT any time soon and am very hopeful as I feel I have caught myself very early in comparison to last time.

Good luck, it sounds like you are very much in control and I'm sure you will be fine. And congratulations on the pg! Stay in touch with your gp and make sure they are up to date with your moods.

I came off citalopram & amitriptyline before ttc after discussions with my gp. Same as you though in reducing the amount slowly and then stopping.

I was only off them totally for about 3-4 weeks before i conceived and i didnt have any bad side effects. This is my second pregnancy so i know roughly what an emotional roller coaster being pregnant is like. I have found i have the occasional down days but nothing like when i was very low.

You are doing everything right, and if once you are off the AD's totally you start having more down than normal days then speak to your gp or midwife straight away. They wont necessarily put you back on AD's but may offer counselling or other therapy's to try instead.

I was on AD's before becoming pregnant with DS2. I stopped them as soon as I had the positive pregnancy test is my hand and then spoke to my GP a couple of weeks later (we were on holiday when I found out I was pregnant).

Although the GP suggested I should have gradually withdrawn myself from the tablets rather than stopping immediately but I was absolutely fine. I'd been on the Prozac for c. 4 years by then.

I had close monitoring from the GP an midwife whilst I was pregnant and post birth (they were worried about postnatal depression).

Congratulations on the pregnancy, take it easy on yourself and try not to worry.

thanks. I had CBT a couple of years ago and found it really useful.
when i tell friends that i take an anti-depressant they are always surprised saying they had no idea i was depressed. the point being, I'm not...but i really don't want to go back to being depressed.

i've experienced depression a good few times and am able to see the signs. i guess i've continued to take them as a safety blanket at a low dose.

i was going to start coming off them last summer and had the discussion with my GP. then later that day i found out my stepfather had died, and I cancelled the plan. i guess this summer would have been a good time to do it anyway.

i just hope i can come off them without a dramatic drop in mood.

I was taking Citalopram before TTC and reduced the dose over a couple of months while TTC. Wasn't completely off them by the time I discovered I was pregnant but decided to stop taking them altogether at that point.

Even with tapering down from a low starting dose, I experienced some of the withdrawal symptoms commonly associated with SSRIs: tingly rushes of pins & needles in my hands, mouth etc. It wasn't a problem, just something I noticed.

What I did find challenging was the fact that I had not told anyone apart from DP about the pregnancy because it was so early (I'm still only 9 weeks) - meaning that there was no-one to gauge my feelings with, not even a midwife. It was hard, being pregnant for the first time, to pick apart which feelings were due to coming off the ADs and which were a normal part of normal pregnancy. For some reason, it was important for me to know what was what. Was a massive PMT style super grouch, argumentative, anxious about the future, generally over-emotional and a bit teary.

Reading people's experiences on MN helped put things in perspective a bit as did talking to a friend when I was ready (had to be someone good with secrets though!)

The other thing that has helped in the last few days is taking positive action to avoid further depression. I'm sure you already have a few coping strategies in place; mine are very simple things like going for a swim, calling a friend I've not seen in a while, actually doing something I've put off for a while - anything that helps with self-regard. The idea being to start a virtuous circle, rather than a vicious one.

Good luck!

I was on 10 mg Fluoxetine when I was TTC and have stayed on it due to stressful work situation. GP was happy as it's low risk. I was referred to consultant due to BMI and Fluoxetine, but the consultant wasn't bothered about it either - just explained the risks of the higher BMI.

I do find life easier when taking the Fluoxetine but I'm changing jobs in September and hope to come off it as I'll have mini-me to keep me busy from January!

Hello, I am a mental health advisor! You are on such a low dose any way that you will be absolutely fine Hun. Mental attitude plays a huge part, use the support networks around you such as friends and family, and keep up the mantra that you WILL be ok. You said that you canot say you are detessed which means you've already done the hard bit of hetting through the worst times which you shod be proud of.

Ironically being an advisor I also have depression. I am still on a high dose antidepressant and I am still in counselling, but coming off the medication is likely to do more harm than good at the moment. I am not quite at your stage yet!

I wish you the best of luck, but you're already doing great xxxxxxxx

I'm 32 wks and still on citalopram - only 10mg though. I tried coming off it before getting pregnant but it didn't feel good at all and after weighing out the pros and cons of staying on it, we decided it would be best for me and baby to stay on a low dose. So far, I've felt fine (apart from the normal hormonal stuff!) and baby is developing great.

Good luck!

Feeling a bit teary this morning. Got up this morning and cried at some london 2012 footage the kids were watching. Also cried at a friends lovely engagement announcement.
not depression crying but still a bit more emotional than usual.
I'm a crier, always have been.

I'm a crier too, nothing wrong with it! ;) xx

I was on 20mg of Citalopram all through my surprise pregnancy and up to the present, neither me nor GP or paediatrian saw any reason for me to come off it once i have conceived and they were happy for me to breastfeed although that didn't work out for other reasons.

It did mean I was under the consultant not midwives and if it had been a planned pregnancy that might have persuaded me to come off it (so I could give birth in an MLU) before TTC, but I'm actually glad I didn't as I think I would have found the fourth trimester overwhelming.

*had conceived

I was on 40mg citalopram when I found out about my little surprise bean! Unfortunately I got some very bad advice from a GP who told me to stop taking them right away, that lead to a very rough couple of weeks that I do not want to revisit. Ever. My midwife was much better, she suggested that I start up again, but on a much lower dose and then take a month or so to slowly wean off, so I started taking 15mg and over the next 6 weeks came off slowly and without any really horrid side effects. I find now that I have to be very aware of my mood as I have had a few depressive episodes but on the whole I am much better and happier, a course of CBT really helped as did making my immediate family and friends aware of what was going on.
I think if you're on a high dose it is much better for you to come off slowly, or to at least reduce slowly, than it is to stop. Yes there are possible risks to baby but the impact of you feeling depressed, or suicidal, is not a price you should pay. Always listen to your health care provider but do not be afraid to question and get a second opinion if things ae not going well. You have to take the kind of selfish view that your health is the most important thing.

I'm a cryer also. I sobbed at a ladies wimbledon tennis match - i had no idea who it was, but she was so happy she'd won i couldnt stop myself. This is fairly normal pregnancy hormone i hope