anti depressants during pregnancy

[miasmummy]

Hi all, i am 17 weeks pregnant and stopped anti depressants when ttc, trouble is things have been getting progressively worse again and i just want to hide away, i was still on ad's due to pnd with dd now 2. Has anyone taken fluoxitine during pregnancy? I am thinking of going to see the doc but i wanted to find out if anyone has done it before.

Also birth with dd was very traumatic (well tome anyway) which is i think what kick started the pnd, i am booked in to see a consultant to discuss the birth but i am petrified they are going to tell me that everything will be fine this time and then for the same to happen. I would love to have a nice natural birth but part of me would love a c section so that i wouldnt have to go through the same again. Anybody got any experience of bad first birth and brilliant second? or could i request a c section?

anybody??? please

I can't help you with the C-section stuff, sorry, but you can take anti depressants when you are pregnant - I'm not sure which ones though. I had severe PND with ds1 and was offered anti-ds when pregnant with ds2 as a pre-emptive measure. I decided against it (hoping it wouldn't happen again) but as you are struggling already I really think you should discuss your feelings with your GP. It was my hospital consultant who suggested anti depressants when I was pregnant - so if your appointment is soon you could talk it over with him or her.

I won't tell you "it will be fine" this time as I know that's not what you want to hear - but things being so traumatic first time round isn't an indication of how they will be this time. Talk about how you are feeling and your fears to the people who are there to help you: good luck.

hi i used ads when i was pregnant with DS2. I had previously used fluoxtine(sp) but wasn't allowed to use that when pregnant i was given lustral but it didn't help...sorry. i did however have bad pnd which wasn't help with DS2 having meningitis. Still on ads DS2 is 18months but have had to change three times nothing seemed to help. my advice to you is see you doctor, explain your fears and get the help you need. I see a mental health nurse and that has really helped just talking things through. Good luck and congrats xx

sounds like i should goand see doc or talk to consultant then, thank you both

hi there,
I took fluoxetine/prozac when pregnant second time around , low dose though 5mg.It has the most research done on it in pregnant women .I had been taking it since having had bad PND with my first baby.I did not have PND this time round. (my second baby is 8 months now).Perhaps you could get referred to community psychiatric nurses or consultant through GP who will have more specialist knowledge.Have you talked to your GP about how you feel?
I too found my first birth very traumatic although technically there was not much intervention, felt as if my body went into shock.

hi

i havent talked to anyone yet i was trying to fight it and not have to admit i wasnt coping, i have now got to the point where i know i need to do something as i have done self harm previously not bad but bad enough. Before i stopped the ad's i was on fluoxitine 20mg, part of me thinks if i get the next birth soted i will be ok but i know it is not that easy deep down. I feel stupid for getting pregnant again i should have waited till i was much better.

I don't know if this helps at all but I was feeling really down right from the start of my pregnancy (at 18 weeks now). I went to see a homepath for the first time and she gave me a remedy to balance my hormones and 48 hours later, I felt MUCH better. might be worth a try?

miasmummy I really feel for you. I had bad depression before DS was conceived, basically the entire pregnancy I was on Citalopram and both me and DS are fine, the GP advised that there were no studies indicating that there were any problems and she also said "you'd be amazed how many babies are conceived and born on it round here". You do absolutely right to seek help, its not your fault for getting pregnant by any means! depression can come to any of us.
with DS I had an elective CS - he was in breech, nothing to do with depression - and I thought it was great. maybe talk it all through with your GP, if he/she is sympathetic, then ask if s/he can talk to the hospital for you? good luck to you. XXX

Miasmummy, my birth experience with ds was very distressing, and I then went on to develop PND. I don't think that the birth was really a major factor in the PND, probably more likely the problems I had with breastfeeding (or maybe it would have happened anyway). But OTOH I had a very good birth experience with my second child, dd, bfd her for nearly 2y, and did not develop PND. So, yes, it can go well the second time, and, what's more, the 'good' labour totally made up for and wiped the slate clean from my 'bad' first labour.

At about 35w pg with dd I had a long debrief with the Liaison Midwife at the hospital were both my children were born. Her job was specifically to discuss women's birth experiences with them, should they choose to do so, whether it was a few hours after they gave birth, or a few years later.

She had all my notes with her, we went through the whole business in detail - not just her reading the notes and explaining, but me talking about my labour and my memories of it. It was an excellent experience, not overly distressing for me at all. She was not judgemental, not critical of my anger, but accepted my feelings.

One of my issues was with a particular midwife, and the Liaison M/w literally gave me permission to tell that m/w - or anyone else that I felt uncomfortable with - to go away and not come anywhere near me. This would not jeopardise my care. In the event, when I was in labour I did tell the senior midwife that I didn't want X to come anywhere near me, and that was the last I saw of X.

So I would say, approach this meeting with the consultant with a positive attitude, and if you are not happy with either the way he treats you, or with the outcome, bypass him and talk to the midwives. Many hospitals have this sort of service, only it's often poorly publicised (if at all).

thnkyou all so very much for your advice, ifully intend to tell the consultant exactlyhow i feelbut because of my state of mind at the moment i am scared i will start crying then not get the opportunity. I also think a de brief may help so once the hospital get my notes from the hospital dd was born at i may request one, at least then i will know exactly what happened to me. Thanks again all xx

when i was pregnant with my dd was transfered from fluoxetine to paroxetine which is in the same type as prozac but more safe in pregnancy. she was born at 38 weeks by cs 5lb 10oz and very healthy, bf for a year whilst on antidepressants and no ill effects!!!

dear Miasmummy, one other thing, Sheila Kitzinger (easy to google her website) has a "birth crisis" scheme, where you can ring and talk over birth stories, and some discussion groups too. Hang on in there. thinking of you XXXX

thank you all so very much

Miasmummy. i hope this is what you need to hear, as it is all true.

With my first baby, he was delivered 42 hours after my waters broke, after 16 hours on a syntocin drip, and 12 hours on an epidural.

Second baby - I had a show at night, went to bed, had a show the next morning, had mild tummy ache all day until 11pm, then i suddenly went into full blown labour, totally naturally, and ds2 popped out at 3:30. I did howl for an epidural, but he popped out 20 minutes later so I never got it! No tears, no trauma. It was lovely, really, compared to the first!

Oh, and I spent the last 2 months of my pregnancy on fluoxetine, and it didn't do myself or the baby any harm, and it widely thought to be the safest. It did me a lot of good. I do believe that without the ADs I would have sunk, mentally, after having ds2. I did after having ds1.

I was taking fluoxetine throughout my second pregnancy and will be taking citlopram throughout this pregnancy

apparently citalopram is slightly more widely used during pregnancy, more known about it and preferred for pregnancy
disclaimer: this is just what my doctor has said to me

Dear Miasmummy. If your worried about crying at the consultants, write down everything you want to discuss first, and take it in with you. Dont worry about crying--Doctors are used to it, and anyway, thats what youyr there to sort out.LoL

miasmummy - I had a bad first birth and a good second one. I'm afraid I paid for it though. i was terrified of going back to hospital and I had a horrid gp who was utterly dismissive of my request for a home birth. I was too tired to fight for it and was in a position to be able to afford an independent mw - best thing I ever did. she was lovely, really made an effort to get to know me and my fears, really listened to me about dd1, helped me with a plan - and all this knowing that she would be the one there on the day. I know in some areas (not mine) you can be assigned an NHS mid-wife for a home-birth who does your ante-natal checks and sees you all the way through. If a home-birth is possible I'd really recommend you think about it - and/or an independent mid-wife. Another thing is that the whole birth was TONNES easier - no pain relief at all, not even gas and air, just me, DH and Beethoven.

also I think in some areas (again, not mine) you can get a mw to see you all the way through - even if you're not going for a homebirth. It's that consistency of care and support that makes a huge difference

hi there....I've been derpressed for years now and when I first found out I was pg I asked my pharmacist to have a look in the british national formulary to see what (if any) contra indications there could be by taking AD's during pregnancy. As far as I can see most people tend to be on SSRI's for depression (paroxetene, fluoxetine, lustral(sertraline) etc) all of which seem to be just dandy if given on low doses. As for myself, when I discovered none of these AD's were working, my GP turned me to the tricyclics (older fashioned and slightly sleep inducing) again, as far as I'm aware, fine in low doses...however, what can also happen when stopping a drug suddenly, is withdrawal and a recurrence of depression....

If I were you I'd have a chat with a pharmacist(always happy to help and look up things in books) or chat to your GP about your concerns...it's not worth being depressed and getting worse because you feel depressed....HELP IS OUT THERE!

Hope you feel better soon.... xxxx

Hi miasmommy, I too had a horrible, traumatic birth experience. PN PTSD followed and life was a nightmare. After AD's and counselling (which I am still doing once a month) I decided to try for another pregnancy. Ds turned 3 today and this baby is due in December. But, I have continued to take AD's throughout the pregnancy. The one I am on - Zoloft - is considered safe and my doctor said it is much more dangerous to come off and risk going back down the road I was on before. I had an emergency section with ds and have decided on an elective this time around. I told the OB that I didn't think I could face even the thought of going into labour. She readily agreed and is doing the section at 38+3.