is anyone taking prozac during pregnancy?

[firstpglivingabroad]

I've posted elsewhere about why, but I've just been diagnosed with antenatal depression by the GP. Scored 22/30 on the EPDS & I'm 14+1 today. Insomnia is just part of the problem and I have been given piriton tablets to take (one a night) to see if they help me sleep. Falling asleep isn't a problem for me though (I'm exhausted, haven't slept properly in over 2 months), it's staying asleep post midnight and I don't expect a mild sleeping aid to help with that.

I have a follow-up appointment with the GP in 3 days time - if I haven't slept properly and if I'm not feeling better she wants to put me on prozac. Says the only reason she won't prescribe it today is because it takes a few weeks to kick in and so is worth waiting to see if the piriton helps. She says it's safe to take after the first trimester & my depression is much worse for the baby than prozac, but google has a variety of reports and not all good.

Does anyone have any experience of this?

Hello not prozac but yes to taking medication whilst pregnant. The stress hormones can damage the growing baby. I always get this wrong but cortisol I think is very bad. We need to stay as relaxed as possible!

The benefits greatly outweigh the risks. But... You should be seeing a specialist in hospital rather than a gp. I have a perinatal psychiatrist who monitor me and my medication. They know much more about what you should and shouldn't be taking in pregnancy so you should push for a referral. Are you in the UK? Not sure from your name :)

Ah sorry just saw you gave Pre natal depression :( so I think that is managed by gp but someone more experienced can confirm.

My friend has that and took her anti ds and was much better.

Hello & thanks for your reply. I'm not in the UK, am British but living in Asia at the moment. My healthcare doesn't cover counselling which is also what the GP wants (in conjunction with prozac) but I can't afford to pay for it. Should be back in the UK in early March. I'm more worried about the potential side effects of the drug making me feel worse at least in the short term, apparently it takes 6 weeks to kick in and make one feel better. 6 weeks is a very long time in the future when I feel as low as I do now.

Was your friend on prozac? or something else?

I am not on Prozac now but I was before I was pregnant (8 months) and for about the first 6 weeks (before I knew that I had conceived). It was a choice to come off them and now in my second Trimester have discussed with my Dr coming back on them. He is keen for it but I personally am happy at the moment not to.

My doctor (not a GP but a Psych) is quite relaxed about the risks from second tri onwards and prescribes it to pg women. He advised that there was a slight risk to the baby but as one of the posters before said, the risk in his opinion outweighs that potential effects that stresses will have on the baby.

There are other Anti-D's that are supposed to be a bit better for the longer term and better if you want to breastfeed - Prozac I don't believe is one that is recommended for BF'ing - I think sertraline (Zoloft) is one of the preferred ones. If you have not been on Anti-D's before it maybe that Prozac doesn't work for you anyway (I tried a few before I settled on that) so maybe worth exploring others with your GP that you know that can be taken after the baby is born as well.

As I said, I personally am going cold turkey but that maybe not the best option for you. Its hard not being on them (especially with all the preggo hormones around!) That said, at the time I was prescribed them it was a god send and to be honest the only reason I was in a place to even start TTC was because of the Anti-D's!

thanks Mitchell - I've never needed Anti-D's before, and am very wary now because I'm pg. And a friend, a couple of years ago, had v bad side effects on prozac (she wasn't pg). I figure that if I'm in the 1 in 10 women who get antenatal depression I could easily be in the 1 in 10 who get some of the hideous side effects. But, to be honest, I'm so sick of feeling so dreadful that I'm almost prepared to try anything. The doc did at least say I could continue to have a weekly glass of wine on the pills. Will ask about breastfeeding too.

Just remember there are loads out there - the SSRI's apparently are the ones to take pg but it does take a while to find the right one for you. I didnt take too well on some of the other ones but once you hit the right one it makes so much of a difference.

And pre pregnancy I didn't have any issues with drinking on them at all so a glass of wine shouldn't matter (I'm having the odd glass as well pg).

good luck - and I hope you find what works for you.

I did. I stopped in my first trimester then restarted. No issues at all with birth or after.

I was taking Sertraline for my anxiety, but stopped this when I found out I was pg as it's not considered safe in pregnancy. When I saw an obstetrician, she said fluoxetine (Prozac) was the drug I was most likely to be given if I felt I needed it, as it is not known to cause problems.

Not sure if that's helpful, or correct, but that's what I was told.

I don't think my friend took Prozac but I'll see if she remembers - it was a while ago! The risks are very small.

I think your doctor is suggesting Prozac as a long-term option to prevent you sinking into worse depression in this pregnancy, and that seems like a logical precautionfrom a medical point of view. I don't think it will help your sleep in the short-term though, restlessness, vivid dreams/nightmares and insomnia is one of the side-effects you can get in the beginning before you adjust to the drug. In the long-term it should improve your sleep, reduce anxiety, elevate the mood and help you have more energy and iniative. Antihistamines and also anti-sickness medication causes drowsiness so it may be worth exploring if there is another brand that may have more of an effect on helping you sleep? If you really don't want Prozac ask if your doctor can think outside the box a bit for you

updating this in case it helps someone else - and thank you to everyone for your replies.

I saw my GP again yesterday and have 7 days of 10mg prozac, followed by 14 days of 20mg. Have to go back to see her before I run out, check all is OK and get a new prescription. I'm 14+6 today (first pill was yesterday). She said that worst case scenario would be that I continue to take pills until c.32weeks, at which point I am slowly weaned off. That would mean that any withdrawal is done before the baby is born, and the baby won't be harmed. Sounds dodgy to me, but I'm not the expert. If I still need anti-d's then they would try something else that is OK for breastfeeding too.

I don't know if this was the drug as inability to sleep is part of the problem & I'm always exhausted, but I spent 4h yesterday afternoon in bed and fast asleep - this never happens to me. Was told to take the pill in the morning with food. If the same happens today then will switch to evening with food. I know it will take a few weeks to kick in, but just hope very much that side effects are close to zero and I start feeling better soon.