Anti depressants in pregnancy

[doodles13]

Hello, just looking for a bit of advice. My husband and I are thinking about trying for a baby but I am currently on Fluoxetine for depression and anxiety (have been for about 6yrs) and I'm worried about the potential risks that it could have on a baby if I continue to take it through pregnancy.

On my GP's advice, I have managed to lower my dose from 20mg/day to 2 x 10mg/week but I can feel the anxiety and intrusive thoughts starting again. I went back to see my GP and she just advised me to go back onto the dose that I was taking when I last felt OK, which I thought was a bit of a cop-out! Maybe she's not so experienced with mental health issues.

Has anyone taken Fluoxetine during a pregnancy who can offer some advice? I've read that it can be linked to some birth defects although the risk is pretty low. I've also read that taking Sertraline may be better but it still carries some risks? All quite confusing!

Hi, I was taking 40mg fluoxetine during my pregnancy with my dd1, the dr advised me not to stop taking the dose prescribed as it could do more harm than good. She is 9, bright and healthy. No problems at all.
During breastfeeding I weaned off of them altogether.
As far as I was told, fluoxetine is one of the safer AD drugs to take during pregnancy.
Hope this helps x

I took between 10 - 20 mg citalopram throughout my pregnancy & DD is a perfectly healthy 19mth old. There are small risks but DH and I decided that that the risk to my mental health was greater. As my pregnancy progressed I was up and down a bit so was referred to a mental health midwife which helped knowing I had extra support if I needed it.

I took 20mg Fluoxetine daily throughout pregnancy apart from a month where the morning sickness was so bad, I couldn't stomach it. and my depression took a massive nose dive during that month.

Doctors were very encouraging and felt that the risk to my mental health was greater than the risk to the baby which is really really small. I'm on the same dose now breastfeeding my four-month old and she's healthy and happy :).

Consultant said I could continue with sertraline through pregnancy and breastfeeding if I needed it. Fortunately, mental health wise, I'm the best I've been in years so I'm off them.

Many of the SSRIs carry minimal risk, especially in comparison with poor mental health, anxiety and maternal stress