Starting Antidepressants in third trimester?

[ShyOwl]

Has anyone done it?
My midwife and prenatal mental health team have recommended I start sertraline again.
We discussed it, aware they do say there's some side effects but after reassurance from both that side effects to the baby are very slim and that they've never seen a baby have withdrawal I felt it was the right choice too and they wrote to my GP.

But two different gps have pretty much refused to prescribe. One just said because of the late stage of pregnancy and the other would only consider a different tablet which wasn't the one I'd discussed and pretty much told me my baby would have withdrawal symptoms so I should just try and get through

Feeling really deflated because it took so much to reach out in the first place.

I've 9 weeks left and have a DD 2.5 and I feel so guilty that I'm like I'm a mixture of the walking dead or crying panic attack mess

Speak to the perinatal team, or ask your GP to complete a letter to the perinatal team and copy you into this, discussing their rationale for refusing the recommended treatment by the specialist and their alternative management plan. You’ll soon find your GP prescribes the medication- and if not, this is not a battle for you to have to fight, this is for the GP and perinatal team to discuss amongst themselves and come back to you with a plan.

If you dont feel able to approach your GP, give the perinatal team and call and tell then what you’ve told us, and ask if they contact your GP to sort this. I work for a community mental health team and a large part of my job is dealing with GPs who are exactly like this so the nurses at the perinatal team will know what to do!
From my experience, sertraline is the most
Commonly prescribed medication for pregnant women with depressive symptoms so although I can only speak anecdotally, it appears to be the safest option with the most evidence to support its use, and ive never seen any adverse effects for people taking it. Good luck x

@Araz208 thank you, I really appreciate your reply

I'll speak to then today and hopefully they can sort something out.

I'm already on a second course of CBT and have already been though all the usual techniques to help so it's not a decision I've taken lightly

Get the perinatal team to speak to someone about getting it prescribed.

I'm not on an antidepressants but other mental health medication and we have decided it is mine and the babies best interest for me to have good mental health. When the baby is born she might need a little extra monitoring for a day or so as the medication might mean she takes a little while to adjust to the world.

Trust the perinatal team over your gp, you can take sertraline whilst pregnant and in my experience (as a cbt therapist) gps often have their own ideas when it comes to medication that aren't always what the specialists would say. Tell the perinatal tsk they won't prescribe and they may be able to get the dr or psyc to do the prescription for you or they'll simply phone your gp

As above, go with the perinatal team. Sounds like your GPS have really limited knowledge and need to upskill. As PP have said you should have to fight this battle - ask your mental health team to help you sort your prescription.
Sounds like the right course of action for you. X

you shouldn’t have to fight this battle

Thanks everyone, my prenatal team chased up with my gp yesterday and I got a call at the end of the day saying she would prescribe, clearly reluctantly.

It's so disheartening to finally build myself up to reach out and then not have the support from the drs, the midwife and prenatal team have been amazing though and will definitely be my first point of contact going forward

@ShyOwl I was just wondering how you got on with your sertraline. I have been prescribed it at 22 weeks but unsure whether to start it xx

Hi @Babafarmer really well to be honest, I was also doing a CBT online course which really helped.

First couple of weeks had the same effects as when I took it after the birth of my daughter.
I'm on the lowest dosage but definitely felt my anxiety and depression ease off. There wasn't any side effects to DS, I know they sometimes say babies have withdrawal rarely but we didn't experience any

I don't think I would have made it through the first few weeks after the labour without them and my mood is much more manageable.
DS is now 7 weeks and breastfeeding, he's very content and feeding well so I don't think it's done him any harm, having a happy mum is definitely more important

Hope they help, it's so hard to enjoy pregnancy the way you want to with everything at the moment. Well done for reaching out to your gp and congratulations on your pregnancy!

@ShyOwl thank you so much for taking the time to reply. It was the consultant that prescribed them. I contacted my GP today and I've decided to see how I am in 10 days time. By then I will have had two cbt sessions and if there is no improvement I will start them xx

@ShyOwl ps I am so pleased they helped you so much. I know they'd help me I've been on them before just not sure I could live with the guilt if they caused a problem x