Pregnant - worried.

[Namechange8471]

Hey everyone ive just done a pregnancy test and its positive. I am really happy, however i am currebtly on citalopram 20mg for depression. Im worried on what to do next and the effects on the baby.

Has anyone any experience?

Thank you

Hi OP, congratulations on your news!
I cannot give any direct advise but I would suggest phoning 111 if you're worried. At the very least they should be able to schedule a call back with a GP or pharmacist who can give advice until you see your midwife the first time.
Good luck 😊

I'd just phone gp on Monday. No anti-depressants have been tested on pregnant women, as that would be unethical. However, some are considered 'safer' than others (generally ones that have been around longer so there is plenty of anecdotal evidence/ retrospective studies). Your gp should be able to look up if citalopram is one of those. Together you can come up with a medication plan for your pregnancy!

Whatever you do: don't google. You're just as likely to come across misinformation as genuine info.

Thank you for your replies,

physicskate I wish i never googled! So much differing information, the overall information seems to suggest that a medication plan is best for mum and baby.

Probably best not to suddenly stop it till you have spoken to GP.

Please don’t stop taking your citalopram. SSRIs are considered safe on the whole and usually the benefit to mum’s mental health far outweighs the very small risks to baby. If you look at studies on maternal cortisol levels in pregnancy and long term impacts on infants, the benefits of SSRIs for those who need them are pretty clear.

The ‘best use of medicines in pregnancy’ website is a really good resource and the only one I would bother looking at for information on medications.

Hi OP, I’ve just gone through my first cycle of IVF while on 30mg of citalopram. Both the doctor and the clinic said it was best to stay on it. As I’m feeling so good with it they’ve just reduced me to 20mg with a view to going down to 10mg in a couple of months and gradually weaning off it altogether if possible.

Definitely don’t just stop taking it, have a chat with your GP. Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Sunbird24 Thank you for your reply! Im currently on 20mg. I think a lot of taking it is now down to habit, but yes i will keep taking it and chat with my doctor.

I'm not very fertile (or so i thought!) so its a huge shock!

A very jolly shock!

When I became pregnant with my first it was a massive shock as we had been told that I might have problems conceiving so we chucked away the pills and thought we would tackle the whole infertility thing a few years down the line. But.....bingo! - instant result. A bit sooner than we had planned!

I wish you lots of luck with your pregnancy.

I came off citalopram (20mg) shortly before we decided to get pregnant, but I think I would have stayed on it had I gotten pregnant before then. The US’s FDA puts citalopram in “category c” which essentially means that while there’s evidence of negative effects in animal studies, there’s also no solid evidence of negative effects in humans (if I understand correctly). Given the fact that citalopram is one of the most commonly used antidepressants, I find this reassuring. It’s the second best category, as Category A would require unethical experiments on expectant mothers so doesn’t really exist!

Of course, talk to your doctor/midwife about it. I was told by my midwife that lots of women see themselves as incubators during pregnancy, but that I shouldn’t be ashamed if at any point I feel I need to go back on medication. From my experience, as someone with a history of depression, you can expect extra care taken to make sure you’re coping fine. If needed, they’ll refer you to perinatal mental health care. It might be worth checking to see if they have any schemes that ensure greater continuity of care, assuming this isn’t something that’s fairly standard where you’re registered (which it is for me). Mine has one for young teenage mothers and women with a more serious mental history than me (eg bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or worse depression involving hospitalisation), but hopefully that’s not something you’d need.

To clarify, the FDA categories I mentioned above are specifically about use during pregnancy.

Good luck, take care of yourself, and try not to worry too much.