Conception/Pregnancy and Medication

[BronzyBaybee]

Heyy, I'm new and in need of advice. I've been on and off citalopram for a few years. Been on constantly for nearly a year this time. Does anyone have experience when it comes to pregnancy and anxiety medication? I will be TTC soon but I'm nervous about coming off Citalopram incase I become an anxious mess again. What alternatives have you tried that's safe during pregnancy? How do I ease off of what I'm taking now? Any advice or experiences you wouldn't mind sharing would be appreciated.

I also get 12 weekly B12 injections due to deficiency. Has anyone been in the same boat? Do they continue during pregnancy? Anything I should know in relation to this would be appreciated.

Sorry I know it's a lot, late night thinking haha

TIA xx

I struggle with anxiety but never took the medication I was prescribed so can't comment on your individual situation or the specific question you've posed. I've "managed" it with CBT, traditional counselling and all the other stuff they advise (healthy eating, exercise etc). Not that I've managed very well a lot of the time and I do constantly debate whether medication would be a good choice for me.

Honestly, I'd suggest talking to your GP about what the relative risks and benefits are and what support options are available. I don't imagine there is a right and wrong answer here - it will be what works best for you. I would say that depending on the triggers for your anxiety pregnancy can be a very challenging time. I find the uncertainty, lack of control and huge amount of available and inconclusive data and opinion very hard to deal with and frequently got caught up in obsessive circular research and anxious thoughts, particularly in the 1st trimester. That isn't to say don't stop taking medication, just worth thinking about how you plan to manage your mental health if you do stop. I definitely wasn't prepared to feel so out of control and counselling really helped with that.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!