citalopram and early pregnancy

[iamamartian]

i am on 20mg of citalopram and 6 weeks pregnant, gp said it was fine to take it in pregnancy. in the last few days i have been feeling panicky and anxious again, hadn't felt like this for months and months, what a bummer. should i increase the dosage? have been on 20mg for about 10 months...

This will be my third child, with my first beautiful little boy I didn't want to admit that I had been dealing with depression. It was very hard because I had moved Countries, I was away from all my friends and family and being a mum for the first time had it's own unique challenges.It wasn't until being pregnant with my second beautiful boy and having my husband come sit with me in our room looking concerned he said "I think it's time we deal with this depression" it took until that moment to believe that I might actually need help with this. My husband was with me through all of the meetings with Doctors and finally I went on 20mg of citalopram which was GREAT!!.When I found out that I was pregnant again I thought "right I'm feeling great, i'll take myself of citalopram" I'm now feeling the same as I had before...I don't find any joy in life, my children are missing there fun loving mum and so am I. I will be going to the Doctors on Monday to see if it's safe to put myself back onto citalopram...it's not fair to everyone around me to have to deal with my outbursts and sadness...I HATE being like this...

I am on 30mg of citalopram and have been for the past 2 years. I am 27+3 weeks pregnant now. Initially when I found out I was pregnant I reduced my dose to 10mg, BIG MISTAKE, i felt awful. I am a lot better now I am back on 30mg. The midwife and gp are monitoring me and they say that my pregnancy is going very well and the baby's development is fine. My theory is a Happy Mother is a Happy Baby. If you are feels depressed increase your dosage. My GP even suggested I do think if I return to me depressed state again.

I am on the implanon implant and taking citalopram, but i want to know if you can get pregnant .... reason why i ask is because i have had my 2nd implant in and there is only two months left till it comes out but recently ive started to get my periods ( ive been on citalopram for 2 months now) and i have never had periods whilst being on the implant so i am woundering wether you can get pregnant whilst taking these tablets. please let me no asap. i hope you can :D x

I was on citalopram and implanon at the same time and never got pregnant. As far as I am aware there's no interaction between the two.

I did conceive immediately after having the implant removed though - working back from my ultrasound-calculated due date my 'LMP' (since I never had one) was the day of the removal :)

im so confused i have been on citalopram for over a year i fell pregnant was told to go cold turkey i said i would not be ok and im not but the doctor still wont give me them back is there anything i can do iv tried 2 doctors surely its my decision, i also suffer server spd and have took codine phosphate in 2 previous pregnancy but they will not prescribe this time on top of this i suffed big cyst-ed at the beginning and was on regular trips to the hospital and was told by a number of midwife ect i was fine taking it but the doctor prob dident want to be the one responsible for giving it to me i dont understand im left very confused and all these problems are taking away my happiness at being pregnant :(

have been on 20mg of citalopram for nearly 4.5 years. I am six weeks pregnant and stupidly stopped taking my pills one week ago despite doc saying ok to take during pregnany. toughht i would be ok but have woken up today with such hightened anxiety I can't function. Little things like hoovering or fixing something seem insurmountable. Have started taking tabs again.

I'm on 20mg of Citalopram and have been for a couple of years. I was told the benefit outweighs the risk, but I've not been told anything about whether I can breastfeed or not.

I have not had much change in my moods during my pregnancy (34 weeks) apart from a blub now and then which is probably normal.

I was more frightened of stopping if I were advised to, because life before them was miserable. Things seem to be going ok with the baby. I've been told I'll stay in hospital for a couple of days after giving birth so that they can keep an eye on myself and my baby because of the tablets. I'm not sure what they think might happen?

Best wishes everyone.

I am so happy to have found this site ! I am currently taking citalopram 10 mg and would like to try for another baby soon, i tried to stop taking my pills 3 weeks ago and i have gone downhill, i cry about everything, i am moody, irritable, i do not enjoy life, so decided today after reading your posts to start taking it again.
I so wanted to start planning this pregnancy and no taking AD, but I can't and feel sad about it. I feel like i am made to choose between having a baby and feeling ok. Two months ago i told my doctor i wanted to try for a baby and he said stop taking the medication but then i went away for two months to see family and did not stop taking it until three weeks ago.. I really do not know what to do.

Hey, I was on 40mg citalopram and was told by my GP, my Dad (who is a doctor) and the psychiatrist not to take citalopram in pregnancy, especially in 1st 12 weeks. There are possibly some very some small indications of increased miscarriage risk and congenital heart defects. They told me to come off it asap. I took 20mg for 2 days, then 20 every other day for a week then came off. Felt horrible but would have felt guilty taking it with the baby inside.Im now 28 weeks and feel alright. The docs said that if I feel bad in my 3rd tri or when bf then I could take sertroline which doesnt pass into placenta.

However, thats just the advice I got. If your docs say for you to carry on taking it, then you definately definately should - quite a few women do take SSRI's throughout pregnancy. All risks are relative and should be weighed up against other factors in your life. NO ONE, however healthy they believe they are being, has a risk free pregnancy. Do as the doc says I think! x

Hi Everyone,
So this thread has amazed me at it started in 2008 and there is still alot of debate surrounding this issue! I searched Google for Citalopram in Pregnancy and this is where i was led to!
I am now 24 weeks pregnant and am currently on 20-30mg of Citalopram. This is my second pregnancy, the first I miscarried at 10 weeks.
My husband is on alot of medication so we decided before ttc that we would seek advice from the family planning clinic and our doctor. The family planning clinic we less than helpful and the GP's have been supportive but I am getting conflicting information.
So, the GP said there is no concern about the baby from a perspective of my Husband's medication. My GP did advise however that she would want me to wean off my Citalopram after 16 weeks pf pregnancy as the baby would need NICU care otherwise after the birth.
On speaking to my midwife at my 16 week check up, she denied this and said that it would be better for my health to stay on the Citalopram and that it doesn't mean baby will have to go into NICU at all. She said the baby would most likely need monitoring for 48 hours post birth to check its observations and for signs of withdrawal. She also said that the amount of Citalopram passed through the breat milk is small and there should be no reason why I shouldn't breast feed.
HOWEVER, the past couple of weeks hormones have been playing havoc and I must admit I haven't been as religious with my taking my meds as I should have been as i suffered horrendous morning sickness until about week 18. I think this combined with pregnancy hormones made me dip. I went to see my GP who advised I come off the Citalopram and change to Sertraline. She said that I would probably get worse before I get better but this would be better for the baby. I reported I didn't want to get worse (obviously) and she suggested boosting me to 30mg Citalopram to get me right and then changing me over.
I saw my midwife yesterday and told her this. She said absolutely not to change medication and to continue with the 20-30mg.
Im so confused! Who do I listen to?!? The midwife will have obviously delivered babies to parents who have been on ads and seen any possible side effects but the GP is the one to issue the medication!
Ideally I wouldn't like to be on anything at all. But i do worry about PND and the effects of weaning.
So anyway - no one is alone in this dilemna! It looks like we are all advised different things and are equally as confused! I would say it is important to stay well in yourself otherwise you will be no use to that little baby you created. On the other hand, the thought of putting my baby through a kind of withdrawal haunts me.
Watch this space i guess! I will most definately come back to report on any outcomes in the hope it may offer some more advice to those going through similar.

Hi i have been on citalopram on and off for nearly 10 years, i'm only 28 yr old. I was on tablets constantly during my first pregnancy, i have a very healthy 3 yr old son now, i would suggest staying on the tablets if it is in your best interest i was taking 60mg a day while pregnant with ds when ds was born they had to keep a close check on him for 48 hrs to look for signs of withdrawal, but i was told that was due to the high amount i was taking. i'm now on pregnancy number 3, had mc with 2nd preg. This time round i came off the tablets without consulting gp first when i found out i was preg again, now i'm wishing i stayed on them a little bit longer, i'm getting regularly checked for withdrawal symptoms and for any sign of anti-natal/ post-natal depression again (i've suffered with both). Glad i found this post as now i know i'm not the only one who feels like this.

Hi everyone
I am new to mumsnet, just running a cursory search of pregnancy and feeling low and found this page. I wanted to share my thoughts with you.
Firstly I must say I felt quite teary reading some of the posts you ladies' have written, I don't feel so alone now.
I too have struggled with anxiety since my teens and for the last 10 years have been on and off Ads. My DH and I decided to take the plunge and try for a baby, and excitedly we conceived not long after. However, after a few days after finding out, my anxiety shot through the roof. We told close family members when I was about 8 weeks and everyone was so excited - but inside I was feeling so scared and overhwhelmed - so very far from being excited (which was how I was when deciding to conceive!!). I decided to go to the GP and confess that I was not coping. I was a wreck, I was feeling so low and gittery, feeling like going outside was too much to cope with at times. I am now on 10mg Citalopram (I use to be on 20 and gave up earlier in the year before ttc), still feeling the anxiety pangs and wonder whether I should discuss going back up to my usual on 20mg with the doctor. I feel so guilty about taking these meds, but I honestly can not cope. I have a full time job, which I am really struggling to concentrate in, plus dealing with constant nausea, food adversion, sore boobs, fatigue - you name it. Sorry to rant, I just wanted to really let it all out and share. I am currently 11 weeks, and I am told that pregnancy niggles get better by second trimester....
I really hope when the baby is born that I am back to my old self again..

I've just found out I'm pregnant - two to three weeks - and currently living in France although we're thinking of moving to the UK to be closer to my mum - and I've been taking 20mg of citalopram for three and a half years. To be honest I didn't feel like it was helping me much but was too afraid to come off it before in case it was the one thing holding it all together!! The doctor I saw advised me to stop taking it immediately - and I seem to remember reading in the leaflet you get with the medecine that it's unsuitable for pregnant women. My French doctor told me I should switch to a different anti depressant because citalopram is a molecule that interferes with the developing baby. I stopped taking it immediately because I didn't want to take the risk of damaging my child, although it's only been 5 days so far I haven't even noticed the come down, I'm just so happy about being pregnant! I'm going to keep an eye on my mood though and will go straight to my GP if I think I do still need the support of anti depressants.

Hi Kitty

I am exactly like you have taken anti-depressants for anxiety maybe five times since I was a teenager. I wasn't on them through my first pregnancy (dd now 3) but when she was about 10months and I stopped breastfeeding I had a bit of a meltdown and started to take 20mg again. I have now reduced that to 10mg because I finally feel ready to start TTC. I have definitely noticed the difference and had some mild side effects like nausea etc reducing the meds most of all I just don't feel as good as I did on 20mg. I wanted to stop taking the meds before starting to try for another baby but now I don't know if I'll be able to. I very scared to have another breakdown - the last one was the worst ever I really felt awful and I'm no use to dd like that. Putting pressure on myself isn't helping but now I'm starting to think maybe we should just go ahead and start trying even though I'm still taking 10mg - there are so many stories on here of women who have taken it in pregnancy and everything has been absolutely fine.

How long have you been taking 10 mgs? I think it takes a month to six weeks to really get you balanced again...maybe you'll start to feel better in a few weeks. The first trimester is the most difficult I think - it certainly was for me!! Had such bad nausea couldn't eat anything but ice until I was about 20 weeks!! hang in there ...there are lots of people including me who know exactly how you feel!! x

Wow this ones been going awhile, I've skimmed thru. I was on 10mg of citalopram when I first got preg my doc had me weened off them straight away. I was on them for severe pmt. I was just told to go back if I really couldn't cope without them. I was very tearful and moody but how much of that is preg hormones anyway?
I had a mc and considered going back on them but then changed my mind since we where going to try again straight away. I became preg 2months later and I'm now just over 7wks. I have been fine without my tables. For yrs my doc wanted me to try to come off them but the thought of it scared me. Im glad I'm off them now

Hi I suffer from an underactive thyroid which, when it wobbles, makes me very anxious leading to panic attacks and depression, as the initial brain slowing issues trigger cycles of longer depressive and anxious behaviour, which then can take a while to work on. I was given antidepressants initially before diagnoses at 20 (now 35) and found I can't take them, the only thing that has ever helped were beta blockers which I had to give up in Jan before ttc. Cbt can help me when my thyroid is corrected, before that its a state of being in my brain. I did really well but at 8 weeks had a slapped cheek disease scare coupled with what ended up being a very bad breakdown in thyroid function. The combination of stress, thyroid hormones and general preg hormones led to serious loss of marbles! What I want to say though is that for SOME of you it may be genuine preg hormones at first, which eventually may pass, (still pretty horrid though I know) all of you really should be allowed to see a consultant to discuss further. as my eventual thyroid consultant has said 'there was no reason I couldn't have seen him sooner' though id asked the docs many times! If you feel unsure about advice I really recommend trying to speak to a consultant. It's really hard trying to get some docs to understand I know but keep asking the questions. I feel much more balanced following a massive dose increase (double) and now being 16 weeks, though the doc did contemplate some cbt if I didn't, but it may be that some of you do indeed need more help. We do get more blood after all. It may be that cbt helps, it but the brain is a delicate thing and it may well need a balancing of hormones eg antidepressants. Consultants have the most up to date info. Charities like MIND and SANE might help, I also spoke to a wonderful lady at a charity called PANDA for pre and post natal depression.

Really hope everyone gets the help they need it can feel so lonely, just remember you are not alone x

Just reading this thread for the first time. I Googled my new medication and this page came up, it's very helpful to hear that there are other women with the same issues and concerns. I had been on anti-depression meds for over a year when I found out I was pregnant (unexpectedly), I panicked thinking that I should stop them straight away as to not harm the baby, so I did I quit cold turkey. I lasted 3 months before my boyfriend and my doctor and I came to the conclusion that I would be better off taking my meds. I was irritable and argumentative and just so so sad my depression has been taking over my life in a bad way. So I went back on my 20mg of Prozac, the anxiety just got worse so much so that I'm finding it hard to go to work and do anything but sleep and cry, now my doc has put me on Co-Citalopram 20mg. She's hoping that this medication will work and help with my depression. She says the benefits of being on this medication for me outweigh the risks during my pregnancy. Her and my pharmacist have gone through the risks with me, mostly they talk about baby being born with withdrawal issues and hypertension. This terrifies me me to no end, but I feel like I'm at a point where I don't have any other choice. I feel like I did give no drugs a chance it didn't work, I need help with my depression......

Anyway I'm starting this new medication today and we'll see how it goes.

Hello everyone, I have been On this thread before pregnancy and conception and throughout my pregnant. I have since had 3 babies!!

I have taken citalopram before conception, during conception an pregnancy and also breastfed on them!!

I have looked into every bit of info on this and have spoke to top consultants and doctors at the Trevor Mann baby unit!! They are all happy with citalopram not even a issue what so ever!!!

All my midwives are saw didn't see it as a problem!!

I had breast feeding consultant who also didn't see it as a problem!!

It is everyone's own choice .. It is something I didn't take lightly and got as much info as I could before making mine!!
My first 2 pregnancys ( before citalopram) where awful!!!

Pregnancys (on citalopram) were lovely, I was happy through our and no PND, after!!!

Good luck

Just found out I am pregnant and have been on 30mg for about a year. GP told me to stop taking them straight away as effects during pregnancy have not been proven. No advice or warning about what was going to happen which I am very annoyed about. Stopped cold turkey 3 weeks ago and have never felt this bad. Dizziness, sickness all-day, spaced out. Can anyone else who has stopped suddenly please reply and let me know how long I can expect to feel this bad?

Kind regards,
Luci

I am nine weeks pregnant and have been on 40mg citalopram for almost a year but been on different doses for several years.

I have suffered with awful nausea and had time off work due to my pregnancy which is bad as I font get paid for sick days.

I have been physically and emotionally drained with feeling so ill. Doctors wouldnt give me any anti sickness medication due to being on citalopram. Therefore I stopped taking it.

I have been given avomine for the sickness which does help a bit, it stops the nauseous feeling but I have been sick a bit each day still,but can go to work.

Withdrawal from the citalopram is horrendous, felt so dizzy and very down I wish I hadn't stopped it but want to carry on With the anti sickness meds too. Ideally I'd like to take 20mg citalopram a day and anti sickness meds as and when needed but know the doc would not approve of this.

Any thoughts? Has anyone taken both and had experience of this?

Thanks.

Thank you so much for posting this. I also have been on Citalopram for quite a long time (6.5 years) and am not very good without them. At all. I managed to come off them due to former GPs insistence with my 2nd pregnancy, but regret doing so because I had shocking PND. Counselling didn't help with it then. I am now having counselling with a bloody good counsellor, am on 40mg a day and am feeling very pregnant. Two weeks late, boobs darker and caesarean scar feels, well, odd (still numb around it seven years on, but it kind of feels a bit odd there). I'm pretty regular so something's not right. I'm worried bout doing a test and the doctor telling me I have to cold turkey, but hopefully he will be kinder and allow me to reduce it.... Why is there not enough research going on about citalopram and regency! Surely it would be in the interests of the medical companies who could fund it?!

I have a 2.5 DS and I'm 36 weeks pg now. I took Fluoxetine through my first pregnancy as well as an anti-psychotic and I have been doing the same in this pregnancy. I was referred to a gynaecologist with a specialism in high-risk pregnancies due to medication and she told me that although official guidance is that these drugs are not safe in pregnancy due to insufficient, she knew several medical trials that were not available to the public which showed that most ADs and APs produced no more or less birth defects than a mother taking no medication. Many hospitals have a psychiatrist attached with a specialism in anti-natal care.

I take my medication because I need it to live a normal and healthy life - it is not a lifestyle choice. If I were diabetic then I would not cease to take this because I was pregnant as it would be essential to the health of my and my baby. The same applies to my current meds.

Most GPs will have an automatic reflex to tell you to stop taking the medication. I find this ironic as my anti-psychotic medication is strictly controlled and GPs are not able to prescribe it without a psych writing the initial prescription. If they can't give it to me in the first place, then do they really have the expertise to tell me to stop taking it?

Hi everyone. I am just under 8 weeks. I have been talking citalopram for 5 years. I consulted my GP as soon as I found out I was pregnant as I had no idea how med would impact development of pregnancy. I was on 40mg/day, my GP advised me to adjust intake to 2x20mg one day, and then 1x20mg the next with the view to bringing dosage down to 20mg/day. I've so far been okay, just felt the funny head rush sensation every now and then that I have experienced if I have missed a day. I was really worried about medication and pregnancy, I couldn't find anything on line to put my mind at ease. I just read a page about breast feeding whilst taking citalopram and it advised against it which came as a disappointment. A friend told me that the hospital I have opted for has a foetal medicine unit. I'll ask my midwife how I go about accessing the unit for advice so I can stop giving myself things to be anxious about! Xxx

I am on Citalopram at the moment and likely to stay on SSRIs as have had anxiety issues all my life and had a bad episode last year, that I really don't want to go through again. Anyway long story short but this year me and husband are probably going to TTC this year so I went to the doctor to talk about all things pills yesterday. He said that although they prefer mums to be to not be on any pills they understand that some people really have a much better life on them (especially if they have been anxious much of their life like me which suggests a chemical imbalance) but he suggested they'd like to shift me onto another SSRI, Sertraline, just because they have more evidence about how it affects babies to be. Anyway I think this is what I will be doing, if anyone has any experience of swapping over please do shout, as I want to be settled down chemically & mentally before we start to try. I am hoping I can swap and be settled in 3 months time.

I'm 5 weeks pregnant now & up to now I've have been on 40mg Citalopram. Went to see my GP when I found out I was pregnant & she swapped me to Sertraline 100mg immediately.
I am SO ANGRY at the moment - is that because I've just done a straight swap to the new SSRI?