Sertraline while pregnant

[Dancinginthemoonlight11]

I’m currently 30 weeks pregnant and been diagnosed antenatal depression, the midwives have been great they have been so supportive, I only wish I had the courage to speak up sooner so I could of enjoyed this pregnancy more.

I have been prescribed Sertraline, I have never taken any antidepressants before and slightly nervous about the numb feeling my midwife described for the first two weeks of taking these.

If anyone would like to share their experiences with sertaline it would be really helpful.

Thank you so much x

Hi @Dancinginthemoonlight11

Firstly, well done on speaking up and getting support - so many don't. I personally suffered with severe anxiety most of my life but I just put up with it as I didn't want to become 'a statistic'. As a result I struggled through my first pregnancy which was topped off with hyperemisis and then when my daughter was born she was so unwell the first 8 weeks of her life, turning out to be a severe dairy and soya allergy. Fast forward a year and I finally admitted when she was a year old that I just couldn't live with that level of constant anxiety and fear anymore and I broke down on a GP at an appointment for something totally unrelated. She was amazing and prescribed me Sertraline.

My experiences of Sertraline are as follows: first 2 weeks, very difficult, I experienced pretty much every side effect going including insomnia, clenched fists and jaw and massively increased anxiety (oh the irony) but the GP hand held me all the way through those first 2 weeks and suddenly when I thought they'd never end, it lifted and I truly felt like I could see life in full colour again. I have now been on Sertraline for almost a year, and I can worry like a normal person now without it escalating and causing the pain and stress it used to, I finally feel like I can function properly.

I'm currently 19 weeks pregnant with my 2nd baby, and the GP strongly advised me to remain on sertraline, saying the risks of my anxiety during pregnancy were far higher than the risks of taking the sertraline and honestly it's been a totally different experience to my last pregnancy. Even with hyperemisis I am coping totally differently, I am bonding with the baby in my tummy instead of resenting it and I can look forward to them arriving without being scared of every twinge/over thinking every thing possible.

All I can say is sertraline truly changed my life and I'm just gutted I didn't see the GP sooner than I did. Persevere through the first 2 weeks, prepare your loved ones that you might have a tough couple of weeks so they support you and remember, if you have side effects they pass and it's so worth it.

Hope this helps x