Sertraline in pregnancy

[Abee89]

Hello all,

it seems pregnancy has triggered anxiety/depression for me. Have not felt like myself at all since the pregnancy. I was prescribed 50mg of sertraline, I put of started it for weeks until I saw it as a last resort. I took one tablet the next day I ended up in the hospital from passing out, severe sickness and diarrhoea and thoughts of wanting to not be here . This put me off taking them again. But the anxiety depression was still there a doctor advised me to try 25mg. I started that yesterday. Today I’ve been getting light headaches, no appetite, exhausted, diarrhoea and the bad thoughts. Not as bad as the 50mg but I think I’m clearly sensitive to medication and scared to take another one tonight.

I wanted to ask if anyone has taken sertraline and experienced this and persevered and it got better?

many thanks

Hiya, I was prescribed sertraline during pregnancy 50mg, the doctor did warn me it would get worst before it got better whilst on the medication and that usually the first 2 weeks were the worst. That being said I felt okay physically so I’d say definitely speak to your doctor if you still don’t feel comfortable taking it, you know your body best x

@Louise20231 I am gutted it was my last hope and I was really hoping it would help but I just feel awful on it even the decreased dose 😢. The side effects scare me a bit more as well because I live alone. Can I ask were you put on it for depression? I understand if you don’t want to discuss x

pregnancy honestly can make you feel so drained mentally! has your gp offered any talking therapy? I would definitely continue to speak to your gp about your options as sertraline definitely won’t be the only thing! Have you seen your midwife yet? They can also offer support x

I was prescribed sertraline for depression and anxiety as it honestly went through the roof! X

Hi @Louise20231 my gp said I’d have to wait 6 months for therapy. My midwife kept cancelling my appointments so I’ve never met her only spoken on the phone when she calls to cancel. So I’ve been paying privately for therapy and a perinatal psychiatrist, I’ve even tried hypnotherapy and spent nearly 2000 now and running out of savings 😩😥 my mental health was fine before becoming pregnant I would get the odd anxiety here and there but nothing like this

Agree with the other poster , drs seem keen on prescribing things it took me two years to come off Setraline 50mg. I wish I’d never gone on the bloody things. It just hides the issues rather than tackling it. I now go for a run it makes me feel much better than Setraline. Hormones in pregnancy will make your emotions all over the place, sometimes the side effects are worse than the depression. Take care of yourself. X

I would definitely chase them up about the talking therapy as you are pregnant so they should be prioritising you! I think I waited maximum 2 weeks when I was pregnant tk be seen by a therapist on the NHS. Also same with the midwife, have you had your booking appointment yet? How many weeks gone are you? Definitely give them a ring as they should also be seeing you and checking on your well being as well as bumps! They of all people know how hard pregnancy can be and are very understanding, they see it all the time! My anxiety went real bad during pregnancy I honestly thought I was losing the plot! Everyone reacts differently and I think hormones play a massive part too, but definitely chase the midwives up as well as the gp and explain your situation and they should offer you the support you need, the midwives can also refer you onto the perinatal team if you felt you would like the support and from what I’ve heard they have been amazing with loads of women x

@Louise20231 I had my booking appointment and I let them know then I was really struggling with anxiety and could they help they assured me they would and were referring me to perinatal mental health midwife. This is who kept cancelling my apps, she called me to cancel another app two weeks ago as she was going on annual leave and I asked if I could see someone else in the meantime as I was not coping and feel like I’m going mad. She said if I wasn’t coping I could contact bpas as I’m still in time for a termination. I wrote a complaint to the hospital and I’ve never heard back.

can I ask you said your anxiety got bad and you thought you were losing the plot, what kinds of things were you feeling/thinking. Loosing the plot is exactly how im feeling x

@Abee89 omg that’s horrendous! I can’t believe someone who’s supposed to be supporting women during pregnancy would even think to say that. Hopefully they deal with her because she definitely shouldn’t be working in that environment if that’s her attitude. Do you see any consultants? During my first pregnancy I was consultant led due to mental health so I also had support from them too, they just ask how you are etc, and they can also discuss your medication concerns. My anxiety came out of no where really, I had felt not too bad before pregnancy same as you. I was obsessing over paranoid thoughts that something bad was going to happen and stressing to the point it made me ill over things that hadn’t even happened. it took a lot for me to go to the doctors because I thought I would be judged. It got to the point where I just felt low and anxious all the time but when I started getting the support I needed everything got so much better x

@Louise20231 i know, I wasn’t necessarily shocked she had said it because tbh I’ve been feeling so Down I’ve even thought about it myself and that I shouldn’t be a mum but I was just so shocked it was coming fr a mental health midwife! Im so glad you got help it’s such a scary thing, I constantly feel like can I take one more day of this before I loose my marbles. I feel no bond to the baby which makes me scared and worried 😟

@Abee89 im so sorry, it sounds like you’re having a really tough time at the minute but things will get better! I would give the midwives a phone in the morning, explain to them how your feeling and tell them that you would like to see someone, also explain you haven’t seen the perinatal midwife yet and feel you need support sooner rather than later. Explain you have been to the GP too. The most important thing is to take care of yourself, try and do things that takes your mind off things like having a bubble bath, seeing family and friends, watching a movie, going for walks etc. support is out there I really hope you get the support you need x

only lasted 5 days on sertraline it made me tremble with anxiety and constant jaw clenching! horrible

I have BPD and PTSD (from my first baby passing late in pregnancy) I’m on 200mg sertraline and 250mg quetiapine have been on them for a long long time now. First time I was pregnant they started to take me off it and my depression got worse so I’ve been left on it. I’m pregnant again and I think it’s determined that it’s better for me and baby for me to be mentally well

@Abee89 reading what else you’ve put I’m p*** off with the lack of support I’ve been receiving too! I have my first appointment with perinatal this Sunday and I’ll be 21 weeks!!! Im happy they’re seeing me but I’ll give you a brief run down of my situation…

as I said in previous post I’ve struggled with MH since I was a teenager and I have borderline personality disorder. Last year I lost my baby at 23+5 totally unexpectedly which I’ve been now told has given me PTSD as well which I totally agree with because it was traumatising AF.

after my loss I was told I’d get all this extra support, I feel like I’ve had f all. Yes I have my first appt this weekend but that was after me having to chase it up 3 times!! And these 5 months I’ve had to totally navigate by myself not well worrying there’s something wrong with my baby. I’ve seen a midwife twice and just had my regular 12 week scan and 20 week scan which is tomorrow.

having mental health issues anyway I’m used to being disappointed by and fobbed off by MH services but when it comes to pregnancy I don’t think there’s space for any of this

Hi op, so sorry you’re having such a difficult time. I’m here to offer you some reassurance. I am 33 weeks and have been on sertraline for the last 6 weeks. The first few weeks I won’t lie were truly awful, my anxiety sky rocketed and I had to have a lot of support from my husband and family. This did lift and whilst I’m not 100%, I am getting there week by week and the awful increased anxiety has diminished. I see glimmers of myself and positivity for the future so if you feel like you can, give it some time to get into your system. ❤️

The side effects can be rough, but honestly, it's changed my life, so it was absolutely worth it. Some people have horrific side effects and have to stop, but if you can ride it out, it's so worth it.

Hi OP, so sorry you are struggling. I haven’t taken Setraline in pregnancy but I have been on and off the medication for years. What I will say is in the first couple of weeks it’s normal to get a lot of side-effects, I would typically suffer from headaches, nausea , insomnia after starting. But these effects fade really quickly and after that the meds really helped a huge amount with my mood/ anxiety. I haven’t had the psychological side effects you seem to be experiencing though, but I know those can often be common when first starting, on the other hand they could be dangerous if they get too extreme so good to chat to your dr. Anyways I just wanted to give a different perspective on the meds and let you know that if you did decide to continue you may feel the side effects improve really quickly xx

Has anyone taken nortriptyline throughout pregnancy and what dosage? And was everything ok with baby?

Has anyone taken nortriptyline throughout pregnancy and what dosage? And was everything ok with baby?

I had a complete breakdown during pregnancy and was later diagnosed with bipolar. Sertraline did really help me hang in there big hugs