Should I start anti-depressants?

[firsttimeanxiousmam]

Hi all,

I have had some very up and down threads going on since finding out I’m pregnant. My mental health has never been great for a number of years and when finding out I was pregnant it was as if depression and anxiety took over again.

My doctor and midwife have told me to start taking sertaline again, when I first start taking them the first two weeks are awful, kind of puts me off…

It’s putting me off taking them more because my hormones are crazy at the moment and I don’t want sertaline to mess with them further or mentally burn me out.

I’m wondering if any first time mums are out there with mental health and if you started taking meds during pregnancy? I understand it’s different for everyone but having a bit of an outlook helps a lot.

Thank you!❤️

How far along are you?

I had pnd with first and have really struggled for the first trimester with this second pregnancy. I do feel like the hormones made everything a million times worse as I feel better each day now I'm in the second trimester.

Yes see I’m 8 weeks pregnant currently so I’m still in the first trimester. I do believe my mental health and the mix of hormones has been making me feel negative about the pregnancy and it’s not actually myself if that makes sense.

I just feel like the last thing I want to do is start taking anti-depressants if these feelings may start to subside with time…

Do you feel like you could hold off another few weeks and if you continued to feel the same in the second trimester then it might be worth considering the medication?

I told myself if I continued to feel the same I would seek help in the second trimester but have genuinely felt so much better now hormones have settled.

Not quite the same but I started sertraline in the postnatal period after my first baby.
Would you consider starting a really low dose every other day to start with?
Yes there are downsides to taking antidepressants but there can also be upsides if you're able to lift your mood and take care of yourself well overall, so it may well be worthwhile giving it a go but easing yourself in.