Citalopram

[Northernsoul90]

Hi, sorry in advance for the long post. I have just found out I'm pregnant so very early days - 15dpo today. I'm just wondering if anyone has experience of taking 10mg citalopram throughout pregnancy.

I have been on SSRIs for over 10 years for anxiety and depression and have tried to come off numerous times which has resulted in terrible bouts of depression and also a huge increase in panic attacks. The last time I tried to come off was when ttc my first daughter who's now 3, in the end I ended up having to go back on the meds but switched to sertraline which I was on throughout pregnancy.

Whilst I've been ttc this baby I rang my GP to discuss meds and she basically said there isn't really any reason to switch from citalopram to sertraline but I asked to move down from 20mg to 10mg which I did. Now I've got my bfp though I'm starting to worry already about the meds affecting baby, a new study published in 2023 found a link between ssris in pregnancy and brain development. Most of my anxiety is health related and I'm just feeling guilty already even though I know it's very unlikely I will cope without medication given past experience. Any insight would be appreciated. Just to add I've also had CBT and talking therapies numerous times.

Hi, I was on Citalopram at 20mg throughout my first pregnancy. I had been taking it for many years beforehand too. None of the medical staff i saw thought it would cause any issues, in fact they felt it would be more of a risk to try and withdraw from taking it during pregnancy. Particularly as I’d been taking it for so long. My DC was born absolutely fine and I can’t see that she has suffered any ill-effects from me taking it either. Like you, I was worried but I think the important thing to focus on is making sure you are healthy both physically and mentally, as having a baby is tough especially the first few months. You want to make sure you’re in the best place to deal with that, and if you need medication to ensure you feel well then it think that’s absolutely fine.

Thank you for your reply. I think I know really that I need to stay on it as I have had bad experiences of trying to wean off in the past so doing it whilst pregnant would probably be even more difficult. My anxiety was awful in my last pregnancy and that was whilst remaining on them. If it was a medication for another health condition there wouldn't be a question of coming off it but because it's mental health I feel some kind of guilt around it.

I think I've just scared myself looking at different articles and things online however my GP wasn't concerned and no health care professional was in my last pregnancy either.

Also on 20mg citalopram throughout my recent pregnancy. You need to be your best mentally and there’s no studies to suggest this drug causes any issues if just go back to your normal dose

I've been taking 50mg Sertraline for years and decided to continue during pregnancy. Before getting pregnant, I did what you did and read some studies, which admittedly freaked me out a bit. I tried to come off Sertraline but wasn't functioning well at all, so decided my own mental health was too important and conceived while taking it.

I'm 22 weeks right now, baby is developing well, and I have no regrets. My midwife has reassured me that there's nothing to worry about. You're on a similarly low dose so I'm sure you have nothing to worry about either. Even if you were on a high dose, you have to weigh up the value of your antidepressants versus any possible harm they could do to your baby. And it is really unlikely!

If you're feeling bad about it, this talk on YouTube about maternal mental health and baby's development is great - . It's really eye opening and made me feel like I was definitely doing the right thing staying on my medication.

I took an SSRI during pregnancy. No one was concerned about the risk to the baby, my baby was absolutely fine, I did some reading and risks to the baby seemed very low. One of the risks to be aware of is one that affects to you, SSRIs are linked to having a bigger bleed after giving birth. I lost nearly a litre of blood and was anaemic afterwards. But, I guess it's hard to know whether that was due to the medication or if it would have happened anyway. Good luck in your pregnancy xxx

Thank you all for your replies. @alpacamonstera I will definitely give that a watch thank you, I was similar to you in that when I previously tired to wean off meds I wasn't coping well at all.

@SKLM Thats good to know, I wasnt aware of the increased risk of bleeding. I was also on an SSRI for my last pregnancy and aspirin which obviously acts as a blood thinner so that's a something to be aware of if aspirin is needed again this time xx

I was on 40mg of citalopram throughout my pregnancy. Child now 15 and flourishing. Congratulations, and it’s easy to say, but try not to worry. Your little ones will benefit more from having a mentally healthy mum than a pill-free one. Xx