Taking antidepressants in pregnancy

[MC76]

Hi all, is anyone taking any form of antidepressants during pregnancy, seroxat in particular? I am on a low dose (5mg per day) and want to continue but have heard bad things about baby's born with withdrawal symptoms......any advice/experience?

xx

i took seroxat - sameas you, 5mg throughout my pregnancy with ds1. My GP was a complete cow and made me cry about still being on them while pregnant, but the consultant was very angry with her and said that it was such a low dose the benefits definitely outweighed any potential downsides. Most of the studies which found babies with withdrawal symptoms had mums on 40mg+ per day.

We didnt notice any problems with ds - you could always breastfeed as a method of avoiding withdrawal as a tiny tiny portion of seroxat gets into breastmilk. That's what i did.

'Its very important that you feel able to cope with life/pregnancy etc - dont let anyone make you feel guilty for trying to stay on the right side of sane.

good luck x

Watching with interest. Am on Citalopram (20mg but could squeeze by on 10mg if I absolutely had to) and I can't see me ever stopping them. Have tried several times and it has not been a happy experience. Would like to ttc dc2 in the new year and am concerned about the anti Ds.

hello there, I am on 20mg of citalopram a day. I had huge misgivings prior about taking them but had to in the end as I was going down hill very fast.

I don't regret it all. I am now 38 weeks and suffering with high blood pressure and various other bits and pieces. To be honest I couldn't have held it together without the support of the medication.

I would add that I am having some very targetted therapy which is also having a good impact. In my mind the benefits to my unborn child are far greater than the risk that taking the medication could pose. I read up widely on the matter and decided that it was the best course of action for me personally. I hope that you come to the best decision for you personally.

Thanks to both of you that's really reassuring, especially about the 40 mg plus...I am seeing my doctor Monday who is very fair and understanding.

I was on 5mg of Seroxat but tried to come off during November and thought I was o.k. but then last week or so have had to go back up as it obviously got out of my system and I wasn't able to cope without it and I don't want to be dreading having a baby and getting PND but looking forward to it!

I am also seeing the consultant next Wednesday who was the one that said I should wean myself off it wks 34 onwards but I am going to tell him that's not worked for me so far. He just read my notes last time in 5 minutes and has no idea of my history, why you'd tell someone with previous anxiety/depression to come off tablets just before major life change I don't know!!

I am just going to continue in the vain that the benefits of having a healthy happy mother far outweigh the cons of not taking them.

xx

Hi rockbird - im 31wks pregnant with number 2 at the mo and am on 20mg citalopram. I cut down to 10mg for the first trimester, then when pregnancy sickness made me lose 1.5 stones i was so down that the doctor told me to go back to 20 again. Ive had three scans and everything is normal - im not worried now - although i did spend the first few months feeling dreadfully guilty.

Thanks Minnie bauble, I am trying hypnotherapy too to change thought processes and it's pretty good - needed with drugs as I have learnt the hard way, but good for general relaxation.

I agree with you, better you mentally up to it and able to cope than falling apart at the seams, I hope your birth goes a bit more smoothly xx

PS: Pooter what made you switch from Seroxat to Citalopram, is one safer/better than the other? I am 31 weeks too!

I know what you mean MC - Its not like we have taken our medication for years just for fun. If i could get by without it then of course i would - but living with antidepressants is infinitely preferable to me (and i would imagine, my family) than feeling suicidal.

Exactly, I want to be able to look forward to my baby, just increasing back to 5 mg this past week is finally starting to kick in and I feel so much better than I did even a few days ago.

I think that i switched when DS1 was about 8mo because it wasnt having the same effect on me anymore - It certainly wasnt because of future family planning (at that stage i was still prepared to whack my DH if he came near me!!)

If i can remember from my reading i dont think there is any difference between seroxat and citalopram with regard to pregnancy.

Im doing a hypnobirthing course for this pregnancy - i think it is really helping to calm my fears. Im a big fan of hypnotherapy anyway though. Is this your first MC? Im due on the 17th Feb - although DS was 10 days late.

Im going to take DS out into the snow now! He keeps going to the window and saying "oh Wow" in an awed voice! He thinks that Father Christmas is going to come and play with him.

Yes, first baby, hence my anxiety about taking the drugs. My due date is 17th February as well!!