Prozac during last trimester

susankon4

I went to my prenatal appointment the other day and was prescribed Prozac. I have been reading on it and I am definitely leary about taking it. I just want to know if you or anyone you know was prescribed Prozac on their last trimester and what was their experience.
I have been battling with depression and anxiety for a very long time, and I just want to do what is best for my baby, and avoid postpartum depression...

satuttle1014

Did your doctor prescribe it at your appointment? I would think that your doctor would only prescribe you safe medications to take.

susankon4

The midwife did, yes. She said that my baby may come out jittery from a withdrawal. I know I should be on some form of antidepressant but I just wanted to see what experience other moms who have been put on it have had. I did some research and many people say that Zoloft if better.

satuttle1014

Prozac could be her go to brand but if you are unsure about it you can call and ask her what she thinks of Zoloft instead or why she prefers one brand to the other?

cerafina205

I took zoloft during my last trimester for my first and while breastfeeding. If you're not comfortable taking Prozac then ask for Zoloft.

susankon4

@cerafina205 did you or your baby have any issues?

@satuttle1014 : I have another appointment with her the 21st, I will definitely ask about Zoloft, and if I can't get it I will try other ways to cope until my baby is born.

celainev

Your Doctor is weighing the benefits of taking it against the harm it can do to your baby. Clearly she believes it's better for you to be on the antidepressant.

I recommend calling her and asking more about it, if you're unsure. Even if someone on here has taken it in 3rd tri, their outcome may not be the same as yours. Talk to your doctor/midwife.

PedsIsHardcore

A lot of depression medications can cause complications in the last trimester. That is a fact.

However, if you are depressed it's better for you to be on something than nothing at all. The reason being is because of the hormone changes after baby, it can cause things to get much worse. I had postpartum depression after having my DD.

I was prescribed Lexapro and it has a very low risk of complications, but there are complications that can be caused by it.

I was depressed but my anxiety is getting the best of me. I go to therapy and after baby I will be starting Lexapro or Prozac. I had a huge change in medications and I ended up totally forgetting about taking it all together, so that's the only reason I'm not on it right now.

I also agree with chaelainev. You should call your midwife and discuss it with her. She is the one taking medical responsibility and it's most definitely something that you and her need to discuss so you know exactly where she is coming from on it and also ask how her other patients have done on it. She should be able to tell you her first hand experience with pregnant ladies on anti-depressants.

cerafina205

I took the lowest dose of 25mg per day. My sister took 75mg with her first and 100mg with her second for all three trimesters. No issues.

LIly436

I do not think a midwife is knowledgeable enough to prescribe antidepressants, talk to a psychiatrist 

Jellybelly119

LIly436 said:

I do not think a midwife is knowledgeable enough to prescribe antidepressants, talk to a psychiatrist 

You're just chock-full of unhelpful advice today, aren't you?

sanayeli

I have an appointment with my psychiatrist the ob sent me to until January .... I'm due in February do I think I'll just hold off till the baby comes.

But if your really depressed and feel you may cause harm to yourself or anyone it's better to start taking them.

sanayeli

So*

I have to correct it . Also the image I attached is that study shows that women who take antidepressants the last six months of their pregnancy the child has a higher risk of being diagnosed with autism.but I'm just sharing it.

soxfan9968

The study you're referring to notes a correlation not a cause. Correlation =/= causation. The same people that released the findings reported that out of all the women they studied (over 145,000)4,700 were on antidepressants and 1% of those women on antidepressants had children that were later diagnosed with autism. That is not the same as saying taking antidepressants can cause autism.

cerafina205

There is currently no known cause for ASD. Another theory for the increase in ASD diagnosis is that there is more knowledge about the disorder as therefore can be identified and diagnosed. Therefore, get the help you need. I do agree to get a second opinion from a psychiatrist.

dramaphile

As with all medications during pregnancy, your doctor can help you determine if the benefits of the medication outweigh the risks. No medication is considered 100% safe during pregnancy because clinical trials are not done on pregnant women, only in animals.

DrillSergeantCat

sanayeli said:

So* I have to correct it . Also the image I attached is that study shows that women who take antidepressants the last six months of their pregnancy the child has a higher risk of being diagnosed with autism.but I'm just sharing it.

Click the gear in the top right corner of your comment and you can edit there.

LIly436

Only a psychiatrist is capable to assess the risk to benefit ratio of taking an antidepressant, midwife is just not educated enough. It is a fact and there is nothing wrong with what I said. If a person, who was unhappy with my advise had education equivalent to a medical school, she would have known that

Jellybelly119

LIly436 said:

Only a psychiatrist is capable to assess the risk to benefit ratio of taking an antidepressant, midwife is just not educated enough. It is a fact and there is nothing wrong with what I said. If a person, who was unhappy with my advise had education equivalent to a medical school, she would have known that

And a psychiatrist is not given much education with regard to fetal development and the specific risks of medications; hence, it should be a team approach. Get off your high horse.

LIly436

Jellybelly119 said:

Only a psychiatrist is capable to assess the risk to benefit ratio of taking an antidepressant, midwife is just not educated enough. It is a fact and there is nothing wrong with what I said. If a person, who was unhappy with my advise had education equivalent to a medical school, she would have known that

And a psychiatrist is not given much education with regard to fetal development and the specific risks of medications; hence, it should be a team approach. Get off your high horse.

You have no idea what  you are talking about, contrary to me. Psychiatrists are very well educated in fetal development. Risks and benefits of medications is an essential part of their education as well. They go through at least 11 years of college, medical school and residency in order to practice. There are no safe antidepressants on the market, so it is best to let a psychiatrist decide on how to manage a depression and not a midwife, who's education in this area is truly limited. Actually, psychiatrists are well trained in delivering babies too, but I would not seek their expertise in that area. So each should stick to what they are doing best
Another option for the OP is a group or individual therapy. Drug free and may be very effective

Jellybelly119

LIly436 said:

Jellybelly119 said:

LIly436 said:

Only a psychiatrist is capable to assess the risk to benefit ratio of taking an antidepressant, midwife is just not educated enough. It is a fact and there is nothing wrong with what I said. If a person, who was unhappy with my advise had education equivalent to a medical school, she would have known that

And a psychiatrist is not given much education with regard to fetal development and the specific risks of medications; hence, it should be a team approach. Get off your high horse.

You have no idea what  you are talking about, contrary to me. Psychiatrists are very well educated in fetal development. Risks and benefits of medications is an essential part of their education as well. They go through at least 11 years of college, medical school and residency in order to practice. There are no safe antidepressants on the market, so it is best to let a psychiatrist decide on how to manage a depression and not a midwife, who's education in this area is truly limited. Actually, psychiatrists are well trained in delivering babies too, but I would not seek their expertise in that area. So each should stick to what they are doing best
Another option for the OP is a group or individual therapy. Drug free and may be very effective

Mmmhmm I'm obviously not at all qualified to debate this insane point of view with you.

LIly436

You are well qualified to insert pictures

brushesnbrunch

LIly436 said:

Jellybelly119 said:

Only a psychiatrist is capable to assess the risk to benefit ratio of taking an antidepressant, midwife is just not educated enough. It is a fact and there is nothing wrong with what I said. If a person, who was unhappy with my advise had education equivalent to a medical school, she would have known that

And a psychiatrist is not given much education with regard to fetal development and the specific risks of medications; hence, it should be a team approach. Get off your high horse.

You have no idea what  you are talking about, contrary to me. Psychiatrists are very well educated in fetal development. Risks and benefits of medications is an essential part of their education as well. They go through at least 11 years of college, medical school and residency in order to practice. There are no safe antidepressants on the market, so it is best to let a psychiatrist decide on how to manage a depression and not a midwife, who's education in this area is truly limited. Actually, psychiatrists are well trained in delivering babies too, but I would not seek their expertise in that area. So each should stick to what they are doing best
Another option for the OP is a group or individual therapy. Drug free and may be very effective

Just curious, did I miss somewhere where you mentioned your credentials to know more about the education of psychiatrists than the person you are arguing with? And, do you know her credentials to make such a statement?

LIly436

Guess 

brushesnbrunch

Guess? That's an adult response right there.

"You know what happens when you assume..."

LIly436

Google then, you may find more funny pictures for our entertainment 

herfst80

When you have doubts about starting now or after labor, here 's something to overthink; a lot of antidepressivants take time to start working after using it. It can take up to 6 weeks before it's working properly. I understand very well that you want to wait to start for the wellbeing of your little one, but if you expect this will be mentally overwhelming for you, just realize the meds probably don't work immediately. Your psychiatrist can tell you more about this. Good luck with your decission..