Update for you all. My Dr today told me that my celexa is overall pretty safe for pregnancy. If he was going to have me off it, the highest risk period is 4-10 weeks. Which I'm already past. He said the other risk period is around delivery because the baby may have withdrawl effects. I would rather deal with that than run the risk of weening off and back on aorund delivery and PPD.
I had major depression problems and I knew I was pregnant. I went to a family practice doctor. They prescribed me zoloft and did not tell me the risks. I was very upset I took it for about a week and a half when I was like 6-7 weeks. I'm afraid i hurt my baby in some way. They say its safe but there's been cases that children have birth defects. Fingers crossed the babies healthy. My preggo hormones kicked in and I feel better. No hate to anyone on meds that's just my opinions and fears.
@momoflogan20 myself as well as a few other are taking Zoloft. My psychiatrist said precisely what @sammierose464 doctor said. My OB said it was fine and that they’re biggest concern was something about babies being born and taking a little longer to “wake up”. For me personally after the mental health journey I went through after DS the benefits outweigh the risks. Also if you took Zoloft for a week you have a slim chance of doing any damage.
My Dr today read right from a scientific article that said the risk is very minimal. However, it's a personal preference. SSRIs (like Zoloft and Celexa) are some of the safest antidepressants and antianxiety to take during pregnancy. It's important for you to feel good and be happy and healthy for the sake of your baby.
If you only took it for a week, I'm sure baby is perfectly fine.
I'm going to resurrect this thread instead of starting a new one...
As my pregnancy goes on, I find my mental and emotional health being harder and harder to maintain. I have contacted my counselor and will be going this week. Pregnancy has been rough on me, especially the last few weeks. I have good days and bad, but it seems the bad are more frequent lately. It's basically every other day that I feel like absolute crap. I don't know if I'm over doing it on my good days?
Anyone else finding their depression/anxiety or other mood disorders acting up as we get further? Anything you're doing to help maintain it?
@sammierose464 my anxiety has definitely gotten worse now that we've hit 3rd trimester. I've been off my meds this entire pregnancy and I've been fine so far. Hoping to stay off till baby is born, but I know if things get really bad I can take it and the risk is very low (have already spoken to doc about this.) Hope you start to feel better soon. Try a warm bath tonight to relax and take your mind of things.
Im glad I decided to stay on my meds, I honestly can't imagine what I'd be like without them right now. Mine is a mix of depression and anxiety. Everytime I feel like crap my anxiety rears up and it triggers major meltdowns.
I have been doing pretty good, but I’m very stressed so my anxiety does creep in. I’m also glad I decided to stay on my meds, without them I would be a basket case.
@sammierose464 I’m so glad you’re meeting with your counselor! Make sure you take care of your self (make it number one priority), some sources I’ve read say that’s PPD/A present themselves before the baby is born.
I'm at the point, where whenever I start to not feel well I break down. I threw up during my birth class yesterday and had to fight back tears when i got back into the classroom (luckily during a video) because I was just so frustrated. I've done a lot of crying the last few days. And I have no desire to do anything.
Not sure how I missed this thread (maybe hadn't joined yet?)
Currently 31w4d. I have struggled with depression since my teens and was diagnosed with anxiety last year. I tried medication but the first one I tried exacerbated my anxiety and made me suicidal. I've been too scared to try anything else since.
I've been mostly ok, but the stress of all the changes (new house, baby, dh's recent car accident, etc) has made my anxiety creep in occasionally. Not nearly as bad as it was last year, but I'm super afraid of it getting out of control once the baby's born.
I'm glad to see this thread here. Mental illness still seems to be widely misunderstood by a lot of people. Thankfully I have one friend who can relate since she also suffers from anxiety. She's the only person I can really talk to.
Glad you brought this back @sammierose464! Hugs and glad your appointment is coming up!
Doc just recommended a therapist today, so gotta buckle up and call tomorrow. This is new territory for me, and certainly uncomfortable. I have never been diagnosed with anything, and I'm pretty sure it isn't anything to be diagnosed, but have a history of being extremely self-critical and deprecating. It impacts my sleep, friendships, mood, etc. It's getting a lot worse and I'm finding myself down more than ever. Looking forward to having someone help me figure out how to fend this off.
I feel the anxiety (that manifests as anger) creeping in more and more. Previously it was PPD/PPA but I feel some of those same feelings now in my 3rd tri. I stopped doing yoga at work, which i'm sure isn't helping so i'm hoping to do what someone else suggested in another thread and treat myself to an epsom salt bath with a face mask and maybe get a mani/pedi at lunch one day soon. I've been taking magnesium and vitamin D throughout this whole pregnancy but slack taking them on the weekends so i should probably buckle down and work on that. As far as meds go.....i'm so in the dark on what is common to take, what's safe, what's even helpful.
Glad to hear you're going to treat yourself to the bath @dellusion. As an FYI-the reason my doc is sending me to a therapist now is for risk of PPD/PPA. A research article I was reading after said that many times PPD can actually be recognized in the third tri, so don't ignore it just because you haven't delivered yet.
@sammierose464 I know it’s so hard right now! Just remember to take care of you, even if that means ignoring everything else. It’s so hard to do, but if you start focusing on it now, it will make it easier to do when baby comes.
I have a history of anxiety/depression that is exacerbated by stressful situations. My doctor mentioned at my last visit that I could start sertraline right after birth if I want (or sooner) or wait and see how I feel. I’ve taken it in the past and know it works pretty well for me, but I don’t want to start it preemptively in case I don’t need it. She said it’s safe to take while pregnant and while breastfeeding but unless I think my mental health is slipping I’m going to wait and see.
Good point. So far I think I’m doing ok and just having normal pregnancy moodiness. In the past sertraline has kicked in for me pretty quickly, possibly some part placebo affect, but hopefully I will be able to catch myself if I start feeling down.
Sertraline has really helped me! I was on Paxil pre TTGP and I didn’t realize how average of a job it was doing until I switched to sertraline a few months before trying. I’ve stayed on it my whole pregnancy and I plan to stay on it probably until I wean this baby and get my hormones back to “normal”.
Anyone here ever experienced adverse effects from their medication? I had such a terrible reaction and have been deathly afraid to try anything else since. I know medication would likely help if I could find the right one, but I don't think I could go through what I experienced before trying to find out.
My first time taking antidepressants/anti anxiety medication I got more anxious and emotional and then switched to sertraline and that worked for me. I’m guessing you have had a more serious reaction though, which is very scary. There are many categories of antidepressants though that are chemically completely different and your doctor could probably determine if one is different enough that it should not cause a similar reaction, should you find yourself needing medication.
Citalopram took less than 2 weeks to kick in for me and my doctor confirmed that would be the case.
It can take less, but typically you feel the full affects within 6 weeks. This is why drs usually want to see you back 4-8 weeks after you start a new anti-depressant.
Anyone here ever experienced adverse effects from their medication? I had such a terrible reaction and have been deathly afraid to try anything else since. I know medication would likely help if I could find the right one, but I don't think I could go through what I experienced before trying to find out.
do you know what you were on previously?
It seems that most of us here are either on Zoloft (sertraline) or Celexa (Citalopram). They are both VERY common SSRIs, and often have limited side effects. I was initially on zoloft and found no benefit to me. I've been on Celexa for roughly 8-9 years.
I know a few who have had good luck on Lexapro (Escitalopram). However, my understanding is that if you miss a dose or two, or try to ween off the withdrawl can be tough. I'd recommend staying away from that.
Wellbutrin is also a good one, and fairly mild. I know of many who take it in conjunction with another SSRI. I was taking it with my celexa to help boost my energy and sex drive. I also highly recommend a SSRI (seratonin selective reuptake inhibitor) over an MAOI, especially while pregnant. All of the ones I've listed are SSRIs.
I can verify that Escitalopram was not a pleasant experience. I felt worse on it and coming off of it was a challenge. It was less balanced than the Citalopram, with regards to both anxiety and depression. The Escitalopram was intended to target my anxiety more than the depressive symptoms.
I couldn’t remember he name but Wellbutrin was the one that made me more weepy and a mess after less than a week. With that and sertraline I had to get through a few nights of insomnia which sucked a lot, but maybe if I start immediately post partum it will make it easier to tend to the baby at all hours those first few nights.
Anyone here ever experienced adverse effects from their medication? I had such a terrible reaction and have been deathly afraid to try anything else since. I know medication would likely help if I could find the right one, but I don't think I could go through what I experienced before trying to find out.
I had an AWFUL reaction to Lexapro. I took half of a pill and it made me feel like I was having a panic attack all day long. Obviously I never took it again. Then I took Paxil for about a year, that wasn’t nearly as hard to start, but it was just okay. I cross-tapered you Zoloft so going off of it wasn’t hard, but Paxil can be hard to wean off alone.
I was on Lexapro 10+ years ago, and can't remember why I switched, but ended up switching to Wellbutrin. It was easy to wean off Wellbutrin when I lost my health care. I think I had an easier time giving up Wellbutrin than I did switching to older/cheaper asthma meds. I then went over a decade without any mental health care, mostly because I didn't have insurance for the majority of that time, until about 2 yrs after the ACA passed and I finally qualified for some help.
I took Zoloft/sertraline last year for anxiety, for about a year before getting pregnant. I didn't really feel like there was much difference once I started taking it, therapy was much more effective. So I decided to stop taking it when we started trying to conceive. I stopped therapy when we moved, but my husband and I have both decided to start seeing someone (separately), hopefully before the baby pops out. I have done really well this year, but am worried that my anxiety is going to come raging back full force.
I honestly don't recall the name, but I know it's in my chart. I switched doctors because we didn't mesh well. It's something to consider if I decide to revisit medication again.
I had my therapy appointment today. I'm glad my previous therapist was able to get me in, because it's nice to play catch-up instead of going over everything.
She encouraged me to do a values assessment worksheet to ensure I'm thinking of what are true priorities and things that will add value to my life right now. And reminding myself that things like "cleaning out the hall closet" don't HAVE to get done if I can't even take care of myself right now.
It's become very clear to me that I'm having anxiety attacks and what is triggering them.
Re: Mental Health Mamas?
Side note, my anxiety has been through the roof all day...so I know I’m in for a long night of insomnia
If you only took it for a week, I'm sure baby is perfectly fine.
As my pregnancy goes on, I find my mental and emotional health being harder and harder to maintain. I have contacted my counselor and will be going this week. Pregnancy has been rough on me, especially the last few weeks. I have good days and bad, but it seems the bad are more frequent lately. It's basically every other day that I feel like absolute crap. I don't know if I'm over doing it on my good days?
Anyone else finding their depression/anxiety or other mood disorders acting up as we get further? Anything you're doing to help maintain it?
@sammierose464 I’m so glad you’re meeting with your counselor! Make sure you take care of your self (make it number one priority), some sources I’ve read say that’s PPD/A present themselves before the baby is born.
Currently 31w4d. I have struggled with depression since my teens and was diagnosed with anxiety last year. I tried medication but the first one I tried exacerbated my anxiety and made me suicidal. I've been too scared to try anything else since.
I've been mostly ok, but the stress of all the changes (new house, baby, dh's recent car accident, etc) has made my anxiety creep in occasionally. Not nearly as bad as it was last year, but I'm super afraid of it getting out of control once the baby's born.
I'm glad to see this thread here. Mental illness still seems to be widely misunderstood by a lot of people. Thankfully I have one friend who can relate since she also suffers from anxiety. She's the only person I can really talk to.
Doc just recommended a therapist today, so gotta buckle up and call tomorrow. This is new territory for me, and certainly uncomfortable. I have never been diagnosed with anything, and I'm pretty sure it isn't anything to be diagnosed, but have a history of being extremely self-critical and deprecating. It impacts my sleep, friendships, mood, etc. It's getting a lot worse and I'm finding myself down more than ever. Looking forward to having someone help me figure out how to fend this off.
@sammierose464 I know it’s so hard right now! Just remember to take care of you, even if that means ignoring everything else. It’s so hard to do, but if you start focusing on it now, it will make it easier to do when baby comes.
It seems that most of us here are either on Zoloft (sertraline) or Celexa (Citalopram). They are both VERY common SSRIs, and often have limited side effects. I was initially on zoloft and found no benefit to me. I've been on Celexa for roughly 8-9 years.
I know a few who have had good luck on Lexapro (Escitalopram). However, my understanding is that if you miss a dose or two, or try to ween off the withdrawl can be tough. I'd recommend staying away from that.
Wellbutrin is also a good one, and fairly mild. I know of many who take it in conjunction with another SSRI. I was taking it with my celexa to help boost my energy and sex drive. I also highly recommend a SSRI (seratonin selective reuptake inhibitor) over an MAOI, especially while pregnant. All of the ones I've listed are SSRIs.
I took Zoloft/sertraline last year for anxiety, for about a year before getting pregnant. I didn't really feel like there was much difference once I started taking it, therapy was much more effective. So I decided to stop taking it when we started trying to conceive. I stopped therapy when we moved, but my husband and I have both decided to start seeing someone (separately), hopefully before the baby pops out. I have done really well this year, but am worried that my anxiety is going to come raging back full force.
She encouraged me to do a values assessment worksheet to ensure I'm thinking of what are true priorities and things that will add value to my life right now. And reminding myself that things like "cleaning out the hall closet" don't HAVE to get done if I can't even take care of myself right now.
It's become very clear to me that I'm having anxiety attacks and what is triggering them.