Help! Anti-depressants and TTC

beckirwilson

Hey all, 

 I'm new here, so I hope someone can help me. 

My partner and I have just decided to start TTC, when we get married next weekend. I'm 21, and he's 28.

My only worry is that I've been taking anti-depressants for about 6 months now. I've seen a lot of things about how bad it will be for the baby, and that they suggest you should stop taking them during preganancy. But my partner and I have tried weaning me off them, and it's just made me very ill, and caused problems with my depression. I'm really worried about it affecting a pregnancy, but I can't seem to manage without them. Does anyone have any advice?

Also, the pills have caused me a huge weight gain, has anyone got any tips for reducing fat to increase fertility?

Thank you! 

ariaforte8

Whether to take an anti-depressant while TTC or pregnant is a very individual decision. It all goes to the risk-benefit profile. The risks to the baby from these drugs are low, but they do exist. However, for many people (myself included) being off the drug is more hazardous than the drug itself. You should talk to your doctor. My therapist switched me from Paxil to Prozac because Prozac has more information on it in relation to pregnancy. Another possibility is lowering your dose a bit.

From what you said, it sounds like you need to stay on them in one way or another. Being depressed can lead to a lot of nasty symptoms and behaviors that aren't healthy during pregnancy. I suggest you talk to your prescribing doctor soon. Good luck.

Anti-depressants are pregnancy class C.

Pregnancy Category C

Animal reproduction studies have shown an adverse effect on the fetus and there are no adequate and well-controlled studies in humans, but potential benefits may warrant use of the drug in pregnant women despite potential risks.

ShadyKull

Ditto what Aria said. You really need to weigh the risks and benefits. Talk to your doctor, they can help you come to a decision that you are comfortable with. Many women do stay on their antidepressants and have perfectly healthy babies, but some studies have indicated that there is a slightly increased risk of certain complications. As Aria said, there are antidepressants that are considered lower risk than others. Celexa, Zoloft and Prozac are considered low risk while Paxil is higher risk. For a non-SSRI, Wellbutrin is also considered low risk.

amykins1283

Deciding what to do about your anti-depressants is a big deal.  I would hold off on TTC until you and your doctor(s) have come up with a plan to help you deal with all the changes that are going to come along with either stopping medication, lowering your dosage, or trying out a new medication.  This is something a doctor should supervise and not something you should be attempting to do on your own. 

As for the fat reduction thing, there is nothing like good ol' diet and exercise.  It would be best to start with light exercise and to try and cut out processed foods as much as possible.  Even if you don't lose a ton of weight before you get pregnant you would at least be living a more healthful lifestyle for your baby.  I know that when there are outside factors contributing to weight loss (medication or a condition) it can be twice as hard to stick to a new healthy eating/exercising plan but it can be done with a lot of discipline.

LiteraryFoodie

amykins1283:

Deciding what to do about your anti-depressants is a big deal.  I would hold off on TTC until you and your doctor(s) have come up with a plan to help you deal with all the changes that are going to come along with either stopping medication, lowering your dosage, or trying out a new medication.  This is something a doctor should supervise and not something you should be attempting to do on your own. 

As for the fat reduction thing, there is nothing like good ol' diet and exercise.  It would be best to start with light exercise and to try and cut out processed foods as much as possible. 

This. Choosing what to do about anti-depressants is very individual and personal. For for many women, staying on them is safer than getting off them. And like PP, there are some drugs that are safer than others when pregnant and breast-feeding. 

I think a plan with your doctor is one of the most important things. About a year ago, I started talking with my doctor about when MH and I wanted to start trying, but I needed to get off topomax (class D drug) which I was taking for chronic migraines (which are stress induced). We developed a plan to help wean me off of it over several months, and determined that I can still use my rescue medicine (Relpax) until I get a BFP; we also talked about other drugs I could use during pregnancy if I really needed them. We also talked about lifestyle changes that could help (diet, exercise, alternative therapies, stress-reduction). It was an intense process, but having a plan really helped me to feel more confident in the process.

One of the things that helped me was taking more control of my diet and finding a type of exercise that I enjoy doing. Both give me more of a sense of control, and practicing yoga definitely helps keep me centered and more balanced, which helps reduce some of my triggers for migraines. 

I know that depression is rather different from migraines, but I wanted to at least share how I approached dealing with medication that I was dependent on and TTC. I hope it can help and good luck! :-)

af1274

As PPs said, you really need to talk to your doctor. Whatever you do, coming off anti-depressants is a big deal and you have to be very careful when you lower your dosage. Your doctor should be the one determining the acceptable way to wean off of them, and no one else.

I do feel your pain though... I'm not on anti-depressants, but I take pain killers for chronic daily pain, and I'm really struggling to come off of them. It's horrible, but my motivation is that I know I am doing it for a child. I wish you luck!

synchrosally

My best advice would be talk to your doctor. It is a tricky personal weighing of risk-benefit that is best done with a medical professional. One of my friends went off during the first part of her pregnancy and went back on at a certain point when there was less risk to the fetus. It is a careful balancing act. Personally I was worried about prenatal depression given my history and my doctor told me that if my depression became more of a risk to the fetus than the medication, we would talk then about anti-depressants. Best of luck to you.

ETA I found losing weight on anti-depressants very difficult. I had gained 20 pounds in one month and I couldn't lose it until I was off the medication. I second PP's adcive to find something you actually enjoy doing, and/or exercise with a friend. Cutting down carbs and sugar will help, but it will still be more difficult when you are on medication, so don't get down on yourself if it takes some time.

CiderWench

Like everyone has said already, it's your decision and something you need to discuss with your doctor. I chose to keep taking them while pregnant with my son. I was on the lowest dose of Zoloft during my entire pregnancy and while I nursed. He is healthy and wonderful! Currently, I am on a low-dose of Wellbutrin XL. My doctor, husband, and I have decided to continue with that medication should I become pregnant.

Good luck to you!

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Luthy

Agree with PPs -- it's really important to talk to your doctor about this. Maybe you already have, but when you said you and your DF tried to wean you off it sounded like you did it without consulting your doctor. Before DH and I started TTC I talked to my doc and we discussed risks and benefits and came up with a plan that worked for me -- I'm still on my meds, but on a very low dose of a relatively safe drug. I'm sure you'll be able to come up with something that will work too. Just don't try anything without talking to your doctor!

ShawndraElizabeth

Definitely see your doctor. Some antidepressants are ok during pregnancy and some need to be avoided. Like PP said, your doc will compare the benefits and risks, but it sounds like you will probably be kept on them since you feel like you can't manage without them.

BethK22

Ditto the PPs. I had a conversation with my doctor when we started talking about TTC because I knew that personally, I didn't want to take a chance with taking Xanax and Zoloft when I was pregnant. We worked out a plan to wean me off and other methods to help me deal with my anxiety. So far, so good. GL!

Beaglechon2012

My GYN said she'd rather me take them than go off of them while TTC and pregnant.  So I would suggest talking to your GYN.  In my opinion, it's better for you to be emotionally healthy, than to go off the medication and be unhealthy while TTC and pregnant.

hopeful808

I think you need to talk to both your psychiatrist AND your OB/GYN. Together with them you can figure out what the best course of action is. You also may find that your dr's don't agree with each other. For example in my case my psychiatrist wants me to be on NO meds to start TTC and during pregnancy as long as my symptoms remain tolerable and not life threatening. My GYN is concerned with me being as stable as possible as long as my meds aren't known to be dangerous during pregnancy but also wanted my psych dr's opinion.  Personally, I chose to go off all of my psych meds with my psychiatrists help. However, I am still maintaining my normal appointment schedule with him and make sooner appointments if needed.

 But, you really should not go off any psych medications especially antidepressants on your own. It can be extremely unsafe. Most antidepressants need to be weaned off some for long periods of time. During that time you need to be closely monitored to make sure that you aren't experiencing withdrawal effects AND that your symptoms aren't worsening. 

CityGirl07

Agree with everyone. Especially the part about working with your doctor if you do decide to stop.

I am a therapist and I've seen too many people try to go cold turkey and it's just plain dangerous. 

I also had major anxiety and took Prozac during my pregnancy with DD. I was having constant panic attacks. My psychiatrist started me on it knowing we would TTC soon, and said it was one of the safer and more well-researched drugs. Obviously clinical trials are basically impossible for ethical reasons so the data is hard to come by, but she was comfortable with it. I found after DD was born I kept forgetting to take it in the newborn-induced haze, and I was fine (but I was talking to dr the whole time and figured out a plan to come off it totally). 

beckirwilson

Thanks everyone!

 

My doctor decided she'd rather not try and switch me to a different pill, but she's happy for us to TTC on this one, as she was actually looking to increase, not decrease my dosage. Hopefully the baby hormones will be enough to help me wean off at a later stage