Depression while pregnant
I have struggled with depression all my life, but avoided medications essentially because I was too stubborn to admit I needed them. Now that I'm in the middle of the pregnancy, I have to admit to myself that I'm not okay, and that the depression i've always suffered from has taken a dramatic turn for the worst... I can't seem to find the motivation to do ANYTHING anymore. Even a simple phone call to pay a bill is too much to handle. I don't know how to explain it except to say that all my life all I ever wanted was to be functional. I don't need to be on cloud 9 every day, and I know that life has it's ups and downs, but it can't possibly be normal to not have the energy to accomplish even the simplest tasks in life. It's gotten so bad that I'm fearful of losing my job and/or losing my marriage if I don't do something immediately.
So my question: For any of you who take antidepressants while pregnant, which one are you taking? Myself and several of my sisters have been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, and for them the only thing that worked was Wellbutrin XL.The research on Wellbutrin makes it seem like it is safer than other medications, but I've never taken it, and am terrified of starting any medication during pregnancy, but I'm at the point where I feel like I don't have a choice. I'm open to any and all advice from anyone with experience with this!!
Re: Depression while pregnant
I too had a history of depression. I was on Effexor & Wellbutrin when I got my BFP. I foolishly went off meds because I didn't want to harm my baby and ended up back on them around 22 weeks (when I was a complete disaster). I went to a psychiatrist that specializes in reproductive psychiatry. I wasn't willing to do anything that would hurt my baby, so I paid out of pocket to see an expert -the head of women's mental health at Georgetown.
She put me on Wellbutrin (150mg) & Effexor (300mg) for the last 18 weeks of my pregnancy. She warned me that there could be some withdrawl effects in my newborn (crying & agitation for the first 24 hours), but my son had none of that. He has been a wonderful good natured baby with no complications despite the high doses of meds I was on while I was pregnant.
What helped me decide to take meds while pregnant was that my psychiatrist told me that there are actually risks to the baby if your depression is untreated, particularly going into premature labor. Also, being on meds during my pregnancy has helped me avoid PPD in my first 3 months of being a mom.
I could never have been a good mom to my son if I hadn't been medicated. I am not sure how far along you are... but I was told after the 1st trimester the risk of congential defects (particularly issues with the heart) is small. In my experience, Wellbutrin was safe and effective in treating my depression and caused no ill effects to my baby.
Good luck.