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Postpartum Depression
JennLynnAdams
member
Lurker posting (longish)
JennLynnAdams
member
So I tend to lurk around here when I'm feeling super anxious or just need to "get my mind right" about being a pregnant person who still needs Zoloft.
I've been on SSRIs for quite some time, and got back on Zoloft (after a stint on Paxil) in September, when we started TTC. At my first OB appointment at 5 weeks the doctor wanted me to wean off. Feeling that I could do anything (Super Woman), I agreed and went to my physician to start the process.
I was at 200 mg, and dropped by 50 for 5 days at each level. (150 for 5 days, 100 for 5 days, etc.) My last pill was at 50 mg and I took that last Thursday. I had my first u/s on Tuesday and felt amazing. Boy... I should've knocked on wood.
On Friday I had my first panic attack in a looong time. Since then I've been on edge all weekend. I've felt like a nut case. I feel like the next attack is just waiting to come out. I'm hoping to get into my physician on Monday to ask him some questions.
1) Are these withdrawal symptoms?
2) Will the symptoms go away? How long do I need to suffer?
3) What are the consequences of feeling this way while only 8 weeks pregnant? Is it better to feel "safe" on meds, or is it better to feel anxious and depressed off them when I'm this early into the pregnancy?
To be honest, I never would've weaned off had my OB not suggested it. Being a naturally anxious person who has panic disorder, I just didn't think it was safe for the LO and me to be stressed/panicky/refusing to get out of bed/suffering. But, on the other hand, I've been on SSRIs for over 4 years, so maybe when everything is out of my system life will be better?
DH doesn't really get it, so I hope you guys don't mind me posting here for some advice and general thoughts. I'm also in therapy, and have been since December, so I'm actively trying to work out my issues. Right now I just feel like a major failure. I don't want to NEED the Zoloft, but, on the other hand, I NEED it to feel normal. That makes me sound like an addict, I know! I know you guys would get where I was coming from, so thanks for reading/listening.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Lurker posting (longish)
I don't know all the risks, but it is my understanding that Zoloft is safe to take while pregnant. I know my SIL is pregnant and still on her Zoloft. There is no way you should feel like an addict for needing your medicine. Should a diabetic feel like an addict for needing insulin? It is the same thing! My Zoloft makes me feel like me again, and not this person other than me. I'm glad I'm on it! I hope I don't need to be on it for the rest of my life, but if I do, I will gladly take it. It makes me a happier me. And a happy me, means, a happy wife and mommy. Right now, you need to take care of you and baby. I personally would talk to your OB about your options. I hope it all works out! GL!!
If meds help -take them. You aren't an addict! Do you think people with diabetes are "insulin addicts"? You have a neuro-chemical imbalance that zoloft fixes. I was medicated pre-pregnancy, weaned myself off, and ended up much worse than I had ever been anxiety wise... I ended up back on meds by 22 weeks. I do NEED my meds. If I don't take them I am miserable, super anxious, and unable to be the wife & mother I want to be.
I went to a specialist who works with reproductive psychiatry. She said the risks to the newborn (premature birth, stress in utero, attachment issues post-partum) were much worse than the amount of drugs my baby got in utero. Now I have a happy healthy 7 month old.