PPD and pills

lellymine · April 2014

I did a post about depression/anxiety attacks a while ago and from the replies I got on the post I talked to my Dr and she got me to start seeing a therapist. BTW,thank you to everyone that suggested it. It's been helping with my anxiety attacks but both Drs have mentioned wanting me to start anti-depressants in my last 4 wks of pregnancy to help keep PPD at bay as much as possible. I'm scared about getting on them. I've read about a few and many people say you can have terrible insomnia or lots of weight gain or turn zombie like while on them.

I know we have a few ladies on here that have dealt with this so I was wondering about your experiences. Was there a certain one that gave awful side effects? One that was great? Anyone say no to them and ended up not getting PPD?

MrsP419 · April 2014

I have been on Zoloft off and on for four years, with my dosage varying from 25-100 mg. I started taking it when DD was 6 months old and I was first diagnosed with PPD, went off when we started trying to conceive DS, and went back on when I was 14 weeks pregnant with DS. I have been on ever since (currently taking 50 mg). I honestly have had no noticeable side effects. Sure, through that time my weight and sex drive has fluctuated, but that could have just as much to do with breastfeeding and how I eat/exercise. I have been very happy on zoloft and it has helped greatly. I also think it is considered the most popular thing to take for depression while pregnant or breastfeeding.

The one thing I will note is that while it helped a lot with my intrusive thinking and depression, it did not do much for anxiety symptoms when I started getting panic attacks again. I think sometimes people use Zoloft with Welbutrin if they have a combo of depression and anxiety, but I got pregnant with the twins before I could go that route.

MrsP419 · April 2014

If you are just starting out on going on antidepressants and are feeling vulnerable because of being pregnant or breastfeeding, try starting with a low dosage and with monitoring from a doctor, increase as needed. Sometimes 50 mg cuts it for me, and sometimes I need 100. My psychiatrist, OB, and primary have all prescribed at different times and they keep an eye on my dosage. Also, I definitely recommend antidepressants WITH therapy so you can learn different coping techniques too. In my experience, antidepressants did not take all my symptoms away 100% of the time, but they made it so my mind didn't "go there" as frequently, and when I did struggle, it was far easier to get out of that place.

Palan · April 2014

Got my prescription ready to go as soon as the babies are out. I had PPD after my last pregnancy, but didn't get on meds for about 5 months, that was a bad 5 mnths. I quit meds right before we started this cycle at it was HORRIBLE, very bad withdraws with massive mood swings, took a little while to plane out, but doing well now. The only bad effects I had is lower sex drive.

shellbell813 · April 2014

I had a hard time finding a drug that worked for me. I went through Lexipro, Zoloft, and a few others I don't remember. Some of them made me feel super jittery, some just made me feel weird. Ultimately I am taking Prozac. Unfortunately I think a lot has to do with howyour body's chemicals react to the drugs. I think Zoloft and Prozac are the most recommended for pregnant women, and I think both are fairly mild as far as side effects go. The positive thing is that if it doesn't work right for you or makes you feel weird, you can just stop the medicine and the side effects will go away. So you don't need to worry about like permanently damaging yourself.

My OB wants to up my dosage before delivery so that I also avoid PPD. I think it's good to be proactive about it because severe depression can be totally crippling and you don't want to chance having those wonderful moments ruined for you.

celticbiohazard · April 2014

As others have said, it's really going to depend on you and your body whether or not you experience side effects. You may have hesitant feelings about taking antidepressants that are pushing you to fixate on side effects -- remember, you can always stop taking them! I have read some stories *on the internet* (but have not heard them from friends) about people having trouble losing weight they gained over very long periods on an antidepressant, but if you're feeling wary, you can stop early on.

I am currently on a low dose of Prozac. Before TTC, I was on Wellbutrin and Celexa. However, I didn't want to be on two drugs at once while pregnant, and Prozac is the most studied of antidepressants taken while pregnant. I have a great psychiatrist who is totally on top of things, and a great therapist (I echo what other say about therapy AND drugs) who is supportive of my decition. Also, this is a fantastic website, I learned a LOT that helped me feel comfortable with my decision: https://womensmentalhealth.org/

One piece of advice I would give is to ask your doc about how long you should stick with the drugs before deciding the side effects are too much for you. For example, when I started on Prozac (on a very low dose) and when I moved up in dose, it made me really nauseous and jittery. But that went away after a couple of weeks, and now actually I experience very few side effects. When I was on Wellbutrin, whenever I increased doses I had a hard time thinking (this is difficult to explain) and would often lose my appetite for a little while. But those would fade as well. On the other hand, I tried Trazodone once (for sleep, but it's also used as an antidepressant) and it gave me a migraine so bad it wasn't worth trying to stick with it. Just try to stay calm, and be open. It helps to have a support system during the initial period of starting the drugs who will listen to you and validate your concerns.

Since, as you can tell, I already suffered from depression, I am worried about PPD too. My doc says just stay on the meds, and she's going to check in with me soon after the birth to assess how things are going. So I feel a little better knowing that someone is looking out for me. The support system is key. Good luck

.

wtfisup · April 2014

The side effects you describe would be in the case of someone on an incorrect dosage or a medicine that doesn't work for them. Try not to look at it as fearful, though I know it can be. Both I and my husband have benefitted tremendously from SSRIs. I'm not taking them now and will try to avoid them while BFing, but I really look forward to being able to take them again afterwards. They were very helpful for me.

I also always recommend that folks get a prescribing PSYCHIATRIST, not a general practitioner. It's your brain chemistry: you want someone who really understands it. I've seen some GPs treat everyone with any psychiatric symptoms the same, overprescribe, etc. You'll likely start on a low dosage and increase if needed.

shellbell813 · April 2014

Excellent point @wtfisup - When I initially was trying to find the right medicine, I was seeing a psycologist (for therapy) and psychiatrist. They are going to be the most knowledgeable about the available medicines and be able to direct you the best. (Although mine was a complete douche and I loathed going to see him...)

flerlgirl · April 2014

I took Zoloft with DS and was very grateful. It took a few weeks to figure out the right dosage but after that it was a lifesaver.

lellymine · April 2014

Thanks ladies. I'll talk to my Drs about those.

MrsAWilkins · April 2014

This is going to sound weird but I took a hypnobirthing class and one thing the instructor talked about to help with PPD was getting your placenta dried and put into capsules that you take afterwards. The placenta has many of the hormones in it from your pregnancy and it is this sudden loss of hormones that can cause people to get ppd so by keeping those hormones in your body then slowly weaning off it can help to prevent ppd. She also said it helps with milk production

she said to just tell the nurses you would like it saved and they should unless their are comPlications with you baby afterward they may keep it to do tests on it. and there are plenty of people who offer placenta capsulising services. It's worth looking into if your worried about all the side effects from meds

Want a personalized experience?

PPD and pills

Re: PPD and pills

Choose Another Board

Search Boards