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November 2014 Moms
andshar
member
Anxiety & pregnancy
andshar
member
I've been having general anxiety since last fall. I went off my Prozac and got pregnant in January. I'm starting to have anxiety again and not sure what to do. I know antidepressants aren't good to take when pregnant. Anyone else have this problem & what did you do to get through it?
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Re: Anxiety & pregnancy
I would talk to your doctor. There are medicines that you can take (especially during 2nd tri) that are safe. I have horrible anxiety and had weaned off everything but due to recent events, my doctor thought the benefit of taking Wellbutrin far outweighed the risks. I know Wellbutrin is supposed to be one of the "safe" ones. If you're adamant about not taking anything the few things that seemed to work for me were staying busy (the more I sat around the more I worried) and just taking slow deep breaths when I was having a panic attack.
-Increase from 5mg to 10mg Lexapro daily (I had weaned down from 20mg, but she said there is no point in being on a drug unless you're on it enough to make it work. Otherwise, the baby gets both the drug AND the anxiety from me. 2nd tri is the best time to up your dosage.)
-Start taking fish oil (make sure it's mercury free! Supplementing with fish oil is known to help with depression.)
-Look into taking the generic version of Deplin (a folate supplement also known for helping with depression. Deplin is pretty pricey and I can't afford it, but she seemed to think the generic is more affordable.)
-To stay on top of things and prevent PPD like I had last time, she wants me to go back to 20mg Lexapro right after giving birth. Her words were, "Seriously, right there in the hospital. Get on it." She wasn't concerned about breastfeeding because the amount the baby gets is so minimal. And no concerns about withdrawal symptoms in the baby when I wean from breastfeeding.
Her #1 choice drug to prescribe during pregnancy is Zoloft, but Lexapro is not much different, and she wants me to stay on what works for me.
Good luck!
Most antidepressants are classified as class c. So some is passed through to babe. But the stress hormone that your body produces when depressed or anxious is actually worse for baby.
Talk to you doctor.
Praying unceasingly for a miracle. ALL welcome!
Sure if you are meeting with a therapist or not, but it can be very helpful if medications aren't an option right now. Also, there are so many relaxation techniques and guided imagery that are helpful!