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High-Risk Pregnancy
Kerabug15
member
I am Bipolar and 5 months pregnant. I see my psychiatrist once a month and he and I decided together that Medication (although there are some that are pregnancy safe) shouldn't be a part of my pregnancy and that I should attend intense therapy for the remainder of my pregnancy until I am finished breast feeding and can return to my regular medication and therapy schedules. Even if I had decided to switch to a pregnancy safe medication he said he would have to take me off of it in my third trimester anyway.
BABY DAVID 6/23/15
Bipolar, Pregnant and Moms who relate (I don't know where else to post this discussion)
Kerabug15
member
(I was having a hard time navigating through TheBump and kept posting my discussions in the wrong threads, how embarrassing. I found the topics, but nothing for mental health,)
The first few months have been alright, I did notice mood swings, but that comes with the pregnancy territory also. As I become more and more pregnant though, I notices that my mood swings are more rapid and definitely more intense...not just pregnancy mood swings. I feel that pregnancy mood swings on top off Bipolar can get extremely messy. Last night I started to fall into deep depression and today I just don't want to be bothered. I am dragging myself to church and I am going to force myself to do some cleaning around the house in hopes that I can fight depression mode. I just notice myself getting unnecessarily angry, manic and then super depressed in one day and it's a total drag, but I just don't see the point in taking meds right now.
I guess the point of this post is to make sure I am not alone, to find people who relate and that I can talk to.
I am relatively new to the bump, however active...I still have yet to make some steady bump friends.
So, Bipolar moms I am calling out to you! Let's talk about it! 
Re: Bipolar, Pregnant and Moms who relate (I don't know where else to post this discussion)
BABY DAVID 6/23/15
https://forums.thebump.com/group/641-mental-illness-and-pregnant-bfing-or-ttc
While I do not have bi-polar disorder based on the diagnoses of every other psychiatrist I've seen since, I have had generalized anxiety disorder, panic attack disorder, and major depression since my father took his own like when I was 12 due to a combination of alcoholism and mental health issues. I've been on every med in the book and finally found Effexor 75mg 2 QD and Klonipin 0.5mg 1-2 PRN anxiety/panic works pretty well for me. Then I got pregnant and had to wean myself off of both within days because taking an SNRI/SSRI while pregnant carries a risk of congenital heart defects. My OB gave me the green light to restart the Effexor during the second trimester but I'd have to stop before entering the third so as not to put the baby at risk of things such as serotonin syndrome. Also, I just wasn't comfortable with all the unknowns these medications can cause.
On Friday I found out the baby has SUA (two-vessel umbilical cord) and this is also associated with heart defects. So, now I can include major stress on top of the depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and abnormally intense mood swings.
It's good to know there are other expecting mom's on here who understand what it is like to struggle with mental health problems that go beyond just the typical mood swings and pregnancy-associated depression
Hello ladies
I'm so glad to have found this thread. I have bipolar 2 and am 23 weeks. I take Lamtorigine (Lamictal) and have done for 10 years now. It suits me perfectly. I also add in Wellbutrin during depressive episodes which, luckily, only happen from mid January to mid March every year.
My usual dosage of Lamotrigine is 150-200 mg daily. During the first trimester I reduced the dosage to 50mg and added in 5mg folic acid. At 14 weeks I increased the dosage to 100mg and straight after the birth I will increase to 200mg and probably add the Wellbutrin.
I've also been advised not to breastfeed if I continue to take Lamotrigine. I did consider switching to another med that is safe, but decided that it's not a good idea to mess with my medication at this stage of my pregnancy. I am very sensitive to medications and it took a long time to find one that suited me, I really don't want to rock the boat now.
It's upsetting that I won't be able to breastfeed my son, but I think it's best for the both of us that I don't.
Both my mum and sister suffered with PPD, so I am a little worried. It will be very ironic if I end up being all unicorns and rainbows after the birth. I think if PPD is going to hit me, it's going to happen when my normal depressive episode does, but at least I know when that is going to be, so can plan ahead.
So, I got off my meds immediately and that was like going thru electric shock PLUS to top it off, I'm on bed rest due to early dilation. It just seems to NEVER be an 'upside' to my life. Getting through each day is an exhausting struggle. So glad to have found this thread.