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October 2018 Moms
cmg608
member
Taking Xanax for severe anxiety?
cmg608
member
I am 3m pregnant and I have extremely bad anxiety. I have been taking xanax for years. My doctor told me not to stop just to take less. Has anyone taken this whole pregnant?
Re: Taking Xanax for severe anxiety?
Regarding your question. I am not a doctor, but I am an anxiety sufferer. My opinion is that your doctor gave you risky advice.
First, pregnancy aside Xanax is not designed to be a daily anxiety meds. It’s supposed to be more Of a rescue medicine for severe anxiety. It’s highly addictive and hard to get off. So if you quit taking it you will probably have some awful side effects. Most people have to wean off of it if they are daily users.
Second, Xanax is a pregnancy D medicine which means that there is scientific evidence that it can cause harm to your unborn child.
That being said, I again am not a doctor, a pharmacist or a psychiatrist and I strongly recommend you find a psychiatrist and seek advice from them before stopping your Xanax or any other anxiety meds.
edited because spelling is hard
And xanax at a low dose is prescribed by many doctors in a low dose for anxiety management when other drugs and therapies are ineffective. Many medications are addictive. If you are taking a medication prescribed by a mental health doctor and being monitored I would think they have your best interest in mine.
If youre taking long term Xanax for anxiety from a general practitioner I'd highly recommend discussing this with your OB and getting into a psychiatrist. I don't feel a prescription of this kind is appropriate from a GP.
as @justsuzie said, if you're on this regimen after extensive trial and error with a qualified mental health professional and your OB and psychiatrist have agreed the benefits outweigh the risks, carry on unless you don't trust them.
Otherwise, pretty much everything already said by everyone else.
My psychiatrist was horrified was she found out I was expecting and made me promise to run it by my OB. My OB was like yeah that’s totally fine. I too did a lot of research and spent a lot of time on my choice. I only decided to try Zoloft when it became clear that at this point in my life I need anxiety meds. I hope to go off them in the future, when life is less stressful and I sleep more.
He told me medicines are most dangerous to the fetus from weeks 4-10 and then around 40 weeks. The main issue at the end of term is withdrawal effects for the baby.
Celexa is an SSRI and considered reasonably safe. Xanax is a different class of drug. If you're at all concerned, talk to a licensed psychiatrist or a fetal medicine Dr. Both of whom have medical degrees.
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I was on a pretty "average" dose for anxiety PRN prior to pregnancy and both my OB and PCP told me to stop. So, that's all the advice I can give. I would talk with your psychiatrist and OB about your personal care and what is best for you.
mama. epicurean. plant lover. wine enthusiast.