Another Intro! And Drug Question!

[prairieglitter]

Hey ladies. I wanted to introduce myself. I mainly post on S&B and sometimes Pets.

H and I are planning to try at the end of this year.

Okay, so now that I've introduced myself, I have a question:

Do any of you ladies have experience coming off anti-anxiety/depression medication for your pregnancy? I've been on Lexapro for anxiety for YEARS and the thought of coming off terrifies me. (I tried once and had terrible withdrawal)

Just wondering. Any shared experiences would be helpful. Thanks and I look forward to posting more here.

[jenn1298]

Welcome to GP. Hopefully this board continues to get more active.

I haven't had any experience with that. Did you ask your OB if it was safe to take your medication while TTC or even while pregnant? Maybe your medication or something similar would be ok.

[jenn1298]

If you have to stop taking it, maybe counseling to get you through the withdrawal phase would help.

[prairieglitter]

Thanks for the reply. I see my OB in September. We're being safe right now, so I can continue to take the meds. We'll start trying at the end of this year (hopefully). I talked to my sis-in-law, who is a PA and she said they normally say it's a risk-benefit thing. But if possible, I'd really like to taper off by then. I just don't want to have something happen (with baby) and feel like I could have prevented it. Anyway, just looking to see if there is anyone here who has had a similar experience.

[vivaladiva]

Welcome! Stick around and there's bound to be someone who can help/identify!

[prairieglitter]

Aug 9, 2012 18:41:51 GMT -5 namasteak said:

I came off Lexapro (after several years) a few years ago and never had a problem. I do know that it is one of the meds that some OB's are ok with you staying on a low dose.

I went off lexapro because I didn't need it anymore. THen after 1 of my moms died my anxiety went through the roof. Instead of going back to lexapro I read and created a plan from the book Depression Free Naturally. It is extremely informative and most of the supplements are safe to take during pregancy.

First, thank you everyone. Namasteak, thanks for the recommendation. Lexapro is a beast and I'd love to be off it for good. I have struggled with anxiety for almost my entire life. It just seems like nothing but an SSRI will control it. I would love to find something natural that would help. I have done some cognitive behavioral therapy, which helped a bit. I wasn't really liking my therapist that much. Went in for anxiety and all she ever wanted to talk about was a past eating disorder of mine! I have the Anxiety and Phobias handbook and need to dig into that. Thanks again, and I'm looking forward to talking to more ladies on this board!

[Cheesecake]

I know they've done tons of studies on various ssri's to see how much it would hurt during pregnancy, and they've found that different brands/types have very different effects. Some are only harmful in the third 3, some during the entire pregnancy, some not at all as logn as you combine it with something else.
If I were you I'd have a talk with the doctor who prescribes you the Lexapro and ask if he/she can check out which ones that might be suitable for you might be less harmful (or not at all) during pregnancy.

Also, from what I've heard from others, is that often the risks of the meds don't weigh up against the risks of not taking them. It's like with smoking. While smoking might harm the development of a baby, a super high bloodpressure in a mother has far far higher risks for both mother and child. This is why sometimes doctors actually tell women to start smoking just a little again, as that's better for the baby.

Talk it over with the specialists, I'm sure they have far more knowledgeable opinions that take your specific medical situation into account!

[prairieglitter]

Thanks ladies! I'll definitely talk to my doc at my next appointment. Yeah, I've never heard the smoking thing either. (And I'm not promoting it) But I know that for people addicted to smoking it can be terrible to try to quit. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that. But the Lex (or Vitamin L as I call it) is another story.

The other thing that irritates me is how many docs don't seem familiar with SSRIs and their side effects. I was talking to SIL this weekend and mentioned how my Lex makes me CRAVE sugar/carbs and I've gained weight. I've been on dozens of online forums, talked to friends on Lex, etc. and they ALL claim this too. She also didn't seem too familiar with SSRI withdrawal. Which is sheer torment.

[Cheesecake]

I've heard of the smoking thing with 2 people, 1 I knew personally, so I know more about her story. In both cases they did quit and were determined to do so, but because they had such terrible withdrawal symptoms their BP went through the roof. The girl I knew literally had to be hospitalized and they told her husband that there was a good chance they would lose the baby if it didn't come down quick enough (aka, the meds they'd have to give her to prevent her from dying would not really sit well with a 6 week or so fetus).
When they finally stabilized her and figured out what caused this, the doc told her that she could smoke 4 cigs a day to prevent it from rising too much. She did deliver a perfectly healthy baby, so I guess it worked.

Knowing her story is actually one of the reasons why DH and I quit smoking last year. I wouldn't want to be in a situation where I'd have to choose between two things that might harm my baby if I get pregnant. And even if the doctor would recommend it, I'd feel terrible with each and every cig.

[Cheesecake]

Oh, I didn't consider it snark, I just figured it was good to explain it a little further. Before I'd heard this first hand, I always thought the docs recommending it was urban legend - now I wish it was

My main point was really to say that with drugs, as with anything that might bring toxins to the baby, it's a pro and con thing. If it saves the mom's life, it might well be worth bringing in the risk.

[Jalapeñomel]

I stopped taking mine when we started TTCing, but sometimes I wish I hadn't.

[winecheery]

I have nothing useful to say except welcome, and I hope that your doc recommends a good game plan that you feel comfortable with as you TTC. :-)

[prairieglitter]

Thanks ladies!