depression and pregnancy

[bootsvalentine]

I'm six weeks pregnant and I went off my SSRI (40 mg of Celexa) as soon as I found out, I had discussed that with my GP ages ago. I am struggling with my mood and depression pretty badly.

I know Wellbutrin is probably the safest drug for depression and I tried it before I got pregnant to see if I could hope with it, but i made me so jittery and edgy, I don't think it's going to work.

I really, really don't want to consider taking meds in my first trimester.

I am not feeling like I want to or can get the insurance info and find a therapist right now, especially with the holidays coming up. It usually takes me awhile to find a therapist I am comfortable with. I'm a teacher and I have to work this entire upcoming week.

I'm feeling really isolated and soooo moody and unpredictable. It took us a long time to get pregnant and I still have a lot of hurt and fear from that. 

[elishamama]

Boots--just saw your post on this.  I'm currently 17w pregnant with #1, and I can relate to your struggle without meds!  I'm 29, and I have been struggling with anxiety and depression for a long time.  For the past 3-4 years I've been going to therapy and have taken 30 mg Paxil to manage that.  With the Paxil, I feel just "normal", never experienced side effects, the 'ups and downs' were just much less frequent/dramatic.  I found out I was pregnant in early October and really wanted to NOT be on any meds during pregnancy, since I feel like you just never know what effect they may have on baby.  well...the first trimester was ROUGH.  The anxiety/depression were definitely back, my own tendencies + crazy pregnancy hormones, and I was really low energy and pretty nauseous as well; the anxiety only made the nausea worse.  My husband and I have just been trying to get through this day by day but I've been frequently tearful, feeling "shaky, and liable to some really emotional mood swings.

Now several weeks into 2nd trimester, the anxiety/depression feelings have just not let up, and while I feel that meds are not best for baby, I know that my feeling this way isn't good for baby either.  My midwife encouraged me to go see my PCP about restarting meds, which I did as of yesterday.  From what I hear, OB's in general are pretty comfortable with Zoloft, which is what I've now been prescribed--working up to a dose of 100 mg/day (which should be approx. equivalent to my dose on Paxil).  I was REALLY hoping to be able to restart Paxil since I know that works for me, but apparently it's "class D"/black box warning during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so PCP said "no way" on that. 

Right now, just getting through each day as best I can and hoping that with the Zoloft, these feelings will let up in the next few weeks.  Just wanted to let you know that you're not alone in this.

[flowercitymum]

I too am going through the same thing -- I stopped Zoloft in my first trimester, and now at 17 weeks, I am a complete mess. So severely depressed that I can't really care for my toddler (been having family help out). I restarted Zoloft 2 weeks ago and am working up to a higher  dose. Waiting for it to kick in is so hard. I just don't know what to do with myself, feel like crying all the time. No interest in anything. Any tips on how to get through this waiting period? I feel like I'm just waiting for the magic to start working, which is kind of a leap of faith.

Elishamama, have you started to feel better? How long did it take for your meds to start helping?

[bootsvalentine]

Sorry, everyone, there were no replies at first so I forgot about this thread. I hope you're both starting to feel better, but flower, I saw your other post and I know you're still struggling.

I am about 17 weeks and still having a lot of depression and stress. I feel pretty much alone. I feel like nobody wants to hear about how overwhelmed, stressed, and depressed I am. They will talk about pregnancy/baby but when the feelings come up, everyone is suddenly busy.

Still not on any meds. I'm still searching for the right OB. I really need someone to care that I am struggling with this and not focus on a lot of other potential problems with my pregnancy that are just guesses because of my weight.

Flower, I have never taken zoloft, but I have taken meds that have done nothing for me. What's the next "safest" med for pregnancy, Wellbutrin? Have you ever tried that? I did for a few days and it made me feel like I was on speed.

[flowercitymum]

I don't know what else is safe during pregnancy, and I haven't taken Wellbutrin. I recently started seeing a psychiatrist and he put me on something called Gabapentin in addition to zoloft, and that has helped my anxiety, but I still feel so sad, unmotivated, and depressed. I am always either crying or on the verge of tears. I'm just not myself. It feels like it's been so long that I've been feeling like this, and it is so hard not to have a quick fix.

Bootsvalentine, I hope that you can find the help that you need! It sounds like a therapist would be very useful to you, and maybe meds too.

I wish I had inspiring words to share -- I'm always looking for someone to give me hope that things will get better...and everyone says it will...but it is hard to wait.