need a positive 'fluoxetine/antidepressant while pregnant' story!

[Peacelily32]

Hi ladies,

              Thankyou to anyone who has posted so far as everything else online seems to be negative and scare mongering. It's not helpful when you're feeling anxious! I have just started back on fluoxetine and don't want to put off my attempts any longer to conceive because of this. I have suffered from chronic insomnia on and off for years and although I've tried every natural alternative: relaxation cd, valerian, yoga,CBT,you name it...when I take 20mg of fluoxetine it allows me to sleep at night. I feel lucky that I've found something that works for me unlike many insomniacs. This medication hasn't had any other affect on my other than drastically improve my quality of life. I have weaned myself off it several times successfully and then 5 or 6 months later something has come up and Insomnia kicked in again. My husband is v supportive and thinks that there is no problem taking this as it helps me and the alternative (to not take it) would definitely not be good for a baby. I have come around to thinking, 'if it's good for me it would be good for a baby'  as opposed to chronic insomnia resulting in constant tears and anxiety. I would intend to take it every other day so it would amount to 10mg during pregnancy (if I can get pregnant!) and could wean myself off it but I think it's not worth the risk of having severe anxiety half way through a pregnancy. I am starting to feel more conifdent in my decision to keep taking it if I get pregnant. I have been told fluoxetine is the one antidepressant that 'they' know most about as it's been around the longest and has resulted in decades of healthy babies. They can't test on pregnant women so when they talk about the small 1% of cases of problems (seems to be a recurring word 'jittery' when out of womb-but then this happens with so many things) it is not really an accurate assessment. Do they compare this with women who are not on fluoxetine? It seems to me that doctors have to cover themselves by saying that there are small risks. Aren't there always? Obviously in an ideal world I'd not be taking this but have come to realise it's better for my health and I have no choice at this time. Any advice/positive stories appreciated!xx

[CallMeMommy]

I've taken it through all 3 of my pregnancies with no ill effects whatsoever.  I never noticed any lethargy or jitteriness in any of my babies after birth.  Prozac has been around forever and is generally considered safe.  There are antidepressants that are recommended more during pregnancy than Prozac, but I think the general consensus is that if you've been on it and it works, the benefits outweigh the risks.

[Peacelily32]

Thanks for the reassurance. This is good to know and anyone else out there who has similar stories please post. x

[Saery]

I took it with my last pregnancy. That little baby has been the most easygoing of all three of my kids--no jitteriness, no lethargy, no issues with nursing. Honestly, in my case, I would have been in a much worse position if I hadn't taken it. A month before I got pregnant, I had a miscarriage and other stress so bad that I developed horrible panic attacks. I hadn't counted on getting pregnant again right after a loss, and there was no way I could go off my meds at that point. Again, it was a case of the benefits (a mentally healthy mama) outweighing the risks.

[Peacelily32]

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Sounds like you had no choice and did the best thing by taking them. Good to hear these stories so I don't beat myself up. I'm not even pregnant but just thinking ahead! x

[Peacelily32]

Hi Ladies,

                Not quite sure how to use this site so thought I'd continue on this thread as you both replied last time! Unfortunately it's a year later and I'm still not pregnant. I know this isn't very long but I've been finding it stressful. 3 weeks ago I had a HSG and my tubes were unblocked to that's good news. I now think that I could be pregnant, but won't know for another week. This would be great but the only problem is I'm freaking out as I had trouble sleeping and took half a sleeping tablet (temazepan) twice. Which is only one sleeping tablet over 10 days so I'm probably worrying over nothing. I took it once during ovulation and once a week after possible conception as I was so desperate to sleep and didn't want one of my past cycles of insomnia to return. I'm now beating myself up about it.The only information I can find is that 'Temazepan is dangerous in early pregnancy.' I think this generally means in the first few months, but I didn't think a fetus/embryo would even come into contact with substances taken by the mother in the first 2 weeks of (possible) pregnancy. I know I'm probably over analysing and I won't be taking it again. But if anyone has had this experience please let me know. Thanks.