Effexor / Pregnancy

[mommato2]

Just found out I am pregnant and am taking Effexor. Am concerned about the long-term effects of the drug on the fetus. Can anyone tell me about the best weaning process from this drug. So far I have dropped from 112 mg. to 37.5 mg in a week and hope to be off it in a week or so. Today was really rough (mostly strange feelings in my head).

Also, has anyone gotten off Effexor while pregnant and did everything turn out okay?

Concerned mom.

[scoutycat]

I took Effexor while pg with dd1 & am now pg with dd2. I'm concerned, too, but it would be far worse for me to be depressed than on the drugs IMO. Dd1 is a totally normal kid, fwiw, bright & cheerful, all her fingers & toes. I suppose there might be fall out when she hits puberty, but that's an unfortunate risk I felt was necessary.
I hate the withdrawal from this drug, I find that if I miss a dose I can feel it with in a few hours. I think you are dropping your dose too fast, though - you shouldn't be doing this without your dr's help

[polka123]

every study I read & i talked to Dr's (randomly) indicated that Zoloft was the SSRI drug of choice for PG & BF.
It rids in the body faster than others so less is passed thru b/milk.
I'm still on it w/ an 18mon nursling & all is well

[simply me]

I took effexor during pregnancy & still take it to this day. I did trytowean off of it but i ended up getting sick & it was aweful. Not to mention i finally found that med worked for me when none others did. My doctor & i sat down & went over all of the positive & negative effects of getting off the meds. Well in my case the need for my wellness came first. Their was no other medication out their that we had found that helped me the way effexor did/does. I tried, prozac, zoloft,wellbutrin & paxil. My kids are fine & though i didn't bf for long i did & they were fine. I think it all depends on how ewell you will function off the meds & on another. Effexor usually isn't the first drug off choice for doctors as zoloft etc are far more popular. Have you tried them & they didn't work??

for me the choice was clear, the affects on the baby if any were small & the effects on me to maintain a healthy pregnancy were far more impoortant considering without it i was unable to function & take care of my other kids. after my second pregnancy & tryin to get off the drugs etc & at that point had been on all others without any luck once my 3rd came around i had no concerns on taking them.

So many medications out their are rated generally safe "BUT" for pregnancy & you & your doctor have to decide about those as well.

good luck & i hope you find what wil lwork for you.

[KonanKaren]

Hi I weaned myself off of Effexor while pregnant during my 4 month. I wouldnt have gone off Effexor however if it didn't contribute to my severe morning sickness which I had throughout my pregnancy. With my Psychiatric Nurse Practioner's advice when I found out I was pregnant I gradually reduced my dosage of Effexor from 75mg to 37.5mg per day. She was concerened that if I didn't gradually reduce my dosage, or if I went off Effexor entirely and found I needed to go back on it while pregnant that that would have more of a deleterious effect on my body, mind and baby then if I just stayed on a low dose. Plus women who have had major depression are much more likely to experience Postpartum Depression and naturally staying on your meds through pregnancy helps to prevent it. Depression alters your body's biochemistry in profound ways and I would consider that perhaps having clinical depression throughout pregnancy might also have an effect on your baby's development.

[simply me]

i had tried to gradually step down to the lower dosages as well but i was unable to function properly. i am one of those people who will more then likely be on meds for life. effexor is one of those that you will get sick with if you aren't weaned off properly..

good luck...

[simply me]

i forgot to mention, i take 150 mg per day of effexor.

[sahmof2girls]

I was on effexor for ppd w/ dd#1 and it worked great and continued taking it until i found out I was pregannt w/ dd#2 and my midwife told me I needed to get off right away!!!! It was horrible!!! I felt like my arms and legs weren't aattached to my body. I was terribly sick and "crazy" for like a month. And then the rrest of my pregnancy was great!!! But 2 weeks after DD#2 was born I started ppd again. And the effexor didn't kick in for like 8 weeks on 150mg. Then i started taking klonopin for anxiety and have seen a great deal of change.

[M&R110]

pg is pregnant and on effexor

So what are the actual possible effects on the child from effexor.For some reason her doctor is a moron and wont say exactly what the possible harm to the baby would be.Can anyone give some clarity here?She is also on abilify and topamax.None if which we can get any clear reasons.The doctor says she needs to make a decision soon but has given little or no information to make this VERY important decision.THANK YOU for ANY help!!!

[BlueNote]

I have carried four children while taking Effexor. At this time, I have seen no adverse effects on my children. Weaning off Effexor is extremely difficult. I have tried it in the past, to no avail. I would definitely recommend speaking with your midwife or obstetrician about this, as it takes a long time. Effexor is not something you can wean off of in a month or so. It takes longer than that, unfortunately.

Here's some more information. Again, I'm not sure if there were effects on my children. I will say they all ended up in NICU, but that could've been due to preterm delivery, gestational diabetes, and multiple hospitializations (of me) during the pregnancy.

NEONATAL SIDE EFFECTS: Restlessness, hypertonia, jitteriness, irritability and poor feeding occurred in a neonate after maternal use of venlafaxine for depression during pregnancy. The diagnosis was confirmed by a temporary improvement after administration of a low dose (1 mg) of venlafaxine to the boy. The symptoms ceased after 8 days [6].

http://www.perinatology.com/exposure...enlafaxine.htm This is the complete information.

[M&R110]

info

ty for the info.Thanks to some research we have decided that we will have the child and both of us are very happy!!