Prozac and pregnancy

[LiamsMommy31905]

Hi there -

I had been on an SSRI (Luvox) for anxiety issues for 9 years prior to weaning off of it in July of 2007 to try to conceive our 2nd child. I took Luvox throughout my entire pregnancy based on my stupid OB's recommendation...and DS had some developmental delays (which are slowly resolving themselves) which may or may not be attributable to the Luvox.

Without the medication, I am sluggish, forgetful, cranky, and irritable. I snap at people (including my 2 year old) and I feel absolutely horrible about it.

We had been TTC #2 for 6 months when I got pregnant in December and miscarried on Christmas Day. That was enough to put me over the edge and I recognized that I needed to be on medication again. I have been taking 20 mg Prozac since January 1st and I have never felt better. I am alert, happy, hopeful, and well.

Now I'm terrified because I know I should wean off the meds again for our IUI in February. I hated the person I became while off my medication and don't want to subject my family to a wife/mother who is edgy and has a tendency to explode at any given moment. I also don't want to subject an unborn fetus to the effects of Prozac...I saw the developmental struggles DS went through and I don't want that to happen again.

What can I do? Is there any homeopathic remedies that are safe for pregnant women?

Thanks for reading and any advice you can provide.

[AnyMama]

You could look into the Bach floral remedies, they are safe for pregnancy and address a number of mental health issues.

But I thought Prozac was the preferred SSRI for pregnancy. You know, I'm all for being safe and as drug free as possible, but you need to be well too. You need to do what's right for you and trust that as long as you make the safest choices, your baby will be fine.

[elizaMM]

Originally Posted by LiamsMommy31905

...I know I should wean off the meds again for our IUI in February.

There is good, solid evidence that being mentally ill while pregnant and mothering is not good for baby. There is no good evidence that the SSRIs are not good for baby. Thus, many professionals acknowledge that staying medicated can be the better choice, depending on the circumstances. Talk to a psychiatrist who knows about this stuff. Read up on current theories in the field. Contrary to what the PP said, I thought Zoloft was the SSRI of choice during pregnancy, maybe that's more well supported for during breastfeeding only? I'm on Effexor AND Wellbutrin; wish I didn't have to be, but I do.

Are you exercising regularly? Some here talk about fish oil and B vitamins helping. I can't speak to those. But be sure to examine your premise before arriving at a conclusion.

Good luck!!!

[prothyraia]

Zoloft is preferred for breastfeeding, Prozac is marginally preferred for pregnancy but that's largely because there's just more information on it since it's been studied so much.

The concern with SSRI's during pregnancy (2nd-3rd trimester specifically) is an increase in persistant pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (which is still very rare: apx. 10-12 cases per 1000 births among those who take SSRI's in the 3rd trimester). Other than that, I'm not sure about risks during the first trimester specifically with Prozac.

I'm 15 weeks pregnant and just started Zoloft myself, so I definitely think the minor risks are worth it in many cases.

[mom0810]

The risk of primary pulmonary hypertension is actually the same for those NOT taking ssri's, so you can feel pretty safe taking zoloft or prozac during pregnancy.

If it helps at all, I took zoloft throughout pregnancy, and my baby is perfectly fine. I also took it while breastfeeding ds1, and he is perfect as well. I do NOT think the developmental delays the pp's first child had were anything to do with the meds. Also, it has been proven time and again that there is more risk to the fetus having a depressed mom than a mom on meds. But you should talk to your doctor and have a good psychiatrist who deals with peripartum depression often. I would be more inclined to go the meds route, since those have been studied for over 20 years, than any other, because there is not enough research on it.

[prothyraia]

Originally Posted by mom0810

The risk of primary pulmonary hypertension is actually the same for those NOT taking ssri's,

Really? The most recent evidence I've seen was from 2006 and found a pretty clear link between 3rd trimester use of SSRI's and a quite large increase in persistant pulmonary hypertension.

http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/354/6/579

Of course, we're still talking about teeny tiny numbers either way, and I certainly think in most cases the risks of NOT treating are much more dangerous. But unless there's some more recent or comprehensive evidence out there, the risks do seem to be real.

[mom0810]

Two new studies came out this summer. There was no evidence whatsoever of higher risk of PPH. I am not sure at the moment of sources for the studies... but there were two separate ones.

[seren]

I took zoloft in my last two pregnancies and feel very grateful my children did not have any issues. My neighbors son has sever PPH and they are pretty sure it's because of her use of zoloft while pregnant with him. I have started taking Supermom vitamins plus fish oil and it's amazing the difference. No need at all for an SSRI since starting them.