Are there anti-depressants that are safe while pg?

I took Zoloft while I was pregnant with DS and for the first few months of his life with no problems.

I also suffered depression during my first trimester, and went away shortly after my second trimester began.

just wanted to add - while taking zoloft didn't cause any problems, stopping zoloft was another story entirely. horrible withdrawal symptoms.

I think I'll be trying fish oil, bettering my awful diet and seeing a counselor.

Thanks Mamas

nak

i think it's hard to answer the question of whether it's a good idea for a preg/lactating woman to take anti-depresants without all the info about that person's situation. i do think it can be dangerous to not treat depression (pharmacologically or otherwise) & just expect women to tough it out. this is definitely something i would get help with.

best of luck lindsaylou!

Everyone will have their own opinion but untreated depression and bipolar disorder is not something to take lightly. I have bipolar disorder and wasn't on any meds with my pregnancies. With my daughter's pregnancy it was really bad and I was not functioning properly. After she was born I still didn't go on anything because of nursing and ended up with really severe postpartum depression. I still shudder to think of that time. I was a horrible mother and a horrible person because I didn't want to risk the drugs. Well let me tell you my children were a hell of a lot more damaged by a mom untreated than my daughter would have been getting medications in utero and in breastmilk. I started Wellbutrin (the only antidepressant alone that I've found can be used for bipolar) when she was a year old and I am so thankful I did. She is now 2.5 years old, still nursing, and I am 5.5 weeks pregnant. I will be staying on my medication throughout the pregnancy and after. You have to remember that yes there might be some risk but a seriously depressed mom is way more dangerous for a child IMO.

I have had severe ppd since my son was born 2.5 years ago. I was on zoloft for 2 years and it stopped working. I tried going off, bad idea. I tried lexapro and wellbutrin, both made it worse. I decided to take time off TTC (had been trying for almost a year) so I could take a new med, cymbalta. It worked fantastic. That same month, we finally conceived! Yay! But ack! Talked to the doc--no info on cymbalta and pregnancy. They are all class C, which means "when the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the fetus" Doc (and OB) said if I really need it, and I do, that there are no studies that it is harmful. Many docs will say zoloft and paxil are best tolerated during pregnancy but my doc said they're all in the same class and have basically the same risk.

Anyway, do talk to your doc. I also take some herbal stuff--GABA--which helps with anxiety. Another mom recommended 5-htp to me too but I haven't tried it. Of course, omega 3's are natural mood stabilizers but you have to take quite a lot to get any effects.

Good luck to you--I can't imagine being PG without my meds. I agree with heavenly--we are looking into bipolar II for me. If vitamin B and fish oil help you, that's fantastic. If not, please don't hesitate to seek out more conventional therapy

What a difficult situation. I agree with whoever said that mental health ought not be taken lightly. By all means try the natural methods (oils, vitamins, sunlight, exercise, etc) but if it comes down to it you really need to treat yourself. You don't want to be messing with depression. Talk to your midwife/OB about what options they think are safe, also do some searching online. They have not outright tested very many of medications on pregnant women ( I think synthroid and maybe insulin are about it) so you won't find actual studies, but thousands, probably millions of women have used antidepressants during pregnancy so there is a good bit of information. Many of the older drugs, since they have been around longer, have more safety data. I would be much more cautious of newer drugs. Elavil is a tricyclic antidepressant, the tricyclics are an older type of antidepressant, has been used by many women and we have not seen horrible effects. This group of drugs isn't used as much anymore and the SSRIs have become more common. Now the SSRIs are a first choice and tricyclics, which seem to have more side effects, are the second choice. Lately there have been lots of women taking Zoloft during pregnancy, I don't know much about those drugs and why Zoloft seems to be a drug of choice lately, but I have seen alot of women use it through their pregnancies. Only one baby comes to mind whose mom took Zoloft and I always had a nagging question in my mind, was it the Zoloft that made her the way she was? But when there are so many other perfectly normal babies with moms who took it and this little girl had so many other possibilities as to why she was "the way she was" that I am sure it was just me digging around for answers in a time when there were no concrete answers. But I guess all I'm saying is I have only been suspicious of it once. But of course I only see babies and we must always be thinking of long term effects, it is often hard to tell right away. I am sure that many thousands, millions, of the children of moms who have used antidepressants are older now and that if you find the right place to look you may find some information. I have seen lots of information out there but don't have any specific links at hand. I do remember seeing studies that showed the behavior and development of tricycylic exposed babies were identical to babies whose moms didn't take any antidepressants. But from what I understand, they generally consider it "safe" for women to take antidepressants during pregnancy, drugs like Elavil, Nortryptyline, Zoloft, Paxil. Some babies may show withdrawal symptoms, I'm sure it wouldn't be as much of an issue if you are breastfeeding, and some women taper to a lower dose or quit a week or two before the duedate. Good luck, I hope you find something that makes you feel better, both depression wise and peace of mind about the effects to the baby.