Hi I was wondering if any women that have been pregnant have been put on anti-depressants for post partum depression? If so would you please share the medication you got put on and how it worked for you and if there were any side affects. I would like to know because I am going to be put on them and I was wondering what was a good one. thanks :)
2006-08-18 08:57:39 · 8 answers · asked by Tyler's Mom 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Pregnancy
I am on Wellbutrin XL ( also known as Bupropian Hydrocholride, thats the generic name ) because I got post partum very bad with my daughter, and I am pregnant now 34 weeks but my doc said it is very benefical for me to continue my meds. I have no side effects at all except for the fact it gives me a little more energy. It also has low sexual side effects so it doesn't decrease your want to have sex, in fact in recent studies it has been shown to increase a persons sexual lifestyle by 60%. It also is one of the few anti-depressants that no weight gain is associated with it. I was a miserable person before I started taking Wellbutrin you couldn't even hold a conversation w/ me without me getting severely irritated. I was always walking around mad, and I didn't want to hang out with my friends, I also had a hard time dealing w/ my daughter. I would get to irritated w/ her to easily and I could always always cry at the drop of a hat. My doctor said it is completely safe to take Wellbutrin during pregnancy because I was kind of scared about that.
Bupropion is unrelated to other antidepressants. It works by inhibiting the reuptake of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine, an action which results in more dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine to transmit messages to other nerves. Bupropion is unique in that its major effect is on dopamine, an effect which is not shared by the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or SSRI's.
Wellbutrin works differently from the well publicized class of antidepressants known as SSRI's ( selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors ) such as Prozac and Paxil and Zoloft.
A basic understanding of what an SSRI does is
in the brain, messages are passed between two neurons (nerve cells) via a synapse, a small gap between the cells. The neuron that sends the information releases neurotransmitters (with serotonin among them) into that gap. The neurotransmitters are then recognized by receptors on the surface of the recipient cell, which upon this stimulation, in turn, relays the signal. About 10% of the neurotransmitters are lost in this process, the other 90% are released from the receptors and taken up again by monoamine transporters in the sending cell (a process called reuptake).
Depression has been linked to a lack of stimulation of the recipient neuron at a synapse. To stimulate the recipient cell, SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin. As a result, the serotonin stays in the synaptic gap longer than it normally would, and has the chance to be recognized again (and again) by the receptors of the recipient cell, which can finally be stimulated fully. They generally also have bad sexual side effects In more recent studies, doctors have specifically asked about sexual difficulties, and found that they are present in between 41% and 83% of patients. It is believed that sexual dysfunction is caused by an SSRI induced reduction in dopamine. Stimulation of postsynaptic 5-ht2 and 5-ht3 receptors decreases dopamine release from the Substantia Nigra. Sexual dysfunction caused by SSRI's has been shown to be mitigated by several different drugs. These include bupropion, buspirone, methylphendiate, mirtazapine, amphetamine, pramipexole and ropinirole. Because of these sexual side effects, the SSRI fluoxetine (Prozac) was recently classified as a reproductive and developmental toxin by the Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR), an expert panel at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. The panel concluded "that there is sufficient evidence in humans that fluoxetine can produce reproductive toxicity in men and women as manifested by reversible, impaired sexual function, specifically orgasm." I sound like a novel but I have done a lot of research on these
because I was very hesitant on taking anti-depressants for quite some time and realized I needed to take them. I hope I helped and didn't confuse you at all.
2006-08-18 10:23:52 · answer #1 · answered by ashleymama 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was put on a version of prozac. That was 7 years ago. I have recently used Celexa. I found that I was really tired, and had a hard time focusing. I have heard that effexor is pretty good.
2006-08-18 09:33:29 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I was on Zoloft for about 6 months. It made a big difference. I did not have any side effects from it and quit taking them cold turkey with no withdrawls. Good luck!!!!
2006-08-18 09:04:35 · answer #3 · answered by housewives5 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't know the name of the medication I was on at the moment, but they sure helped me!
The biggest side effect for me was that it completely killed my sex drive.
2006-08-18 10:27:43 · answer #4 · answered by Chewie 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would have been so much better if I would have had something. I am on Zoloft now. It works great !!! No side affects .
2006-08-18 09:15:51 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Is this Katie Holmes?
Haha Just kidding to hope to give you a smile!
2006-08-18 09:03:56 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
paxil was on them for 2 months then doc took me off of them.
2006-08-18 09:03:21 · answer #7 · answered by i have a taste for waffles 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
stay away from paxil...it's hard to come off of and it makes you gain a ton of weight..
2006-08-18 11:19:13 · answer #8 · answered by AMY E 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋