anti-depressants and pregnancy?

Question

I am currently taking anti-depressants for anxiety and depression, and I am wondering if these drugs will lesson my chances of becoming pregnant, or if I do become pregnant will I need to get off these drugs?

I guess I am just curious about what people have gone through and their experiences, but I know better then to take advise from someone who has not had the proper medical education.

Answer 1

You need to discuss which particular medications and dosages you are on before you consider getting pregnant. You need to weigh the risks of being off your meds against the risks to the baby, and consider trying different safer drugs if applicable. The time to do this is before you try to conceive.

Speak to the prescribing doctor but also more importantly speak to a Pharmacist (or two, they're free) they are more knowledgable than most doctors. Also consider calling Motherisk.org Safety of pregnant and lactating moms is all they do. Yes it is long distance but if you call a 10-10 number it will cost less than $2.

Motherisk's Home Line - [phone] - for information about the risk or safety of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, herbal products, chemicals, x-rays, chronic disease and infections during pregnancy. [This is a toll call to our call centre. Callers may have to wait up to 10 minutes to speak to a counsellor.]

These Helplines are open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Answer 2

Any drugs should be closely monitored while trying to get pregnant, especially mood altering drugs. You should try to be off or on a very low dose at least one year before trying to get pregnant. Also, if you do have a serious depression or anxiety disorder (problem) it is not recommended to conceive due to the high anxiety of having and taking care of children. Ask your doctor. Always get an opinion from a medical professional that knows your personal situation. And can monitor you.

Answer 3

I have suffered with depression and anxiety disorder for about 8 years now and I am 25 weeks pregnant. It didn't lessen my chances at all. I came off the pill in May 06 and fell in September 06. I checked with my GP and psych and they both said it was fine to stay on my anti-depressants while pregnant because it's better for me and the baby. If I was to come off them and stress out apparently thats worse for the baby. I am on ciprimil and take 40mg a day. Just check with your doc if the anti-depressants you are on are ok and if not you may just have to switch to a different one (sounds easier said than done). Good luck and take care of yourself and everything else, especially the baby will be fine. You will be a wonderful mum don't ever let anyone else tell you otherwise :-)

Answer 4

There isn't any clinical research that shows that anti depressants can lessen the chances of becoming pregnant and there are several anti depressants that are safe to continue on when you are pregnant... some examples are Celexa, and I'm pretty sure lexapro is also safe but you should definetely check with your doctor... stuff like clonidine and geodon and adderall I know are not safe to take while you're pregnant.

Answer 5

Get off the pills , learn to deal with Life ...then worry about having kids , if you are socially handicap you may want to reconsider kids, i mean if you were not taught to deal with life how are you going to teach your child to over come that obstacle. If you have mental issues a pill will not make that change, and a thing with those pills , seeing how the FDA said they were safe, and your doctor who is also getting paid says you need them ,I would check into it before just quitting ,a lot of people go nuts or psycho when they stop ,depending on their will power and mentality , Not being mean, but have you ever heard the saying if you want to stay healthy ,stay away from the doctor . with those kind of issues you need to address the issues not the symptoms. And that is my answer to your question.

Answer 6

I was one anti-depressants and was still able to get pregnant with my last child. I also took them while I was pregnant... and it was OK'd by my OB and my primary doctor. It was better for me to be on them during the pregnancy than to be off of them. And no there was nothing bad that happened to my baby. He is 2 now... and he is happy and healthy. He was born just fine. Good luck to you.

Answer 7

I was on Zoloft, and got pregnant. It doesn't lessen your chances. Depending on what you take, it's best to ween yourself off of the depression medication while you're pregnant. If the anxiety is really awful, it's okay to take, just not really large doses. I'm still taking a small dose every week to help mine.

Answer 8

They shouldn't lessen your chances of getting pregnant, but most generally you will have to stop them, if you do become pregnant. You should always speak to a doctor concerning any medicines you take while trying to get pregnant.

Answer 9

It depends on which one your taking. I took Zoloft for the first part of my pregnancy, but stopped around 20 weeks. The main risk with Zoloft is that the baby will be born addicted to it, so I didn't want to chance it.

Paxil has been shown to cause heart problems in unborn kids.

It's best to talk to your doctor before trying to conceive, whether you're on meds or not, just to make sure you're in optimal health. Also, you can get a prescription for prenatal vitamins, which you should take before you're pregnant.

Good luck!!!

Answer 10

No, I'm am 95% sure it doesn't affect the chances of getting pregnant. But personally, I would be going to a Doctor and asking this question, not trusting the answers of people you don't know.
Good luck!