Discussions

I have been to my doctor and got their opinion and thoughts on taking anti depressants while pregnant. I want to hear from people that took them for the duration of their pregnancy and what kind/what dosage. Were you comfortable with your decision?  
 
I take 40 mg of celexa and am trying to weigh the pros and cons of taking while pregnant. I have anxiety and depression and if I don't take medication the anxiety and depression really interferes with my day to day activities.

I've heard fluoxetine is one of the safest during pregnancy. That's what I had to switch to. 10 mg. And it's for anxiety. I haven't heard of the one your on, I would ask a couple pharmacists for their opinion.

I would also say the benefits outweigh the risks for my situation personally. I can't see it being good for the baby if mom is constantly feeling anxious and/or depressed.

I had an unplanned pregnancy 5,000 miles from my family with a guy that was emotionally abusive. With 26% unemployment in the area, "a military spouse does not need a job" was a common response to my applications. I was broke, angry, and in tears most of the time.  
 
My blood sugar reading crossed the magic line at seven months and they declared me to be gestational diabetic. I was put into the hospital for three days to monitor and determine how much insulin I needed. I cried some more because I feared I was causing damage to my baby.  
 
They released me from the hospital after only 24 hours because I responded immediately to the diet. If I followed the diabetic diet, I would not give birth to a 14 pound baby (and the related health problems of the obesity at such a young age). I immediately started to measure everything I ate.  
 
A key was the one cup of vegetables for lunch and supper. I hated vegetables. I used the one ounce of fat allowed to pour salad dressing on them or maybe melt a portion of shredded cheddar cheese. I gagged the cup of vegetables down twice a day because I did not want the baby to suffer any more than what I may have already caused it to. It had to be real vegetables, lettuce did not count.  
 
Within three days, my energy level jumped. I no longer wanted to watch "one more newscast in case there was an update." I turned off CBC News and started tidying up the house. If you understand how military housing can be very cookie cutter with the houses looking the same, you will understand what happened next. My husband came home and went back out to check the number because it was too clean to be our house. He thought he had walked into the wrong house because I had cleaned up so much.  
 
I became almost happy for the first time in over a year. I cleaned and sorted and arranged stuff between preparing HEALTHY meals and checking my blood sugars.  
 
I had been hospitalized once and did a walk-in interview with the mental health office but they misplaced my file TWICE. When they responded to my pleading letter, I had found that the change in my diet diminished my need for any counselling.  
 
During the twenty plus years since that happened, I have found that my mood is directly related to what I eat. Although I am not diabetic, vegetables make me happy, processed junk food makes me sad so I follow a diabetic diet (without artificial sweeteners - that is another story). I have recently quit putting sugar in my coffee and have started to replace white flour with things such as Spaghetti Squash (with meatballs and pasta sauce) or "peeling" the zucchini so it looks like fettuccini that needs Pesto. Canned soup gets extra carrot slices added if I am unable to make soup from scratch. I fried a large slice of zucchini and used it instead of toast with my eggs. It is amazing how creative one can be in the kitchen when eliminating white flour.  
 
I challenge you to try a diabetic diet for one week before you introduce drugs into the placenta and baby. If the vegetables do not work, then drugs might be the answer. I am lucky that the mental health office lost my file before they wrote me a prescription.

Everyone so far, and katwalk for sharing your story. I wish something simple as eating vegetables would help even a little, but for me, I do eat very healthy including a lot of fruit and veggies.... but that doesn't help the anxiety or depression. I am open to other ideas too

Smash3 said "I have been to my doctor and got their opinion and thoughts on taking anti depressants while pregnant. I want to hear from people that took them for the duration of their pregnancy and what kind/what dosage. Were you comfortable with your decision?     I take 40 mg of celexa and am trying to weigh the pros and cons of taking while pregnant. I have anxiety and depression and if I don't take medication the anxiety and depression really interferes with my day to day activities. "

what did your healthcare providers suggest?

Suggested that I continue taking the medication.

Even when one considers that such things are different for many individuals, most ebrandoners would no doubt have the exact same circumstances as you, and therefore they would have the best advice. I'm sure they'll be able to help you out. All the best!

Hoping to hear from others that weighed their pros and cons and tell what their experience is.  
 
What I'm not looking for, is any condescending or sarcastic comments. I am not naive to think that everyone's situation is the same as mine.  
 
This is my situation and it is very real, and I feel that it's not something to joke about. Or to be condescending or sarcastic about. I am confused and am looking for feedback/experiences from others that had been in a similar situation. Also, I am a real person and would hope that you are capable of treating people, including myself, with more respect.

Classified said "Even when one considers that such things are different for many individuals, most ebrandoners would no doubt have the exact same circumstances as you, and therefore they would have the best advice. I'm sure they'll be able to help you out. All the best! "

Really?

Opted not to take any antidepressants or anti anxiety medications during my pregnancies and do not regret it at all. With acupuncture I've been able to almost completely heal from my anxiety. I haven't taken any meds since 2012. I would suggest seeing dr Katy at Brandon acupuncture, they also have herbs safe for pregnancy. Also google dr Aviva Romm she has a lot of great tips!

I took Celexa during my first trimester with my oldest. I was already doing a long, slow taper to try and get off the meds when I got a surprise pregnant. At the time, my doctor warned me that as long as I was off it before the 3rd trimester, it was fine. At the time there were issues associated with taking it in the 3rd only.  
 
Now, that being said, my oldest is my only child with neurological problems. They told me it wasn't due to the medication, and lots of people have healthy children while taking Celexa, but I have often wondered about it. Lots of anecdotal stories about mothers taking these drugs during early pregnancy and their kids going on to have neurological problems.  
 
But it's not been studied - too many ethical implications. It's also possible that these mothers who need the antidepressants are passing a faulty gene to their babies (correlation, but not causation, the drug didn't cause the problem but the drug was treating an underlying disorder that posed a the genetic risk). But as it officially stands right now, there is no association.  
 
In the end, it's important that you're able to cope with pregnancy and motherhood. The small risk from the medication will likely outweigh the risk from not taking them. But that's a decision you need to make with your care provider.