I have been on paxil for about 3 yrs. and of course when I start TTC it is decided it is no longer safe to take while pg. I told my dr. I wanted to try something that would be safe . He gave me effixer(sp?). When I was reading the info it said it was not safe to take in the 3rd trimester. I am going to call my dr. today. Do any of you know of anything that is safe to take during pg? I am willing not to take anything if I have to, but I am a lot nice with it (ha! ha!)
Thanks,
Gina

Hi Gina,

One of the major concerns about antidepressants in pregnancy is the recent discovery that women who discontinue their antidepressant meds during pregnancy are more likely to suffer a relapse of major depression. This is a link to an article published in Feb 2006 in the Journal of the American Med Assoc. that describes the study that was done:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...=pubmed_docsum

They found that 26% of women who stayed on their meds during their pg had a relapse, and 68% of women who discontinued their meds suffered a relapse. Unfortunately the abstract in the link doesn't talk about when the women stopped (what trimester, etc), if they were weaned off or went cold turkey, and whether they were under a doctor's supervision for depression. The study only assessed the women every month, it wasn't actively trying to treat the women.

The concerns with Paxil are that it's manufacturer has discovered that women who take it during the first tri have a greater chance of having a baby with major birth defects. It's about a 1% increase (4% vs. 3%), but any increase is bad to a woman who is TTC!

There isn't a lot of information about Effexor and pregnancy. If it isn't safe to take in the third tri, it's probably because it passes through the placenta. If you can't take it in the third tri, you probably can't take it while your'e breastfeeding, if you decide to do that.

To make a long story short, it sounds like your doctor is aware you are TTC. I would ask him if there was a specific reason he chose that med, given that there isn't a lot of info about it and pg. And I would ask why he didn't choose other meds. He might have some really good reasons that he just didn't tell you.

As long as your doc and your ob both know that you're pg, and you're on meds and have a plan to treat you, I think it's probably safe to take something while pg. I went throuh a major depression about 6 years ago, and I couldn't imagine trying to deal with that and pg at the same time, so treatment is so important. I also try to keep an eye on my mental state at all times, but especially when I'm experiencing a big change in my life because that's when I'm most vulnerable.

Good luck and let us know what your doc says.

__________________



Me -29 DH - 33
Off BC 2/03
10/07 - 4/08, clomid,
IUI+INJ #1
IUI+INJ #2
IUI+INJ #3
IVF coming October/November!

Thanks for the info. My dr. called yesterday after speaking to the high risk dr. He told me that nothing is 100% safe during pg. However it would be safe to take Effixer until I got pg and stop ASAP. The high risk dr. suggested taking Zoloft after the first trimester. He believed after everthing had been formed, it would be safer. I am sure I want take anything during pg. unless it is absolutely necessary.

Gina

Hi Gina,
I just wanted to let you know that I am on antidepressents as well and I take Lexapro and my Re and dr. know that I am ttc and i Have told them that i tried to stop taking them and i really need to stay on them. Ask your dr about Lexapro.

__________________
Lacie (29)
DH (30)
Mom to Alex Jacob
12/21/07

Thanks Lacie. I thought I would try not to take anything once I weened sp? myself off of Paxil. It was a week until I started having slight anxiety attackes and lost with my husband over something so stupid.
Gina