Hi,
I had been on Lexapro 10mg for anxiety for the past year or so. My husband and I started thinking we would like to try for baby #3, so after consulting w/ my psychiatrist I decided to taper off of my Lexapro. I have been completely off for about a week now.
It is still a few days too soon to take a pregnancy test (period is due on Sunday), so I'm not sure if I am pregnant or not.
However, in the past week or so, I'm noticing symptoms coming back, including a lot of irritability, tearfulness, anxious thoughts, rapid heart rate, etc. I feel very hormonal!! I don't know if it's the anxiety or signs of pregnancy!
I'm starting to wonder whether it was the right decision to try for a third and go off my meds. Has anyone been on Lexapro while pregnant? I just hate feeling this way and not having patience w/ my kids. I feel like a wreck!!
I had the same thing after going off my lexapro, but after a few weeks and the baby growing inside my belly made it all worth while. I would suggest giving it a few weeks.
I came off a low dose of anti-anxiety meds a couple of months before I started trying to get pregnant. At the time, the medication was considered Category C. One month after my daughter was born the category was changed to D.
Playing music, especially at night as my brain swirled while I tried to fall asleep, was extremely helpful in easing my anxiety. I also prayed verses about anxiety for myself such as 1 Peter 5:7 "I cast all my fears on you because you care for me."
I have been medication-free and have felt mentally well since. Hopefully, if you haven't already considered counseling, your doctor has recommended it.
Praying you'll have a sense of peace regardless of the decision you make.
give it a little more time before you jump back on the meds if you can. I finally got off of my klonopin about a month ago and the first week (even though I did get weaned off too) was the worst. Second week was okay and now im realizing what a fog I lived in for the past 4 years. All of those are symptoms of the withdrawl and I would try to give it more time to see if it gets better or not.
Did your doc put you on a new med? My guess is that you are still going through withdrawl, but that you still also need an anti-anxiety med. I know there are some that are safe during pregnancy; I took Zoloft and did ok on it.
Talk to your doc about it, but you should be ok to try a different med if you need it. Good luck and hopefully you are pregnant since its what you want.
I was told by my doctor that you need to weigh the two (being off of Lexapro and having symptoms of depression or anxiety OR being on it). It sounds like you need to have a good conversation with your OB. I've had friends who took anti-depressants during pregnancy and their children are just fine =)
I took Lexapro while I was pregnant with DS (now 2.5). The opinion of my doctor was that any side effects of taking the Lexapro were not as risky as side effects of being unmedicated during pregnancy when most people's hormones are out of whack.
I felt great during pregnancy. I was a little emotional and had some rough days, but for the most part, being pregnant was good for me!
I chose to go off Lexapro about a year ago because it was simply too expensive - about $150 for a month's worth! Too much for our budget!! (When I went on it, I was working and had fabulous teacher's benefits...). I miss my Lexapro :-/ Even though there is generic available, the price still hasn't come down enough for me :-(
I had such anxiety after my first was born. I was on Meds for a while then felt better and got off them. When I found out I was pregnant with my 2nd. My anxiety was coming back full force. I went to my OB/GYN and I went back on Meds. I asked her about everything I've read online about it and she said that's the problem with the internet....She said having the anxiety while pregnant isn't healthy for the baby. I would not have changed a thing!!! What a difference it made. I had NO anxiety the rest of my pregnancy and nothing post pregnancy. I'm glad I listened to my Doctor and no one else. I've heard it all about what meds can do and this and that about the baby...ect. Listen to your Doctor and make the decision that YOU feel is right for yourself.
Good Luck!!
To be honest no matter how slight the withdrawal schedule.... You will still withdraw! You are only off the meds a week fully. You are going through withdrawal. It takes the med a month to be fully in your system you can expect full and complete to take at least that long. Most say another week and the worst would be over. So cute yourself some slack and remind yourself that your brain chemistry is literally changing right now. Isn't it ironic that the med that is there to help with anxiety will make it magnified during withdrawal but it does just that.
There is a class b drug for anxiety you can happily take while pregnant. It's called buspar. It is just like an Ssri and takes about a month to get its biggest benefits going but a lot of women are on benzo's which are far stronger than ssri's to well on it during pregnancy. I'd ask my doc, whoever use to give you lexapro, to switch to that.
Good luck with your TTC!
There are micronutrient products you can take that boost mood that may be safer. Message me if you are interested in more info. I'm not selling anything, I am just trying to be respectful, because I know that this is not a direct answer to your question.
