Medication While Being Pregnant

I took 20 mg of prozac while I conceived and for about 2 months into my 3rd pregnancy. Although it is relatively safe, my GP advised I stop since I wasn't having my period which is why I take it in the first place. Her exact words to me were that the hormones in pregnancy are good hormones so I should not feel the anxiety I felt once a month.

Despite my having taken it my son was born healthy and now at almost 3 he is showing brilliance.

www.safefetus.com is a great reference.

I have had a simialar prob. I am pregnant with my 3rd child and I was taking cymbalta for my depression but it has too many unknown side effects so my doctor switched me to paxil which I took for my one of my other children and there was no side effects she is now a heathly 4 yr old.

Hi A.-
You should speak to your doctor, but I think you can take Zoloft while you are pregnant because it breaks down differently in the body compared to other anti-depressants and should not affect the baby.

If t is just prozac it should be ok. I have seen babies born with a mom taking meds for anxiety/depression and they are ok, it is when you get into multiple drugs, street drugs, etc. I would see if your body is now able to wean first, but I totally agree, you need to make an appt with your OB asap and tell him you want a baby and need the prozac and the therapist perhaps needs his/her OK? See what your OB says, if he is OK with it, them make sure your therapists has all the info. If she will not prescribe, perhaps your OB will prescribe it for you.

I wasn't but my sister was on a higher dose of prozac than you currently are through her entire pregnancy and her son is healthy. He has some allergies but so does her other son whom she was totally med free while pregnant. Her doctor said the stress she was under while being off the meds was more harmful to the baby than taking them. I would just talk to another doctor (especially your OBGYN) to get a second opinion.

Find a high risk ob/gyn or other doctor with experience using antidepressants with pregnant women. I think some are safer than others and you can probably find one that is okay. I have heard Zoloft and Paxil are okay (definitely okay during breastfeeding)but I don't know about Prozac specifically. But I am not an MD--find one that has experience.

Hi A.,
All medications will cross the placenta and reach your baby, no drug has been proven 100% safe for an unborn baby. There are certain drugs in safer classifications, I don't know if Prozac is among them. I would speak with your OB or midwife, the doctor who prescribed the medication and your pharmacist, as well as carefully reading the package insert. Sometimes doctors will brush a mom off saying it's perfectly safe - ask specifically what the side effects are to the unborn baby and ask to see documentation about this.
Good luck!

I know of someone who was having a baby the samme time I was and when she found out she was pregnant she quit all her depression/anxiety medication. Her baby had to have surgery at birth and all is okay now. I took prozac while I was breastfeeding because I thought I was a tad PPD but now looking back it was just the overwhelming responsibility of caring for another human being. It was safe to take while breastfeeding as it classified as I drug that had a low adverse effect on the baby.
I hope this helps.

Hey A.,

I would talk to your ob/gyn before making any decisions. I am not sure about Prozac while pregnant, however I am sure many women with chronic illnesses have had to continue their medications under strict supervision. Maybe you would have to just be monitored more often then usual especially during the first trimester. I am sure your doctor has come across this situation many times and will have all the answers you need. Good luck to you and our family!!

Hi there. I started taking Prozac during my 14th week of pregnancy. I have a history of anxiety attacks and was advised by a psychiatrist that it is okay to take after the 1st trimester. My baby turned out healthy and my daughter did not have any side effects. I took 20mg of prozac a day myself. I would highly recommend staying on the Prozac because it helps relax you. I stoped taking the Prozac shortly before her first birthday.

I was on lithium for bipolar disorder throughout both of my pregnancies, but they were both considered high risk & we had to undergo much more testing. The main reason was because the lithium was shown to have caused an undeformed valve in the heart once out of 100,000 infants. My psychiatrist, my husband & I sat down for hours discussing all of the possibilities but all felt safe that it would be more of a risk for me and the unborn baby to be taken off of my medication. For whatever reason with my first pregnancy, my lithium was being depleated from my systems so I had to go from 900mg/daily to 2100/mg daily by the end of the pregnancy. If you can plan a meeting w/ur psychiatrist, that would be were to get your answers. Our dr had about 50,000 books in a pile when we got there. Good luck!

I have depression and anxiety disorder as well. I was on Lexpro for dpression by my psychiatrist took me off while I was pregnant. Several people here have mentioned talking with your OBGYN and I agree. however do not let them blow you off. Some doctors will blow off depression as just all in your head. A psychiatrist would be recommended to monitor the depression medications. Your OBGYN can most likely give you a recommendation

What helped me was group therapy. I could not be on meds and I ended up in a partial hospital program and it was the best thing I could have done. I responded well to it and as a result was able to deal with my depression. I was in for 3 months which was the max for the program.

The main thing I was told that as long as I was not a danger to myself or my children I could be off meds and just do groups. The day after my son was born I was back on my meds.

An excellent site for dealing with depression in pregnancy and after is below:
http://www.state.nj.us/health/fhs/ppd/index.shtml
They have a 24 hour hotline and I have used it several times. Very caring people who are trained in crisis calls

I was taking 30 mg of Prozac for seven years before deciding with my husband to try to get pregnant. I researched the prozac and pregnancy situation and it was very positive. But, wanting to do the best for my hoped for baby, I stopped taking the stuff. It was nine months of hell during which I had a miscarriage. I was bitchy, critical, angry and bitter (throughout the period, not just after the miscarriage) and I almost lost my husband and hence the chance for a child. So, I went back on it (20 mg only) and three weeks later we conceived!!

I decided to stay on it during the pregnancy. I discussed it with my psychiatrist who had observed me off the drug and my reasons for considering to take the chance during pregnancy. As you may know, because Prozac has been around for nearly 40 years, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence suggesting that Prozac is safe during pregnancy. I had a very healthy pregnancy, absolutely no negative emotions, an easy birth and a beautiful, healthy boy who is now nearly 4 years old and very smart. My son and I did not hit it off with breastfeeding - I continued taking it for our four-month struggle since I figured the post partum period may be the most difficult. If I were to try for another (which we won't because I'm 45 now), I would not hesitate to take it during conception, pregnancy and lactation.

I hope that my experience can help you make your decision.

Hi A.. I too took anti depresants while pregnant with my second child. I had lost my husband at six weeks pregnant and the anti depressant I was on, Zoloft was no longer working. I consulted with a Psyciatrist who was familiar with anxiety and depression in pregnancy and he suggested medications that were okay to use during pregnancy. There is a code system for all medications created to explain how harmful they can be during pregnancy. Consult with your OBGYN and they should be able to recomend someone who is familiar with these codes and what would be better for you to take. It needs to be a Psyciatrist Not a psycologist. And just know that you are not alone. Many woman take all kinds of meds. during pregnancy,and there are also some good moms that suffer from depression. By the way I have A beautifu and Very smart... Too Smart sometimes!!!.. Four year old. He is developing completely normally and happy and healthy..

Hi A.,

Of course you need to get medical advise on this one for sure, but I do have a friend who takes Prozac and did so for both of her pregnancies with no problems.

D.
35 year old mother of 5 with one more on the way

Hi there, I am preganant with my 3rd child and currently on Cymbalta 60mg. It is safe to take meds while pregnant. The only thing my doc told me is that with Cymbalta I will have to change to another one come the third trimester as it brings on early labor. SPeak with your doc and good luck!!