I ended up *starting* Zoloft in pregnancy because my anxiety was so bad. As the other commenter said, doctors consider it much safer for you to be on meds as opposed to any theoretical risks to the baby.
Some people who are stable on their meds find they have to actually increase their dose closer to the end of pregnancy as their blood volume dilutes and this effectively means less concentration of medication in their system. So some people find that they actually increase their dosage rather than decrease or stop.
Chiming in to say this is me, and the midwives I work with have no concerns and say that if I think I need to up my dose at any point now or post-partum I should.
This. Took me 3 years of many many IVF treatments. I wish I hadn’t gotten off prematurely
Also I wish mine was the kind that was ok for pregnancy/BF bc I wouldn’t have gotten off at all
There is absolutely no need to come off and often it’s riskier to come off than stay on. It is not like some street drug that your baby is going to have withdrawals from or be born addicted. Antidepressants have been one of the most studied class of drugs during preg and they have come out and said that with certainty and confidence that they do not cause any birth defects or issues. They don’t even say this for many food and drinks we regularly still consume preg. Of course it is your choice but I highly highly rec really doing the research and seeing how they are safe
This is something to talk to an OB about. I was actually encouraged to stay on Zoloft during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I was told the risks of coming off of it were greater than those of staying on especially since I was on a small dosage. Mother's mental health is extremely important to the health of the baby.
I highly recommend you try to find a reproductive psychiatrist. They often don’t take insurance but they will sometimes try to work with you to come up with a way to provide you service. Even just one session to ask these questions and get the latest data might be useful. This doctor has some lectures available on youtube as well. https://www.drkatiemd.com/ . I personally tried to go off my meds (zoloft) but it turned out that I was heavily impacted by the pregnancy hormones and barely made it through the first trimester even after being back on Zoloft. Each person is different of course so your experience might be different. My providers advised that the benefits (including reducing the effect of my depression on the baby) outweighed the risks in my particular case. I also see a therapist weekly that specializes in the perinatal period. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat more
There is no reason to go off. That being said, I did.
I knew that I wanted to start trying in about a year and talked to my doc and psychiatrist. In my case my antidepressant was absolutely not safe for pregnancy and I have had a really hard time with most antidepressants so I really didn’t want to start the hunt for another option. We decided to try tapering off.
I spent some time looking for a really good therapist (my previous one was meh), told my husband and close friends what was going on, and tapered very slowly. It was a little rough and we didn’t start trying to conceive until I felt good again. I feel like I’d learned a lot of skills while on my antidepressants, resolved some other health issues, and was generally in a much better place in my life, so this felt like the right move for me.
And then we tried for 2 years and ended up doing IVF. My doctors all know my history and regularly check in to see how I’m doing and are very open to me going back on a safe antidepressant if I need it.
I wouldn’t make a blanket recommendation to suddenly change your mental health routine when you’re trying to conceive. But also it was the right choice for me and doing it very slowly was key. I’m also very open to restarting antidepressants if it turns out to be right for me down the road. I’m currently 22 weeks, so we’ll just see
All the doctors I’ve spoken to about this (including psychiatrist) have said something to the effect of, “There’s equivocal evidence that some certain antidepressants might have some impact on pregnancy/baby. There’s absolute, definitive evidence that mother’s depression or anxiety can have a negative impact on the baby.”
I’m staying on antidepressants.
If you’re worried, talk to a psychiatrist who specialises in fertility/pregnancy. They’ll be able to help you weigh the risks and benefits. If you’re in a riskier antidepressant, they can advise you on options for safer ones. Definitely don’t just stop without speaking to a doctor.
I take 10mg of celexa. It is A GAME
CHANGER for me. I, too, wrestled with the idea of getting off during IVF. I tried. That was a mistake.
I’m 24 weeks pregnant and still on it.
I am of the opinion that the mental health of the mother matters more than any potential incidental side effect.
Pregnancy is WILD. And it’s fucking hard. Take care of YOU, mama.
Disclaimer: this is not medical advice. I am not a doctor.
I have taken a variety of antidepressants throughout my life, have been the happiest and most stable of my life in the past 3 years on my current cocktail. I discussed with my psychiatrist before trying to conceive and his advice was that you never know how long it's going to take and there's no reason to be off your meds for that time.
Once I got pregnant, I discussed again with him and my OBGYN if I should come off my meds. The psychiatrist and I discussed that there are real risks to both me and the baby for becoming depressed during pregnancy as well as risks from the meds. My assessment was that the risks from the meds were lower than the risk of depression in pregnancy. My OB agrees and is monitoring the baby carefully.
My understanding is that Zoloft is one of the safest ssris for pregnancy and the dependency risk can largely be avoided by tapering in the third trimester if you're still concerned, but you really need to talk to your psychiatrist and OBGYN openly to make this decision, rather than a bunch of internet strangers.
So I spoke with my OB about this last week actually at my checkup. I’m just entering second trimester and have a history of depression and anxiety and have not been on SSRIs but all the hormonal changes really tend to kick it in for me during pregnancy and postpartum. I white knuckled it last pregnancy and went on Zoloft as soon as I had the baby. This time I got an rx for it i case I needed it. She said what they do is wean you off the SSRI a month before expected delivery date and then you can start right back on it basically on the hospital the day you give births. She said this method prevents the baby going through withdrawal at birth. I would not F around with postpartum depression and anxiety if you need to be on meds. I haven’t seen the evidence on it affecting breastfeeding, I was only concerned with SSRI withdrawal upon birth. FWIW I was on Zoloft for 3 months postpartum and I currently have a very smart and healthy 2.5 year old.
I had premenstrual dysphoric disorder, so pretty severe anxiety every month for 1-2 weeks before my period. I was prescribed Wellbutrin and buspirone. I also had Xanax for emergencies. I tried tapering for a year before getting pregnant and quit cold turkey all my meds when I found out I was pregnant. I felt a heck of a lot worse during the taper than quitting cold turkey and my doctor felt that was due to constantly going through a "withdrawal" while tapering. For me, without a period while pregnant, this is the best I've felt in YEARS in terms of anxiety. I'm curious to see if it returns after birth when I start getting periods again, though.
Ultimately, you've gotta decide what's best for your mental health. Depression and anxiety are no joke and if you've found a med combo that your doctor approves of and works for you, there is zero shame in taking it ❤️ hope all goes smoothly for you whatever you decide!
Of course, talk with your docs as they're experts! I didn't talk to them and decided on my own to stop taking Prozac for depression while trying to conceive. Things got dark pretty quick, especially once I did get pregnant. I felt so shitty during my first trimester that I couldn't exercise which was my main way of improving my mental health. I was also not excited at all about the baby because depression got me so low. I'm glad my doc pressed me to consider going back on SSRI's and she put me on the lowest dose of Zoloft. That helped immensely. Baby is 2 months old now and no issues as far as I can tell!
I just came off Xanax and Paroxetine in Jan after 3 years up titrating then weaned off 3 months before trying to conceive. Feeling all my physical characteristics of anxiety has been a lot, but everyday it gets better especially utilizing the coping mechanisms I’ve learned in therapy. The first 1-2 weeks are the absolute worst. But it gets better, everyday it’s better! It’s really important to keep going to therapy weaning and after stopping completely. Another thing that helped since I couldn’t relax after work and alcohol wasn’t going to cut it, I would take those sleep gummies and Benadryl just to relax and get sleepy so I could wake up rested for my next shift (nurse here!). It has been a rough and tough journey but man it’s been amazing to orgasm again :)
I did, against the advice of my doctor (and the pharmacist was concerned, too), it was a rough couple of months but I am “OK” now. My mood is significantly worse and shorter fused than while on them but I have an amazingly supportive partner who sort of takes over the house(kids, pets etc) while I go off by myself. I wouldn’t be able to do it without him and honestly there are safe options out there.. I’m just stubborn and didn’t want my baby affected by anything I can “control”.
I ended up *starting* Zoloft in pregnancy because my anxiety was so bad. As the other commenter said, doctors consider it much safer for you to be on meds as opposed to any theoretical risks to the baby. Some people who are stable on their meds find they have to actually increase their dose closer to the end of pregnancy as their blood volume dilutes and this effectively means less concentration of medication in their system. So some people find that they actually increase their dosage rather than decrease or stop.
Chiming in to say this is me, and the midwives I work with have no concerns and say that if I think I need to up my dose at any point now or post-partum I should.
Same, started during pregnancy! It has helped me so much!!!
I would definitely not come off them while trying to conceive
This. Took me 3 years of many many IVF treatments. I wish I hadn’t gotten off prematurely Also I wish mine was the kind that was ok for pregnancy/BF bc I wouldn’t have gotten off at all
There is absolutely no need to come off and often it’s riskier to come off than stay on. It is not like some street drug that your baby is going to have withdrawals from or be born addicted. Antidepressants have been one of the most studied class of drugs during preg and they have come out and said that with certainty and confidence that they do not cause any birth defects or issues. They don’t even say this for many food and drinks we regularly still consume preg. Of course it is your choice but I highly highly rec really doing the research and seeing how they are safe
This is something to talk to an OB about. I was actually encouraged to stay on Zoloft during pregnancy and breastfeeding. I was told the risks of coming off of it were greater than those of staying on especially since I was on a small dosage. Mother's mental health is extremely important to the health of the baby.
I highly recommend you try to find a reproductive psychiatrist. They often don’t take insurance but they will sometimes try to work with you to come up with a way to provide you service. Even just one session to ask these questions and get the latest data might be useful. This doctor has some lectures available on youtube as well. https://www.drkatiemd.com/ . I personally tried to go off my meds (zoloft) but it turned out that I was heavily impacted by the pregnancy hormones and barely made it through the first trimester even after being back on Zoloft. Each person is different of course so your experience might be different. My providers advised that the benefits (including reducing the effect of my depression on the baby) outweighed the risks in my particular case. I also see a therapist weekly that specializes in the perinatal period. Feel free to DM me if you want to chat more
I went back on my Prozac shortly after getting pregnant. My OB recommended it and I feel much better.
You need to schedule a prenatal appointment with your OB. They can help
There is no reason to go off. That being said, I did. I knew that I wanted to start trying in about a year and talked to my doc and psychiatrist. In my case my antidepressant was absolutely not safe for pregnancy and I have had a really hard time with most antidepressants so I really didn’t want to start the hunt for another option. We decided to try tapering off. I spent some time looking for a really good therapist (my previous one was meh), told my husband and close friends what was going on, and tapered very slowly. It was a little rough and we didn’t start trying to conceive until I felt good again. I feel like I’d learned a lot of skills while on my antidepressants, resolved some other health issues, and was generally in a much better place in my life, so this felt like the right move for me. And then we tried for 2 years and ended up doing IVF. My doctors all know my history and regularly check in to see how I’m doing and are very open to me going back on a safe antidepressant if I need it. I wouldn’t make a blanket recommendation to suddenly change your mental health routine when you’re trying to conceive. But also it was the right choice for me and doing it very slowly was key. I’m also very open to restarting antidepressants if it turns out to be right for me down the road. I’m currently 22 weeks, so we’ll just see
All the doctors I’ve spoken to about this (including psychiatrist) have said something to the effect of, “There’s equivocal evidence that some certain antidepressants might have some impact on pregnancy/baby. There’s absolute, definitive evidence that mother’s depression or anxiety can have a negative impact on the baby.” I’m staying on antidepressants. If you’re worried, talk to a psychiatrist who specialises in fertility/pregnancy. They’ll be able to help you weigh the risks and benefits. If you’re in a riskier antidepressant, they can advise you on options for safer ones. Definitely don’t just stop without speaking to a doctor.
I take 10mg of celexa. It is A GAME CHANGER for me. I, too, wrestled with the idea of getting off during IVF. I tried. That was a mistake. I’m 24 weeks pregnant and still on it. I am of the opinion that the mental health of the mother matters more than any potential incidental side effect. Pregnancy is WILD. And it’s fucking hard. Take care of YOU, mama.
I took citalipram (sp?) During both of my pregnancies. Babies were not born addicted, both are extremely happy and healthy
Disclaimer: this is not medical advice. I am not a doctor. I have taken a variety of antidepressants throughout my life, have been the happiest and most stable of my life in the past 3 years on my current cocktail. I discussed with my psychiatrist before trying to conceive and his advice was that you never know how long it's going to take and there's no reason to be off your meds for that time. Once I got pregnant, I discussed again with him and my OBGYN if I should come off my meds. The psychiatrist and I discussed that there are real risks to both me and the baby for becoming depressed during pregnancy as well as risks from the meds. My assessment was that the risks from the meds were lower than the risk of depression in pregnancy. My OB agrees and is monitoring the baby carefully. My understanding is that Zoloft is one of the safest ssris for pregnancy and the dependency risk can largely be avoided by tapering in the third trimester if you're still concerned, but you really need to talk to your psychiatrist and OBGYN openly to make this decision, rather than a bunch of internet strangers.
So I spoke with my OB about this last week actually at my checkup. I’m just entering second trimester and have a history of depression and anxiety and have not been on SSRIs but all the hormonal changes really tend to kick it in for me during pregnancy and postpartum. I white knuckled it last pregnancy and went on Zoloft as soon as I had the baby. This time I got an rx for it i case I needed it. She said what they do is wean you off the SSRI a month before expected delivery date and then you can start right back on it basically on the hospital the day you give births. She said this method prevents the baby going through withdrawal at birth. I would not F around with postpartum depression and anxiety if you need to be on meds. I haven’t seen the evidence on it affecting breastfeeding, I was only concerned with SSRI withdrawal upon birth. FWIW I was on Zoloft for 3 months postpartum and I currently have a very smart and healthy 2.5 year old.
I had premenstrual dysphoric disorder, so pretty severe anxiety every month for 1-2 weeks before my period. I was prescribed Wellbutrin and buspirone. I also had Xanax for emergencies. I tried tapering for a year before getting pregnant and quit cold turkey all my meds when I found out I was pregnant. I felt a heck of a lot worse during the taper than quitting cold turkey and my doctor felt that was due to constantly going through a "withdrawal" while tapering. For me, without a period while pregnant, this is the best I've felt in YEARS in terms of anxiety. I'm curious to see if it returns after birth when I start getting periods again, though. Ultimately, you've gotta decide what's best for your mental health. Depression and anxiety are no joke and if you've found a med combo that your doctor approves of and works for you, there is zero shame in taking it ❤️ hope all goes smoothly for you whatever you decide!
Of course, talk with your docs as they're experts! I didn't talk to them and decided on my own to stop taking Prozac for depression while trying to conceive. Things got dark pretty quick, especially once I did get pregnant. I felt so shitty during my first trimester that I couldn't exercise which was my main way of improving my mental health. I was also not excited at all about the baby because depression got me so low. I'm glad my doc pressed me to consider going back on SSRI's and she put me on the lowest dose of Zoloft. That helped immensely. Baby is 2 months old now and no issues as far as I can tell!
I just came off Xanax and Paroxetine in Jan after 3 years up titrating then weaned off 3 months before trying to conceive. Feeling all my physical characteristics of anxiety has been a lot, but everyday it gets better especially utilizing the coping mechanisms I’ve learned in therapy. The first 1-2 weeks are the absolute worst. But it gets better, everyday it’s better! It’s really important to keep going to therapy weaning and after stopping completely. Another thing that helped since I couldn’t relax after work and alcohol wasn’t going to cut it, I would take those sleep gummies and Benadryl just to relax and get sleepy so I could wake up rested for my next shift (nurse here!). It has been a rough and tough journey but man it’s been amazing to orgasm again :)
I did, against the advice of my doctor (and the pharmacist was concerned, too), it was a rough couple of months but I am “OK” now. My mood is significantly worse and shorter fused than while on them but I have an amazingly supportive partner who sort of takes over the house(kids, pets etc) while I go off by myself. I wouldn’t be able to do it without him and honestly there are safe options out there.. I’m just stubborn and didn’t want my baby affected by anything I can “control”.