Which anti-depressant?

[bibliojo]

So I'm thinking that I should probably go one some anti-depressants for the sake of my poor dh and myself and was wondering what are my options? I'm not pregnant, but I could be at some point while taking them. Which ones are the safest/most effective?

Joanna

[JennyK]

Joanna,

They are all category C. I do not suffer from depression, but I have generalized anxiety disorder, so I take SSRI's for that.

I would say avoid Paxil because it causes withdrawal in newborns. Having gone through Paxil withdrawal hell myself, I could never put a baby through that.

I have been told that the other SSRI's are easier to come off of and don't cause w/d in babies. (I'm no expert, though.)

Now I am on Lexapro because it supposedly has the least side effects. The doctor said not to worry about safety during pregnancy and that he prescribes it to pregnant patients all the time with no ill effect. I do worry anyway (I have an anxiety disorder after all!), but I take it nevertheless.

If you feel like you are struggling you should definitely give an anti-depressant a try. Medication makes a HUGE difference for me. ((((Hugs))))

[kmomto6]

Joanna,

They are all category C. I do not suffer from depression, but I have generalized anxiety disorder, so I take SSRI's for that.

I would say avoid Paxil because it causes withdrawal in newborns. Having gone through Paxil withdrawal hell myself, I could never put a baby through that.

I have been told that the other SSRI's are easier to come off of and don't cause w/d in babies. (I'm no expert, though.)

Now I am on Lexapro because it supposedly has the least side effects. The doctor said not to worry about safety during pregnancy and that he prescribes it to pregnant patients all the time with no ill effect. I do worry anyway (I have an anxiety disorder after all!), but I take it nevertheless.

If you feel like you are struggling you should definitely give an anti-depressant a try. Medication makes a HUGE difference for me. ((((Hugs))))

I have GAD also and took Lexapro with excellent results. I came off it as soon as I found out I was pregnant but will go back on it when the baby is about 4 months old.

[carla]

Hi Joanna,

although I don't suffer from depression, I do suffer from anxiety. My med Celexa is used for both. I have been on it for a few years now, and I have found it to be really helpful. It has given me so much more patience, and I don't over react anymore. I also tried Effexor, but it really didn't work as well for me. Good luck with your search. there are so many different kinds out there. You should also discuss it with your doc.

[IslandDreamer]

I'm currently on 20 mg/day of Prozac. When I spoke to Motherisk folks, the only real concern for Prozac was the risk of jitteriness, breathing or feeding problems, and irritability in 20-30% of newborns. (Unexposed newborns run a 6-9% risk of the same symptoms.)

The med my doc preferred was Zoloft...it sticks in the system less than Prozac (can't think of the proper language). But Zoloft had the unpleasant vomit-effect on me. Prozac has helped control the HG and the depression.

With Prozac, Motherisk has also down a follow up study of 55 Prozac exposed (while in utero) children up to age 86 months, and these children showed NO differences when compared with a control group of unexposed children. It's only one study, but that's encouraging to me.

That's what I know in terms of research. Like I said, Zoloft is considered one of the (if not the) most "gentle" of the SSRIs in pg. I guess the biggest issue is what symptoms you have and what med will work best. Then you can weigh the risk factors of that particular med.

Love,
Suzanne

[allym]

Joanna,

I just wanted to second what Jenny said about Paxil. Although it did work for my post partum depression, it was a living hell trying to come off of it. Sweats, dizziness, nausea. And I even weaned slowly. I found Welbutrine to work well , but I don't know if you can take that when pregnant.

Alexandra

[JennyK]

Alexandra,

That's exactly what happened to me on Paxil. It was so awful! At first I tried to wean the "normal" way by chopping pills and going slowly on a schedule my doctor made. It made me so sick! Finally I had the pharmacy order it in liquid form so I could go down one ml at a time. And even that made me sick. Ugh. But while I was on it, it really worked!!