Prenatal Depression & Meds?

[RockmelonDreams]

Hi, I suffered Post Natal Depression with my first pregnancy and tried Lexapro before swapping over to Zoloft for 8 months. I am now 25 weeks pregnant with my 2nd and experiencing some of the same symptoms again. I have an appointment this week with a mental health midwife but am wondering how they will best treat this and what I can do to stop feeling the way I do. Is it safe to take anti depressants whilst pregnant? Has anyone taken meds late in their pregnancy?

[Hokey Pokey]

Hi,
There are medications you can take :yes:
Good luck with your app :hugs:

[RockmelonDreams]

Thanks, I feel better knowing there are things that I can safely take without harming my baby.

[Joju]

There are med's you can take safely in pregnancy. Best to talk to your midwife or doc about which ones.

http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/html/mip/odis.htm

There's a phone number on that web page for the Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation Information Service (SA). They might be able to help.

http://www.safefetus.com/

This one is a US-based one, but still could be of some help.


I've been on an anti-dep. since conception which is considered safe (Aurorix), with no prob's.

Good luck, hope you're feeling better soon.:hugs:

[sassmum]

Hi hun

I feel for you, I have been on Zoloft since five weeks preggas and am doing great now because of it! Getting on top of it is the best thing I could have done!

Good luck on your appointment! :hugs:

[mslilyponds]

I am 15 weeks pregnant and have had pre-natal depression since the day before I took the pregnancy test (thought it was really bad PMS). I decided to brave it without drugs and it has been hell - like indescribable.....to make it worse, my mum has just had a triple bypass and valve transplant, a nightmare from my past came back to make ammends (stupid 12 step program), an OB who told me that my anxiety is harming the baby and that she had to induce early (kill) a baby just that week because of a woman like me and my workplace is threatening to sack me because I lost my cool a couple of times at work (the day of mum's surgery and the day of the OB).

So, with all that, and the indescribable sadness - this pregnancy has been plain horrible.

BUT - my GP has been really good and my new shrink and it has been a godsend. She diagnosed me with an pre-natal depression and Generalised Anxiety Disorder - which, once I started reading about it, made sense of just about everything that has ever happened to me. Although sensible breathing and sleeping doesn't actually seem to be solving anything - going into her office and blurting it all out really helps.

Now that I am out of mental trimester 1, the world is starting to light up again a little - I still can't go back to work but that is probably for the best. I don't know if I should have taken drugs or not but the best thing that has come out of it all is that I am sorting out my issues with a shrink which I think will allow me to be a better mother.

[RockmelonDreams]

Thanks for the replies. I met with my new mental health midwife and have decided against taking medication at this point and instead joining a PND support group at the hospital. I'd be taking Zoloft and the midwife explained how last year there was alot of studies done by the hospital about anti depressants in pregnancy and while they are generally safe if i go back on the Zoloft my bub will have to stay in hospital for a week after the birth on a withdrawl program. I feel really bad about having my bub in hospital on a withdrawal program so I'm going to try all other avenues first. According to my midwife 9/10 babies experience no withdrawal symptoms but the other one will develop shakes etc so I'm going to do what ever I have to not to have my bub go through that.

[mslilyponds]

Jesus. I have had two doctors and an OB urge me to take Zoloft and/or valium (or one of it's relatives) and not one of them mentioned withdrawal symptoms in the baby. They all just siad it would be fine, it's safe, there's no implications for the baby.....

I am stunned.

I am interested to hear of a pre-natal depression group - which city are you in? I tried everywhere to find one and I kept getting referred to post-natal depression groups as pre-natal doesn't seem to exist. Even the 1300 help line has shut down.....

I am interested to hear if the other women on this forum knew about this withdrawal period?

[chicken and eggs mum]

I was told about the withdrawal from my gp - but am yet to discuss it with my ob - have it on my list for next apt... i decided to come off my meds anyway and havent been coping too well - but that happened when i came off them last time - i too would be interested in a pre natal depression group... but am sure there wouldnt be one in our area...

im coping - just... my work have been great and i am the first one who is offered time off if there are low numbers (I am a child carer)... DH has been really good too... and my best friend... but no one else seems to understand... or more i dont want to tell them why i feel like i do..

anyway, if you want to stick it out without meds that is your choice but make sure you have lots of support around you in terms of a good mental health professional and someone who has dealth with pre natal depression before...

good luck and let us know how you are going...

em
xxx

[Joju]

Glad you have found a way through the depression in a way that you're comfortable with. Hope things improve for you soon. Sometimes support and lifestyle change is all you need...hope that's the case for you.

[mslilyponds]

My life would be a whole lot easier if work wasn't trying to sack me for the depression and anxiety - that is consuming me at the moment.

[RockmelonDreams]

Hi, I'm at a major public hospital in Adelaide. I was going to a smaller hospital who never mentioned pre natal depression and then at my very first appointment at the bigger hospital it was picked up straight away.

I was offered 2 support groups within the hospital and given lots of brochures on what types of things trigger pre natal depression and ways to treat it without medication.

I'm now in the process of building up a new support team which includes my mental health midwife, an obstretrician, my birthing midwives, hubby, family & friends & a couple of women going through the same thing and being completely honest with them when things get too much.

I've had to change things in my lifestyle that contribute to the depression and start thinking about things differently.

It's not easy, admitting that you can't do everything on your own and that's been the hardest thing for me I think, stepping back and accepting help from people. I've always been an independant person with the motto "if you want something done properly then you have to do it yourself"

It really has helped though to talk to other pregnant mums who are going through similiar things, just having the opportunity to talk to other mums face to face is something that I didn't have before and has made a big difference. You don't feel so alone or like your going crazy when you have someone else who says 'I feel the same way"

[mslilyponds]

I had planned to go private but decided last minute to change to public - I am going to the Royal Brisbane Women's so I will ask them about all this stuff when I go to my first appointment.

[mslilyponds]

Thanks for the advice, it's helpful - I just hope Brisbane has the same access as Adelaide.

[chicken and eggs mum]

mental health midwife, an obstretrician, my birthing midwives, hubby, family & friends & a couple of women going through the same thing and being completely honest with them when things get too much.



This sounds like such a great support network... a mental health midwife would be perfect for me.... might look in to that a bit more....

[Blue&Pink]

Just wanted to say that it's great people are finding alternatives to their depression without needing meds.

For the women interested/curious about withdrawls in bubs, it is indeed true. But one way to help avoid this is to 6 or 7 weeks before your EDD wean off the meds totally, this gives your bub a greater chance of there being none or not enough in their system for them to have to suffer withdrawls and stay in on a withdrawl system.

I've been on Zoloft first, then Avanza and Seroquel for this pregnancy (after losing the plot and being hospitalized) and both my psychiatrist and Obst have recommended that approx 6wks before my EDD I start to wean off the drugs because this will lessen the after-birth effects on bub.

Good luck to everyone :)

[lissistar]

Hi lovely girls, don't know if this will help anyone but I am currently on Effexor, I had very bad depression for 6 yrs before I decided to take anti depressants and have been on them for just under 2 months. About 2 weeks before I started taking them, I also started on the Jon Gabriel program to lose weight which is adding Omega 3 capsules, a good fermented probiotic, a green superfood powder called Bac2Health and digestive food enzymes as well as eating plenty of live, organic fresh foods. I also started walking on the beach most days and getting outside regularly to play with my kids, jumping on the trampoline, swinging them on the swings and just generally having fun with them. I also listened to the relaxtion CD that came with his book every night which helps me sleep well and focus better during the day. And I had the attitude that when I started on the anti depressants, that they WOULD work and I WOULD get better NOW! So, from day one of taking the tablets, I felt fantastic, and I believe now that in actual fact, it wasn't the antidepressants that made me feel better, it was the nutritional things I was doing plus the mental things that had changed, my husband and 2 best friends agree seeing as antidepressants dont usually take effect that quickly (like from the first day!) So, I have done some research and found a few articles on mercola.com (who I trust to cut thru a lot of the rubbish) on why anti depressants don't work. He gives 5 things you can do to help yourself,
1. Exercise for a good 60-90 mins each day so your heart gets pumping, good for happy endorphins to work (I love walking on the beach in bare feet thru the sand!)
2. omega 3's possibly the most important nutrient to help fight depression and you need to source unpolluted unfarmed small fish oil for max benefit (I take X-tend Life)
3. safe sun exposure for vitamin D (once again beach is good!!)
theres 2 more but I can't remember them off the top of my head anyway if you're interested here is a link:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/10/Why-Antidepressants-Dont-Work.aspx
hope it helps someone!

ps i'm going to the Dr tomorrow to plan my coming off effexor, iv read the withdrawal effects are horrible so am doing it as slowly as possible, hopefully the fact I've only been on it for just under 2 months will work in my favour and they won't be so bad! :fingerscrossed:
sorry its so long i tend to get passionate!:ecomcity:
bubbles and butterflies!:babydust2:

PPS while you're looking at X-tend life for the omega 3 fish oil capsules, my sister is taking the natural serenity tablets from them also as a natural anti depressant, it has SAME in it and that is supposed to have the same effects as an anti depressant without the nasty side effects. These will be my back-up plan in case I need to go on something else after I have come off the Effexor.