I Think I Need Antidepressants

I have not been on antidepressants while pregnant but I have been on several different ones on and off for about 20 years. It may take a while to find the right med or combination of meds but it is worth it. I've been on Wellbuitrin and Zoloft for five years. Zoloft alone didn't help. I am able to function, enjoy my family, work (when I have a job) and go to school. I've gained and lost weight on them.

Good luck. Life can be hard. Sometimes we need help.

Just wanted to say that I'm proud of you for recognizing that you need help. Such a huge step to take. You are very brave.

Check out Dr. Daniel Amen's new book. I don't know the name of it but you might find out more about it on his website. He's found 5 types of brain: low serotonin, low dopamine, low Vitamin D (lack of sunshine) . . . and he's figured out how to help each kind naturally with diet and supplements.

There was a study done on antidepressants vs. exercise. Believe it or not, the group that was asked to walk 20 minutes each day reported more relief than those on the meds. While looking for one of my favorite quotations "Walking solves everything" . . . I came across this website: www.polihale.com/shell/31447

Go out your front door, walk 10 minutes in any direction, turn around and walk back. Try that for a few weeks before you make a major decision to put chemicals in your body.

Another thing you might try is EFT or Emotional Freedom Technique. I just discovered it and found a bunch of how-to videos about it on www.youtube.com. One such can be found if you search for "Healing Magic." More can be found under Brad Yates.

Unfortunately, your questions are hard to answer in a general sense.

There are several different antidepressants on the market. The majority belong to a drug class called SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors) and include medications such as Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor XR, Celexa/Lexapro, Paxil.
There is another class, newer on the market called SNRI (Serotonin Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors) that work on the imbalance of both of those chemicals and include Cymbalta and Pristiq.
There may be others in each class - I'm going off of memory here.
Wellbutrin is another one that was popular several years ago - I don't know what class it falls into.

Each person will respond differently to each medication, so it's really hard to say what the effects will be for you individually. Also, whether or not you choose the brand or a generic will make a difference. Different generic manufacturers could also have a slightly different product that could affect results.

Your BEST bet for these answers is to speak with a pharmacist to tell you about the pharmacology (chemistry) behind these products and then to discuss with your doctor.

The FDA requires that companies submit teratogenic data on all medications - basically, that means that they have to assess what the effect will be on a developing fetus. Pregnancy Category B is accepted as safe during pregnancy. Category C means that either the product hasn't been assessed, the data hasn't been approved by the FDA, or the risk/benefit ratio needs to be decided by the physician and patient before prescribing. There are many medications that carry the Category C rating that may not have any effect on your baby. You just need to discuss with your physician to see if you're willing to take the risks.

Most anti-depressants will have an effect on weight, but it's really dependent on the patient as to what the effect will be as well as the strength of the medication.
Some medications need to be titrated meaning that you have to start at a low dose and build up to a therapeutic dose before you really see the best results. It also means you have to be slowly weaned to come off if you don't like it.

I'd recommend trying several until you find the one that is right for you. I'd also recommend working with a therapist if possible to see if you can identify the source of your depression, triggers, and non-pharmacologic ways to deal with it.

Good luck - speak with your physician/pharmacist to get the best information for you specifically.

Here's a great link from MayoClinic.com that may help provide you information as well:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/ssris/mh00066

Here is what my colleague says:
Depression: Detox Outweighs Drugs
by Kim Evans, Natural News

Columbia researchers have announced that ten percent of the U.S. population are on drugs for depression. Doctors quoted by a HealthDay reporter thought this was an improvement because more people are seeking help when they are feeling chronically blue. But there's a foundational question that wasn't addressed: "Are drugs for depression the right kind of help?"

Given that most people have 10 plus pounds of old, rotting fecal matter in their colon and that even newborns these days have more than a hundred known toxic chemicals already inside their bodies, do you think all of the toxicity inside the average person might be at least part of the reason one in ten people are feeling so crummy?

Before you answer, consider what Sherry Rogers, M.D. outlines in her book 'Detoxify or Die':
"There are 12 common chemicals often trapped inside the average person's body - all that have been found to cause depression or damage the nervous system, in addition to causing many other problems."

These common chemicals include:
• plastics (which are commonly absorbed into foods wrapped in them),
• pesticides (in each non-organic bite you take),
• mercury (from pesticides, fungicides, fish, "silver" fillings, vaccines and paints),
• hexane from jet fuel (reported in 2004 to be found in milk),
• aluminum (found in antiperspirants, antacids, aluminum cans, aluminum foil and a great deal of cookware),
• trichloroethylene (in most city water supplies),
• TCE (from dry cleaned clothes and carpets),
• cadmium (from cigarettes),
• toluene (from cigarettes, inks, nail polishes, cleaners, glues and many more sources),
• some home insulation (UFFI),
• gasses from faulty furnaces and even from diesel exhaust.

If you want to read more, just email me and I will send you her entire article. ____@____.com

To answer your questions:
Antidepressants have not been around long enough to truly say whether they are safe or not...remember cigarettes back in the 50s? Drs actually recommended them for pregnant women! Sure millions of moms have taken them, but at what cost? We won't truly know for another 25 years or more.
My personal experience:
EDUCATION NOT MEDICATION - NO MEDICATION IS SAFE FOR BABIES OR MOMS. We don't know enough.
Read, educate yourself. Make and INFORMED DECISION. DO NOT assume that what your doctor says is the be all and end all. PLEASE REALIZE that drs are trained to GIVE DRUGS not cure anything. Their training says "with this ache, assign this drug" , "with XY symptom, prescribe drug Z".
Maybe your dr is different, ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK ASK and ASK again until you have the RIGHT INFO!

Karen, I have been there. 9 different meds, 21 pills a day, and not getting better, just getting more prescriptions. I made the choice to educate myself, now I educate others. I am not a doctor (thank goodness), I am a mom, retired teacher and now a Family Success Coach. I have studied nutrition in depth for a long time now. Ask me questions if you want. I am here.

B.
Family Success Coach

PS - did you know that a handful of cashews HAS THE SAME MEDICINAL QUALITIES as one Prozac? EDUCATION NOT MEDICATION

Your reasons are your own, the only person you need to talk to is someone you trust or a professional. With that said, some antidepressants are okay for both breastfeeding and pregnancy, talk to your doctor to confirm which ones, but I know Zoloft is one of the few safe to take. I chose the runner up, Citalopram while I was in early stages of pregnancy and it really helped me, however, I needed to down or stop my dose by 22 weeks for the general health of the baby, which I was able to do. But always remember, the mental happiness of mommy is just as important as the health of the baby, stressed out mommy makes a stressed out baby, and trust me you don't want that.
Sometimes simply talking to someone works better than any drug out there. Good luck.

I used to be on anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds. In October 2007 I starting treating with Dr. David Karaba at East West Medical Group in Fullerton and through NAET (no drugs involved) was off all medicines by December 2007. I have not needed them since. This is a safe and effective way to get at the source of the problem, instead of dumping dangerous chemicals into your body to deal with the symptoms.

You will have to talk to your doctor about breast feeding, but you may have to ween if you need the medication. Taking care of yourself does not make you a bad mother, even if it means formula, the formulas today are very good (just as good for baby as breast milk) and formula babies are just as healthy. I have known several formula babies and non of them had ear infections or increased colds or whatever the current myth is now. What is not good for a child is having a severely depressed mother!

After my husbands second affair I was extremely depressed. I cried all the time, felt worthless, hopeless. The only reason I got out of bed was to feed and care for my children, but I could not even take joy in them. When I found myself lying in bed one afternoon, crying, and thinking about packing a bag and just taking off, knowing my kids would be better off with out me, I called my doctor. I stated counseling and medication (Zoloft). The Meds helped level me out until I could work through my issues in therapy, and a few months later when I was feeling stronger I was able to come off the meds, and have been doing great. The meds where a life saver for me at the time, and they gave my children their mother back. Talk to your doctor about your concerns, and than do what you need to do to find you again. Just remember, the pills are not a fix all, they are a band aid, and you will need to work with a therapist to get at the heart of what is causing your pain and to find a way to truly heal from the inside out.

Blessed Be.

My sister has been on antidepressants and breastfed at the same time. I do not know what she was on, but I do know it was very mild. She did gain some weight, yes. You may want to ask your dr. for just a 30 day supply until you see how you/your baby are affected. Best of luck to you!

I don't really have answers to your questions except I debated over this issue for myself for far to long. It was the best thing I ever did. I was on them for 2 years and it made a huge difference. good luck.

Exercising 3x a week for 30 minutes has been shown to be as effective as anti-d's for those not suffering from severe depression.

Anti-d's can have awful side effects.

I highly encourage you to speak with your DR. I went on Lexapro after my girls were only 2 weeks old & it changed my whole world (in a really good way).

I breastfed exclusively for 6 months (& then continued 1/2 time until 12 months--only b/c I went back to work). My milk was safe & PLENTY! =)

It did not affect my weight at all. In fact, I continued to lose my pregnancy weight.

I doubled my dosage after I went back to work (I entered a really bad atmosphere at a new job) and then decreased it when I became a SAHM. My daughters are now 27 months old, & I'm still on a low dose.

Know that I was SUPER opposed to being on meds & still fight it constantly. I've tried to wean myself a few times. BUT, it really has been a huge blessing for our family.

Best of luck to you!!!

Most are safe to take while pregnant, nursing and/or trying to conceive. I believe there are only one or two that are not safe in these circumstances. You'll need to meet with a psychiatrist and can also talk to your OB and/or primary care physician about the effects on the baby. I am taking Celexa, which I know is safe in all of these circumstances, with the only possible risk occurring during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Many, but not all, do have weight gain as a side effect. Rarely is the gain more than 10 pounds. Often, the gain is counteracted by people feeling better mentally and therefore taking better care of themselves in terms of diet and exercise.

There are some rough side effects in the first few days of taking it, such as feelings of nausea, headaches, dizziness, etc (not always, but definitely a possibility), but these typically go away within a few days.

Sometimes it takes a few tries to find the right medication for you. If anyone else in your family is on meds, tell your doc which one, as it is common for the same drug to work well on members of the same family.

If you think you need them, you probably do. It's worth it, as it will improve your life and, as a result, the lives of those around you as you will have more energy and happiness to give to them.

K.
http://oc.citymommy.com - a great way to connect with other OC moms for support, fun, advice and more!

I went on a low dose of Zoloft after my 2nd child and I was very leary about being on any type of meds. It helped so much- I was able to handle my 2 kids better and overall had a better attitude and more energy. I took it while I was breastfeeding, didn't notice any changes in weight. It takes about 4 weeks to work, but it does work.

have you tried exercise? i go bonkers if i don't at least take a walk...a 3 mile walk in Elysian Park does the trick for me but running and any kind of workout usually clears my head right up..i've brought friends to pilates class when they were depressed ..and when they left class i could see a huge difference in how they were feeling they weren't even obsessing on whatever it was that they were sad about before class..
Also most gyms have a daycare..i go to Equinox..you can catch a little break by putting your baby in the daycare while you take a class and then you can relax after class in the steam room.
good luck hope you find your solution

xo

D.

There are a lot of well meaning people who have answered here regarding trying to take a more "natural" approach. If this works for you, I'd do it. I have been through hell on antidepressants, but ultimately, it was the only route that worked for me. But it took a long time to find the right one, 10 months. I really have been through hell and can't emphasize that enough. I wish I'd never started these meds. But I was ignorant when my doctor prescribed them.
Regarding your questions, I don't mean to scare you, but I do have a friend who just can't function unless she is on Lexapro due to panic disorder. She took Lexapro during her second pregnancy and when the baby was born it has seizures for a few weeks due to the medication withdrawal.
So if you can get by without synthetic drugs I'd really give it a try. These are powerful drugs and once you are on them, it might be really hard to get off, which has been my experience. I am on week 4 of Luvox by the way. Have tried a zillion others, and most I could not tolerate the side effects. Remeron also was tolerable but pooped out on me after only 3 months, it is known for that, but even though it "wasn't working" it was hell to get off, horrible withdrawals, even though I followed an extended tapering off schedule and used the Label Me Sane products. Like I said, ultimately, I ended up still needing to get back on something to function.

Do you know about the condition called Electromagnetic Sensitivity? Perhaps before you start taking meds you should examine your environment to see if there is dirty electricity or other irritants that may be causing you to not feel right. Just a short list of sources: bad wiring, microwaves, various appliances, cell phones, baby monitors, cordless phones, wireless computers, wireless routers. If you sleep near any of these items or spend a tremendous amount of time near them, then they could be disturbing your balance. If you live near a cell tower or power lines, this could also be the source of you disturbance. Just something to consider.

And here is something to read, there's a checklist at the end, so scroll to the bottom...

http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-co...

There are various meters on the market to measure the fields in your house. They tend to be expensive. If cost prohibits you from investigating, then try to borrow a measuring device from somebody living near you. I have a TriField Meter which is kind of basic, but let's you measure the magnetic, electric and radio/microwave strength of areas in your home. I would lend you mine, but Dana Point is a little out of my neighborhood.

Hope this helps. Sometimes simply rearranging the furniture in your home, especially your bed, can make a difference. Best of luck!

1) Some are, your doctor will be able to tell you which ones. Zoloft, for instance, can be taken while breastfeeding. (I took it.)

2) Possibly. Unfortunately this is something that varies from person to person and not predictable.

3) Some antidepressants are safe for pregnancy although I'm unsure whether they would affect fertility (I never looked into the possibility as I never had trouble getting pregnant). As for their affect on pregnant women... I'm not sure exactly what you're asking, antidepressants affect everyone slightly differently, pregnant or not. I tend to be sensitive to hormones and any time I've been on a hormone birth control I've needed to increase the dosage of whichever antidepressant I was taking at that time. If your question is whether or not pregnant women take antidepressants and have healthy babies the answer is yes. I didn't actually take anything during my pregnancy, which, hindsight 20/20 and all, was a huge mistake for me.

4) YES. Most antidepressants cause weight gain. This varies for person to person, I tend to weigh about five pounds heavier on antidepressants while my aunt gained about twenty. Some people aren't affected at all.

5) I've been on Paxil, Lexapro, Celexa, Wellbutrin, Luvox, Zoloft and Aplenzin (I don't think I missed any) plus a handful of other pysch drugs. Some were more helpful than others and some were exactly the opposite. Ultimately what's been most helpful for ME is a mood stabilizer, but that's ME. The unfortunate thing is that what works for some people doesn't work for others, for instance Paxil worked fairly well for me back when I took it, but it made my cousin feel absolutely terrible.

Your doctor (and I really do recommend seeing a psychiatrist) will probably start you off a low dose of something and then have you come back regularly (say once a month or sometimes more) to adjust it until you are feeling like life is more manageable. How long this lasts depends on how well you respond to the medication. After that you move on to the maintenance phase and see your doctor less often (maybe every three months) to check in and refill your prescriptions.

If you have any more questions feel free to contact me.

the answer my dr gave me - not good for baby when you are pregnant or breatsfeeding. Not worth it since you're ok without them. If your need was drastic, you'd have to weigh the benefits vs the risks. If you would be a danger to yourself or someone else, than take them.

my story - I had been sleeping way too much (like 20 hrs a day!) and crying over nothing at all. I wasn't sad. Nothing was happening to cause it. My life was good, which made me feel all the more confused. I had no reason to be so distraught and that made me feel like a basket case - certifiable. My doc played around with a few medications before we settled on Lexapro and Welbutrin. They helped and life got so much better. I didn't feel drugged or numb, I just felt normal. That went on for a couple years, smooth sailing.
I noticed that if I didn't take my Welbutrin I craved carbs. Welbutrin is prescribed to people trying to quit smoking and drinking because it supresses cravings. So - that can effect weight.
I ran out of Lexapro once though, and oh holy hell. I thought the headache would put me in the emergency room.
So, when I got pregnant my doc told me I had to stop taking them. He said they are a category B or C, which is a little worse than a category A, such as Tylenol. Could cause complications, and the effect on baby hasn't been fully studied because they are fairly new drugs. It made sense to me that my baby is forming all sorts of neorons and I didn't want to monkey with that. I was scared to death to stop taking them because I thought I would get that horrible headache and go back to sleeping around the clock. The miracle was - I didn't have any problems at all. I think it was the pregnancy hormones. Whatever had been out of wack, the pregnancy put back on track. No headache. No weeping or sleeping. My baby is 4 yrs old now and I haven't had any issues with clinical depression.
The one problem I do have - and yall tell me if you've ever heard of this before - I can't catch a buzz. Sounds crazy, I know. But I have noticed that when I went to the dentist, Nitrous had zero effect. The codiene he gave me, I never felt. I told him they weren't working, so he gave me a prescription for some super high narcotic codeine and no effect at ll - it was like taking Tylenol. Meanwhile my husband took one when he hurt his back and he was a slobbering fool grinning ear to ear and laughing at how amazing codiene is. It sounds dumb to complain about it, but seriously. I can't get that warm glow from a glass of wine. That's kind of annoying. I think it has to be related to the antidepressants. I remember doc saying the reuptake inhibitors are supposed to make it hard for your brain to absorb seratonin. It keeps more of it floating around so you feel better. Well, now without them, I think I have changed the way my brain is able to feel pleasure or something. I'm not depressed or sad or anything. I just can't get drunk! I don't know if this is a concern for you, but that's my experince and I thought I would share.

I was on cymbalta when I got pregnant. I was worried about the effect on the baby too. None of this effected my pregnancy or my child. I also breast feed him until he was 2 1/2. My son is GREAT and is too smart for his own good. I would of course say to talk to your Dr about it. They would have rather not had me on them but we had to weight it out. For me it worked well.

Hi,
I am also in your sitution. I had to go on anti-depressants after all three of my kids were born for post-partum depression. I had to be on anti depressants througout the whole second and third trimesters of my last pregnancy. I am still nursing (baby now 4 mos. old) and am taking Paxil.
During pregnancy I took celexa, but they switched me to Paxil post-partum as it doesn't get into the breastmilk as much as the other ones do.
From what I know, SSRI's do not affect your ability to get or stay pregnant. There may be an effect on your weight though. I gained quite a bit while on Celexa, but then again I was pregnant.
The antidepressants have really helped me. I am a different person now and way better able to cope with daily life. Please see a good psychiatrist though. There is a clinic at UCLA specifically for women who are trying to get pregnant, who already are pregnant 0pr who are post partum that deal with this. It's in the neuropsychiatric department. Good luck and feel free to e-mail me if you want the name of my Dr.

2 of my friends were on zoloft after there kids were born & one nursed her baby while on it with no interruption in milk supply.......neither had any weight gain........i really envied them for being so together after having their babies, i wish i knew about zoloft after i had my kids