Postpartum Depression DURING pregnancy?
I went to the dr today for my monthly checkup. I am 21 weeks and found out today that I’m having a little girl!!!
Anyways, I mentioned to him that I have been having a hell of a time coping with..life. Everything upsets me and gets me going and I am always anxious and can’t kick it. I am having a hard time getting thru my days. He had me do this little screening thing. One was anxiety, the other depression. He said my anxiety one was fine (he just caught me in a good moment!) but my depression one was very high. He thinks I might have Postpartum Depression. He prescribed me Lexapro. Have any of you gone thru this? Or even been on Lexapro? What might it do to me (make me tired, etc.)? I saw something just now (after I took one!) about antidepressants being linked to birth defects?
Tagged with: Depression • during • Postpartum • Pregnancy
Filed under: Depression during Pregnancy
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i am sure ur doctor wouldnt prescribe u something that wouldnt be safe during pregnancy. congrats on the little litte-alhtouhg ot yet bron. u should be asking these types of questions your doctor- we arent professionals here-maybe a handful of people but just call ur doctor with any questions u might have.
yes,i was on Lexapro and i didnt like it,too many side effects. and yes,all depression meds are class C drugs and can cause birth defects or even miscarridges so only use the meds if your at risk of killing yourself while pregnant! otherwise its kinda selfish to take them,you know?
Some common side effects of the medication include headache, extreme tiredness,and nausea.less common side effects include suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts, chest palpitations, and difficulty sleeping.
think of some of the alternatives to meds for your babys sake,such as theripy and exercise,or perhaps change in diet.
EDIT: looked it up briefly and it appears that studies show a link between the use of Lexapro in pregnant women and heart defects in the baby,this is very serious,there have been some lawsuites over it,i’d call your doctor asap.
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/case/lexapro-heart-birth-defect.html
“34 percent higher risk of delivering a baby with congenital malformations”
“during the second or third month of pregnancy had an 84 percent higher risk of having a baby with heart defects”
“infant is 2.2 times more likely to have a birth defect and is 2.08 times more likely to have a heart problem. The majority of heart defects involved ventricular septal defects which can require surgery to repair.”
EDIT: just a sidenote in response to what “blahblah” said,those who put “that nonsence” on the internet are doctors and pharmacologists.and the FDA. They go to school for at least 8 years so i think they know what their saying too.
Your doctor would only prescribe you anti depressants that are safe during pregnancy.
And if they didn’t prescribe you the right one chances are the pharmacy would notice.
You can’t get postpartum depression during pregnancy. Postpartum depression is caused from a sudden drop in your hormones after the baby is born.
You probably just have a lot going on with you right now and being pregnant on top of it is probably just making things more difficult.
Just a side note: OBGYN’s are not qualified pychologists. Therefore they should not just be prescribing anti depressants to just anybody. Make sure that you have a check up in two weeks to check and see that the medication is working properly. Some of these medications can have severe side effects including thoughts of suicide. If your obgyn will not see you within a two week period you need to go see somebody who is qualified to be prescribing these types of medications.
Most medicines that cause defects would cause it during the first trimester. My doctor has been monitoring me and said by the end of the 2nd trimester I can go back on medicine if I need it with little to no risk of the baby. I know medicine while pregnant is controversial, but if you can’t even make it through your day, then it may be worth the risk.
Hi there,
I had severe pre-natal depression as well, and it really does suck, I can easily say that it’s the worst thing I’ve ever been through. I was given Zoloft while I was pregnant and I also looked it up online and saw all the same stuff about birth defects so I stopped taking it for a few months. I can also say that was the dumbest thing I ever did because my depression got worse and worse until I couldn’t even recognize the person I became, eventually my doctor made me go back on it, and I’m glad she did. After I went back on it in my 3rd trimester the rest of the pregnancy was much much more enjoyable and my daughter came out absolutely perfect! So don’t worry, the doctors know what they’re doing far better than the people who put that nonsense on the internet.