Experience with Zoloft during pregnancy...

[LosingMyMindInGA]

I won't go into detail about why I'm asking, if you would like to know you can read my journal entry.  I'm just wondering if anyone has taken Zoloft while pregnant.  If so, what was your doseage, did you take it the entire pregnancy or just part and did your baby having any affects from it?  What did your doctor say could be possible effects on the baby from it?  

I'd like to get some "real life" experiences before I make a decision as to whether or not to go back on it while i'm pregnant.  I'm currently 24 weeks.  

If you'd rather not post publicly, please just send me a pm. Thanks!

[nursegirl6572]

The decision to take an antidepressant during pregnancy is a personal one and one that must be weighed carefully with your OB/GYN.  Not a lot is known about the risks of these meds during pregnancy, and some AD's are considered safer than others.  For someone who may be at very high risk for severe depression (which of course can easily worsen during pregnancy)..or someone with history of severe PPD for example, many times it is adviseable that the Mom take the medication.

NO doctor will give you any guarantees...there is just NO way of knowing how each individual outcome will turn out. I CAN tell you that I took Prozac while pregnant with no ill effects.  I HAD been on Zoloft prior and both my OB and p-doc concurred that at the time (1998), they felt there was less risk with Prozac.

I also took a low dose of Lexapro while pregnant with my son (2005), also with no ill effects.  The reason I chose to maintain on meds during gestation was because of very severe panic attacks and depression.  I was a little more closely monitored by my OB, but he assured me, even in '98, that the use of antidepressants during pregnancy was quite common, and the frequency was increasing.  He also told me that at the time, he had had many women on an antidepressants while pregnant and never had one whose baby had any negative effects.

Again, I cannot stress enough that there IS no "yes or no" answer here....it is a very personal choice and one that must be weighed very carefully, with the help of your OB/GYN, and preferrably, a p-doc as well.

Therapy is also a vital step....and certainly a lot of women try that route first before deciding to medicate while pregnant.

[M4Y0U]

I don't recommend using Zoloft during pregnancy and while breastfeeding. It can cause birth defects and it pass thru the milk.

I would not recommend getting back on it and rather go with a therapy to help you cope with depression.

M4