LEXAPRO AND PREGNANCY

[AIKO]

IS IT SAFE TO BE ON LEXAPRO WHILE YOU ARE PREGNANT.  MY PSYCHIATRIST AND I HAVE DECIDED THAT I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE (CHEMICALLY IMBALANCED) THAT HAVE TO BE ON MEDICATION.  I'VE TRIED GETTING OFF OF IT TWICE IN THE PAST NINE YEARS WITH VERY BAD OUTCOMES, SO I'M BACK ON IT AGAIN AND AM AFRAID TO GO OFF OF IT, BUT REALLY WANT TO HAVE A BABY.

[ultypiper]

I have two beautiful children, a three year old and a 1 1/2 year old. I took lexapro through both my pregnancies and my children and perfect physically and mentally.  There are NO studies out there that show it to be damaging to a fetus, or good for one for that matter.  It is an individual choice.  Problems in pregancy can come from so many factors.  I had two miscarriages when I wasnt on antidepressants, so you and your doctor just need to decide what is best for YOU!  Good luck!

[chigirl29]

Forgot to add:

I've been taking Lexapro for about a year now--I would not take this drug while  pregnant.

[chigirl29]

I agree with J1975 on this one.  I am so sorry for your hardship.

All of you have been through traumatic things.

I have Major Depression and it has been very serious.  I did not take medications while pregnant and for two years after my second child was born--I was nursing.

I suffered through very horrible depressions, but I made it through.

I have to say that it is best to stay off the drugs and work on therapy more during pregnancy.

[J1975]

Hi ,
I thought i would mention that in no way do I hold my Obg responsible for my Son being born with Spina Bifida.
I do however hold the drug company responsible.
My Doctors were acting in my best interest by advising me to stay on Lexapro. As far as I am aware, there is no concrete evidence that the drugs cause these birth defects and it is always advised that the risk of the mother relapsing outweighs the risk to the fetus. In my case however, my son was born with Spina Bifida and also Hyperspadius.
My child was also extremely small, as was the placenta. I was told this was due to previously undiagnosed Pre eclampsia.
I really do believe that the drug companies are resposible and need to make it clear on their warnings that SSRI are linked to multiple birth defects. I found no birth defect warning on the information provided to me by the drug company. It wasn't until after my child was born and diagnosed that I searched the internet and came across the birth defect warnings.
Your doctor will act in your best interest and most likely advise that it is best to stay on the meds. I would do a search on SSRI and birth defects and make sure you are fully aware that there are a lot of people out there like myself.
It is not a nice feeling knowing that had I stopped taking the Lexapro, my son most likely would have not have been born with Spina Bifida.

[caregiver222]

Get off the lexapro. Any physician who recommends use of lexapro during pregnancy should be stripped of his medical credentials and criminally prosecuted. It is NOT safe to be on lexapro during a pregnancy.

[J1975]

Hi,
I was advised by my Dr to keep taking my Lexapro during my pregnancy as the risk to my mental health far out weighed any risk to my baby. My Child was born with Spina Bifida.
I am now considering another pregnancy but will be coming off the Lexapro. I strongly advise anyone reading this to consider the risks more carefully. My so had surgery to detether his Spinal Cord at 9 months of age. I have no doubt that the Lexapro cause my sons birth defect,

[AIKO]

Thank you all for your feedback.

To Paninisinani and Gingnjoe:

I have found some forums like this one where we can post our questions and get feedback from other mothers or mother-to-be.  I have not posted any questions yet, but here are the website links:

http://boards.babycenter.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?webtag=bcus1379863

http://www3.fertilethoughts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=531759

http://www.bubhub.com.au/community/forums/showthread.php?t=89631.

Please let me know if you guys find anything out and hopefully I'll have time tomorrow to get on and ask some questions.  Also read below:

To Jennifer 375:

Thank you for your input and I know exactly where you're coming from with your concerns.  This is why I have waited so long to really consider having a baby - I'm 37.  It is really hard when you want a baby so bad, but don't want to bring one into the world for you and your husand's own selfish reasons.  I have talked to my gynecologist and a mid-wife who assured me it's safe to be on lexapro and in fact, my therapist was on Celexa during both her pregnancies.  My gynecologist and the mid-wife both said they recommended me staying on it during pregnancy because if the mother is not emotionally healthy and taking care of herself, the baby is more at risk.  However, I know there are risks out there to the fetus and so my husband and I have still not seriously started trying and it is still a concern of mine.  As I responded to another question in this forum, I'm hoping God will guide us in making the right decision and if it's not in our cards to have a child, then I will have to accept that.


Thank you all again and God bless!

[Jennifer375]

I say this as somone who has dealt with the pain of 3 miscarriages and a tubal pregnancy loss that also took one of my ovaries, further reducing our chances of ever conciving again.

A baby is about bringing a new life into the world and that persons life, perioud,,, and their future should be the only real consideration since they have ZERO choice in the matter.

These chemicals are not safe in atleast 50% of the people who take them,and in an extreem way. I cant begin to imagine how they might effect the developing mind of a fetus in a mother who must take them. I also wonder what research has been done into how the pregnancy hormones interact with the supplied chemicals, that could be very messy and hard to deal with alone on a personal level.

And finally, Im quite sure no long term research has been done regarding the future childs life long health and mental health when born to a mother on strong antidepressants.

Also, what if you did become pregnant and wound up having some kind of hormonal imbalance that caused you to have a mental break ? The risks to you and your baby could be ... I hate to imagine,, it would depend on where it happened and who was around to help if anyone. The way hormones go up and down during early and late pregnancy... I dont know but it could set up quite a cascade effect of problems mentally and physically. If that were to happen, would you even be allowed to have your baby when it comes?

Im just saying, listen not just to your deepest desires on this matter, because its about so many things other than your current mental health issues when it comes to bringing babies into the world. Weight the risks and possible benefits, and dont dismiss them, because the risks and unknowns really are quite real.

But you've probably heard it all before and will do what you feel you have to either way. I know how overwhelmingly powerful the urge to become pregnant and have a baby can be, Iv also been around the fertility block a little with endescopes and such after loosing the one ovary to a tubal. Whatever each of you do, I wish you well and your children great health should they come to your families soon.

[gingnjoe]

I am currently pregnant and in my third trimester. I haven't been on Lexapro and my OB and therapist have decided that because of my depression (I lost a set of twins at 6 months, 5 years ago) that I need to be on it.  They both agree that if there is depression, the chances of post-partum depression are much much greater.  Therefore, they both agree, better to be on it than not.   I'm still looking for a straight answer myself as far as the safety. Will advise if I find anything.

[paninisinani]

I am in the exact same position. Let me know if you get any feedback on this. Anyone out there have any knowledge or experience with this.