Ativan while Pregnant

[Tammie10]

Hello,

Im approx. 11 wks preg.  And have been taking 1mg Ativan for panic attacks and anxiety following a car wreck.. My ob told me about weighing the benifits verses risks but I'm really scared about hurting my baby and not sure what birth defects it would cause... Please help me understand, I want to stop taking it for my unborn child but am afraid of the panic attacks and really hate the anxiety.. How long will it take for me to feel like the ativan is out of my system if I do just quit taking it??  Please please help me...

Thanks,
Extremely Worried

[40smama]

Even if this drug is category "D", there is still the benefit outweighing the risks to consider.  You definitely should talk to your psychiatrist or the doctor who prescribed this medication - it's usually advisable to go off of anti-anxiety drugs (the ones that are benzodiazepies) but again, if the benefit outweighs the risks, then there's that to consider.

The only person you should listen to about this is your doctor - good luck w/your pregnancy and I'm terribly sorry about your car wreck - I've been in one nasty one myself and I suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder so I have an idea of what you're going through - jen

[hbstar6881]

This may also help:Ativan® (lorazepam) is generally considered unsafe for women who are pregnant. In previous animal studies involving Ativan and pregnancy, the drug caused miscarriages and birth defects.

Ativan and Pregnancy Category D
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category D is given to medicines that have shown clear evidence of risk to the fetus in studies. Pregnancy Category D is a stronger warning than a pregnancy Category C classification. A pregnancy Category D medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child.

Ativan was given a pregnancy Category D rating because of problems in animal studies. These studies suggested that Ativan may increase the risk of miscarriages and various birth defects.

[hbstar6881]

Ativan is a pregnancy category D and should absolutely not be taken in the first trimester due to Large increases in birth defects.  You should talk to your dr about taking a safer medication.

[mrsy2007]

I think that is probably something you should talk to your psychiatrist and your OB about.  I would not go off of medication for anxiety cold turkey.