Risks of zoloft in 3rd trimester, please help!!

My anxiety/mood problems are getting really bad lately and my ob wants me to take zoloft (25 mg) I am 25 weeks and she said it would be fine to take for the rest of PG. Well when I picked it up at the pharmacy there was a big warning on  there not to take it during 3rd trimester!!! I googled it and found lots of info. saying that it puts babies at risk for all kinds of problems after birth (breathing, seizures, pulmonary hypertension, even death!!) So now I am freaking out and thinking that I shouldn't take it and wondering if my OB even knows what she is talking about. Have any of y'all taken it in 3rd trimester, if so what were the outcomes? I had major PPD / anxiety after DD and I am already a bear to live with, so I was REALLY looking foward to some help but def not if it is not safe for my DS.

[AndiJ78]

Find an alternative medication. Zoloft and Paxil are bad news in pregnancy. My cousin is a pharmacist and refuses to fill rx's for either of those for pg women.

There are lots of meds out there that are safer alternatives. Have the pharmacist call your OB to suggest a different med. They are far more educated on meds than docs.

[AnnieBrooke]

I would take Andi's advice on this one.  However, the other side of the particular story is that many doctors do prescribe Zoloft during pregnancy, in fact it is the drug women get moved onto when they must have something for their anxiety and are being taken off Paxil because of pregnancy.  My high-risk doc said, "It's a Class C drug, but I do know a lot of babies born to mommies on Zoloft."  So it does not necessarily mean your doc who prescribed it is a quack.

[Crritter]

Sometimes they have to weigh out the risks and benefits of drugs.  Some Dr.'s are also way more relaxed about the meds.  If you look into it, Sudafed is a class C drug and women take it like crazy during pregnancy.  Many Dr.'s tell their patients it's okay to take, I was told no way with the first one, and with my last one, I was told I could take it to feel better if I was miserable, but only for a day or 2.  Some gals come in their last trimester and take it up till the end, even though the congestion and mucous is a normal pregnancy thing.  I avoided it since they were so anti the first time 3 yrs earlier.  I also see people take narcotics if they need to in pregnancy, so it really depends on the patient and the reasoning.  They put those labels on the meds as a flag to warn patients, I would definitely call the Dr. and ask why there's an issue, and maybe not take it till you are sure.  If it were really bad, the pharmacist would have refused to fill it and would have called the Dr., again it's also up to their descretion, but I see it filled where I work too.  It might be safer and better to control the problem now than to let it go any further, and baby must be doing well if they are okay giving it to you.  Don't freak out, class C drugs are actually pretty common in pregnancy.  Women don't think twice to ask for Tylenol with codeine or vicodin for aches and pains,,,I would think if you are gonna take a med that is a class C, might as well be really needed and worth it, sounds to me like you do need it.   Good luck.

[AndiJ78]

In most cases, a Class C is varied. But Paxil and Zoloft have been linked to cardiac abnormalities when taken during pregnancy. I imagine that in due time once enough babies are affected for the FDA to finally stand up and crack the whip, both of those meds will be category D meds. These meds are hardly the same as sudafed, tylenol, or  the like.

Again, there are other alternatives out there that have much better track records. As always consult your pharmacist in conjunction with your OB.