Paxil and pregnancy

[qwert1977]

I was wondering if anyone on this forum was pregnant or is pregnant and on Paxil?  

[brandy681]

I have heard that Paxil is the worse SSRI for pregnancy. Switch to Zoloft and only suffer minor withdrawals. I did and I am pregnant. Paxil is said to have a 1-2% risk of heart defects. It is now a category D med. I would only take category C meds like Zoloft, Lexapro, Prozac, etc. Zoloft really helps panic attacks too.. The withdrawal for me is minimal. Paxil is worse taken in the first 3 months of pregnancy, when the fetus is still developing. Category D meds should try to be avoided unless the benifits greatly outweigh the risks. Paxil is the worse SSRI anti anxiety med for pregnancy. I have some advice. I would switch to a high mg Zoloft and supplement with Clonopin which helps withdrawal soooo much and it's relaxing. You shouldn't experience any withdrawals then and even though you are on 2 category C meds, its safer then Paxil's category D med. It should be really easy for you to come off Paxil for a short time without risk of withdrawals. Its your baby's life at stake. I am pregnant and switched to Zoloft high mg and Clonopin. I'm weaning those. I quit Paxil cold turkey with very minor withdrawals for a few days. They say Paxil is worse for your baby then street drugs, narcotics, benzos, etc.. There have been people that have multiple children all with heart defects due to Paxil and there has been others that have multiple children while on Paxil with no defects. It's a risk that you shouldn't take when there are other options without having withdrawal symptoms. It's an easy choice, a no brainier. I thought I would have horrific withdrawals but I didn't have hardly anything outside less sleep for a few days, minor ear buzzing, etc. but the Clonopin and Zoloft are life savers. I feel better then when I was on Paxil.

[mamaof6]

I was on paxil when i got preggo in Oct.  i called the doc's office and she told me to stop right away!  BIG mistake!  i felt  like a madwoman!  i had only been on it for about 3 months or so, but when she told me stop right away, i did. i have heard some not so good things about taking it while preggo, but the best thing to do is talk to your doc.  i never went back on it b/c it freaked me out so bad when i quit, i was like im not ever oing thru that again!  sheww!  but good luck hon!

[jennifer436]

I'm 35 and 10 weeks pregnant with first and have been on Paxil for several years for depression. I was searching on Paxil and Pregnancy and found your question - even though I'm over the age limit for the forum, I wanted to share :) I've tried different anti-depressants for about 15 years and Paxil seems to the only one that works well for me. I tried going off it when I we were trying to get pregnant and the depression returned in full force. When I was going off of it I tried to decrease the medication too quickly (not cold turkey by any means but down about 10mg every 3 days) I had absolutely horrible withdrawl. I swore I'd never touch the stuff again when I finally got off of it. Well, nothing else seemed to work so I went back on it and then got pregnant. I've cut my dose from 40 to 20mg and have been doing well. My doctor wants me to be off of it the last few weeks of pregnancy so the baby won't suffer from withdrawl after birth. After experiencing it, I would never want a baby to go through that. It's so hard because you read so many conflicting reports and studies and it can be very scary. I would feel awful if my baby were born with problems and it could be tied to the Paxil. My doctor has been supportive though and that has really helped. I don't know what I would do if he told me I had to get off of it completely for the remainder of my pregnancy. Another decision I made is that I won't breast feed because I need to be able to go back on the medication after the birth. I've read somewhere that there is an increase chance of post-partum depression in woment that go off meds during pregnancy. Gosh, there is just so much information out there, enough to drive us crazy! It was a long message but I wanted to share everything I can because I'm living the Paxil and pregnancy situation too.

[Angel54]

When I was pregnant I was talking to my boss about taking percocet while pregnant and she told me how she took paxil throught her entire pregnancy and her baby was fine.  She said when she tried to stop taking it for a few weeks when she first found out she was pregnant, her depression was really bad and her doctor said that the stress from that was worse for the baby then the medications.

[lmrsoldier]

I don't know if it does or not, I guess you would have to google it...it's an antidepressant, like zoloft or paxil...I just know it's ok to take during part of your pregnancy. Thought it may be worth it to ask your doc if you are ttc. Good luck!!!

[qwert1977]

I'm on the Paxil for anxiety and panic attacks.  I don't think Wellbutrin helps with those symptoms does it?

[lmrsoldier]

Have you looked into welbutrin at all? I was on it during my pregnancy for smoking, and it's an antidepressant? i would ask your doc about it, just in case it would work, because it's totally baby safe!!!

[qwert1977]

Thank you very much!  I appreciate you taking the time to comment back to me.  I am considering having children, and have been on Paxil CR for about 10 months now for anxiety and panic attacks.  I am very nervous about the thought of going off of it, because it has truly given me my life back, but I do not want to risk hurting my baby.

[lmrsoldier]

I had 2 gf's that were on paxil during pregnancy, but not sure how long they were on it, and it was towards the end.....sorry I can't be more helpful with personal experiences :(  Here is a site I found on info about paxil and pregnancy....

http://www.otispregnancy.org/pdf/paxil.pdf


Good luck!!! I hope you find out what you are looking for

[qwert1977]

Did he take her off of it because he thought it could damage the fetus?

[motherofan18month]

hey! my mom was on paxil for about 1 month when she was 6 months preggo...another doc took her off of it.