Can I get pregnant if on an antidepressant?

[jb8176]

I am posting this question here, in pregnancy 18-34 and in depression, because I'm not sure where I'll get the best answer.
I am currently 26 years old, and have been diagnosed with depression and anxiety. I was prescribed the anti depressant Celexa. Now, right now I have no plans of becoming pregnant, but I really do want to within the next 5 years. However, I am aware that I can not take Celexa while trying to conceive or during pregnancy. Does anyone know what my options will be when I want to conceive? Will I have to be weened off of the medicine, and stay off of it for the full 9 months? Is there a safe alternative to Celexa that I can take? Please help.
Thanks
Jess

[senia36203]

Hi. I know when I found out I was pregnant with my now 3 year old, I was told I could continue taking my Prozac. So the doctor that prescribes your meds will know which ones will be ok for you to take during your pregnancy.

[Elaine Brown, MD]

Hi Jess!

Lets see if you get similar answers! Celexa is a category C medication which means that it can be used in pregnancy if the benefits outweigh the risks. What does that mean? That has to be handled on a case by case basis, but with my patients, the discussion usually goes something like this:

How do you do off the medication? If you function fairly well, and are only a little moody at times, then IDEALLY I would wean you off.

If you don't do well; have symptoms severe enough to really affect your life, I might try to wean you DOWN but not OFF.

Studies have shown that a significant proportion of women who are weaned off their medications during pregnancy will have a relapse of depression during pregnancy.

In my practice, I have found that pregnant and postpartum moms are fairly sensitive to low dosages of medications, so lower doses often do the trick.

The post partum time (after delivery of the baby) is a particularly vulnerable time for depression to flare up.

Finally, the two best studied medications are Zoloft and Prozac, so sometimes I consider switching to one of these--just because there is more information available.

Hope this helps!

Dr B

[alimomma]

I was on Celexa 20mg daily for about 2 months (my first time ever taking an anti-depressant) and 2 weeks ago, my husband & I found out we were having our first baby. Now I am just 6 weeks along, & call it fear or paranoia, but I am afraid to take ANY medication while pregnant. I just want to be careful. My mother had to take medication when she was pregnant with both of my brothers, 11 years apart, and 1 was born with severe autism & 1 had a severe stroke during birth. Autism does not run in my family, and strokes do not either. Then again, I'm not sure if those are related to the medication my mom had to take, I'm just paranoid!

I seem to be doing fine since going off of the Celexa, and I am handling things okay now.

[tinaw16]

I am also on the same drug you are.  I conceived while taking it, used through my whole pregnancy and everything was normal.  I now have a 8 month old perfectly healthy son! My doctor told me that it's worse to get off the drug and have depression or panic attacks.  I have an anixety disorder with no depression so I'm sure it's different with others! Ask your doctor, but I was told it was fine and my son is fine!

[mariehiscox25]

i am on the same medication as you, i got told to stop taking it immeditly because of birth deffects. so i did i got really upset for the first little bit around a month and then i stopped and got happy. anixty was a little bad as well but it was ok because i realized i would have a precious baby to look foward too and if you have a positive friends and family you really won't have a problem. however what i didn't realize is that i got post pardom right after my first child. it wasn't bad but it was there. i got upset and got told to take it again but in a small dose. and now i have to go off of it once again because i am pregnant with my second and i am absulutely horrible i am cranky and mean and my anixoty is through the roof and i might be having twins so i really don't know what to do. because my dr. uped the pills i was on for the depression so the only thing i have to tell u is the first is proberly easier then the second.