xanax and pregnancy - Please help!

[justme__]

Just found out i was pregnant today, and have been taking xanax for about a month (.5 to 1mg a night). Question is.. is the baby ok?? I have anxiety really bad I didn't take any today and feel like im going to panic... I took a tylenol pm to see if that helps me sleep. ive looked for information but i haven't been able to find any? Are there any safer drugs for anxiety during pregnancy? Please help!!

[Drekabrasi12]

Well everyone body different maybe it wasnt the xanax it probably something dt just happens but my 2nd baby I took percents my 2nd tri till my 3rd tri my baby was fine no withdraws or anything now Im 6 months pregnant in my 2nd tri and been taking xanax docs visits everything all good with my baby nothing wrong but if thats the only thing thats helps take them but ask your doc first cause no ones Bodie the same or can handle that but I have faith your child will come to this world healthy

[moonshyne]

I am not going to judge you (God knows I have no room to judge anyone else) but Xanax are known to cause problems in pregnancy. I had a horrible addiction to them years ago which I thankfully overcame before I got pregnant and I know how awful they are. I have 2 babies 12 months apart and I'll never forget one ultrasound I had. i was sitting in the waiting room when a girl came out of the room bawling and told her friend ''there was a problem' with the baby and the placenta''. she went on to tell her friend it ''had to be the xanax''. I felt awful for her knowing what a horribly addictive drug they are and now she had to face the fact that because of her usage, the baby was in trouble. You might think that withdrawls now will be bad but what would be worse is the baby being born and having them and God forbid any other problems. Talk to your doc about maybe going into a rehab program that can closely monitor the baby while you detox. Now is the time to stop. You don't need the misery of ''wondering'' if it will all be okay. You have a lot of courage coming on here and asking for help and I can't figure why anyone would condemn you for that. you obviously care or you wouldn't be here. Take the next step and go see your doc and arrange to get off them for good. I found xanax, once abused makes your anxiety 100x worse just like pain med abuse makes you have pain. It's a vicious cycle that you gotta break now. I hope you get off those rotten little pills and can enjoy your pregnancy, you deserve a peaceful and happy pregnancy, not one fraught with worry and guilt.

[Sweet60024]

I am currtenly trying to wean off xanax and I am almost 12 weeks pregnant.I was taking 3mg per day pre preggo now down to none in just a month. I think my ob weaned me off  to quickly I am having horrible withdrawl systoms and now not sleeping but 4 hours a night. I know that withdrawl can cause harm to the baby as so can the xanax, that is why I'm trying to wean. They put me on buspar but still having horrible withdrawls. Doctors not in till Wendesday. any suggestions are welcome

[libsmom]

NO! Xanax causes down syndrome in the fetus. So do not take them tell your doctor he/or she will tell you the same. I just had a miscarriage and i was'nt taking anything but you do not want anything like that to happen to you child it's the most heartbreaking thing you will ever experience. And to expose your child to the chance of living with down syndrome would be hard on him or her. But congrats on the baby

[Beth105]

Also to mention I did not continue the usage of the drug.....

[Beth105]

I'm sorry, I was not condoning the us e of this drug while being pregnant, I was reporting what happened in "my own experience"!

[g4fly]

"Also, I might make a few people upset on here" I see that you did apologize after this comment but you started off not caring if you hurt peoples feelings, that's not fair at all.  And I dont think people are saying keep taking pills because they did and their chld is fine, I think they are just saying that withdrawls are not good while pregnant so try to do a taper.  I swear it's always people like you.  If it were that easy to just STOP because you are pregnant I'm sure women would get pregnant just because they know its a strong possibilty that they will kick their habit. So the next time you wanna give one of your, I dont care if make people upset, comments please keep it to yourself.    

[joangy]

I apologize if I came across as judgemental- that was not my intention at all! I have struggled with addiction myself for the last 3 years, as well as watch an addiction tear my family apart in ways that I cannot describe in this forum- so I know first-hand what it is like to battle with addiction!!!

My post was only meant as a suggestion- I see so many girls on here asking how to stop taking their DOC and they say they are ready to quit and people are telling them that it is ok to continue because they did and their child is fine-- we are here to support each other in getting clean! Not in continuing our addiction!!

I agree that addiction is a disease- however, we make the concious decision to put the pill in our mouth- our innocent baby does not get the option to make that decision.

i am sorry if I offended any of you- that was not my intention.

[TimmyVD]

HUGE pat on the back to mtgoat911!! Round of a freakin' plause for that comment.

You see, this is the exact reason why I really had to think if I was going to post about my addiction publicly. People tend to talk to you like you are some sort of idiot! Do you not think that a mother thinks, and worries and thinks CONSTANTLY about the well being of their child? Do you not think they tear themselves apart before AND after their child is born because of what they have done during their pregnancy? Why would anyone continue to kick their back in...exacerbating the issue by saying..."It gets on my nerves when people come on here and complain". One addict is not better than another. Something that you might do, I would NEVER do but I would not say to you, "I would never do that. It gets on my nerves when people come on here and complain about...." Ummm...hello? How is that being supportive? The OP is not the only person reading your posts.

Women who were actively addicted to drugs and became pregnant, then quit, with NO relapses for the ENTIRE nine months plus...hooray for you. Let me pat you on the back. However, when someone posts about a situation they may be having a tough time with and could not muster up the martyrdom that you may have...cut them a break. No one wants to read criticisms if they are truly struggling.

I have a daughter, and I am pregnant with my son. I struggled with Xanax throughout the 2nd and 3rd trimester of my first pregnancy. It was HORRIBLE. I worried, and stressed, and fretted about the health of my daughter. As MTGoat said, I knew if I was feeling w/d symptoms...my daughter was too. Just when it was supposed to be the happiest time of my life, it was the sadest, lonliest, desparate part of my life. I couldn't go to anyone, because when I did I kept getting comments like the one's in this thread. So I kept it to myself, continued to suffer and continued to use. Thankfully, by the grace of the good Lord above my daughter came out okay...so far. Who knows what the affects might be when she gets older. I have to live with that for the rest of my life...the guilt of that. Now that I am pregnant with my son, things are different. I had one slip the entire pregnancy, and I am 6.5 months pregnant, and I do not see another slip anywhere insight. But you know what? I had to open up my mouth and get some help! That was the only thing that got me through it. I have a therapist, I go to NA, I post here, and I have my husband to talk to. With child #1 I had NONE of it. That's why I was so miserable. Yes I got some insensitive comments here and there but I just had to ignore it. This is something I learned the SECOND time around. The first time I was too ashamed.

The moral of the story is to be supportive and not judgemental unconditionally. We are all here for a purpose, and that is to help each other. I don't think anyone wants to be looked down upon no matter what the situation may be. Again, the OP is not the only one reading this thread. I can promise you that. She was just the only one that had the courage.

[mtgoat911]

if you continue to take the xanax, your baby will go through with drawl symptoms
they may not be obvious to the naked eye, but there will be some wd symptoms

to all of you who are passing judgement to the addicted pregnant moms

let me say this to you,,,,,

addiction is not a moral issue, it is a disease

i tried to quit taking narcotics for a good 8 yrs before i finally got clean in 2004

if you are going to work with addcits, please read and practice the traditions of NA

We continue to carry the message of recovery to the addict who still suffers
we do not judge or tear apart the new comer

if pregnancy alone could cure drug addiction, i would be out of a job

sometimes it is best to share your expereince strenth and hope NOT YOUR OPINION

[joangy]

I am with Lisa on this one... it is frustrating when the soon-to-be moms come on here at the end of their pregnancy and want to get off the pills real quick before their baby is born... well, by then the baby is already addicted!

Also, I might make a few people upset on here- but it's also frustrating when a pregnant girl WANTS to quit taking a mediction that could potentially be harmful to the baby and she is getting advice from people on here that it is ok to take it... I see messages that "I took it and my child is fine" Really... you dodged a bullet!! I worked as an OB/GYN nurse for 4 years and I have seen many, many moms who had to watch their new baby go through withdrawals- the beginning of the pregnancy is so critical... it is when the baby's neurological system (brain) is being developed- if you are going to be clean @ anytime- this is the time to do it!!
I was also addicted to pain pills and xanax prior to becoming pregnant- but when I found out I was pregnant I flushed it all-- my baby's health was all the motivation I needed to get clean. I wish you all the best! And Congratulations on your news!!

[Beth105]

I also take that for anxiety you are fine, I too took it in the beginning of pregnancy, and my girl is perfect

[liscamdave]

I would just like to comment on this if I may. I am so sick of girls coming on here, who are really far along in their pregnancy's and still taking their pills, I get so mad whenI see it.

And here you are, a very smart girl...You have the smart sense to KNOW to stop your intake of pills right away. I would just like to praise you on your decision to stop usage. We get so many girls on here crying that they are due in a week or two and oh, wait "Will my baby be addicted"...I mean, come on. I am so quick to get mad at them. But you know what, I will be just as quick to praise you. You are smart and let me tell you this, you will be a great mommy. You already are putting your baby first.

Congrats...I wish you and your baby all the love and luck in the world. I mean it...

LIsa

[joangy]

I would suggest taking Unisom @ night instead, if you can. unisom has been PROVEN safe in pregnancy and really helped me sleep and get thru the restless legs. Definately speak to your OB about it- they can prescribe a safer medication than xanax to take for the panic attacks. Congrats!!

[justme__]

Thank you both so much. this isn't my first pregnancy, but it is my first pregnancy on xanax!  A lot of information I found on the internet is saying that you shouldn't get pregnant if you have been taking xanax. I am going to my prescribing doctor today, and making an appointment with  my ob doctor today to talk to them both about what I should do. [= I too have had a miscarriage, recently, and I don't want to risk losing this one too. Thank you again and im very excited!

[TimmyVD]

I had one child while taking Xanax, and at much larger doses. She is a healthy and smart 2.5 year old. This pregnancy, I have not taken it at all because I tend to abuse it (well I had one relapse). For me, it was not the pill itself I was worried about, but what I did while taking xanax.

To put your mind at ease contact the nurse at otispregnancy.org http://otispregnancy.org/

Call the 1-800, leave a message for the nurse and she WILL call you back. We kept playing phone tag for the longest and she never gave up trying to get in contact with me. Once she talks to you on the phone about the drug she will send you paperwork in the mail for you to read over and it is looked over by a perinatologist (high risk OB/GYN). Don't stress yourself out...anxiety is tough to deal with. Just get informed and talk to your doctor about it...and do your own research as well!

[troubleinohio]

how far along are you? very early in the pregnancy Im assuming? Make sure to call your Dr. today and let them know. You are lucky you've only been on the X's for a month, it shouldnt be hard to stop them especially if you were only taking 1 a day at bedtime.  I knwo there are other things the Dr may be able to give you for anxiety. Xanax is not one you can continue to take though, it can cause birth defects.  Its a category X I believe which means should not be taken in pregnancy under any circumstances especially in first trimester.   That being said, I was on xanax for years (and still am),  but i stopped it before getting pregnant (I was planning these pregnancies and taking prenatal vitamins and doing the whole 9 yards--ovulation kits, temping, etc- had a lot of infertility issues and then miscarriage problems-- but thats not relevant here). Anyhow, near the end of my second pregnancy i started getting restless leg syndrome really bad and anxiety attacks again, so my OB put me back on xanax, just low dose and once a day (at bedtiem, so i could sleep- it helped the RLS so much) THere were no ill effects to my son fromt his, but this was at th e end of my 3rd trimester.  Good luck to you, and keep us posted, and most of all CONGRATS t o you!! is this your 1st child?