Aa
Ativan during early pregnancy...worried...
Hi, I am hoping that you can help me... I just got the results of my HCG lab test that I had done yesterday.. According to this, I am somewhere between 5 and 6 weeks pregnant. I really dont understand this because I took a pregnancy test on the 6th of October, 3 weeks ago, and it was negative. Supposedly I would have been about 2 weeks pregnant then, so wouldnt that have shown up on the test?
Anyway I am just kind of worried now because I have been taking Ativan (0.5 mg) quite a bit to help me sleep.. I only just stopped it a few days ago when I found out I was pregnant.. I am worried now about the effect it could have had on the baby now that I know I am 5 to 6 weeks along... I would appreciate any advice you can give me on this. Thanks for your help!
Jennifer
Anyway I am just kind of worried now because I have been taking Ativan (0.5 mg) quite a bit to help me sleep.. I only just stopped it a few days ago when I found out I was pregnant.. I am worried now about the effect it could have had on the baby now that I know I am 5 to 6 weeks along... I would appreciate any advice you can give me on this. Thanks for your help!
Jennifer
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Urine pregnancy test may not be accurate compared to the betaHCG blood test.
I would recommend that you speak to your obstetrician about the possible risk or Arivan on your pregnancy.
This is information from Reprotox on-line:
REPROTOX®
LORAZEPAM (ATIVAN)
Quick take: Experimental animal studies do not suggest that clinical use of lorazepam increases the risk of congenital malformations. Administration near delivery may cause floppiness in the infant.
* * *
Lorazepam (Ativan) is a benzodiazepine, with sedative and hypnotic properties. The administration of lorazepam to mice and rats during gestation was not associated with an increased incidence of congenital abnormalities (1,2), except in one mouse study that used about 400 times the human dose and found an increased incidence of cleft palate (3).
Lorazepam crosses the placenta more slowly than diazepam (#1138) and can be metabolized by the fetus (4-6), but, as with other benzodiazepines, high dose intravenous treatment with this agent has been associated with a "floppy infant" syndrome (5). Fetal intoxication with lorazepam may also cause respiratory depression, poor suckling, and hypothermia (3,7,8). Elimination of the drug in the neonate is less rapid than in the adult, and urine levels of conjugated lorazepam may be measured for seven days after birth (9).
One group of investigators identified 112 pregnancies in which lorazepam was used at some time during pregnancy, but found no increase in the incidence of defects among the exposed offspring (19). Two infants exposed to lorazepam in this population were born with congenital defects, which were classified as pulmonic stenosis (a heart defect) and hydronephrosis (19). An exploratory study in a French registry identified an association between reported lorazepam exposure during pregnancy and anal atresia (16,20). Because this study looked for associations among multiple exposures and multiple abnormal outcomes, the results are considered as hypothesis-generating rather than conclusive.
Small amounts of lorazepam are excreted into breast milk (9-11). Although a possible cause of feeding problems, maternal lorazepam use was not associated with a significant decrease in the volume of milk consumed or duration of feeding in exposed neonates (10). The WHO Working Group on Human Lactation classified the short term use of lorazepam, during lactation, as "probably safe" (12).
The administration of lorazepam to premature and full-term neonates for sedation before mechanical ventilation has been reported to cause reversible clonic movement disorders, and this drug is not recommended for routine use in neonates (17,18).
The benzodiazepines can induce ejaculatory impairment and orgasmic delay (13,14). Based on these side-effects, lorazepam has been used to treat premature ejaculation (15).
A registry has been organized to monitor the outcome of pregnancies in which this agent has been used to control the symptoms of epilepsy. To learn more about this registry, call 1-888-233-2334, or visit online, http://www.massgeneral.org/aed.
I wish you the best.
I would recommend that you speak to your obstetrician about the possible risk or Arivan on your pregnancy.
This is information from Reprotox on-line:
REPROTOX®
LORAZEPAM (ATIVAN)
Quick take: Experimental animal studies do not suggest that clinical use of lorazepam increases the risk of congenital malformations. Administration near delivery may cause floppiness in the infant.
* * *
Lorazepam (Ativan) is a benzodiazepine, with sedative and hypnotic properties. The administration of lorazepam to mice and rats during gestation was not associated with an increased incidence of congenital abnormalities (1,2), except in one mouse study that used about 400 times the human dose and found an increased incidence of cleft palate (3).
Lorazepam crosses the placenta more slowly than diazepam (#1138) and can be metabolized by the fetus (4-6), but, as with other benzodiazepines, high dose intravenous treatment with this agent has been associated with a "floppy infant" syndrome (5). Fetal intoxication with lorazepam may also cause respiratory depression, poor suckling, and hypothermia (3,7,8). Elimination of the drug in the neonate is less rapid than in the adult, and urine levels of conjugated lorazepam may be measured for seven days after birth (9).
One group of investigators identified 112 pregnancies in which lorazepam was used at some time during pregnancy, but found no increase in the incidence of defects among the exposed offspring (19). Two infants exposed to lorazepam in this population were born with congenital defects, which were classified as pulmonic stenosis (a heart defect) and hydronephrosis (19). An exploratory study in a French registry identified an association between reported lorazepam exposure during pregnancy and anal atresia (16,20). Because this study looked for associations among multiple exposures and multiple abnormal outcomes, the results are considered as hypothesis-generating rather than conclusive.
Small amounts of lorazepam are excreted into breast milk (9-11). Although a possible cause of feeding problems, maternal lorazepam use was not associated with a significant decrease in the volume of milk consumed or duration of feeding in exposed neonates (10). The WHO Working Group on Human Lactation classified the short term use of lorazepam, during lactation, as "probably safe" (12).
The administration of lorazepam to premature and full-term neonates for sedation before mechanical ventilation has been reported to cause reversible clonic movement disorders, and this drug is not recommended for routine use in neonates (17,18).
The benzodiazepines can induce ejaculatory impairment and orgasmic delay (13,14). Based on these side-effects, lorazepam has been used to treat premature ejaculation (15).
A registry has been organized to monitor the outcome of pregnancies in which this agent has been used to control the symptoms of epilepsy. To learn more about this registry, call 1-888-233-2334, or visit online, http://www.massgeneral.org/aed.
I wish you the best.
A related discussion, Taking Ativan while 14 weeks pregnant was started.
A related discussion, Ativan use in Pregnancy was started.
I am 6 weeks pregnant and suffer from aniexty I currently take 1 MG of Ativan and am reading all kinds of sscarey things and in the mean time i feel so lost and unstable. and i think with the pregnancy hormones im 100% worse , i just wish this all would go away the aniexty that is. im scrared and now worried about the baby any advice anyone could give me id so love to hear TY
Michele
Michele
Hi everyone I also just found out I was pg today !!!
this evening actually at 9pm
i just started lexapro and lorazepam on tuesday 11/6/07
i am freaking out now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Am soooo worried about the side affects !!!!
i stopped the lorazepam didnt take my dose for tonigth and will not take my lexapro in the morning
i will page my dr first to let him know and see what I should do ????????
very nervous :(
~ al505
this evening actually at 9pm
i just started lexapro and lorazepam on tuesday 11/6/07
i am freaking out now!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Am soooo worried about the side affects !!!!
i stopped the lorazepam didnt take my dose for tonigth and will not take my lexapro in the morning
i will page my dr first to let him know and see what I should do ????????
very nervous :(
~ al505
Hi,
I am 10 weeks pregnant and I was on 3mgs of ativan a day and then found out that I was pregnant and went to 1 mg a day. I found out that I was pregnant at 5 weeks... and have been on the lower dose of ativan since... I am TERRIFIED that I have caused or will cause damage to my baby.... They have me on lexapro also, but my new ob/gyn is taking me off and onto something else. I am very scared that I have done damage. My ultrasounds are good and the heartbeat is 166 beats per minute. The doctor says that I am right on for how far along I am. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
I am 10 weeks pregnant and I was on 3mgs of ativan a day and then found out that I was pregnant and went to 1 mg a day. I found out that I was pregnant at 5 weeks... and have been on the lower dose of ativan since... I am TERRIFIED that I have caused or will cause damage to my baby.... They have me on lexapro also, but my new ob/gyn is taking me off and onto something else. I am very scared that I have done damage. My ultrasounds are good and the heartbeat is 166 beats per minute. The doctor says that I am right on for how far along I am. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks for your help!
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