View Full Version : Pregnant and worried
Hi there.
I have just found out that I am about 8 wks pregnant. We are very excited as we wanted another child for a long long time. But concerned because I've been taking seroxat/paroxetine for about 2 years now. Also I had miscarriage a couple of years ago (while not on meds), so we're cautious at the moment with our excitement. Though I'm glad to say I am not totally overrun with panic, I'm quite positive.
About 6 months ago I tried reducing meds, went frolm 30mg to 20mg no problems, then from 20 to 10 and lots of problems. Tried waiting it out in case it was withdrawal, but I felt so bad I had to go back to 20mg. :wacko:
Anyway, i am booked in to see doc on Tuesday which seems so far away. I know doctor is best advice, but please can anyone tell me of their experience of pregancy and medication??
I did a search and read some old threads so I know there have been people in similar situations. Wondering if you had to change meds and how that went, or if you carried on because benefits outweighed the risks.
Many thanks in advance. :flowers:
Lisa.
Hi Lisa:hugs:
Cant offer any advice Im afraid but wanted to say congratulations:yesyes:
Im sure someone will be along soon who can help:yesyes:
Kaz x x x:hugs:
:) hi lisa, im so pleased for you, but it will be a worrying time wont it? its fraught with anxiety anyway really so its just a matter of taking care of yourself as much as you can - you are number one now for the next 7months!
i came off prozac to have my daughter, well i found out i was pregnant and discontinued use immediately - but im not sure that will be recommended for you.
anyway ive read/seen stuff that like you say if the risks of coming off are greater then its better to stay on them?
whatever you decide, congrats again and well done:yesyes: :yahoo:
Thanks emma,
The days are passing slowly and I can hardly wait until we can see our little bean on a scan. Then it will feel more real. Also even more time will have passed so we will feel more secure.
But I do talk to our little bean (usually I talk to myself lol), and DH asks me how's bean? We will wait a little longer before telling other people though, including our daughter (aged 9). We're sure she will be lovely, but she has been the only one for a long long time. :)
I go to docs tomorrow to get some advice. Its a doc I dont know because both my fantastic docs have left to have babies! So lets hope this one listens. I am stronger now than I used to be and will stand my ground. Bring it on! lol.
:yesyes: hi lisa, yeah gettting older can give you a bit more confidence:winks:
we also have one daughter whos 9 and we would like another one - so your in the situation i want to be in:yesyes: it is advisable to not tell your daughter until after the 12 weeks coz in 2005 i told my daughter straight away and then lost it very quickly and she had drawn a lovely littel picture of us and the new one - when i saw it months later i felt soooo sad:weep: and if i get pregnant again i will try really hard to keep it secret:shrug:
but you sound soooo proud and happy and excited - its lovely - you take care and keep us all posted?:hugs: :flowers:
Congratulations
Can't offer you any advice though sorry, But i'm sure the doc will advize you what should be best.
Amy
Hell there & congratulations on your pregnancy! :)
My girlfriend was on Paxil CR & the Dr switched her over to Zoloft when she found out she was pregnant, which has worked very well for her... it is also the safer one to be on from what I hear. Paxil can cause heart defects on newborn. I would ask your Dr about Zoloft. Hope this helps you... good luck with everything.
Jeannie
OK, here's an update guys. Please forgive the long post, but really it has been an awful two days full of PAs and upset. :weep:
Monday night I had hardly any sleep because I knew I was seeing the doctor. I spent most of the night dozing and waking trying to control my breathing etc.
Well, I saw a doc Tuesday, usual one who is on maternity leave...
The first thing she said was why was I still taking the seroxat, and why hadnt I come off it yet, (in a really rude and offensive way). I told her I had reduced from 30 to 20 which was ok, then 20 to 10, which made me feel awful. She told me my baby will go through withdrawl when its born if I dont come off the meds as soon as possible. :weep: Anyway, after totally stressing me out with stuff I already knew but told in a condecending way, she decided to take my blood pressure.
I could have told her it would be high. Sitting there being told what an awful person I was and how badly I was doing things.. She asked me about suicidal thoughts, hallucinations etc and seemed to generally dislike seroxat (which personally has been wonderful for me). Well, I was sat there with hot & cold sweats and palpitations with giant butterflies in my stomach so needless to say my BP was so high she took it twice, then sent me out of the room and said she'd call me in 10 minutes. So I sat outside in the waiting room, trying me best to calm down do breathing exercises.
When I went back in it was still high so she sent me out again and to get a bottle and do a pee sample for her. I did this then waited. :blush:
While waiting I started worrying about her referring to the community mental health team, and what effect that would have on my life and my pregnancy, and that fact that I would have to travel 30 minutes in traffic to the hospital. So I broke out in a sweat again just as I was going back in.
I had told her all about the anxiety and that the thought of coping without meds and the withdrawl symptoms terrified me. My BP was still very high. She called the CMHT and discussed with them. She then said I must come off seroxat reducing to 20 and 10mg alternate days, then 10 mg next week, then 10 and nothing alternate days after that. then stop. I asked her if there is any alternative. She said no because anything you take is not good for the baby. She kept saying if I want a healthy pregnancy I must not take anything. Like I was being irresponsible for taking meds at all. As if anxiety is a made up ailment.:mad:
She also said I must arrange a blood test and ECG with a nurse, and come to see the doctor every day for a week or so, and bring a sample with me every day so they can check for protein.
She also told me because I had a period in March I could not be more than 4 weeks pregnant, talking to me as if she thought I was simple. I told her the hours my husband worked meant it could only be February. In the end I had to really spell it out that I must be 8 weeks because we have not had intercourse at all since Feb. She grudgingly admitted I could be 8 weeks then.
What an incredibly stressful appointment. I felt so awful when I got home. I was sitting in the waiting room wishing that to AI we wanted for so long had not worked and I was not pregnant because it was going to be terrible and I obviously would be ill and not cope with it at all. I was so scared and upset.
I just wanted to sleep and recover for the rest of the day.
___
Today I went in for my first BP check, and saw a doc my sister said was lovely. She was right. He really listened and took time to double check the information the other doc gave told me. He advised ( as we already know) that being on anything is not good. But he was really positive. He took my BP twice with digital and it was high. Then said he didnt like those and used the old fashioned style. My BP was perfect.
He is not at all worried. He advised that I reduce as she said, but take beta-blockers if I need to for side effects palpitations. He also said I should check my BP at home as I confessed hubby has monitor because he has white coat syndrome too! The doctor today made me feel much better about everything. No panics this afternoon. Much calmer and feeling more positive about this pregnancy. Even if I have to travel to hospital for ante natal stuff and possibly involve CMHT. I still feel positive. What a pleasant different approach he had. I will not see that other doctor again!
Sorry for the long post, but she drove me so crazy I thought I'd share it!:wacko:
:ohmy: gosh lisa that sounds horrid!!! and this is a really tough situation. i am very worried about becoming pregnant myself even if its what i want, because of anxiety.
i came off prozac straight away when i had my daughter ten years ago because i was okay - i had suffered badly but it was mainly depressiona nd a breakdown caused by bad reaction other meds and very poor family support. i didnt have the anxiety i have had ever since!!!!
i dont htink the meds will make that much difference to your anx levels? i know they are given for it but really seroxat would have been prescribed for depression? if not well surely they dont work long term anyway? it seems to me you coped very well with that situation and can cope perfectly fine for the rest of your pregnancy - dont let anybody undermine your ability to cope! you have accepted their advice to stop the seroxat so you are prepared to go it alone which takes alot of guts:yesyes: however if you were seriously depressed and in danger of harming yourself you would have to tell the docs - but obviously if you can cope - and god only knows we anx sufferers can cope with alot of anx if only we knew it! - then just relax and keep looking after yourself and stay positive - which you are already obviously doing:yesyes: we are all here to help support you through, all the best, emma:flowers:
Thanks Emma
Your message really made me feel much better. I guess we do have a lot to deal with. Hopefully the beta blockers will be help enough, though I do still have rescue remedy in my bag but need to find out if its ok with pregnancy.
Isnt it amazing what we'll go through for our kids. I am neither suicidal or having harmful thoughts, just struggling with the usual anxiety symptoms. Travelling to Wales on Friday...... not feeling very stable at the moment but going to give it a go. Also giving myself persmission to stay home if I need to.
Feeling tired and nauseous now though. Is that because of pregnancy, or stress of last couple of days?? I'm off to bed. :emot-sleepyhead: :emot-puke:
Thank you so much for all your support though. Don't know where I'd be with out it.
:hugs: awwww id say it may be a bit of both:winks: i know everything is going to be okay for you with this pregnancy - the anx you are feeling is nothing you havent dealt with before? you say you arent suicidal or anything, so just gotta keep posotive and chilled - its gonna be great! have a good time in wales - dont let the anx stop you and dont get conned into thinking you being anxious will affect your baby - it wont!!!! have fun in wales:yesyes: take care, emma:flowers:
Thank you so much Emma.
I confess I am having trouble with the "what ifs" at the moment. What if I cant cope with reducing the meds. What if the anxiety is too much without them. What if travelling to Wales is awful while reducing meds and already feeling cr*p? But on the whole I am also doing my best (and mostly succeeding) in talking myself back out of it again! :yesyes:
:D :yesyes: well lisa i think thats what matters:yesyes: i know how exhausting this can be, but it will be worth it:yesyes: maybe not straight away, but at some point you will realise you are controlling your anx not the other way around:yesyes: being pregnant is a very vulnerable time - you are out of control anyway and so you have to trust your body to do what it has to do? everything will be fine - i know i would be really going crazy with 'what ifs?' its one of those times in life when you naturally do this, same as if you had any big stressful situation? just gotta keep doing what you already are and make you number one for the rest of your pregnancy, love emmaxxxxxxxxx:flowers:
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