pregnancy and antidepressants | Autism PDD

Hello all --

I'm wondering if any of the moms here have been on antidepressants during pregnancy. My wife is being treated for depression and they want her on meds, but we also want to try for a second. Obviously, the LAST thing we need is another possible factor leading to a kid who isn't quite NT, but on the other hand, it's hard to know which would be more depressing... not being on meds or not trying for another baby for months or years.

Anyone have perspectives on this?

Thanks,
Mark
Thanks for that link, Michelle. I had seen that, but since the article is so old, I wondered if it was still valid. Many of the top antidepressants these days didn't even exist then!

Of course, we will be asking the doctor who will be prescribing. My guess is that he/she will say "there's not much proof one way or the other". I have lots of anecdotal evidence that suggests it's unlikely to be a factor. And I also have heard that depression during pregnancy has been definitely proven to be damaging to a baby! So, I suppose that's the greater risk, eh?

Actually from what I have been told antidepressants can cause problems with unborn babies. I was told if I wanted to get pregnant, which I don't, I have to be off of the antidepressants for at least six months. And what is the rush? If your wife is suffering from depression, a pregnancy would just add to it. And plus if you have one child on the spectrum, there is a slight risk of the second child being on the spectrum too.

Tammy

It has been hard to convince my wife that a pregnancy might add to her depression. She loved being preganant with our first. It was the happiest she's ever been. She is getting more depressed daily at the thought of not trying for another.

Of course, another child on the spectrum could wreck us. It's a tough decision.

Mark_dad,

I am bipolar. I was on medication when I found out that I was pregnant. Under supervision of my psychiatrist I decided to get off medication for the duration of the pregnancy. I am fortunate...Pregnancy somehow puts me in a form of remission from my bipolar so I always feel great while pregnant and don't need medication. There are plenty of people out there that do need their meds though and have taken them sucessfully during pregnancy. A good doctor will tell you to weigh the risks etc when deciding whether you should stop taking meds during pregnancy. A good doctor will also tell you that if mom is not ok then baby is not ok either so if mom needs meds to "survive" then she needs meds period. This I believe is all dependant on why exactly mom needs medication and whether she can sucessfully go without them during pregnancy etc. Big thing here is to talk to the doctor first to see what his/her opinion is on the situation.

Karrie

Have you discussed all this with her doctors? I would think that would be the best source of information. But again it is also a personal choice... not even all doctors will agree. I would also ask a pediatrician.... being they have experience with newborns, I know I had to ask my pediatrician what was safe for a pain med due to an injury while I was nursing....

Heres a link you may find interesting http://www.healthyplace.com/communities/depression/women_9.a sp

I was on Effexor for depression and became pregnant with my son who now has Developmental Delays and other issues, the difference between you guys is I got pregnant by surprise. There are days that I wonder about the Effexor causing some of his problems. I've talked to Psychiatrists that have said there is no research or evidence that antidepressants during pregnancy can do any harm. I went off the drug right away when I found out, but that was a personal decision. They also told me that many mothers were taking prozac during pregnancy and said there babies were born really calm and relaxed, I dont know if that would be a good or bad thing

The only thing I was afraid of was that there is no evidence of antidepressants causing problems, I always wonder though. I'm still depressed but stay away from drugs because of my low tolerance for them, all in all I think it's a personal decision. The best of luck to both of you