Pregnancy Question (with response)

[Guest guest]

Hi guys! My name is and I'm new here. Have any of you

heard anything about what drugs are safe/not safe during pregnancy?

I'm 14 weeks pregnant, and am on 200 mg of Zoloft per day. I've

tried several times to stop it, but become horribly depressed every

time. Doctors seem to think it is the best thing for me. Well, my

OB would rather have me on Wellbutrin. My old psych. put me on that

for a couple of weeks before I found out I was pregnant. I stopped

that cold turkey.

Ambien is on the list of ok drugs for pregnancy, but what a

nightmare it is! I was put on this in 2001, and became addicted to

it. I was put on Klonipin for panic attacks, but stopped taking

that because it's not approved for pregnancy. Was only on that for

two weeks or so. Since Ambien is approved, my body was accustomed to

it, and it had calming effects, I used it as my 'nerve' pill. Well,

overuse of this drug made me very negative, hopeless, and I did/said

things that I didn't even remember the next day. Last week, I wound

up in Intake, where I was referred to my new therapist and

psychiatrist. I stopped taking Ambien cold turkey six days ago, and

am doing ok so far. Had some cold shakes and major anxiety, as well

as sleeplessness. Nothing major, though. I'm trying to battle

through this all for the sakes of my husband, son, and new baby. It

helps to keep myself very busy, but I still have a very long way to

go.

Thank God, all of my ultrasounds are beautiful, and all of the tests

show that the baby is perfectly healthy. I felt him/her move for

the first time last night.

Well, I didn't mean to write a novel here, and sorry if I wrote

something inappropriate or in the wrong form! Any thoughts or

suggestions would be great!

Thanks so much,

** Unfortunately, none of these drugs are safe during pregnancy but the FDA

is under no obligation to tell you that until the lack of safey has been

studied. Drug companies are under no obligation to study this. The way that it

was determined that certain other drugs were dangerous was because these WERE

studied because so many people sued when their children were born with problems.

The reality is that lack of a study or studies showing drugs as dangerous does

not mean drugs are safe. These drugs you are being told are safe have not been

studied with pregnant women. Zoloft is a pregnancy Category C, which means that

there have been no controlled studies of humans taking this drug in pregnancy.

Here is the definition of Category C:

" Pregnancy Category C. (Name of drug) has been shown to be teratogenic (or to

have an embryocidal effect or other adverse effect) in (name(s) of species) when

given in doses (x) times the human dose. There are no adequate and

well-controlled studies in pregnant women. (Name of drug) should be used during

pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the

fetus. " The labeling shall contain a description of the animal studies. If there

are no animal reproduction studies and no adequate and well-controlled studies

in humans, the labeling shall state: " Pregnancy Category C. Animal reproduction

studies have not been conducted with (name of drug). It is also not known

whether (name of drug) can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant

woman or can affect reproduction capacity. (Name of drug) should be given to a

pregnant woman only if clearly needed. " The labeling shall contain a description

of any available data on the effect of the drug on the later growth,

development, and functional maturation of the child. "

A fetus shares your bloodstream. Anything in your bloodstream is in the

baby's bloodstream. Any baby born to someone taking one of these drugs is going

to go through withdrawal. From the PDR:

Discontinuation of Treatment with Zoloft

" During marketing of Zoloft and other SSRIs and SNRIs (Serotonin and

Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors), there have been spontaneous reports of

adverse events occurring upon discontinuation of these drugs, particularly when

abrupt, including the following: dysphoric mood, irritability, agitation,

dizziness, sensory disturbances (e.g. paresthesias such as electric shock

sensations), anxiety, confusion, headache, lethargy, emotional lability,

insomnia, and hypomania. While these events are generally self-limiting, there

have been reports of serious discontinuation symptoms. "

While not every child will show problems initially, many will show some problem

at some point in their childhood.

The PDR states:

" Pregnancy - Pregnancy Category C¾Reproduction studies have been performed in

rats and rabbits at doses up to 80 mg/kg/day and 40 mg/kg/day, respectively.

These doses correspond to approximately 4 times the maximum recommended human

dose (MRHD) on a mg/m2 basis. There was no evidence of teratogenicity at any

dose level. When pregnant rats and rabbits were given sertraline during the

period of organogenesis, delayed ossification was observed in fetuses at doses

of 10 mg/kg (0.5 times the MRHD on a mg/m2 basis) in rats and 40 mg/kg (4 times

the MRHD on a mg/m2 basis) in rabbits. When female rats received sertraline

during the last third of gestation and throughout lactation, there was an

increase in the number of stillborn pups and in the number of pups dying during

the first 4 days after birth. Pup body weights were also decreased during the

first four days after birth. These effects occurred at a dose of 20 mg/kg (1

times the MRHD on a mg/m2 basis). The no effect dose for rat pup mortality was

10 mg/kg (0.5 times the MRHD on a mg/m2 basis). The decrease in pup survival was

shown to be due to in utero exposure to sertraline. The clinical significance of

these effects is unknown. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in

pregnant women. ZOLOFT (sertraline hydrochloride) should be used during

pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the

fetus.

Pregnancy-Nonteratogenic Effects - Neonates exposed to Zoloft and other SSRIs or

SNRIs, late in the third trimester have developed complications requiring

prolonged hospitalization, respiratory support, and tube feeding. These findings

are based on postmarketing reports. Such complications can arise immediately

upon delivery. Reported clinical findings have included respiratory distress,

cyanosis, apnea, seizures, temperature instability, feeding difficulty,

vomiting, hypoglycemia, hypotonia, hypertonia, hyperreflexia, tremor,

jitteriness, irritability, and constant crying. These features are consistent

with either a direct toxic effect of SSRIs and SNRIs or, possibly, a drug

discontinuation syndrome. It should be noted that, in some cases, the clinical

picture is consistent with serotonin syndrome. "

Your experience in stopping the antidepressant had nothing to do with

" needing " the drug. You stopped too quickly. You cannot switch from an SSRI to

a drug like Wellbutrin without experiencing withdrawal. They are two entirely

different drugs. Any doctor who would do this is ignorant about these drugs

(most of them are, though, so don't expect much useful guidance from them).

You can discontinue the antidepressant by followin uor protocol of no more

than 5-10% decreases while waiting in between each decrease to feel as well or

better than you did prior to the decrease. Only then will it be okay to do the

next decrease.

How well you eat and how well-fortified your body is makes a big differencein

how you handle withdrawal. We have info on this in our files. See Basic

Recovery Protocol.

About Wellbutrin, also Category C. One study on humans has been done. You'll

note it was specific to certain symptoms and conditions. This is called a red

herring. It is designed to keep your attention away from something on something

else. The goal here is to give you a false sense of relief. Here is a summary

of the study:

" One study has been conducted in pregnant women. This retrospective,

managed-care database study assessed the risk of congenital malformations

overall, and cardiovascular malformations specifically, following exposure to

bupropion in the first trimester compared to the risk of these malformations

following exposure to other antidepressants in the first trimester and bupropion

outside of the first trimester. This study included 7,005 infants with

antidepressant exposure during pregnancy, 1,213 of whom were exposed to

bupropion in the first trimester. The study showed no greater risk for

congenital malformations overall, or cardiovascular malformations specifically,

following first trimester bupropion exposure compared to exposure to all other

antidepressants in the first trimester, or bupropion outside of the first

trimester. The results of this study have not been corroborated. WELLBUTRIN

should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the

potential risk to the fetus.

** This study covered only certain conditions, took into consideration only

the first trimester, and was done only as a comparison to other similar drugs.

So when they say, " The study showed no greater risk for congenital

malformations overall... " they aren't saying there is no risk. They are saying

there is no GREATER risk for congenital malformations than there is with other

antidepressants. But seeing as how there is so little data on other

antidepressants, their comparison is useless. Notice, too, that this says

nothing about nervous system damage. These studies are done to trick you and

your doctor into trusting the drug while at the ame time the drug company warns

that this drug " should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit

justifies the potential risk to the fetus " . It doesn't look like they are

reporting much risk at all, does it? This is what they want you to believe.

I don't want to scare you but I also won't mislead you. Your best bet is to

not be taking a psychotropic drug at all while pregnant.

Regards,