Need Advice from Anyone Who Can Help...

Like a couple of the other mom's, I also was on celexa during my pregnancy(celexa and lexapro are in the same cateogry and are pretty much the same drug with a minor twist). It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) as is prozac, zoloft, paxil, etc. After talking with my doctor (which you should do!) I decided to wean off of the medicine at the end of the second trimester and monitor my symptoms closely. This was based on a couple of studies that found increased risk if the medicine was continued in the third trimester (though there were also many studies that found it was safe to continue for the duration of pregnancy). I resumed the celexa several weeks after our son's birth when I started having symptoms again and continued breastfeeding him while on the meds. He is a happy and healthy 18 month old and *I* am a happy and healthy mom.

So here's the trick about meds and pregnancy...nobody wants to do big organized studies using pregnant women to see happens if some are given a drug and some aren't (not sure if I would sign up for a study while pregnant...) But there have been lots of studies looking at women who did take the meds throughout pregnancy or for part of pregnancy and how the kids turned out afterwards. If you look up the FDA pregnancy category on meds, most will be category C which means we have no clue one way or the other...they haven't been studied well or studies have been inconclusive. Category A is proven safe to take in pregnancy (this would be like folic acid and some B vitamins), Category B has drugs that have been used a lot in pregnancy and are generally found to be safe in the first two trimesters (tylenol, ibuprofen, some antibiotics). Category D is probably causes more harm than good but you could still take if the benefits far outweigh the risks...and Category X means that it is known to cause birth defects and there is no benefit that would outweigh the risk (Accutane is a good example of this...they generally make women be on some form of birth control while on these meds...) My favorite site for looking up drug info is epocrates.com (pregnancy and lactation info is under the "safety monitoring" tab once you look up a drug from the main page).

Your doctor should be up to date on these studies or at least have access to journals that would have the results. If you are feeling adventurous, many of these articles (or their abstracts) can be found by using the google scholar search engine. The most widely studied antidepressant in pregnancy is prozac (fluoxetine) and I know my doc and I discussed maybe switching to that. The big thing is to keep taking your meds until you talk to your doc...going off cold turkey is usually not a good idea and you need to work out how you will taper off if you do decide to stop or switch.

As for conceiving...I know that many of the SSRIs can cause sexual side effects, but as long as you feel like having sex I have not heard of lexapro causing physical problems with conceiving.

Good luck in conceiving! Listen to your body, get a good dialogue going with your doc(s) and make sure to monitor your symptoms...having a bad bout of depression while in the end stages of pregnancy or post partum can also be bad for you and the baby so catching symptoms early is vital. Have fun!

A., I started taking the same med after the birth of my 3rd child. I have been taking it for about 2 yrs and am ready to have my 4th healthy baby in June. My docs are fully aware that I am taking this med. I think my dose is 20 mg. Ask your doc for reassurance but I would not worry about it. Good luck!!

Hi A.,
I was not on that birth control....I was on microgestrin. Personally I guess I wouldn't switch pills. I would talk with your dr. They also say that you need to be off the birth control for at least 3 months before you should start trying. I am lucky...I didn't wait the 3 months and within the first 2 months my daughter was conceived. Good Luck to you and your hubby!
M.

As with any prescription, I would say talk to your doctor before trying to conceive.

I found this info online:

Lexapro during pregnancy should be discussed with your doctor for safety measures. Lexapro falls in the FDA pregnancy category C drug. It is not exactly known whether Lexapro will be harmful to an unborn baby. Avoid taking Lexapro unless you've talked to your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during Lexapro treatment.

Lexapro and Pregnancy - Information
Lexapro and pregnancy - together - should be avoided unless and untill you have discussed and risks and benefits of the medication with your doctor. Lexapro passes into breast milk and may affect a nursing infant. Do not take Lexapro without first talking to your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Clinically speaking - Lexapro appears in breast milk and can affect a nursing infant. If you decide to breastfeed, Lexapro is not recommended.

Hi A.,
You really need to ask you Doctor. He would be the best one to know if that particulare medication would hurt the baby or not, or make it difficult to concieve.........best wishes to you, C.

I was on a low dose of Lexapro and conceived extremely quickly. Then I went off of it because it's labeled as class C drug (they are not sure if it could harm the baby.) I did great during pregnancy but developed post partum depression after he was born. I wish I had never gone off, or tried Zoloft instead (it's a class B and considered relatively safe) I would talk to your doctor about this. If you have a history of depression you are more likely to develop post partum depression. It's awful. I feel like I missed out on the first 6 weeks of my baby's life. PLEASE ask for advice from an expert and do not make the mistake I did.

I was on Lexapro when we started trying to conceive and my OB said it was ok to stay on it. But we got pregnant right away (and I had been on it for over a year, so it didn't cause any conception problems for us). As with the previous poster, I was informed of the unknown risk and it was left up to me to determine, after talking with my OB, whether I would continue while I was pregnant. I decided to go off of it and ended up being ok during my pregnancy. Post-partum depression hit me hard, however, and I went back on right away and so also chose not to BF. So the moral is that you must discuss it with your OB or GYN and determine what's best for you. But as a case study, it didn't cause us any problems conceiving.

A.,

I was on 40mg of Lexapro, and still am, which is a lot higher dose that you are on, when I was trying to get pregnant and throughout my pregnancy and nursing afterwards. I had no problems whatsoever. I got pregnant the second month I tried, had a baby that went full term and now have a very active intelligent 4 year old. I did discuss this with my psychiatrist, as you should as well. After I gave birth I was watched pretty closely for postpartum depression but it never happened. I have been on Lexapro now for 7 years and credit my quality of life to this drug - it has worked amazingly for me. Best of luck trying to get pregnant!!!

Hi A.. I would definitely talk to your doctor about this? Does he know you are going to be trying to have a baby? If problems in conceiving and birth complications may even slighly be an issue, I would check with your doctor before doing anything. Good luck!

I know from 1st hand! I wasn't on lexapro but i was on Celexa. The way my obgyn thought that the risks would be worse for me NOT to be on it than to be on it. i was on it even after with nursing. I actually started getting depression while i was pregnant.I wouldn't worry about it. If your doc ( and you) think you can go off it then you can do that.also, since antidepressants are to help a chemical imbalance in the brain, You'll never know if its better by staying on the medication. For my 2nd child I weened my self off and i didn't need it at all. I wouldn't worry about it unless your doctor says something. Its a VERY common thing so just express your concern. Good luck!

I was on it a few months ago and I personally asked my ob and she said it is one of the safest to be on while pregnant. And think of the positive if your happy so is that baby growing inside you. Good Luck!

I would talk to your OB/GYN to see what information they can give. Make sure your husband goes with you that way you can make whatever decisions you may have to together.

P.

Hello! If you are trying to conceive you should go to your OBGYN. They will do a checkup and discuss vitamins and any drugs you are currently on. They will also tell you healthy things to do etc. It's a good way to start out for a healthy pregnancy! Good luck!

I would consult with your Dr., he/she should be able to direct you on what to do.