Babble

I am 5 weeks pregnant and have been on 75 mg of effexer for a few months now  I was pregnant once before and lost the baby and then they put me on effexor I was told by my dr that I should stay on it but Im afriad it could harm the baby if I do Im not sure what to do.

Hi, my name is Rachel. I have a similar story to yours. Found out I was pregnant this past monday and i am 6 weeks. I am on a regular dose of 75 mg of effexor xr and was told by my PCP that I should wean myself off of it. I have yet to see my OB, i see him Jan 3rd, 2008. I went one night without taking my effexor. The next day, which was today, was absolutely miserable. I had eye shakes, what felt like little volts of electricity thru out my body, dizziness, almost passing out, fast heart rate. I took myh medicine tonite, only because I could not handle the emotional rollercoaster. I am already hormonal and quiting smoking, so stress is already apparent in my life, and then to try to quit taking my medicine. What do you think?

Rachel 

You have to wean yourself off of it slowly.

Try taking 3/4 of the pill for a week. 1/2 the next. And the last 1/4 for a week, but the following week take the 1/4 every other day. 

Hopefully that will do it. :/

I am so saddened by the non-patient specific advice given by women's doctors when they demand their patients ween from medication if they are or wish to become pregnant.  I have been on Effexor for about 4 years and have two sons, when I was pregnant with the first I was told to immediately quit taking medication when I discovered I was pregnant.  I had just suffered a major depressive episode with severe anxiety attacks only one month before.  I was terrified to end up in that condition again.  Because I did not know, my son was exposed to anti-depressants through most of the first trimester.  He is now four, happy, thriving and perfectly healthy.  I faced the same advice with my second child and became devastatingly depressed in the second trimester and so anxious I could barely function to leave the house.  My OB was very dismissive thinking I was just hormonal and my GP said I needed to choose between myself and my child's well-being ( an awful thing to say to someone in crisis).  Finally, be finding the right kind of advocate (a wonderfully intelligent psychiatrist) who called my doctor and explained my condition, I began taking the effexor again.  My OB then described the drug as no problem.  I again delivered a healthy, happy baby boy. My doctor also said to ignore all the contrary info on the net and that it was perfectly safe to breastfeed which I did for 3 months.  All was a and has been well with my son who is soon turning two. 

The problem is getting your doctor to listen - to understand you aren't just taking your medication because you were having a bad day.  I am now considering a third child and as such, decided to consult a high risk OB, he said he had no problem with me taking my medication during pregnancy and that I should under no circumstance feel guilty that I have to.  That made me cry.  I adore my children and think that every mother has the right to enjoy a pregnancy, not just survive it battling the devastating effects of mental illness throughout.  My father is a surgeon and I also went as far as to have him check with a variety of the area's more esteemed OB's to confirm this doctors advice and the reply was unanimously to stay on the medication.

You must be healthy to have a healthy baby.

I am a mental health therapist and the mother of 3 "antidepressant babies".  My oldest daughter, now 15, was conceived, went through a healthy gestation with me taking Prozac.  It wasn't an option for me to be off the SSRI's due to debilitating depression.  After delivery, my "brilliant" doctor switched me to Pamelor as there was more research literature with effects on nursing infants. I switched back after I crashed emotionally and continued to nurse her for a year.  With my son, now 9, and my daughter, now 8, I took Zoloft.  With my daughter, I was shamed to stop taking the Zoloft and I had terrible post partum depression.  Once I resumed my SSRI's, life was beautiful again. 

Now I am pregnant again, have been taking Effexor for several years and have done much research.  I have seen much anecdotal evidence, including my own, that SSRI's and SSNRI's are relatively safe, but the best policy is always to get multiple opinions and do much research. 

One must also consider the baby in gestation being exposed to stress hormones, the sadness, despair, and general apathy and lack of attention to self and family of a mother in the throes of a clinical depression.  Also, the family and existing children are affected terribly by parents with clinical depression.  I have seen many children clinically as adolescents and adults with Reactive Attachment Disorder, various anxieties, esteem issues because mom was depressed or anxious. 

Clinical depression is a medical condition with physiological causes so it is up to the medical community to figure what works with the best interests of all involved, not just from the immediate medical needs of mom and baby, but the ongoing emotional development of healthy family functioning. 

Wow did I need to read this.....I am 38 and and my husband and I are trying for our first child. I have worked my way off the medicine slowly and have found myself weepy, depressed and my husband says he doesn't know who I am anymore since I've been off. I am just one of those who just need to be on it. I stopped for fear of the effect on a fetus if I do conceive. It is reassuring to know that while under a doctors care, you can still take the medicine AND have a healthy pregnancy.

 Thanks

I have taken Effexor XR with 2 successful pregnancies (one early miscarriage).  I stayed on 75mg throughout the pregnancies and throughout 21 months of bfeeding my daughter and 16 months of bfeeding my son.  It's totally safe for bfeeding.  I've checked into it with medical professionals.

I had postpartum with my first child and went on Zoloft because the studies said it was the best one for breast feeding. I ended up taking it the entire time I was pregnant and bf my second, and he seems just fine! I figured it was better to have a happy mom and feel my best then to be weepy all the time. Thank you for sharing your story.

I'm so glad to hear so many women speak out about this. I was on 75 mg of Effexor throughout my pregnancy--and increased to 120 mg towards the end to accomadate for the increase in body weight. Luckily I consulted early on with a neo-natal specialist and had a psychiatrist who did a lot of research on the topic. I was convinced, despite the stygma surrounding medication during pregnancy, that the stress of depression was a far greater risk to my pregnancy than the medication itself. I breastfed for 14 months while on Effexor. My boy is now 19 months, healthy and robust, had no withdrawal at birth, and is way ahead in terms of developmental milestones. 

Thank you for your post

I have been on effexor 150 mg/day for 7 years and never tried to decrease it or stop it.

 I am trying to get pregnant and get more informations

 Can you please send me the studies you mentioned? just first author, journal and date???

I will certainly be in touch with you if I got pregnant

Thank you so much

Flavia

flavia10017@yahoo.com

Please please please do not take it while pregnant. I am trying to get off it before getting pregnant and yes, the side effects are killing me.I was told a year ago that it is safe to take during pregnancy but it is not at this moment. The studies that tell us the drugs are safe are performed by the drug companies. I know a woman who had tragic results because she was told it was safe to take Wellbutrin. It is not (yet still not declared so) and she lost her baby at 5 months.

 The dangers of weaning off far exceed the risk of staying on medication. A 5th month miscarriage can be attributed to one million factors including - gasp - caffine! If you're not comfortable with one type of medication, there are hundreds of different classes and doses available. The key is to find a doc on top of current research. 

i have been on effexor for eight years. it has worked wonders for me. i have weaned myself off only to relapse. i am in my 3rd month of trying to conceive. the withdrawals are horrible. i hated it. i did it only to find myself back on zoloft now. i tried 50mg that is not working. so now i am on 100mg. hopefully that will work. i hate being off effexor. that really works for me. it makes me feel like i am a human being not an emotional wreck. i worry constantly and cry etc. i hate it. i want a baby, but like my husband said "im miserable" what fun is that. and trying to conceive that is not helping being so depressed. so i say stay on it. if zoloft does not work for me i am getting back on effexor. that is what works for me. the value of life and how you handle it is what you have to consider. crying, sleeping all the time, anxiety attacks, headaches. it is not worth it. stay on the effexor. that is my next step.

Hello, All,

After the birth of number four six years ago, my depression (weepiness and irritability) got significantly worse.  As there is a history of depression in my family, and my children suffered from the irritability, I went on Effexor.  Works great!  Praise God! 

 We are considering number five, and my doc said to be off of the Effexor for six months prior to conceiving.  Granted, she is a general practitioner and not an OB, but it made me start to think.  I couldn't adopt from many international countries while on anti-depressants and, so I thought, couldn't have a baby if I was on meds.

My son, 11, has ADD, depression, and trichotillomania (compulsive hair-pulling).  He was put on Wellbutrin, which treated the depression as well as the trich as well as Concerta for his ADD.  However, we decided over Christmas break to try something natural to help reduce the amount of meds in his system.  We put him on an all natural juice supplement (Mova Vie, although I know there are others out there).  It appears to be as effective for him as the Wellbutrin, but he still takes Concerta for the ADD when he has school. 

 All this to say, I figured if it worked so well for him, I would try it as well.  For me, the juice reduces my depression symptoms by approximately 80 to 90% and I was fully able to go off of the Effexor.  I am not saying that it is best for everyone to go off, but if anyone feels compelled to try, I REALLY recommend looking into Mova Vie.  I didn't take it yesterday, and today...sniff, sniff.

 Good luck to you all.  I am really encouraged that if push comes to shove, I could consider going back on the Effexor. 

Dinah 

Hi, there.  By now you must have had your baby.  Did everything turn out all right?  I am 8 weeks pregnant and had to go back to 75 mg of Effexor for anxiety and depression.  I felt terrible having to do that, but I couldn't function or eat at 37.5 mg.  I plan to reduce my dose as soon as I can, but I seem to be anxious still so much at the moment, probably worrying about the effects of the Effexor on my child on top of all the other worries you have when you're pregnant.  Any information you have on how your baby is doing would be much appreciated!