What You Need To Know About Antidepressants And Pregnancy

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Last week I had my yearly appointment with the OBGYN since my pap smear came back positive last year, I have to do it every year even if the biopsy came back negative. So while I was there, I started to talk about my blog and the fact that I was taking antidepressants which led to the topic of pregnancy and antidepressants.

First, I want to let you know that I am not pregnant. So don’t jump to conclusions 😉 but I thought that this information could be useful for some of the readers.

Why it’s not recommended to take antidepressants when pregnant

The notice on my prescription says that it shouldn’t be taken in the third trimester of pregnancy. So I ask my doctor what why.

She explained to me that there is currently no proof that antidepressants are affecting the well-being of the fetus. Studies are being done, but as of today, nothing showed that antidepressants influence the development of the baby.

However, when you are taking antidepressants, you are sharing them with your baby. So after giving birth, the baby will no longer ingest your prescriptions, and he or she will go through withdrawals.

The reason why it’s not recommended to take antidepressants during the last trimester is not that of the effects it can have on the development of the baby but because the baby will have to go through withdrawals in its first days.

Think about it this way; if you stop the prescription during the pregnancy, you will be the one dealing with the withdrawal symptoms. While if you don’t stop before giving birth, your baby will have to go through withdrawal on his/her own.

What You Need To Know About Postpartum Depression

I was surprised when the doctor told me that postpartum depression could start during the third trimester. 

Before I thought that postpartum depression was due to the lack of sleep you have when you need to take care of a newborn but there’s more to it.

My husband and I don’t have kids, but since we have been married for six years now, and we are both in our thirties, this is something we are talking about.

One of the concerns that my husband has is postpartum depression since I am already prone to depression. He’s a therapist, so this is a subject that he knows well.

Should You Take Antidepressants When Pregnant

When you are pregnant and are already taking antidepressants, my doctor talked about two options:

1. Stop the antidepressants during the pregnancy and take them back a few days after giving birth to help with postpartum depression
2. If you are already starting to show signs of postpartum depression while being pregnant, you can continue taking antidepressants, and in this case, it’s recommended to take Zoloft or a generic version of it

One point that my doctor stretched out is that this is a case by case decision. There’s no right or wrong answer. If you need to take antidepressants during the pregnancy you should take them. This is something that you will have to talk about with your doctor and make a plan together.

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Further reading

• 5 Signs That You Have Depression And Need Help
• The One Thing That Motivated Me To Change My Life And Be Happy
•  10 Articles To Read If You Want To Improve Your Life
• Everything I Learned About Happiness In The Last Year
• The Best FREE Resources to Live a Healthy and Happy Life 

Over to you

How did you handle antidepressants during pregnancy?