I'm certain this impeach has been asked before, but I had a prescription for xanax, lexapro, and abilify and was taking them regularly until I found out I was 3 weeks pregnant. Does anyone know the risks? Has anyone had any experience with this? Please Help! I am Full On freaking out that ive done serious damage (
Don't freak out--but Do stop taking the Xanax (don't stop the Lexapro until talking with your doc--but do it soon). Xanax is not considered safe during pregnancy usually. Notwithstanding, the risk that you may have done serious harm is extremely low. It usually takes repeated use of drugs or alcohol to damage a fetus (or embryo) so do not worry. When I found out I was pregnant, I had been taking Xanax occasionally and I stopped as soon as I found out. My baby was just fine.
I would stop them straight absent, or taper off them Asap because there are serious complications with using them, such as deformed lungs and Other deformities and also miscarriage and stillbirth! I was on Zoloft and had to stop straight away.
Oh wait, have you already stopped them??? Whether so, you will be fine and your baby will be fine!!! It's just whether you stay on them throughout the pregnancy! study Finds Ssri Antidepressants Link to Increased Miscarriage Risk
Wednesday June 2, 2010
A study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal this week has uncovered new evidence that women who take Ssris (a popular lesson of antidepressants) during the first trimester may have an increased risk of miscarriage.
In the case-controlled study, researchers examined the records of 5,124 women who had a miscarriage, then randomly selected records from women who had carried a normal pregnancy. Statistical analyses on the sets of records uncovered that a greater percentage of the women who had miscarried were using antidepressants, and the use of antidepressants appeared to be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage that was independent of the reason for the prescription (meaning that the organization appeared to be due to the drugs and not the depression itself). The risk seemed to be highest in women using more than one class of antidepressants and in women using paroxetene and venlaxafine.
In the past, some smaller studies had hinted that the drugs may not be entirely safe during pregnancy, but results had been contradictory with some studies but not others finding a link. This latest study used a larger pattern size and performed more controlled analyses, which makes the results somewhat more robust (as described by a researcher quoted in a Business Week article about the study).
Nevertheless, numerous experts are urging caution in interpreting the results, pointing out that the results indicated women on antidepressants were 1.68 times more likely to miscarry -- less than twice as likely -- and that the benefits of antidepressants might outweigh the risks.
My own take on it would be that if this study is as robust as it sounds (the full text is available here), I hope this information is openly shared by doctors with women who are weighing the idea of if to receive pregnant while using antidepressants or to continue taking antidepressants when newly pregnant. I can understand the cautious viewpoint. This study is not enough to prove that the antidepressants actually caused the extra miscarriages; the finding could simply have been a correlation. There are also risks in having untreated depression during pregnancy.
But it's also a little disturbing reading some of the quotes out there where physicians are downplaying the possible added risk of miscarriage as being minimal and unimportant. Whether there really is a causal link, which I hope more research will enquire, I suspect numerous pregnant moms would not agree that a 68 gain in miscarriage risk was no big deal, although those with severe depression might decide together with their doctors that the risk is outweighed by the benefits of using antidepressants.
I also think it should be kept in intellect that there is also research that shows that miscarriages by themselves are risk factors for depression and that women with a past psychiatric history have higher risk for significant grief reactions, so one has to wonder if a miscarriage might exacerbate the problem for women with existing depression. As there are rarely answers to what causes any particular miscarriage, there's also a tendency to grasp for explanations that seem to fit as a way to understand what happened. Thus, many moms might be prone to blaming themselves if they find out about this link after-the-fact (even though having a miscarriage while taking antidepressants does Not mean you can assume that the antidepressants caused the miscarriage). In any case, I hope that women are allowed to make informed decisions on what they want to do and are given all the facts, both for and against the continued use of antidepressants during pregnancy.
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Both human and animal studies on Xanax and pregnancy show that the drug may gain the risk of birth defects when it is used during pregnancy. However, a healthcare provider may still prescribe Xanox to a pregnant woman whether the benefits outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child. If you are taking Xanax and pregnancy occurs, your healthcare provider will weigh the benefits and risks before making a recommendation for your situation. An Overview of Xanax and Pregnancy
Xanax and Pregnancy Category D
An Overview of Xanax and Pregnancy
Xanax (alprazolam) is usually considered dangerous for pregnant women. It is part of a group of medications known as benzodiazepines. Human and animal studies have shown that benzodiazepine use during pregnancy can increase the risk of birth defects and other problems. Xanax and Pregnancy Category D
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (fda) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a particular medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category D is given to medicines that have shown lucid evidence of risk to the fetus in studies. Pregnancy Category D is a stronger warning than a pregnancy Category C or B classification. A pregnancy Category D medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman whether the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child. Xanax was given a pregnancy Category D rating because of problems seen in animal and human studies. Benzodiazepine use during early pregnancy may gain the risk of birth defects, while use during later pregnancy can cause withdrawal symptoms in a newborn. Since taking Xanax is rarely absolutely necessary, many healthcare providers suggest that it should always be avoided during pregnancy. Notwithstanding, you should not stop taking Xanax without your healthcare provider's approval -- even if you are pregnant -- due to the risk of dangerous withdrawal symptoms (see Xanax Withdrawal). Whether you are taking Xanx and pregnancy occurs (or you are thinking of fitting pregnant), let your healthcare provider know. He or she will consider the benefits and risks of using the medication during pregnancy before making a recommendation for your particular situation.