Medication free

[Buttercup]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone here is now med free after taking medication long term. I've been on citalopram (ranging from 10mg to 40) for the past 12 years. More recently I have been taking beta blockers daily and now temazepam to help with insomnia. I saw the doc today and told him thar at some point in the future I'd like to start a family. He said that he'd wish for me to be totally med free before even trying to conceive. This has freaked me out! Another doctor I saw awhile ago said it should be fine to take citalopram and propranolol while pregnant. I'm not sure which doctor to listen to but ideally I would like to be med free as I would not want to put the baby at risk. Has anyone here managed to stop all meds and live a happy life? I have tried twice before weaning myself off citalopram but suffered horrible withdrawals and ended up going back in them after a few weeks and missing months of work due to the severe reoccurrence of my depression and anxiety.
Any advice would be great, thanks x

[Beautiful Disaster]

Hi Buttercup - I'm in the same boat as you (I think I commented on one of your posts before).

Which doctor told you to be med free before trying to conceieve? Was it a primary care or OB/GYN? My psychaitrist told me that Prozac (which I'm on) is one of the safest anti-depressants to be on during pregnancy. I think ideally yeah, it would be nice to be med-free during pregnancy but sometimes the benefits of being on the medicine outweigh the risks of not being on it. I read a statistic somewhere that people who have had issues with anxiety/depression in the past are 62% more likely to have relapse during prenancy. That's a lot of people! I know some also say that the hormonal changes protect you from depression and could possibly change your thoughts/feelings for the better. But then who knows what happens post-partum? I'm worried about that too. And in all honesty having anxiety/panic attacks often during pregnancy could be worse for a developing baby than a low dose of an anti-depressant. Who really knows for sure? People who have perfectly healthy, med-free pregnancies can still have babies with mental/physical issues.

Maybe you could try switching to another AD that's "safer" for pregnancy? I was told prozac and zoloft are the best. I bought a book on Amazon called "Pregnant on Prozac." I haven't read too much of it (because the last time I was reading it (a couple months ago) it triggered a panic attack!) but it's supposed to give you information to make the best decision (medication or not) for your pregnancy by giving you facts/evidence/personal testimonies. Now that my panic seems almost under control, I'll pick it back up sometime soon....

Good luck :)

[jessy]

Hi , I was on a small dose of diazapam & Prozac with my first pregnancy & with my second I was on small dose of diazapam & citralopam . My G.P assured me it was safe & both my pregnancies were fine & healthy bouncing babies !!
Try not to get to worried , I think your hormones are all over the place during pregnancy & after ,so I think it's a sensible decision " not to come off your med's" at this time .

That's just my view .

Hope your doctor can reassure you
X

[Buttercup]

Hi,
Thanks for the replies. Beautiful disaster, you did comment on a post I wrote before where I was wondering if anyone had taking meds during pregnancy. The only doctors I have spoken to about it are GP's at my local doctor's surgery. It gets confusing when one says that it's fine to stay on the meds as it would be better for my health and the other then says that I should stop all meds. I guess people have varying opinions but that book you mentioned sounds great. Are you trying to conceive yet? I am waiting until I am on a more even keel as my anxiety came back with avengance a few months ago so once that is under control then fingers crossed. But then there is the worry that if I got pregnant I'd be an anxious mess! I'm fast approaching my mid 30s and don't want to leave it to late to have kids. Then i worry that I may not even be able to get preganant. Lol, anxiety is a nightmare!
Jessy, it was great to hear from someone who has been through pregnancy while on meds. What dose of citalopram were you on? I am currently on 40mg but looking to reduce that in the near future.
Again, thanks for the replies xxxx

[Beautiful Disaster]

I am not trying to conceive right now... like you, I'm waiting til I have my anxiety fully under control! :) Earlier in the year, around the time my anxiety was getting bad again, we had "stopped preventing" and I actually did get pregnant... but prompty had a misscarriage at around 5 weeks (so basically, I wouldn't have even known I was pregnant if I hadn't taken a few tests right beforehand). I actually wasn't too torn up about it because I was in a REALLY bad place with the panic and anxiety and knew it wasn't the right time.

I would get the opinions of a psychiatrist and an OB/GYN. My psychiatrist said "any good OB/GYN would tell [me] the same thing" (that being on prozac during pregnancy is ok), considering my circumstances. I did see an OB/GYN and told her I was looking to get pregnant in the near future. I told her about when I tried to come off meds and it was really bad. She said "at least you tried coming off- that's important" and she didn't seem too concerned about it. She just said to make sure I'm on the "lowest effective dose." Another reason why I'm waiting to conceive... because I'm on 60mg of Prozac now (before I tried coming off I was fine on 10mg.... its crazy what anxiety will do to you!!!!!) and .5mg Ativan as needed. I know the Ativan is a no-no during pregnancy so I definitely want to be good off of that for a couple months before trying to conceive. My psychiatrist said the plan will be to get me stable on 60mg, then wean down to 40mg, and possibly even 20mg while I'm pregnant. I'm really hoping I can stay stable when I cut it back!!! But for right now I have to just think about the present... and getting better. Right now 60mg is what's right for me, along with trying to do coping mechanisms on my own and with a therapist (CBT, meditation, breathing techniques, etc). So I'm trying not to worry about the future! It just causes me more anxiety ;)

[jessy]

I was on 40mg Citralopam & also 10mg diazepam .
:-)
Hope you get the answers you need , I was concerned during both my pregnancy's but was reassured it was safe .

And my babies were totally fine & very healthy x

[Buttercup]

Thanks Jessy, so good to hear first hand about someone who was on meds and had a successful pregnancy :)

Beautiful Disaster, so sorry to hear about your miscarriage. Hopefully things will work out just the way we want in the future. In a way it is nice to know someone else is in the same situation as me so thanks for sharing your story.

Kev, I have lived with anxiety for 12 plus years and am educated in the ins and outs of the condition. I have spent a lot of time researching anxiety and depression and am fully aware that drugs do not work for everyone. I also agree that drugs alone are not the answer. Finding the cause of the issues and the underlying problems is key and I do not agree with doctors dishing out drugs without also using talking therapies. I do also think that drugs are a last resort after trying other things and for me that was the case. It does seem you assume that the drugs I am on are not working for me and that I have not addressed the issues causing my anxiety. I am lucky in that I find the drugs I am on very effective. I have received help from psychologists and community psychiatric nurses in the past and have learnt the root of my problems and methods of coping with them. I have also attended group therapy and courses on anxiety and stress management. This left me anxiety free for years. I also know the reason why my anxiety returned a few months ago and am currently working with a psychotherapist on my current issues and re-learning coping strategies and techniques. This has all been incredibly helpful for me along with the medication I am on.
It is amazing that you are med free and have managed to be so for such a long time but for others it is not that easy, if it was we would all be med free and happy! Everyone is different, each case is different and different methods work for different people.
B x