I'm finally back on!! & pregnant!

[BrookeLynnnn]

Oh where do I begin?? I haven't been on here in forever since the app is no longer available on my phone, but I've found a loop hole & I've missed everyone!!

Okay so.. I'm pregnant everyone. I'm about 4 weeks. I go tomorrow to find out for sure. The thing is, my paxil has to stop :( I'm so afraid. I never thought this day would come.. My Dr said to cut back to 20 mgs for one week & then stop completely.

Anyone have any advice? I'm very scared & I want to try & remain as calm & stress free as possible..

I have enough to deal with already.. The father of the baby isn't an ideal parent. We aren't together & won't ever be. So that's stressful also.

Okay I feel better.. I needed to vent lol.

[gypsylee]

Hi Brooke :)

What's the loop hole? I've got the app on my phone but not my ipad and I hate using the website lol. I wish I could get the app for the ipad!

Well I stayed on Zoloft when I was pregnant. That was 13 years ago now and I don't think a whole lot of study had been done on it.. But I spoke to my psychiatrist and doctor and they both said it wasn't worth coming off it. Obviously my daughter is now 13yo and she's pretty normal :)

Good luck with your pregnancy! I quite enjoyed it. Not so much what came afterwards ;)

Cheers,
Gypsy x

[Ins0mniac]

You might feel worse when taking lower doses of your medication, mainly because your body has gotten used to the dosage and it feels the need to get more. By using this drug for a prolonged time, it altered your normal brain pattern and created a chemical imbalance. Therefore it needs time to adjust back to normal. This is completely normal. However by removing your medication all at once, your body is craving for the medication even more, so your symptoms are getting worse untill they settle down by themselves (this takes time however). Don't be too worried and don't start taking your medication back. Your body simply needs time to 'rewire' itself.

Doctors tend to perscrible various medications in order to 'cope' and 'treat' your symptoms rather than looking at the root cause of your problem in order to 'cure' it completely. If people would be able to cure their problems with natural/homeopatic medicine, there would be no need for pharmaceutical industries. Popping pills isn't the answer and it won't cure your condition. It's like putting a patch on a wound, without letting your body cure the wound by itself.

Being pregnant causes hormonal-imbalance, that why you may have some mood-swings or emotional breakdowns. It's normal, nothing too worry about. Keep yourself less stressed as possible and think with reason, rather than letting intrusive thoughts control you (mainly don't fall for the famous 'What if?' question).

Did you know that while pregnant your body gets rejuvinating stem cells from the embryo? So your child is actually helping you to regenerate your body faster. It's like getting that extremely expensive "Stem Cell Therapy" all for free :).

Actually having a kid is probably the best thing that could happen to you. It will pull you out of any type of depression, anxiety and even insomnia. When I was initially doing research on my own condition, I found out that mothers were the first ones to get through any type of emotional stress after having a child. This is because after you have a child your hormones forcefully 'reset' themselves to a normal level, due to the fact that while you're pregnant your hormones are off the charts. Although I have to admit that I'm a guy and I don't have much experience on having kids lol.

Good luck!

[BrookeLynnnn]

Thank you both for the replies!! Reading them actually made me feel better!!

[JohnC]

Say it ain't so Brook. Hey i have been there ( Not the pregnant thing for god sake :) ). I went off Paxil after 14 years and its a treat but doable once you know what to expect. I called them brain zaps and every time you turn your head you feel them but it does go away. You take care of yourself, OK.

[BrookeLynnnn]

Lol!! Thanks John!! I was hoping you would write here.. I remembered you & I had the Paxil in common.

Anyways.. Okay I think I can deal with the brain zaps. My worry is that my anxiety will come back full force.

[JohnC]

I aint gonna lie to ya, my anxiety did come back:( I am trying to deal with and it's a tough go. It did not come back right away though it was about a year later.

[aml0017]

Your anxiety COULD come back full force, but it might not. Believe in the positive. I know it's easier said than done when you are prone to irrational anxiety. I often find I handle anxiety and worry better when it is more rational. Like a lot of women would worry about having a healthy pregnancy, and not having the support of the father in the situation. It is rational to be worried. It is when the worries start getting trivial and stupid that is worse for me.

All you can do is go off the meds per your doctors instructions and see what happens. It wouldn't be good for your health or the baby's to be constantly worried. If you notice your anxiety is coming back despite coping methods like exercise, etc. call your doctor. There are options. I think my sister was able to take a low dose of Celexa (i think) while she was breastfeeding. She was on it before she got pregnant, went off meds and had a great pregnancy, then went back on after she gave birth. Everyone has a different experience with pregnancy.

So stay positive and look forward to your baby. And stay off Google lol. If you have concerns about your pregnancy call your doctor. Trust me google is the enemy lol. Good luck!

[BrookeLynnnn]

Thank you very much for the reply!! For the baby's sake, I'm trying to stay anxiety free & stress free.. Lol

Since lowering the Paxil, I've just been feeling odd. Like, sick & faint feeling. Definitely having the brain zaps too!!

[BrookeLynnnn]

People are saying my dr is weaning me off to fast & that can cause seizures. I've started feeling extremely sick today. Crawling out of skin feeling. I just want it to go away :(

[JohnC]

Hey Brook, I don't know about any seizures but it only last two weeks for the most part. I once went went two weeks cold turkey off Paxil because i had no money. It was some major brain zaps and very annoying but no seizures. What did the doctor tell you?

[BrookeLynnnn]

Ahhhh okay. That's relieving. I can handle two weeks.. I go see my Dr tomorrow.