Pregnancy - am I really ready for this?

[Thelostchild]

My husband and I are planning to have childern, Im ok with the idea as long as I have them before Im 30 years old. Im so worried about pregnancy and my stupid mental health problems. Im have been toying with my eating restricting what I eat, diet pills and such.Sad thing is I know this is not a health decision or a way to go. I am in therapy and its a really good program in Denver its University of Colorado psychiatry program for residents. anyway Im on or have been on Lamictal my current steady dose it 100 mg, and they finally put me on seroquel 25 mg for sleep. I know that I will eventually have to get off all those medications, what am I going to do just go to extensive therapy? Im really nervous fo course who isn't.. out of all the friends that I have Im the only one that still has no kids.

 

[Daniel E.]

Re: Pregnancy Am I really ready for this

Regarding Lamictal, the primary concern seems to be cleft lip or cleft palate based on reports from the pregnancy registry. The drug maker has been running the pregnancy registry since 1992 from what I read, the latest report of which is here:

http://pregnancyregistry.gsk.com/documents/lam_fall_final2008.pdf

Some older links:
If a woman takes Lamictal during pregnancy, will it hurt the baby?: Basic | epilepsy.com
http://aedpregnancyregistry.org/ - Lamotrigine.pdf
Patient Information Sheet: Lamotrigine (marketed as Lamictal)

Regarding Seroquel, it seems there have only been animal studies in which birth defects were higher and I can't find any pregnancy registry information:

Seroquel and Pregnancy
Seroxat and Seroquel Pregnancy
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/full/160/3/588-a

One person's experience is that she was taken off Lamictal (doesn't say how much she was on) and put on (or continued) Seroquel:

I am also bi-polor and am currently 20w [pregnant]. I was taking limital(sp) and Seroquel. Both meds are class C, he took me off the limital and now I am on 200mg of Seroquel. I take it at night because it helps me sleep, without it, I would be up all night as my bi-polor is very bad. Dr. said the benfits out weigh the risks because if I went of the med then I would do more harm to myself and my baby. I am doing fine and so is the baby. If you can make it off one of your meds do it. It is better to take one then two or three. If you can't and it sends you in to mood swings, then for you taking all of them is best.

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/maternal/messages/49101.html

So it seems to me that when you talk to your doctors about this, they won't necessarily want you to be off meds, though a med change may be recommended.

Also, there is a 2006 research article that discusses these medications. The gist of the article -- not surprisingly -- is that there is insufficient data about Seroquel and Lamictal, but they seem safer than some other meds:
http://www.bentham.org/cds/samples/cds1-1/Dodd.pdf

 

[Atlantean]

Re: Pregnancy Am I really ready for this

My husband and I are planning to have childern, Im ok with the idea as long as I have them before Im 30 years old. Im so worried about pregnancy and my stupid mental health problems. Im have been toying with my eating restricting what I eat, diet pills and such.Sad thing is I know this is not a health decision or a way to go. I am in therapy and its a really good program in Denver its University of Colorado psychiatry program for residents. anyway Im on or have been on Lamictal my current steady dose it 100 mg, and they finally put me on seroquel 25 mg for sleep. I know that I will eventually have to get off all those medications, what am I going to do just go to extensive therapy? Im really nervous fo course who isn't.. out of all the friends that I have Im the only one that still has no kids.

I have an 8 month old who was born prematurely, but I d/c'd all my meds, and the only difference was I had a LOT more energy and was able to be more productive.

Im 31, we are trying ofr our scond, but I dont worry as much ans I did before. I was treated by UVA hish-risk specialists, and if you are in a high risk situation or worried that you might cause too much anxiety or somehow not be able to carry your baby to term normally, ask them about an operation called a "cerlage". That should keep your little muffin in the oven.

 

[Thelostchild]

Re: Pregnancy Am I really ready for this

wow, lots of info thank you both. I do plan and hope to be off anything that might cause or harm the baby. but I will consider other meds that wont harm the baby too

 

[poss]

Re: Pregnancy Am I really ready for this

Hi Lostchild,

I have just been experiencing much the same feelings and fears as you. Only difference is I already have a one year old. When I got pregnant with her, I was not yet diagnosed with BPD and was therefore not on the right meds. I freaked out when I got pregnant thinking I wouldn't be able to cope. I found that the pregnancy hormones made me alot calmer and more stable than normal. I also took Amitriptyline after the first trimester and that helped with my depression. Then when thinking about baby number 2, I had to come off seroquel, which has been a life-saver for me and sertraline as well. I got off them without medical supervision and did it way too quickly as I wanted to be without them for as short a time as possible. I think this only made the withdrawal worse though. I too was extremely worried about how to cope without the meds and my husband and I had many conversations about it beforehand. I told him that if we both really wanted this, he would have to cut me some slack here and there as I would be without meds. It was a hard few months but thankfully I am now expecting number 2 and will be back on my meds as soon as he/she is born. In the meantime I may resort to one of the safer antidepressants.

There should be some drugs you can take safely and even if they don't work to the same efficacy as your usual ones, they may just take the edge off and perhaps your hormones will make you feel more calm like I did.

I wish you all the best and hope you find the right approach for you.

Take care,

Poss