Paxil, <span title="pregnancy?????????????????">pregnancy????????????????...</span>

Question

I have been on paxil for about 3.5 years because I suffered from panic attacks. I just heard that paxil is really bad for pregnancy. If I do conceive will I be ok till I see my obgyn? Will she be the one to switch me to something else? I only take 10mg never more and I don't take it every night cause I forget so threw out the whole week I take it about 4 times. I am so scared of feeling the way I did years before that getting totally off it scares me. Zoloft was very bad for me they had to take me off of it really fast. So has anyone else gone threw this and if so how did your dr go about it during pregnancy?

Answer 1

You and your Dr have to weigh the benefits against the possible risks of the med.  I took Paxil during my last pregnancy (tried to stop taking it during the pregnancy, which was a surprise so I couldn&#039;t stop before hand, but I became majorly depressed so I couldn&#039;t) and my baby was very healthy.  No problems at all with him.  So talk to your Dr and see what he/she says.  Good luck to you.  

Answer 2

I highly doubt you should be on paxil during pregnancy, I can&#039;t see it being good for the baby. I was on it before I was pregnant for the same reason you are on it and let me just tell you, it&#039;s not an easy one to get off of! I was very sick for a long time from getting off that medication. But if you pregnant I don&#039; think you can take anything like that at all.  

Answer 3

You should talk to your ObGyn and your Psychiatrist first before trying to conceive and come up with a plan before you get pregnant.

Answer 4

I was on paxil when i found out i was pregnant with my daughter and went off right away cause it was a category C drug, so they didn&#039;t really know if it was harmful. they couldn&#039;t say it was and couldn&#039;t say it wasn&#039;t. Really, taking paxil 4 times a week isint too beneficial anyway, it leaves your system faster than most antidepressants. You can try weaning off, which shouldn&#039;t be too hard only taking 10mg 4x a week (ask your dr 1st before doing that obviously)

If he feels you really need it, he can tell you the risks. I take a med for bipolar this whole pregnancy and it has a slight risk for cleft palate (which my baby doesn&#039;t have, according to the ultrasounds) But sometimes it&#039;s safer to take a medication while pregnant than stop depending on the situation. the dr will let you know if the risks outweigh the benefits to you. ALSO- you need to be honest and let your dr know you dont remember to take the paxil on a reg. basis. Its important for them to know that. sorry if this answer is long-winded!

Answer 5

I just had an appointment with my OB/GYN on the 21st as I am also on 10mg paxil and my hubby and I are ready to start trying for a baby.  I too heard all the horror stories about paxil and pregnancy so I wanted to get switched over to something else before we tried for a baby...I had horrible anxiety before paxil and wasn&#039;t looking forward to going off of it but was willing for the baby.  BUT my doctor told me that there was a study that just came out that said the results of the previous findings (paxil during pregnancy causes heart defects) was unfounded.  And my doctor said that the risk of having a baby with a complications as a result of the paxil was about 0.013% but just being pregnant with no medications you have a 3% risk of complications with the baby...she really reassured me that staying on it during the pregnancy and at such a low dose shouldn&#039;t cause any problems and that I would be able to breastfeed as well.  She said if I started to feel anxious (as pregnancy can bring that on too) then I could even go up to 20mg.  So I would definitely talk to your OB/GYN as soon as you can but from what my OB/GYN told me it seems paxil is not any less safe then taking any other anti-depressant/anti-anxiety.  My hubby and I are now ready to start trying to conceive and I plan on staying on my 10mg of paxil.  I do understand that no medicine is obviously the best but I know that me in a panic state would be much worse for the baby...and there are lots of woman who do everything perfectly and still end up with complications and women who do everything wrong and their babies are perfectly fine...so pregnancy medicated or not just comes with those risks.  My doctor really made me feel better about the whole situation so try and get in touch with yours and see what they say.  Good luck!

Answer 6

if you are planning, i would call your dr. and see what he thinks, he may prescribe you another medication thats safe for pregnant women just to be safe

Answer 7

I WAS ON PAXIL FOR O.C.D I FOUND OUT I WAS PREGNANT MY DR. PUT ME ON ZOLOFT.HE SAID PROZAC IS THE SAFEST DURINING PREGNANCY BUT I DON&#039;T DO WELL WITH THAT.CHANGE TO SOMETHING ELSE A.S.A.P PAXIL CAN CAUSE A LOT OF PROBLEMS! BUT MAKE SURE YOU ARE ON SOMETHING! DON&#039;T THINK YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH YOUR PREGNANCY WITH PANIC ATTACKS,THAT IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU OR THE BABY!!! THERE ARE THING&#039;S YOU CAN TAKE THAT WILL HELP YOU AND BE FINE FOR THE BABY. -GOOD LUCK-