Hey,

Glad you posted. I have done fairly extensive research on this topic. I spoke with 3 pdocs and 2 OBs and read a number of journal articles myself. Although we all want to be med free, it is not always possible. I tried, but the situation became dangerous. I ended up on Lamictal (100 mg and then bumped up to 150mg 3rd trimester).

Lamictal is a good choice for pregnancy because it has been around a while and (probably because it is used for seizures too) there is a lot of safety data. They did a 20 yr long pregnancy registry that suggested that the rate of birth defects is no greater than the general population. They actually stopped the pregnancy registry because they had enough information to feel comfortable with the conclusions.

The other med I looked into was Abilify. Abilify is my med of choice and has done wonders for me. The docs would consider Abilify if I had wanted. The issue I had was that there isn't nearly the research out there on it because it is much newer. I didn't feel comfortable with that.

Lamictal has been okay for me. It has helped, but not as much as Abilify. I plan to return to Abilify ASAP (or at least add it to the cocktail). I had previously "failed" on lamictal maybe 5 yrs ago, but I was pleasantly surprised with how I did on it this go around. I will also say that I might have had an easier time on just the lamictal if I hadn't had a horrifically stressful pregnancy.

I wouldn't rely too much on breastfeeding info to make a decision about pregnancy meds. There are differences. For example, the SSRI of choice for pregnancy is Prozac due to a long half life. The SSRI of choice for bf'ing is Zoloft. Paxil is a no no for pregnancy (Category D) but okay for bf'ing.

If you have other questions, feel free to post or pm. It is very hard to find info on this difficult decision!

Best,
EJ