[Reality_Perfection]

Me and my fiancé have decided to start trying to conceive. I'm currently on Lamictal, Saphris, and Citalopram. I've done some research on these three during pregnancy and it says that they are in Category C which means in animal studies it has shown to cause adverse effects on fetuses. I'm really worried about stopping these meds. I see my pdoc on the 16th of this month so I will talk to her about it. I don't have severe Bipolar, but still I don't want to have the risk of becoming psychotic and without my meds while pregnant. Have any of you guys experienced pregnancy while on Bipolar meds?

[~Christina]

Best thing to do is talk to your Pdoc and also talk to an/your OB .. between the 2 have a game plan in place and make changes prior to trying/ becoming pregnant and see how your feeling.

Good luck

[Reality_Perfection]

Christina,

Thanks. I will talk to my pdoc about this. I guess we will have to weigh the options and see what would be best for me.

[Victoria'smom]

always get the option of going to intensive outpatient and being on medicated. that way if anything where to rise they would immediately be able to help you. if not they'll be able to see you the next day. unless it's the weekend of course.

[Victoria'smom]

Thishttp:// http://www.nami.org/Template...ontentID=69593 to take Tegretol and or an anti psychotic.

[Eliza Jane]

I posted a lot of my story here:

http://forums.psychcentral.com/bipol...nant-help.html

My kiddo is now a few months old and doing great. Honestly, I was glad to get back on my full cocktail after I delivered, but I was able to manage on just the Lamictal (and Deplin) during the pregnancy. (Not sure if i mentioned it in the other post, but a major rec is to be on only one med during pregnancy rather than a combo.)

Hope this helps!

EJ

[Nammu]

My daughter is also bipolar, she talked to her doc's and decided to wean off especially for the first trimester. She went back on something, in the 8th month I can't remember what. She increased her visits with both the therapist and Pdoc during the pregnancy so she was well monitored. She decided not to breast feed and went back on the meds after he was born. Her son is now 9+ months and they are both very happy & doing great. He is adorable, but then I might be a bit biased.

I hadn't been diagnosed yet when I was pregnant and I did really well during my pregnancy & for the 2 years I breast fed, but each person is different, it's my understanding that some people really shouldn't go off meds completely so just talk to all the doc's, your husband & family/ support people to decide what is best for you. Best of all luck in this.

[Reality_Perfection]

Miguel's,

Okay. I'll consider that. That seems to be a decent choice considering. I'm just scared of anything happening to me during my pregnancy. I was not able to see the webpage that you posted. Can you try posting again?

Eliza,

I read your thread. I'm very interested in the Deplin. Did it help you a lot? I might talk to my pdoc about that and see what she says about it. I'll see if I can just manage with one drug. I don't necessarily think that I need the Saphris, so maybe I can get rid of that.

Sidestepper,

I'll probably be doing the same thing. I guess weaning off during the first trimester isn't as bad? I know that I couldn't just quit my meds all of a sudden because that's asking for trouble. I'm glad that they are doing great I hope I am the same later on. I've always been very determined, so I know that I can do this! Okay, I definitely will talk to my pdoc and everyone about this situation. I think that that would be best.

[BlackPup]

My pdoc has had a lot of patients on abilify while pregnant and no problems it's category C but the animal studies are a joke cos the dose used was humungous. I was also on a tricyclic which although also being a cat C drug are considered safe in a review article I read. My baby is now 3 months and happy and healthy.

[Eliza Jane]

It is a little hard to be 100% sure how much the Deplin helped me because I was also taking the lamictal and my life was full of insanely emotional events. However, I do think it helped some, particularly in terms of energy level. I have decided to stay on it even now that I have delivered because pdoc and I think it is likely that it is helping.

I also felt good about taking something (folate) that would actually be good for my pregnancy. I had had one miscarriage prior to the deplin and my successful pregnancy. My pdoc said that this can happen to people who aren't correctly processing folate (which is what Deplin is intended to address). Idk if i actually have that issue, though. There is a genetic test to determine whether you have this issue, but he felt it was easier and cheaper to just take the Deplin regardless.

Good luck. Keep us posted!

EJ

[Reality_Perfection]

BlackPup,

That's good that nothing bad happened. I'm still a little worried about it though. I don't think that I will take my Vyvanse and Adderall though because I don't want my baby to withdraw from those. Also, I think those stunt a fetus's growth

Eliza,

Hmm.. well maybe Deplin will work for me too. You said that it helped with your energy levels? Why did it do that? Yes, I'm currently taking folate 1mg and a prenatal. I have actually felt better since taking these things. My moods are much more stable. I'm sorry for your loss. Did the Deplin actually help the fetus you think? Hmm.. that's interesting that the Deplin would help with that. But, I don't know a lot about it even though I've done some research on it. Yeah, genetic testing is pretty expensive. I really want to get it done, but I don't know if it would be worth it. I don't necessarily want to pay for that.

I will certainly keep you guys posted!

[Eliza Jane]

The gene in question is mthfr (unfortunate abbreviation, yes). If you google it you might find info on the issue that Deplin intends to correct. The gene mutation has been linked with many issues, including depression and miscarriage (I would assume due to probs caused in the fetus due to lack of folate being absorbed, but I'm not sure). Deplin is 15mg of a form of folate that crosses the blood-brain barrier, making it different from most OTC folate.

I've also heard that anticonvulsants (like lamictal) decrease folate levels, so I wanted to be sure to be on enough. 15mg is much higher than what is needed for pregnancy, but my OB said if you have excess folate in your system, it is just excreted in urine, so it isn't an issue.

I'm not sure why it helps with energy, but pdoc said it is something that many patients notice.

Best,
EJ

[Reality_Perfection]

Blackpup,

I just talked to my pdoc and she said that I can't be on Saphris while I'm pregnant. She wants to try to keep me off of any antipsychotics. The only thing with Abilify that wasn't good for me was that it kept my blood sugars really high as I'm diabetic. But, I'm glad that your baby is doing well! That's good to hear (:

Eliza,

Oh. I didn't talk to my pdoc about Deplin, but I did talk to her about other antidepressants and she said that I could be on Wellbutrin. So, she put me on that. I'm excited to start it because it is also considered a smoking cessation aid. I smoke unfortunately and I need all the help I can get with that because I don't want to smoke while I'm pregnant. I shouldn't smoke anyway because it's so unhealthy.

Yes, I'm taking folate as well (1mg) along with a prenatal vitamin. I feel so much better after taking these two! It's amazing! Hm.. that's interesting. I'm sorry for your loss ): It's good that I'm taking that stuff then (: I'll see if I can get by without the Deplin. I totally forgot to mention it to my pdoc, but she seemed to think that the Wellbutrin was good for me to be on. Also, she doesn't want me to take Lamictal either because she said that that can cause neural tube defect. I didn't read about that online, but I guess she might know what she is talking about. I don't want to run any risks. I'm kind of scared of being off of my meds though. I haven't been off of them for a while and I don't know how I'm going to react. Hopefully I'll be sane and not crazy all of the time. My Bipolar isn't as bad as some people, but still it's Bipolar.

I'll keep you guys posted!

[Eliza Jane]

I'm glad it felt like a productive mtg with pdoc.

So, you are just going to take the Wellbutrin and Celexa? No AP or mood stabilizer? Have you done that before? Does it work okay for you?

Not to second guess your pdoc, but she may be thinking of the older lamictal studies. At first, they were concerned about the neural tube defects, but later studies with much larger samples did not support that concern. I say that by way of saying, if you get stuck and need to go back on it, it isn't a crisis. But, I totally understand wanting to avoid it. I woulda done the same if I could!

Good luck on your exciting journey!

EJ

[Reality_Perfection]

Eliza,

Oh. I will have to look that up. That sounds interesting. Wow. I didn't know that Lamictal could decrease levels of folate! No wonder my pdoc put me on Folate just in case I got pregnant. I heard that from my Ob/Gyn too. That's definitely good to know. I certainly think that it helps with energy levels! Also, my pdoc said that it helps stabilize moods too. Who knew that a vitamin could help that much?

I'm glad that it was productive. She wants me to take only the Wellbutrin. I won't be on any APs or mood stabilizers. I'm a little nervous about it though. I have been off of those before (and before I was diagnosed) and my moods were a little crazy, but I was taking more Adderall than I was prescribed (around 160-180mg) and that contributed to some if not all of it. Since then, I've stopped abusing them and I've been taking them as prescribed. Although, I will have to be off all my ADHD meds while I'm pregnant and breastfeeding so I'm not so concerned about my moods, at least not that much. I'm more concerned about how I will go to college and actually learn! I hope that I do okay without those meds. Oh. I bet she was thinking about the old studies. Although, she should be more up to date, but oh well. That makes me feel a little better if I have to go back on Lamictal. Are your children healthy?

Thanks!

[Eliza Jane]

My little guy is just an infant, but seems great. One of the pdocs I consulted with regularly uses Lamictal for his pregnant patients and states he has never had an issue. He's also very on top of the literature and current practice, so I felt good about his suggestion.

Please feel free to pm anytime if there is anything I can be helpful with. It was such a hard time deciding about meds and pregnancy, that I want to support other women in this situation any way I can!

Best,
EJ

[PBCMom]

I am bipolar and a mom. I was on birth control so my pregnancy was unplanned (though I was terrified at the time, it turned out to be the best/happiest of accidents). I was on lithium when I conceived, which is a big no-no in pregnancy so I stopped cold turkey as soon as I discovered I was pregnant. My psychiatrist and I decided that there was no way I would make it through my pregnancy completely unmedicated so I replaced my lithium with lamictal. For me the lamictal doesn't work as well as lithium, but it was better than nothing. I took the lamictal throughout my pregnancy. About mid-way through my pregnancy I started getting some pretty serious depressive symptoms. I was extremely reluctant to add in any other medication while I was pregnant, but after much convincing from both my pdoc and my ob/gyn (they insisted that untreated depression could cause more physical problems for my daughter than taking a dose of some ADs) I went on effexor xr for the remainder of my pregnancy.

My daughter was born without any complications (well, the stubborn girl wouldn't turn the right way and I ended up having a c-section but that had nothing to do with any medication I was taking, LOL). She was a very happy, healthy baby...she is now 8½ years old and is a beautiful, happy, healthy, incredibly intelligent little girl.

I guess I just wanted to share my experience. Taking medications during pregnancy can be scary but it is possible. Also, at the very beginning of my pregnancy I had a conversation with my pdoc and my husband and we made a very clear plan on what to do/how I would be treated if I did become so sick that I couldn't make decisions for myself or I became a danger to myself or my unborn baby. There was a plan in place so that we were all on the same page and everyone knew what treatments I would not allow, and what treatments I wouldn't ordinarily agree to but if I became sick enough and it was what was necessary to keep myself and unborn daughter healthy then they should proceed with that plan. Fortunately I never decompensated enough that any of that was necessary, but it was comforting to know that if I became sick my doctor and husband would work together to carry out treatments I had agreed to in advance.

Best of luck to you.

[wotchermuggle]

Research has shown that women with mental illness actually fair well without meds DURING pregnancy, but that they must get back on them as soon as they have their child as there seems to be a significant dip after birth.

[Trippin2.0]

Frankly I'm very worried that your pdoc chose to keep you on an AD alone

Everyone knows, well all pdocs should anyway, that if there's one single med that can and will wreak havoc in a bp'er its an AD that is not accompanied with a MS or AP to counter its mania enducing effects...

I just dont see what logic this choice is based on.

Its a huge no-no.