[birdcrazy]

My gyno just chewed me out saying I just put a potential baby in danger by trying to get preggers on lithium. But sources on the web say it would be much more dangerous for me to quit my meds. Did I do wrong?

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[Confusedinomicon]

I wouldn't get pregnant on lithium. Talk to your doc about switching medicine to something less harmful.

Originally Posted by birdcrazy

My gyno just chewed me out saying I just put a potential baby in danger by trying to get preggers on lithium. But sources on the web say it would be much more dangerous for me to quit my meds. Did I do wrong?

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Your Doctor knows best that's his job to have the knowledge about which drugs are dangerous.drugs.com is also a site that will give you information about lithium and other drugs. when I was on lithium I had to get blood work done precisely for reasons of blood levels of certain body functions, I would listen to the doctor and ask him about alternatives.
warm thoughts

[Eliza Jane]

Unfortunately, Lithium has been linked to birth defects and is not recommended. However, Lamictal is a mood stabilizer that is considered much safer for pregnancy. There has been a lot of research on Lamictal because it is also used for seizures.

They also suggest that you try to take only one med and not a cocktail.

Did your doc give you suggestions for any options? My pdoc and OB sort of deferred to each other, so I had to do some of my own research. All three of us were satisfied with the choice of lamictal and now I have my happy, healthy baby.

Best,
EJ

[polesapart]

I think the dangers of medication vs the dangers of not being medicated are different for everyone. I would talk to both your OB and pdoc to sort out what the best choice is for you.

[Dylanzmama]

While planning-which I hope works out fabulously!-don't forget the potential postpartum complications for your brain.
Best of luck!

[birdcrazy]

I was personally hoping I could just drop lithium because for some reason they have me on trileptal too and that is also a mood stabilizer.

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[pink&grey]

I'll be the one to say it. Get off Lithium before you try to get pregnant. If you can't get off Lithium and find another way to stability, don't get pregnant. This a serious deal for you and your baby. Now and in the future. I have two kids and know what pregnancy and parenthood is while having bp. It's no game and needs to be taken seriously and with much consideration. It's difficult to have this diagnosis and work through pregnancy. Good luck.

[LiteraryLark]

Yes and yes.

It is dangerous for the baby to take your medications, however, it is EXTREMELY dangerous for you to go off them.

When you are bipolar, pregnancies cannot just "happen". They need to be planned out in order for the doctor to put you on prenatals and vitamins to help with a healthy baby. My doctor says I cannot go off meds while pregnant, and even though the meds can affect the baby, there are ways around it but cannot necessarily be 100% preventable.

Not sure if that made sense, but I would not jump into a pregnancy while bipolar.

[Eliza Jane]

You might be interested in the website safefetus.com. They have info on the safety classification for many meds during pregnancy (A-D, X) and they explain the system if you are not familiar with it. I looked and Triliptal is a "C" (not a D like Lithium) so your docs might be okay with it. Definitely do have a good discussion though. I also ended up seeking (more than one) 2nd opinion, so that might be helpful too.

Best,
EJ

[Moreta]

When I was trying to get pregnant earlier this year, I came off all my meds except for Lamictal, Geodon, and Omeprazole. Boy what a difference that made. I was in constant pain. I was just a ball of nerves too. I would get sooo angry at everything. It wasn't much fun. We decided to wait, and when going back on all my meds I landed in the hospital, b/c the levels weren't where they were supposed to be. I'm much better now, being back on all my meds. Maybe one day it will work out, but if it doesn't, I'm ok with that too.

[faerie_moon_x]

Lithium is a huge huge no for pregnancy. Especially early pregnancy it can cause heart defects. If you were trying to get pregnant you should discuss with your doc so that you could transition to a new med instead. And, it takes quite a while for lithium to fully leave your system if I remember correctly. I was off lithium for 10 months before we started trying for my youngest.

This is why it is crucial that you talk to your doctor about these things. Also research the med itself for safety and not just "meds" in general. If you just search the phrase "is lithium safe during pregnancy" you will get a lot of info on why it is not.

I hope everything turns out okay in the end.

[birdcrazy]

My doc doesnt want me off lithium but my caseworker said its my decision because of my illness being off lithium would be more of a risk to myself and baby than the risk lithium would be to baby.

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[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by birdcrazy

My doc doesnt want me off lithium but my caseworker said its my decision because of my illness being off lithium would be more of a risk to myself and baby than the risk lithium would be to baby.

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Do you care to elaborate please?
Are you dangerous when unmedicated? How exactly is lithium safer than you for the baby?

Sounds like a load of ******** to me, but meh, for al I know you might try to perform a caesarian yourself while manic

Is your caseworker qualified to make a medical decision? I would think your Doc would be the one to listen to.
warm thoughts

[bunnifoo]

Being off lithium while pregnant might prove to be a bigger risk to you than to a baby if you were on lithium.

BUT here's what you have to think about: if you were to continue lithium and it did cause birth defects how would that effect your mental health.

I think that lithium mostly causes heart defects that require surgery and you really need to think about how taking care of a child with those problems would effect your stress levels and your bipolar disorder. What if there are other complications? This is something you really need to talk to your doctor about - what are the chances of a birth defect. What kind of birth defects, what could be the best outcome and the worst outcome. How much care would your child need and for how long. Is it something that could potentially be a life long issue where you'll need to provide a constant level of support and care?

[~Christina]

There are heaps and loads of medications that are safe for pregnancies. Your caseworker is a caseworker not a Pdoc and an OB .. Your caseworkers opinion does not matter at all not one bit in this situation ( yours sounds idiotic)

As others have said you need to make changes in your medications and wait to see how your able to function and then consider a pregnancy. You wound want the best for your child and avoid anything that could cause harm or defects, So take the time to make well thought out decisions based on facts.

Good luck

[Resident Bipolar]

I second the majority: Lithium is a definite no for pregnancy. I also agree with what Christina has said - your caseworker, I don't believe, is qualified to make such a decision. It all comes down to what your doctor said or indeed the most qualified person that's informed about your case and how your illness affects you.

More dangerous to baby off lithium when on? That's terrible advice. If you're trying for a baby or planning to do so, you must try to avoid lithium as much as possible. Now, none of us on the forum can go against INFORMED MEDICAL ADVICE from a QUALIFIED DOCTOR but I think it's common sense that a mood stabiliser safer for pregnancy should be switched to so you can follow your plans. Lithium isn't the be-all-and-end-all for mood stabilisation - there are many newer and reasonably as effective mood stabilisers out there which would be safe for pregnancy.

Discuss this with your doctor, not your caseworker. If your doctor disagrees with switching from Lithium, I recommend you get a second opinion from a different qualified doctor.

RB.

[venusss]

Originally Posted by birdcrazy

My doc doesnt want me off lithium but my caseworker said its my decision because of my illness being off lithium would be more of a risk to myself and baby than the risk lithium would be to baby.

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HOW? Bipolar may cause lots of things, but it doesn't case birth defects by itself. Unless you go manic and do lots of drugs or something...

Lithium is not the only thing out there to control bipolar.

BUT here's what you have to think about: if you were to continue lithium and it did cause birth defects how would that effect your mental health.

exactly. Not only all lithium in the world would not help you to deal with that (I am not trying to be mean, I am just bit startled). Plus... you gotta think of the baby as well. It's not merely about you anymore. It's gonna be about them from the moment you get preggers... anything that could harm them would be irresponsible.

Maybe lithium has been the most moodstabilizing thing for you so far... but it's 9 months... I don't think it's impossible to find other ways, including non-medical strategies to keep yourself in control. One should have that in their toolbox anyways.

[Kev's BG]

All over the web it is recommended that lithium be withdrawn, at least for the first trimester. Does your OB want you to be lithium free for a period of time before you actually attempt a pregnancy? There are a plethora of good drugs currently available. If your pdoc will provide you a list of possible meds, then you can take it to your OB and have a discussion regarding your options. It's always a risk to change an effective therapy, but I agree with your OB that lithium should be discontinued.

Best of luck!

[PBCMom]

Agree with your doc, you should not be trying to get pregnant while taking Lithium. Lithium is known to cause birth defects including heart defects. There are other medications that are safer to take during pregnancy. You should work out the details before getting pregnant if possible.

I was on lithium when my daughter was conceived, but I was also on birth control...so she was a surprise. As soon as I realized I was pregnant, I stopped my lithium cold turkey and then worked with my docs for an alternative. We all agreed that I could not go the duration of my pregnancy unmedicated. I took lamictal throughout my pregnancy. For me it did not work as well as lithium, but it was better than nothing and a safer option for my daughter. Because I was on lithium when my daughter was conceived, I had to go through some extra testing during the pregnancy to ensure that my daughter did not have any heart defects. We were very fortunate that I realized I was pregnant very quickly, got the lithium stopped and it did not have a chance to permanently effect her.

I have a happy, healthy, extremely intelligent 8½-year-old daughter.