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View Poll Results: Did you ever get pregnant while being on antidepressants or antipsychotics?
Yes I got pregnant 2 66.67%
Yes I got pregnant
2 66.67%
No 1 33.33%
No
1 33.33%
Voters: 3. You may not vote on this poll

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Lifeistoopainful
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Default Jan 04, 2022 at 12:57 PM
  #1
Whether on antidepressants or antipsychotics or both, did any of you get pregnant despite taking this type of medications?
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Default Jan 04, 2022 at 11:36 PM
  #2
I wasn't given any medications until after I had given birth. I also placed my daughter for adoption shortly after, so I didn't take any psychotropic meds until sometime after I weaned her off of nursing her. At least that is what I can faintly recall, as my dissociative disorder was really bad back then. But my daughter was in good hands.

I don't do well with psychotropic medications at all. I tried them for a while, but then the doctors had taken me off of them completely after I was later diagnosed with a dissociative disorder. I did much better with just short-term anti-anxiety medications (ativan/lorazepam) and sleep aids (ambien) and talk therapy (to help me learn coping skills in lieu of medications).

But some people do need medications. I heard that there are many safe medications for pregnant and nursing mothers. I don't know what they are though.

You bring up a good question!
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Default Jan 05, 2022 at 05:27 AM
  #3
Thank you for sharing your experience SprinkL3. I wonder why you gave your daughter up for adoption. I have been trying to conceive for less than a year with no luck. Meanwhile depression came back and I am put on meds again.
My main concern is regarding fertility. I have heard that these drugs can lead to infertility. If it's possible to conceive while being on antidepressants/antipsychotics.
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Heart Jan 05, 2022 at 09:06 AM
  #4
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lifeistoopainful View Post
Thank you for sharing your experience SprinkL3. I wonder why you gave your daughter up for adoption. I have been trying to conceive for less than a year with no luck. Meanwhile depression came back and I am put on meds again.
My main concern is regarding fertility. I have heard that these drugs can lead to infertility. If it's possible to conceive while being on antidepressants/antipsychotics.
I think it is possible to conceive while on psychotropic meds. I used to work with a mentor whose daughter has schizophrenia, and her daughter was able to get pregnant a few times while on antipsychotics.

The best person to see about that would be both your psychiatrist and a fertility doctor (or OBGYN, for starters).

I placed my daughter for adoption because of my dissociative disorder and PTSD, though I had no idea at the time that I had a dissociative disorder. My symptoms of losing time and having strange voices inside my head coupled with flashbacks and other PTSD symptoms were enough to tell me that I couldn't do motherhood alone, and that I didn't want my daughter to suffer with me. I was also facing homelessness, so I had very little support. I found a really good couple to adopt my daughter, but they wound up divorcing about 10 or more years after the adoption. The adoptive mom still keeps in touch with me, and she says that our daughter still visits her adoptive father, since that's the only father she knows. My daughter is now in college - first semester. She's studying psychology, and I'm so proud of her! She has done really well in high school, and I heard she is doing well in college, too. She even joined a sorority!

I've not yet reconnected with my daughter, and she doesn't know me at all yet. But we will hopefully meet soon via Zoom. I'm so nervous.

Adoption is a painful decision. I've never been officially treated for any of that, as I wanted the adoption funding to all go to my daughter. So I never got counseling for that, or for what would have been best in terms of the type of adoption. I honestly think that a closed adoption would have been less painful for all of us.

If you do have support - stability in finances and your mental health maintenance, relational support from family and friends and hopefully a significant other, and other support systems within your community (such as knowing safe babysitters and/or respite providers and/or daycare centers, etc.), then you are well prepared to plan for a baby. If you lack support, however, then you will need to find good support while you're planning for a baby.

Support for fertility is also needed.

My half-brother and his wife found much support with their infertility issues while they were planning for years to raise a family. They were unsuccessful in their having a baby naturally, so they decided to adopt. Most of their kids are now in college, and one remains in high school, I think.
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Default Jan 08, 2022 at 04:58 PM
  #5
I was off meds when I first started trying to get pregnant. That took over a year so I went back on the Prozac. While taking the Prozac, I got pregnant so I had to stop cold turkey. I was so depressed and physically sick, my psychiatrist put me back on Prozac in my 5 month. My baby (who is now 25) was born with Prozac in her system. I did not breastfeed be cause I stayed on the Prozac. She thrived and has done well thought her entire life.

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Default Jan 08, 2022 at 07:29 PM
  #6
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lifeistoopainful View Post
Whether on antidepressants or antipsychotics or both, did any of you get pregnant despite taking this type of medications?
2 out of 3 children of mine were planned. The first I was 20 and unmedicated but the other two I was medicated both times and I was able to stay on my meds with close supervision and had healthy babies.

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Default Jan 18, 2022 at 02:02 PM
  #7
No. I think I would be concerned about the baby going through withdrawal after birth. Just basing that on how awful I feel, physically and emotionally, if I skip a dose or the times I've reduced my dose of psych meds. I've never seen that concern talked about though. Maybe 9 months isn't long enough to create a chemical dependency. Then again, there are babies born addicted to crack, so idk.

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