[angelicgoldfish05]

I was talking with a co-worker last night who asked if I have kids. I am finally in a relationship where I'm in love with the guy, want to spend the rest of my life with him, he feels the same way, and we both want to have kids. I'm not getting any younger (just turned 33), and my co-worker was talking how she and her husband want to have one more kid. She asked my age and when I told her, she said that her and her husband want to have their 3rd kid before she turns 35 because after that, it is more difficult to get pregnant and more risks.

I know that women have kids into their 40's even these days, but I don't see a reason to put it if any longer when I have found the right person, we both love each other, and we both want kids. So I made the decision last night after some thought (and I have thought about this for a long time, something just clicked into place for me to decide that the time is right now).

I searched online and the best advice says to work with your p-doc when doing this. However, my p-doc is of the belief that I should stay on meds. I've asked him before about going off them someday and he just gave me this pitying look and said that some people will need to be on them for the rest of their lives. So because he won't support the decision, I'm going to go it alone (with all the research I can find about it on the internet).

It isn't the first time I have tapered down and gone off meds alone. I have had to before for various reasons (moving, getting fired and losing insurance, etc).
So I know I can do it. I've already stopped taking the gabapentin I was on for anxiety, and that's going well. I last saw my p-doc about 2 weeks ago and we were going to switch the gabapentin to buspirone. So because I haven't started the buspirone yet, I'm not even going to start.

Now I'll only have to taper off the 150 mg/day lamotrigine, and 2x/day 150 mg bupropion xl. I recently started methylphenidate for ADHD but haven't been on it long enough to experience much of a withdrawal. The lamotrigine and wellbutrin are going to be the main focus - I've been on them for almost a year and 1/2 now. So I'll have to watch more with those for withdrawal effects.

My plan is to cut each of the dosages in half for a week, then take every other day, and keep tapering so on and so forth through the next month. I don't want to spend my whole life medicated. I would like to try doing something with diet and exercise (both which I've been terrible about) and adding fish oil to my supplements. I also want to drink less, and this will be good motivation. I want to see what I am like without chemicals in my system! I'm detoxing and I have good motivation to do so. I want to be a mother, stable and healthy without meds and all their possibly harmful side effects. I know many sources say that you can have a healthy pregnancy on meds, but it is something I want to do for myself.

I told my partner this morning and he supports me. I also want to drink more water and start protein smoothies to start my nutrition on the right path. So eating healthy, exercising, drinking more water and less alcohol, fish oil in addition to my vitamins, and protein smoothies. Me minus meds = I can't wait!! I hope to start a blog to document the process And also use the resource The Road Back Program, since 1999. Featuring How to Get Off Psychoactive Drugs Safely. The Road Back Program.. Wish me luck!

[Skeezyks]

[kecanoe]

I too am going off meds, one at a time. I have read that it is a bad idea to dose every other day, that it is better to do 1/4 dose daily than 1/2 dose every other day. Keeps level of drug in your system more steady. Just a thought

[lilypup]

I have three healthy kids, but the pregnancies were hell. I went off my meds because in those days (my kids r 28,25,and 22) there was NO med safe for pregnancy. I also stopped ANY alcohol and even stuff like Advil, etc.
I got so depressed during one of them I had to be induced.
Weirdly enough, I had no postpartum depression. Once the babies came and I got over the delivery hormones, I nursed all three successfully.

[with or without you]

My cousin had postpartum psychosis after her 2nd child. She was hospitalized for quite some time and heavily medicated when she was there. After she got out her pdoc gradually tapered down the dosage of her antipsychotic (don't remember which one it was), klonopin, and lexapro. 2 years later they decided to have a 3rd child. Her pdoc told her to do it if they really wanted another baby because she was almost 35. He also said, "you're not going off any of your medications." She got pregnant soon after, her pdoc monitored her, and she stayed on all of her meds for the duration of the pregnancy. Her son is now 2 and is perfectly healthy so far. She also had no postpartum psychosis or depression after his birth. However - she was hospitalized again back in the winter due to stressors that overwhelmed her to her limits, unrelated to her medications (a separate health scare & the treatment for that, a difficult co-worker, trying to do too much at once etc.)

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