[BlondieLox]

Can Ativan be taken during pregnancy? I am not currently pregnant but have been thinking about having a child so let me give a little background info. I have lived with panic disorder with agoraphobia for 14 years now. It started right after the birth of my son (my only child). I have seen doctors galore through the years (psychiatrists, therapists, regular family doctors, etc...) and I have been placed on many many different medications. The only thing that allows me to live a somewhat normal life has been Ativan (which I have been on for over 10 years now, with the exception of coming off of it for short periods of time here and there). I have been doing research about the ativan and the effects during pregnancy so I already know it is a class D and should not be taken while pregnant, but every time I have tried to taper off the ativan the anxiety and agoraphobia completely consume me to the point that I have no life at all (I can not leave my house, sometimes my bedroom etc...) I always wanted to have another child but due to my panic disorder with agoraphobia, I have not been able to really do anything I truly wanted to do. I am not getting any younger and I feel that if I don't have another child soon I may miss my chance. I just do not want to get pregnant and not be able to stop taking the ativan and having the baby have problems because of it. I just wanted to see if anyone else has taken this medication while pregnant or know of someone who has? Any insight is deeply appreciated.

[Travelinglady]

I would hope not, given the dangers of it! Have you talked to your prescriber about it, telling him/her what you have told us? Or even a pharmacist?

Obviously you don't want all your symptoms to come back. See how to wean off and what you might try instead would be my suggestion. I wouldn't want to take any chances with my little one.

[Eliza Jane]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a pdoc and an OB who would agree to a category D psych med. And if you have anxiety already doing something that a huge chunk of physicians frown upon will make things worse for your mental stability. I have bipolar II, not panic disorder, but I can share a little about my pregnancy and meds saga...

A big issue is that pdocs know the brain and OB's know the reproductive system and they don't know a lot about issues that span both of them. For this reason, you have to do some of your own research. I literally ended up reading journal articles. I also consulted with three pdocs and two OB's before making a decision. I am very skeptical of a pdoc's willingness to rx a category D to a woman pregnant or trying because my original pdoc would only rx an SSRI and nothing else.

What I ended up doing was revisiting a drug I had previously "failed" because there was a lot of good safety data (Lamictal). It actually ended up working much better than last time. I attribute it to a few more years of psychotherapy as well as being only on Lamictal and not a combo of drugs. That said, it isn't perfect. After I deliver, I will return to my favorite meds. And I likely won't have a second child because this has been a really difficult experience emotionally. But I wanted a child more than anything, so I understand where you are coming from.

Is there anything you tried in the past that sorta worked that might be an option? Most pdoc's would probably want you on an SSRI (other than Paxil, which is D). I also think there are some atypical antipsychotics that are C.

Good luck. Let me know if there is anything else you would like to know about my experience.

EJ