Should I take antidepressants during pregnancy?

If you are taking antidepressants, your treatment will need to be adjusted if you become pregnant or are planning to become pregnant. Consider the following when making your decision:

• Certain types of antidepressants are less harmful to the unborn child than others. No doctor can say for sure that taking them is completely safe for the unborn child.
• If left untreated, depression can harm the baby because depressed people do not take care of themselves. After the baby is born, the risk of developing postpartum depression increases.
• The decision to take antidepressants during pregnancy depends on the severity of your symptoms. Compare the risks of taking medications with the harmful effects of depressive symptoms on your fetus.
• If you were taking antidepressants before pregnancy, stopping them abruptly may trigger a return of symptoms, as well as a feeling of flu-like symptoms. Consult your doctor first.

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What is depression?

Depression is a disease that causes constant helplessness and despair, which is completely different from the natural feeling of mild sadness or lack of energy. Depression greatly affects your lifestyle, your ability to work, your health, and the people around you. Many pregnant women struggle with depression.

Taking Antidepressants During Pregnancy: Risk Factors

There are several types of antidepressants. Some are less harmful to the fetus than others. No doctor can say for sure that they are completely safe for the unborn child. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Zoloft or Prozac, or tricyclic antidepressants are sometimes prescribed to pregnant women.

The effects of antidepressants on fetal development have not yet been fully studied. There is evidence that taking Paxil during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects in the fetus. Although in some cases, when women have previously taken this drug, its effectiveness outweighs the potential harm to the child. If you are taking Paxil and planning to become a mother, consult your doctor.

Side effects may occur when taking SSRIs or tricyclic antidepressants, but they usually go away within the first few weeks. You may experience upset stomach, loss of appetite, diarrhea, anxiety, loss of sexual desire, and headaches.

If you took antidepressants in the third trimester of pregnancy, your newborn will be kept in the hospital for a while so your doctor can monitor you for withdrawal symptoms. This sounds scary, but they usually go away within a few days. Your baby may have trouble breathing, cry constantly, not eat, and sometimes have seizures. If this is a concern, talk to your doctor about tapering off the medication a week or two before your due date.

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Other Treatments for Depression During Pregnancy

Psychological counseling is an important factor in combating depression. If the signs of depression are minor, a psychologist will help you cope with them.

Light therapy - daily stay in a special room directly in front of a light device for 30 minutes. It is effective for seasonal disorders.

Antidepressant Withdrawal: Risk Factors

If depression is left untreated, it harms both the mother and the baby, because depressed people stop taking care of themselves: they eat poorly and have poor sleep patterns. They also often start smoking and drinking alcohol, and even think about suicide. Pregnant women who are depressed do not visit their doctor regularly. They have an increased risk of premature birth and having a baby with low birth weight.

If a woman has had depression during pregnancy and has not taken antidepressants, the risk of developing postpartum depression increases, which in turn makes caring for the child much more difficult. Children born to such women may develop more slowly than other newborns.

You should never suddenly stop taking antidepressants. If you have been taking them for a long time and find out that you are pregnant, consult your doctor. If you decide to stop taking them, reduce the dosage gradually and only under the supervision of a doctor.

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