Want Another Baby - Currently on Paxil

There are anti anxiety meds that you can safely take while pregnant. I suggest that you talk to your doctor about your options prior to tapering off. Do not attempt to taper off until then.

I'm with Christy Lee, I was on lithium w/both of my pregnancies and was closely monitored by several types of professionals. Although there were risks involved to my unborn daughters, the risks to myself greatly outweighed those and we felt that it was beneficial for me to continue my medication maintenance during my pregnancy.

People are going to have their opinions about it, but the only one's that mattered were those the people treating myself and my pregnancies. We were made well aware of all of the risks and took all of the necessary precautions. I wish you the best of luck in your decision.

You should really watch what is happening to your body while you are pregnant. There is a depression much like postpartum, but it happens while you are pregnant. I didn't have it with my first, but I did with my 2nd and it was bad! It made my postpartum I had with both look like a happy day in a cookie store. I was also taking Zoloft, but not enough of it, so when I talked to my doctor he upped it and I did a lot better. So, make sure you are very active in your mental health while you are pregnant, but don't let it stop you!

Research does show that the more stress or discomfort a mom feels while she is pregnant the more stressed the baby will be. It will actually affect how they form. I don't remember all the details since I read it a few years ago, but I do know that antidepressants are better than none. Good luck, and congrats on taking steps to get where you want to be.

Please do 2 things. Talk to a real pharmacist, one that makes the meds, like compounds, they are a more hands on pharmacist than one who spends hours and hours and hours filling one prescription after another. For instance a Walmart pharmacist is going to have the same education as a mom/pop pharmacy but they have very little time to study new meds that come out and they are so busy they won't take time to do some research about this specific med, how it effect pregnancy, and what the long term effects can be to stopping it.

Then make an appointment with your psychiatrist. You should be getting your mental health meds from a mental health doc. They will be able to talk to you about pregnancy and how best to handle the stress if you do indeed have to stop taking this med. They'll also know if there are others you can take during pregnancy.

I agree with Christie Lee. There is a woman at U. Pittsburgh who does research on this. I've heard her talk and my impression is that sometimes illnesses like depression and anxiety can be more detrimental for the baby than the possible effects of the medicine (because the illness interferes with mother-child bonding, contributes to post-partum anxiety and depression, etc).

But I am NOT an expert on this, so please talk to an expert. I would strongly encourage you to talk to your doctor about ALL your options - including finding a safe medication - before you make any decisions.

I tapered off a much higher dose after years without any problem.
I did a couple of years of therapy to overcose the panic attacks and PTSD. They are sure miserable.

Paxil is not safe during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor about a pregnancy-safe option and then follow their advice about making the transition.

I was on Paxil for about a year when I decided to quit. My doctor advised me to cut my pills in half for about 2 weeks and then stop them altogether. For me, that was still too fast (and I was only on 10mg). I had to go to a 1/2 pill, then 1/4 and then 1/8 - each for about a week....and I still had a few days of dizziness and disorientation. It sucked, but was manageable.

Good luck :)