hey people
i'm planning on starting to try for a baby and am wondering if anyone knows what the situation of being on qutiapine is... i have read that it's been ok to be on it...aswell as the opposite and the unknown... i will be seeing my gp tomorrow and be talking to her about it... i have just finished weening myself off the venlafaxine as i have heard horror stories of it causing miscarriages and stuff and i already lack in an ovary and worry about my fertility..
so does anyone know?
if not- sorry for time wasting!
My leaflet advices to consult a gp if you're planning to get pregnant while using it, and not to use it at all (unless discussed with a doctor) during the pregnancy, nor use it during breastfeeding.
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yeap.. the pregnancy was a total surprise.. ah man.. now for a whole new load of emotion sorting and thought filtering, i'm glad i'm medicated today or i may have landed up just biffing the **** away lol.. gr....
Venlafaxine may actually be safer than quetiapine as the latter has not been researched enough therefore should be taken only if the benefits are deemed by medical professionals to outweigh the risks. However, it shouldn't really be used in pregnancy and shouldn't be used in breastfeeding. Generally I would not advise taking any kind of antipsychotics type medication without careful assessment by a medical professional. They have to weigh up the potential risks to the baby compared with risks to your safety, and therefore the baby's safety, if you don't take it. I have a feeling that the effects are usually more dangerous very early and then very late in pregnancy so the longer you could go into your pregnancy without taking anything the better. However, this depends on your stability without meds.
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that its heart may stand in the sun,
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when i was pg the gp discussed putting me on a small dose of citalopram - didn't do it and i know it's not the same - but he said all medication in pregnancy is risky as the vast majority of pregnant women would not consent to testing and it is now deemed unethical to ask. so every situation has to be weighed up individually, and its often a case of 'which is the lesser evil' a small chance of harming the baby/pregnancy, or a pregnant woman wanting to jump off a bridge (just love how drs think depression = suicide!). made sense to me.
Mand, South Wales, Full-time working, single mother to 2 scarily independent girls.
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so my gp said t keep weening off the quetiapine and is glad (and impressed) that i got myself off the venlafaxine...
i took about a month to come off the venlafaxine- i still get brain zaps from it... do it slowly..like 75mg every 2-3 weeks...and on the last 75mg i suggest you half the dose to 37.5mg... you can get tabs in that dose. buti tell you.. i haven't taken the venlafaxine for 2 weeks and every night i get a headache and feel motion sick..
either way i am getting off meds! woop... my gp (whom ive been seeing for years) was funny... she got all excited..which i wasn't expecting...all day i was thinking how am i going to broach the subject and in the waiting room there was this little girl of about 9 months floating about and babbling at me..and when the doc came and got me she said "hope you haven't got all broody waiting in the sitting room" and i said "hah funny you should say that" =p so i tell you that was a HUUUUGE relief =p
You should definatly talk to your gp because I was stopped on depakote before I got pregnant because it can cause spin abifidta in babies and I was also taken on my anti depressant as it was a new one and they arnt sure how safe it is. But I stayed on respiridone as it is an older so they know it doesn't cause serious damage to the baby! However they do not know the consequenses of any drug during pregnancy for certain as they can really test on pregnant women so its just by looking at women who have been on the drug in the past but its different for every women and baby. They kept on saying with me, 'you have to make sure the benefits outweigh the negatives' but then when I was 7 months they said it could cause neurological problems! So they really don't know!
Also different drugs effect the baby at different trimesters.
But my advice would be if you can manage without the drugs do it because eventhough my little man is fine the worry and guilt I felt because of the uncertaincy was horrible and I would have stopped the drugs if they had let me!
Also you might be transfered to a perinatal psychitrist if you do get pregnant because they can tell you more about the drug your on as they specialise in women who are preganant and after pregnancy!
i'm now down to 200mg quetiapine at night..and man am i aching like anything...feel like i have flu or something...must be the withdrawl...cs i had a flu jab in october lol =p
I took Quetiapine in my pregnancy at 50mg from 11 weeks gestation till about 20 weeks after that till 36 weeks i reduced it down 25mg with my perinatal psych aware. At 36 weeks i weaned myself off of it as i wanted to reduce the withdrawal symptoms my baby would have after birth. My baby had no withdrawal symptoms when born and I believe this is due to coming off at 36 weeks. My baby was 13 days late also (not due to the medication)
The withdrawals are horrible I felt sick and tired and also had insomnia because my body was used to having the sedative effect. This wore off after a week.
I have a very healthy baby despite being on the Quetiapine, in my opinion i needed to be on it otherwise I would have been ill and my baby would have suffered due to the stress.
Hope that helps.
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i'm right down to 150mg (from 400mg), i am getting to sleep, then waking up after an hours sleep and then take a while to get back to sleep but am waking up late in the day...i am feeling it emotionally though, the last 2 days i have been feeling low, empty and really restless aswell as super sound sensitive.. eh.. looks like a change in meds...hopefully there is something pregnancy safe?
