Ever since I was little I always wanted to be a mother and that was always my dream and still is. I know I shouldnt worry about this now since I am only 19 but I want to be prepared for the future and I am scared so i would like someones help answering my question
My question is I suffer from depression and anxiety and I am stable when i am on my medication and I am able to focus and go on with my life. My fear is that I know when you are pregnant you are not suppose to take any medication its even dangerous to take some over the counter med when pregnant so how will I be able to take my meds.
I take Zoloft and it works but lately everywhere on tv there has been commercials stating that people have taken this medication why pregnant and now their child has a birth defect. So what am I to do just be depressed for 9 months I want to be the best mother i can be and i know i will be but i cant if I am not well.
Hi Shiney,
Those commercials are pretty scary. I would talk to your doctor about your concerns and get the facts ahead of time. For instance:
What are the alternatives if any to Zoloft?
Is there a certain amount of time that you would have to be off Zoloft before trying to get pregnant?
Are there any other options you should consider?
What are the dangers if your pregnant and don't know it?
Hope this helps, ssgiggler
I dont know if there is any other option If and when I get pregnant I am prob going to be off medication and I am going to have to find away to cope with out meds and that will be hard I just hope this problem doesnt affect my dreams of becoming a mother.
Just a side note, I've had depression since I was a kid. At the age of 20, just before I got pregnant, I tried to kill myself. Then I was raped and ended up pregnant. Even under the circumstances, I was the happiest I've ever been being pregnant. I didn't have any depression episodes, ate healthy and loved life. I tell my son to this very day that being pregnant with him saved my life even knowing the way he was conceived. He's 19 and is one of my best friends. He is what keeps me going even on the most difficult days. Never let your fear control your decision to have children - they are worth everything! I can already tell you will be a great mom, you are asking questions and making yourself more aware of what you need to deal with if you get pregnant. Mother's instinct.
ssgiggler
Hello Shiney, I have heard about the birth defects caused by paxil but I am not familiar with Zoloft.
Check it out thoroughly before conceiving.
Try not to worry about your future Shiney, you are not planning to conceive right now or tomorrow, just something you want in your future, you are still very young. and have plenty of time to get yourself straightened out, you may not need the meds for depression , as well as to meet the right person to have a relationship with and to father your child.
There is no rush, so try not to worry yourself with this.
Good to think ahead for planning your future and knowing what your dreams are, but then return to the present and focus on what you can do to become whole yourself now as that is the present.
Knowing that in good time and if you take good care of yourself you will one day have a child and a loving relationship too.
My suggestion is to take care of you first and do not rush ahead too fast.
You have plenty of time to have a family and I do not see why you can't.
I worry about the same thing. I'm also young (only 20), I worry about being depressed and not being able to care for my baby in the right way, I worry that me being depressed while pregnant will have a negative effect on the baby. I try to remind myself that its in the future, and when I do have a baby I try to think of the phrase "this too shall pass". I have conquered many things, and this is something I can do to. Motherhood can push people to do the impossible, and I think I can be strong enough for my baby, and with the right support and love I think you can too.
Thank you guys for your support and ideas and i am not as worried as i was before because before I thought I was alone but then I remember that when ever i do get pregnant I would have my husband, family and friend to guide me through and I wouldnt be going at this alone.
anti depressants arent meant to be taken for life. they are supposed to balance the chemicals out in your brain somehow, and then after a couple years you wean off it. my doctor told me they are more like a crutch to help you get well again, then when you heal, you wont need the crutch anymore. so once you have a baby, you should be off the zoloft by then. there are other ways to beat depression besides just the meds. for me, being happy with how my life is, helps a lot. also taking my dogs for really long, fast walks to get proper exercise helps me too, and being around my pets helps lift my spirits. also not isolating yourself, but forcing yourself to make fun plans with family and friends and being around people helps. i hope you feel better soon :)
If you plan on getting pregnant I would talk to your Dr. about weening off as well as the half life of the medicine so that you know it would be completely out of your system. Pregnancy might not make you "depressed for 9 months" I realized thru my 2 pregnancys that I am happiest then, I do not scream, yell, or stress out. My panic attacks are VERY limited as well, It is possible that the horomone levels are what makes it different for me, but I would suggest asking your Dr. before making any decisions.
Did your Dr take a blood test to determine your imbalance? No he asked a list of questions. Meds are a crock! They absolutely cause birth defects and are not safe for you either. Do not have children until you are off them and are not depressed. We do not have children to make us feel better or happy. It is a huge responsibility....for now please just take care of you. I hate to sound so harsh but after being on Zoloft for 16 years and getting off, I really hate to see ppl wasting precious time...as mentioned above try exercise which can btw be measured in chemical responses that make you feel better, drink more water, forgive, take vitamins, eat foods containing tryptophan which is a pre cursor to seratonin such as turkey (ever wonder why everyone is calm after thanksgiving dinner LOL) educate yourself and refuse to be one of the lambs led to slaughter....at 19 your pre-frontal cortex is not even fully developed, you are poisoning your brain honey...
good advise Trinity Coach always the doctors are quick to give out these dangerous drugs that numb us when all we needed to do was exercise and eat right and take vitamins, which no one even bothered to ask if we were.
I experienced that as well and got stuck on Paxil with terrible side effects some of which are immeasurable, Granted I had severe depression when I started them but instead of keep giving it endless, other things should be taken on, they did not disclose back then all the miserable time to get off and I also was on them 15 years before i finally got off.
I have had a much different experience with anti depressants. I feel like they have truely changed my life. I don't feel numb at all, on the contrary I feel alive, instead of depressed, numb, and overly anxious.
My doctors did ask me about exercise and multi vitamins (which I was taking and doing)
But I do agree, doctors do perscribe them too often. I think it is better to try other options first if possible.
-Repressed
It's good that we can voice our opinions on this site. With that being said, I have to disagree with Trinity Coach. I have been on and off zoloft since my 20's. This last time, I was doing everything right in my life, but still had major depression issues and became suicidal. I worked out 5 times a week, ate healthy, lost a ton of weight and had a great job. Nothing horrific was going on in my life, but I just couldn't deal. I've been back on zoloft for about 1 1/2 yrs and have since been diagnosed with bipolar II. I'm on lamictal as well now and trying to get off the zoloft. My doctor did not give me pills right away. He did ask a lot of questions and did tests to see if there were underlying issues. Everyone is different. If you have a chemical imbalance and all the healthy foods, exercising and therapy doesn't help, pills can make a difference.
ssgiggler
I agree with repressed22109 and ssgiggler The meds im on do really help me and make me stable. I exercise 4 times a week and drink healthy and everything and I also had blood work taken and everything turned up fine but mentally i was not and now I am able to do things I wasnt. Also Trinity Coach if and when i decide to have kids I would deff be taken off them but then after I haven given birth I would go back on if i need to. My meds dont numb me I still go through struggles but i am able to deal with them better and work through them.
Hi Shiney!
That's a great dream you have!!! I have exactly the dream like you too!
I really can't answer you about the "medication" stuff but since you sound like a perfectionist just like I am and perfectionists often get anxious and depressed, I just want to say that the best medication for anxiety is to actually not to predict too much about the future and not to dwell in the past too. If you want to be the best mother, work step by step to be a good mother. I guess it's best to just work on yourself now, accept your weaknesses and work on them to be a better person and who knows that you'd be able to not take the medicine in the future. Then... you can have beautiful babies in the future and be the best mum in the world :D
thank you secret box your comment made me smile and I do agree that I have to stop worrying less and I know I will be the best mom i can be =)