Is there a safe anxiety medicine to take during pregnancy?
Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at
6:24 am
I’ve been prescribed xanax and have been on it for a while now. I just found out I’m pregnant, only 5 weeks. I immediately stopped taking my medicine and am wondering if anyone knows if there is something I can take that won’t harm the baby. Thanks!
Filed under: Anxiety And Panic Alternative Remedies
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Risk of Fetal Harm
Benzodiazepines can potentially cause fetal harm when administered to pregnant women. If XANAX is used during pregnancy, or if the patient becomes pregnant while taking this drug, the patient should be apprised of the potential hazard to the fetus. Because of experience with other members of the benzodiazepine class, XANAX is assumed to be capable of causing an increased risk of congenital abnormalities when administered to a pregnant woman during the first trimester. Because use of these drugs is rarely a matter of urgency, their use during the first trimester should almost always be avoided. The possibility that a woman of childbearing potential may be pregnant at the time of institution of therapy should be considered. Patients should be advised that if they become pregnant during therapy or intend to become pregnant they should communicate with their physicians about the desirability of discontinuing the drug.
i would stop taking it until your doctors appointment he will tell you what you can take.
i think all those medicines are catergory c so no one is going to say its safe. that is between the ob/gyn and yourself i ended up taking celexa during mine with the dr.’s approval the benefits outway the risks. you could do more harm if you dont take care of it. call you dr. and tell them, i did and i have 3 beatiful little ones.
no i am sorry there are not anxiety medications available while your pregnant because all of them can harm the baby. don’t take anymore because it can cause your baby to be born with heart problems.
No there is nothing "safe" for your baby, as far as drugs for anti-anxiety are concerned.
Vigorous exercise can be good for alleviating anxiety (swimming or brisk walking are best for pregnant women).
"Cognitive" therapy, or therapy with someone who specializes in anxiety, can also help.
Most likely if you call your OB’s office they can tell you if it’s safe to take or not, and if it’s not they can suggest a few that are. Then you can discuss with your regular doctor what medications would be best to take in your situation. Good luck. I was on the anit-depressent Effexor when I found out I was pregnant my OB told me to stop taking it immediately and gave me a list of alternatives. I decided to go off the medication completely, but I don’t suggest it in all situations. Not everyone should be off their medications and they should be able to be informed of the other options availible to them.
Let’s see…wouldn’t this be an appropriate question for your doctor?
I’ve been on Klonopin for 4 years. I was scared to death about the baby when I found out I was pregnant. What my Dr. did was look up the risk, which for Klonopin turned out to be low. Then she lowered my dose. You should never just stop taking a drug….especially something as addicting as Xanax is. The withdrawals can be awful depending how long you’ve been on it. Call your Dr.’s office and have a nurse call you back…tell him/her what and how much your taking. They may have you switch medication, or just lower your dose as much as possible. Either way, there’s ways to work around it. Good luck!
My sister in law is going though this….
But, after going off her anti-anxiety meds to try to have a baby, she had to go back on and stop trying to conceive.
Good luck ♥
I feel ya! I was on lorazapam(and a bunch of other stuff) for years b4 i found out i was pregnant.. i stopped and believe it or not my panic attacks and depression got better(after two weeks of withdrawals and freak outs!).. maybe this will happen for you! Must be the hormones.. now I doubt I’ll go back on any of it when baby comes…
But i think Vistoril may be safe for anxiety while pg… ask you Doc…
I found that cognitive therapy really helped…
Good Luck!
I wish you a panic free pregnancy!
I would def. look into alternatives, since most providers will tell you to avoid taking ANYTHING at all (even Tylenol) if possible.
Try yoga or breathing techniques if possible.