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Should you stop Paxil when trying to conceive?
Question:
Does anyone have experience with this or their doctors opinions? Ginger
There is *always* a risk in medication during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester. But it’s done all the time and I personally have never heard from anybody whose baby was hurt in any way by meds. I don’t quite know about Paxil, but I know different women who were and stayed on Zoloft or a benzo (though not Klonopin IIRC). You could ask Dr. Stuart Shipko at the BBS of the PDI (hehe, love all those abbr.) of which the URL is: http://www.algy.com/pdi Philip
Response:
Hi Ginger, I wasn’t on paxil but I was on zoloft and i’m trying to concieve now I’ve had mixed opinions about staying on the med. I finally decided to go off.I think its basically your choice most of the ADD’s are now approved safe.Good luck!! I haven’t had any yet. Randee
Another thing is that many women go in remission during pregnancy and don’t have to take meds. If memory serves (which is rare with a benzo brain like mine) you have about 50% chance here. Philip
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a book on psych meds written by Jack Gorman MD and he recommends being off all psych meds for several weeks prior to trying to conceive (to be sure the meds have been completely eliminated from the body), and also during the first trimester, the most critical time for fetal developement during a pregnancy. Often psych problems won’t relapse for several months or more after a psych med is stopped. Also during pregnancy some women have remissions of their PD, while others have worsening. I forget what the percentages are, but remission of PD during pregnancy is not invariable. Some women get worse. One woman on this newsgroup got better during 2 of her pregnancies, and worse during one of them. Go figure! 
Chip conceive? Does anyone have experience with this or their doctors opinions? Ginger
all drugs pass through the placenta some are relatively benign like tylenol various antibiotics some steroids etc…I’m not a gynocologist obstetrician but imo no unnecessary drug should be taken especially in the first trimester and hopefully throughout. If you have-its probably ok many births have happened with the mothers on many pharmacueticals as well as street drugs and the newborns are fine–but there is a risk and new life deserves as best a chance as we can give it. I remember thalidomide all to well. If you do need to medicate yourself then it may be best to reduce the dose as far as you can go without symptoms returning. Chips response is astute as it may take several months of abstinance from meds to develop any rebound of symptoms anyway. As for those posting about trying to conceive and it taking a while-its just one of those foibles of nature-when you dont want to you’re fertile myrtle and when you want to its like the waiting game from hell. If you have probelms beyond a year get yourself thoroughly checked (and your partner) by a "reproductive endocrinologist" there are many reasons for infertility and these guys (and gals) have a better handle on it today then ever. best luck to all want to be mothers and dads LM
Response:
Does anyone have experience with this or their doctors opinions? Ginger
Response:
Hi Ginger, I wasn’t on paxil but I was on zoloft and i’m trying to concieve now I’ve had mixed opinions about staying on the med. I finally decided to go off.I think its basically your choice most of the ADD’s are now approved safe.Good luck!! I haven’t had any yet. Randee
Response:
I have a book on psych meds written by Jack Gorman MD and he recommends being off all psych meds for several weeks prior to trying to conceive (to be sure the meds have been completely eliminated from the body), and also during the first trimester, the most critical time for fetal developement during a pregnancy. Often psych problems won’t relapse for several months or more after a psych med is stopped. Also during pregnancy some women have remissions of their PD, while others have worsening. I forget what the percentages are, but remission of PD during pregnancy is not invariable. Some women get worse. One woman on this newsgroup got better during 2 of her pregnancies, and worse during one of them. Go figure! Chip conceive? Does anyone have experience with this or their doctors opinions? Ginger