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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 6 of 6. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Koukla on August 9, 2004, at 22:55:30
I have been on Effexor XR for about a year now at 75mg per day. It has been working fine. Problem is I may be pregnant (my second child - and have a history of miscarriage). I am terrified. I stopped taking it last weekend....and was fine - then on the 4th day off of it....BAM! I had the worst, most awful withdrawal symtoms.....like my head was in electric shock.....I couldn't walk and couldn't focus on anything.....So I dove back into another pill and it's been 3 days now and feel MUCH better. I made an appoit with my Dr. to get a dosage prescribed to me for 37.5mg. I am just afraid that if I AM pregnant....taking ANY amount will harm my child. My Dr. says I will be fine and I will be off of it soon....and if not she is not worried about me staying on it longer if I am pregnant. I'm scared....does anyone know of anyone who has taken it while pregnant? Isn't it or wouldn't it be MORE dangerous to take the first trimester when miscarriages are more common....and when the baby is forming it's most important organs/limbs etc.???? I will know if I am pregnant by next week.....but have a wierd feeling I am.....
Help! Any information (that my Dr. has not given me!!!) would be appreciated!
Posted by crazychickuk on August 10, 2004, at 3:49:49
In reply to HELP-may be pregnant need to stop Effexor XR use, posted by Koukla on August 9, 2004, at 22:55:30
hey dont worry love i am sure everything will be fine, congrats if you are pregnant... my freind was taking effexor all through her pregnancy without that she would of miscarried through stress.. her baby was born a little boy she had and he is healthy... i am sure another doctor can give you a second opinion..
Posted by Racer on August 10, 2004, at 11:20:52
In reply to HELP-may be pregnant need to stop Effexor XR use, posted by Koukla on August 9, 2004, at 22:55:30
Most of the anti-depressants are catagory C in pregnancy, meaning that there's no definitive answer about whether they are harmful or not. That said, the usual recommendation is, if you can handle stopping them, do; otherwise, stay on them and monitor everything carefully. The main reason they're catagory C is that no one in her right mind would want to be a guinea pig for the studies, in case the drugs are detrimental. And, of course, most doctors wouldn't find it ethically comfortable to ask a woman to take that chance.
That said, there are some animal studies done on most of these drugs in pregnancy. That's no sort of guarantee that anything learned there carries over to humans, by the way. (Thalidomide was studied pretty extensively in rabbits during pregnancy and deemed safe, for example.)
In your case, my heart goes out to you. I have a history of early miscarriage, and it's heartbreaking. In your position, I'd do anything I could to minimize the risks, including stopping all meds. Now for the bad news: the withdrawal from Effexor may also be a problem in pregnancy -- it is stressful. You've been at such a low dose that it shouldn't be all that hard for you, which is good, but cold turkey is probably too much stress for you or a developing fetus. Your doctor is probably balancing that risk against the risk of the drug in suggesting that you taper down. And that's what I'd try to do, too, if I were to (miraculously, at this point) get pregnant.
Here's my advice: relax, hope for the best, recognize that there are conflicting stressors to balance, and taper as quickly as you can without trying to tough it out through withdrawal syndrome. It may take a week for each stage of your taper, it may take more. Take the time needed for you to do it as smoothly as you can. My own taper, from a much higher dose for several years, took a lot of "225mg one day, 150mg the next, then 225mg the following day" sorts of stair steps; but at 75mgs, you probably won't have to do that. You might also discuss with your doctor the thought of a dose or two of Prozac to speed the process. The reason Effexor has such a wicked withdrawal is it's short half life. Prozac's halflife in the body is the longest of the SSRIs, so it can ease a lot of that withdrawal. But I don't know what Prozac can do to a fetus, anymore than I can really say what Effexor does.
Best luck to you, and best luck for the rabbit test to come back positive -- in every sense.
Posted by Starlight on August 11, 2004, at 12:40:08
In reply to Re: HELP-may be pregnant need to stop Effexor XR ? Koukla, posted by Racer on August 10, 2004, at 11:20:52
Have you taken a pregnancy test? They can detect pregnancy within a couple of days of conception.
You definitely have to come off of effexor. There's a small risk of neural tube defects, (spinal cord - like spina bifida - but the risk is small). The good news is that if there is a neural tube defect they can detect it very early on. Do a search for tetarogenic society's to learn more about drugs and pregnancy.
I recently went through this but had to have an abortion since my husband 'didn't want it', which was devastating. You might try to get some klonopin to ease the withdrawl.
Best of luck and you'll be fine,
starlight
Posted by sha on August 12, 2004, at 21:05:50
In reply to HELP-may be pregnant need to stop Effexor XR use, posted by Koukla on August 9, 2004, at 22:55:30
i was on effexor for one year. I am proud to say i went off cold turkey 2 weeks and four days ago.It was hard wierd side effects and still have some tremendous anxiety. I am seeing a therapist now and it is getting somewhat better believe me i have my days. I too went off because i want to start tring to have a baby within the next year. As for safety my doctor my obgyn told me it is better to get off but if i cant be off its better to stay on you dont need stress and depression when you are preagnant. I just chose to go off and try now. So are you having a baby? if you are congratulations. I would love to know and good luck sha and write back
Posted by Starlight on August 16, 2004, at 12:28:11
In reply to Re: HELP-may be pregnant need to stop Effexor XR use ? Koukla, posted by sha on August 12, 2004, at 21:05:50
No baby. My husband vehemently said that 'he didn't want it' which was devastating to hear, but I wasn't willing to do it without him. He said that it was something that he wanted to prepare for. And I agree with that, I would want to come off of the drugs I take to ensure that a child would have the best possible chance.
It's good for you to come off now if you're trying. I wish you the best of luck.
starlight
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