Article by Adriana Bustos

According to the American Psychiatric Association in their study Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Autism is a disorder of neural development linked with inadequate social and communication skills.

Autism dated back even before the word was coined. Martin Luther’s book, The Table Talk, accumulated indications of autism and its treatment published by his note-taker, Mathesius. A passage within the book discusses the story of a 12-year old boy who Luther thought was possessed by demons.

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Has anyone had any experience taking either wellbutrin or prozac during pregnancy? I am 19 weeks along and looking into these medications to help deal with a major depression. I have found many studies on prozac, but not as many on wellbutrin. Any input is welcome!

I’m late on my period by over a week and last month I only got it for 2 days or so, but every home pregnancy test I take comes back negative. I’m on a new medication for depression and since it hasn’t been out long no one knows how it works with pregnant women. I don’t have insurance so I don’t want to go in to the ob/gyn unless I’m fairly certain I am pregnant. Does anyone know anything about this?

I suffer from severe depression which has made me suicidal before i started taking an antidepressant. My doctor put me on 10mg of Prozac during my 8month of pregnancy, and now that i had my baby and am breastfeeding she told me its not the best choice. I was woundering what is best for baby, taking some other type of med. or giving her formula. I know i cant go off my meds, but im also scared that if i switch meds that the new one wont work as good. I know Prozac works for me, my husband even says im alot better with the little dose than none at all. I feel terrible about the ideal of not breastfeeding, but i also want what is best for me and the baby. Do other drugs have long term effects on breastfed babies? My doc says most of the information out there is on short term effects and that some drugs like Zoloft havnt been studied as much as Prozac.

I have been on antidepressants for 9 months now due to anxiety and depression. My condition has improved SO much from treatment but my doc recommens I stay on the meds for up to 3 years to prevent relapse. My husband and I are hoping to get pregnant soon, though we haven’t started trying yet. They are safe to take during pregnancy but I was just wondering if anyone on here has done it before and how it effected your emotional state or if it caused any depression/anxiety symptoms to worsen? I’m just worried about initiating a relapse or taking a step backwards with my mental health. I feel ready but I know sometimes the mind takes a long time to recover from depression and anxiety.

i really need to calm down. i am so stressed about not having money, not having room in our small apartment, not having money to get maternity clothes, not feeling the least bit attractive, being in an abusive relationship with the baby’s father, etc, etc, etc,.

i cry everyday, i get so upset over every little thing and i feel that dying would be a nice thing on most days.

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There is a lot of concern for mothers who take antidepressants during pregnancy. Even though there may be some prescription medication that negatively affects the fetus, I am here to tell you that Zoloft had no side affects on both of my pregnancies; one of which was twins.

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They are not recommended during pregnancy, yet serious depression is also risky for the pregnancy. I’m wondering if it was necessary for anyone out there and if so did you have any problems/side effects for you or the baby? I am 5 months and NOT taking anything. I have no history of serious depression, but this pregnancy has triggered some – I’ve been in a bad way for over 2 months but am struggling my way through.
FYI, I have discussed w/my doctors. They say basically, and I agree, it’s best not to take anything, UNLESS I become so depressed where it becomes dangerous. It’s very difficult but I take it day to day.
To the person who said it would be greedy to take drugs during pregnancy, it’s obvious you have no experience w/pregnancy & depression. Doctors do not put you on antidepressants unless it’s a grave situation. Is it healthy for a mother to be suicidal, unable to eat, etc? (I’m not that way, but I know there are cases like this). If the choice is medication or psychological trauma and danger of losing life, I would hope you’d take the small risk. I only wanted to hear from anyone who has actually taken them, please.

Depression is common among women of reproductive age and an estimated 8% – 20% of women get depressed at some point in their lives.  Though it may sound benign, depression is not a mild problem and can have severe consequences such as suicide attempts.  Thus, whether or not to take these medications is a serious matter when weighing the risk of untreated depression to the mother, versus the risk to the fetus from taking an antidepressant drug.

Fortunately, now women who require anti-depressants and are looking to get pregnant have a reason to feel much relieved: a recent study on children born to mothers who had been taking tricyclic antidepressants or fluoxetine has cleared up the mixed messages about taking antidepressants during pregnancy and shown that tricyclics and Prozac are reasonably safe options for both mother and fetus.

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Being pregnant can be a wonderful time in your life, but it can also be a cause for concern and worry if you’re a woman taking antidepressants. Women are constantly counselled to avoid medication during pregnancy, but stopping antidepressant medication can be very dangerous to do. Not only that, the effects of antidepressants on an unborn foetus haven’t been fully studied and while researchers offer caution, they don’t have firm answers on medication for depression and pregnancy.

Suddenly halting antidepressant use can have a serious effect on a person. Plunging into profound depression is a high risk of stopping medication abruptly, and anyone taking antidepressants is constantly warned not to put aside their pills without first consulting a doctor and following a careful plan to wean off the medication.

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