Are Antidepressants Safe During Pregnancy?

Pregnancy is a time when a mom-to-be is concerned with many things, mostly centered around taking the best care of herself possible to support her baby’s health. 

Common concerns include eating safely, engaging in exercise that doesn’t pose a risk, and not drinking alcohol. 

But what if you’re expecting and you’re taking an antidepressant medication? Does being pregnant mean that you’ll need to wean yourself off it — and risk harming your mental health?

Our compassionate team at Clarity Psychiatric Care has valuable experience helping women who are either thinking of getting pregnant — or who already are — decide how best to manage their medication decisions. We’re dedicated to supporting your mental health and helping you feel your best throughout your pregnancy.

Pregnancy, drugs, and alcohol: What are the implications?

Everything a pregnant woman ingests also goes to her baby. That’s why women are encouraged to stay away from harmful substances like alcohol, recreational drugs, and tobacco. These come with many potential dangers for your baby, including:

• Being born at a low birth weight
• Brain damage
• Lung damage
• Premature birth
• Congenital disabilities
• Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
• Miscarriage
• Higher risk of dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) during the first year
• Higher risk for developing health conditions like obesity and diabetes later in life

But what about antidepressants? There’s some gray area here, especially for medications used to manage depression or other mental health diagnoses, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety disorder.

Do you have to give up your antidepressant during pregnancy?

There’s no clear answer to this question. 

There are many types of psychiatric drugs, all with different ingredients. Some can be harmful to a developing fetus, while others have been shown to be safe. There are also instances where we need to weigh the risks of a medication with its benefits for your mental health. 

While we know that certain medications pose risks for a developing baby, conclusive research is also scant in terms of guarantees of safety for pregnant women. However, in many instances, continuing to take your antidepressants is something we will advise you to do because their benefits outweigh the risks. 

It’s important to stay stable during your pregnancy, and the truth is that living with untreated depression also presents risks to your baby.

Our Clarity Psychiatric Care team counsels you about whether you can continue with your antidepressant treatment during your pregnancy. 

Remember, once you learn you’re pregnant, schedule an appointment with us as soon as possible so we can assess your situation and the antidepressant you take. 

The conversation you have with your Clarity Psychiatric Care provider is important because stopping a psychiatric medication abruptly can be damaging and even exacerbate your depression, causing you to have thoughts of harming yourself or suicide. That is why looking to us for help with medication management is crucial.

The good news is that most women are able to continue taking their antidepressants throughout their pregnancies and give birth to healthy babies. Many studies have also found that fetal exposure to antidepressants doesn’t greatly influence a baby’s IQ, mood, behavior, or attention or activity levels. 

We’ll monitor you carefully after you give birth for signs of postpartum depression or a more serious condition called psychosis, which causes hallucinations. We’ll be ready to change or add to your medication regimen if necessary. 

Don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with us if you’re considering becoming pregnant or if you learn you’re expecting. Getting clear answers regarding your antidepressant use during your pregnancy is a critical concern.

Call our Cherry Hill, New Jersey, office at 856-428-1260 to schedule an appointment, or book one online.