Anyone on antidepressents here? Don't know if you want to post about it or not, but wondering if any had any experience with effexor xr and pregnancy? I know about the class c and have read all the online info regarding this drug. For anyone else who is familiar with serious depression and anxiety issues know that not all herbal/natural rememdies work for everyone. I am very cautious about meds while preg, however coming off effexor will not be easy or fast. Any of you familiar with any of this?

I'm on meds, but didn't take any when I was pregnant, which was over 8yrs ago. Back then, my depression wasn't as bad as it is now, so I hadn't even begun taking medication until after my daughter was over 2 and I had finally quit breast feeding. I tried getting off meds once because I was thinking about getting pregnant again, but my depression finally got the worst of me and I couldn't handle only using herbal/natural remedies. So, to date, I am back on meds. (I take Lexapro) I wasn't too keen on the possible side effects for the unborn child, so my husband and I made the decision to have only one child. You really need to talk to your doc and work closely with his/her directions. Depression isn't anything to snuff about and for some people, meds are definitely needed. I don't know if one med. is better than another, but perhaps your doc can put you on a low dose of something to ease your side effects, as well as, lessen the possible side effects for your child. I wish you the best.

I can understand why someone would want to be off meds while she is pregnant, but a severely depressed mother can be just as harmful. If you find yourself in a situation where you really need medication, I would talk to your doctor about Prozac. It's the oldest SSRI so it has the most experience, and many babies have been born with mothers who took Prozac during their pregnancy.

Recently news has come out about women who take certain antidepressants during the last few weeks of the pregnancy (I forget the exact amount of weeks). Some babies showed certain signs of withdrawal symptoms from the medication after birth. Permanent effects of medication on babies from women on SSRIs haven't been documented.