Do the benefits outweigh the risks? What would you do??!
Question: Do the benefits outweigh the risks!? What would you do!?!?
I am pregnant and I also have BiPolar disorder!. I was diagnosed in January after trying to commit suicide in November and getting out of the hospital right before Christmas!. I have since been on lithium, seroquel, and zoloft!. Lithium has been known to cause severe heart defects in fetuses and also thyroid defects!. Seroquel has been known to cause defects in pregnant animals but they dont have enough research from humans!. I went to see my Psychiatrist because I have gone off my meds and wanted something safer!. He told me to go back on them that the benefits to me outweigh the risks!. I dont believe that the benefits outweigh what it could do to my unborn baby!. Do you think I am right or wrong!? What would you do!? PLEASE HELP by giving me your opinions!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Answers:
!. You had better Research that!. Maybe your doc doesn't know ALL the facts!.
"!.!.!.Seroquel? (quetiapine fumarate) may not be safe for women who are pregnant!. In previous animal studies that looked at the effects of the drug during pregnancy, Seroquel increased the chance of miscarriage and other problems!. " !.!.
!.!.!. If you are taking Seroquel and pregnancy occurs (or you are thinking of becoming pregnant while taking the drug), let your healthcare provider know!. He or she will consider both the benefits and risks of taking it during pregnancy before making a recommendation for your particular situation!. " !.!.!.
Read the 'rxlist' site!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
"!.!.!.Seroquel? (quetiapine fumarate) may not be safe for women who are pregnant!. In previous animal studies that looked at the effects of the drug during pregnancy, Seroquel increased the chance of miscarriage and other problems!. " !.!.
!.!.!. If you are taking Seroquel and pregnancy occurs (or you are thinking of becoming pregnant while taking the drug), let your healthcare provider know!. He or she will consider both the benefits and risks of taking it during pregnancy before making a recommendation for your particular situation!. " !.!.!.
Read the 'rxlist' site!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
there are other meds out there!. if u feel that strongly maybe talk to OBGYN about it!. i can understand your concerns!. i know someone who has had 2 babies while on mds for bi polar and the babies are fine!. bi polar people need meds!!!Www@Answer-Health@Com
Your psychiatrist is right, the benefits really do outweigh the risks!. If you have a relapse you might hurt both you and the baby!. Seroquel is probably the safest!. SSRIs like Zoloft (when taken during the last trimester) have been linked to increased risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in newborns, though the risk is still low!. Finally, lithium is linked to Ebstein's anomaly (a very rare heart defect)!. The chance of this happening without lithium is about 1 in 20,000 children, and this rises to about 1 in 1000 with lithium!. The baby's heart develops during the first weeks of pregnancy, though, so stopping the medication at this point would be useless!. Lithium is safer than the anticonvulsants (other drugs used to treat bipolar disorder), in any case, and there are studies to show it does not adversely affect your child's mental development after during childhood!.
I know you are very concerned for the welfare of your child, but please heed your physician's advise and get back on the meds!. The risk of relapse is very high in this case!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
I know you are very concerned for the welfare of your child, but please heed your physician's advise and get back on the meds!. The risk of relapse is very high in this case!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
Get a second opinioon from another psychiatrist!. I'm pretty sure that there are other stabilizers with lower risks to the child!. Also, the first trimester is important!. If you can make it thru that w/o meds, that risk sometimes is worth it!. It all depends on your brand of bipolar and how stable you are!. But seriously, get a second opinion!.
A good site for psych med info from the user perspective is http://www!.crazymeds!.us There is solid research info w/links as well!. They have a forum on women's issues at the bottom of the the talk board!. I believe there are a few threads on pregnancy!. If your questions aren't answered, you can post your own!. Another site that should have ppl with first hand knowledge is http://www!.crazyboards!.org The med info isn't quite as good on the whole, but for pregnancy, there might be more ppl with experience!.Www@Answer-Health@Com
A good site for psych med info from the user perspective is http://www!.crazymeds!.us There is solid research info w/links as well!. They have a forum on women's issues at the bottom of the the talk board!. I believe there are a few threads on pregnancy!. If your questions aren't answered, you can post your own!. Another site that should have ppl with first hand knowledge is http://www!.crazyboards!.org The med info isn't quite as good on the whole, but for pregnancy, there might be more ppl with experience!.Www@Answer-Health@Com