:confused: my prob. is i am on Ativan and my dr and i talked today about the risk of being on this medication and being pregnant. The the risk is if i get pregnant while on it my baby would be born with a cleft lip and palet but the my anxitiey would be fine and the risk my dr said is VERY low. but i know what is involved with that kind of birth defect because i have a friend that had a little girl with the same thing. my dr said if he could make the choice for me he would have me stay on it because the chance is so low. but i am scared but i want to have a baby its just i need to make a choice- do i stay on my Ativan and pray that i am not that low persent person or do i go off which would be good for a baby but not for my mental health. i dont know what to do and it is very frusterating, its so bad i feel like crying because do i put my self in jeperdy or do i take the chance.
i know you cant make my choice for me but does any one have any advice please?

tia,
Susan

well a cleft palette is not something you want the baby to have, but it's easily repairable, with extra folic acid you can usually reduce risk of birthdefects. i'm not sure how bad your anxiety is, or anything, or what effects that could have on the baby. i had to make that choice about a med i was on, although it had worse side effects for the baby however with extra folic acid 4mg in my case i could lower the risk to only .002 higher than other women, vs a serios health problem that could make me very ill and possibly kill the baby. i think you have to weigh the pros and cons!

If it were me, I would stop taking it. HOWEVER..... I would discuss the issue with your doc and get on something that IS safe during pregnancy. Who knows, you may find some kind of med that you like better anyway. There are so many things that can go wrong in a pregnancy (just read the posts on here by myself and others), that taking that extra chance may not be worth it. It is up to you, but for me, I would do some research and find something else to take.

Please let us know, okay?

I had to stop taking Lithium for my bipolar when I became pregnant. My Dr decided he wanted me to go on Depakote because it was suppose to have low risks, but according to the books it was rated as a D, which is not good for pregnant women. Needless to say I didnt take it. I tried to last for as long as I could on my own but I finally broke down to my OB and told her what was going on and what he wanted me to take and my fears. She told me that sometimes they have to see if the benefits outweigh the risks and see how severe the situation is. She came back to the room not too long after saying that and decided that perhaps the depakote wouldnt be a very good thing and gave me a low dose of xanax...0.25mg 3 times a day. I will admit it isnt NEARLY as good as my usual meds because it is such a low dose, but it DOES take the edge off and help me to deal with things. They say that after you are out of your first trimester it becomes alot safer to take medication and usually the side effects are low if there are going to be any at all involving the baby.

In the end the choice is up to you.

(but being bipolar its a bit tricky to deal, but sometimes you have to just learn. I know bipolar isnt your situation, but just trying to let you know I do know where you are coming from and perhaps help someone else out in the same boat as you or me)

I stopped taking everything i was on when I was trying to get pregnant. I was on paxil and celexa for my anxiety and depression. I have to say when I thought of the consequences that taking these pills could have on my child, I didn't want to risk it. I didn't want my child to come out with a disability that he or she would have to live with for the rest of his or her life because of something I did by my own choice. I teach special education students and I see how they get picked on because they are developmentally delayed of have a physical handicap and I just couldn't consciously put my child at risk. I had to really give it a lot of though and decide if I could go 9 or more months without any meds. I decided that if I really wanted a child it was something I would have to do. Mind you this is me personally, everyone is different and the choice has to be made by the individual. All of our circumstances are very different especially when it comes to mental health issues. I wish you luck in making your decision. :)