Mental Illness and pregnancy?

Question

I have severe mental illness and am on a cocktail of medications including seroquel, Effexor, avanza and lithium. I would have to come off a number of these medications if I wanted to become pregnant and would not be able to restart them until after I was no longer breastfeeding, which could mean a possible relapse, as well as any affects the hormones had on my mental health.
If you were in my shoes, would you still be willing to get pregnant and have a child? I'm just curious

Answer

While I'm not on medications anymore (should I still be? Eh) I'm in a similar situation. It's one of the reasons I decided biological children were not for me. 
It is my personal opinion that my mental health comes first. 
Not only that, but I don't want a child to end up with the same issues.

Answer

Dont let a mental illness define you. A mental illness should never strip away the consept of being a mother

Answer

I would be consulting with a team of professionals about my desire to begin TTC, if I were you. At the very least, these people should include a psychiatrist, therapist, and an OBGYN. If you aren't being seen regularly by a therapist prior to coming off medications, I would make sure that is something that is in place during the pregnancy. It's vital that you're taking care of yourself in every possible way during this journey, and your mental health is a priority. I wish you the best of luck- having a mental health disorder does not mean you can't be a mother!

Answer

You can struggle with these your whole life and that does not mean you should deprive yourself of being a mother, which you know what, you could be an amazing mother, your mental illness does not take that ability away from you. But this is something that should be approached with caution, huge support from partner and your medical team and most of all your own thoughts on the matter.

Answer

I would look into natural remedies that would help and be safe for both me and baby.

Even if it didn't work as good, but still helped a little bit.

Answer

Based on the medications you've listed I'm guessing you have a major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder (I may be wrong so please don't be offended). I suffer from major depression as well and am ttc as well. I take medications that will be safe while I am pregnant. I would talk to your doctor about switching your medications while pregnant and then switching back after your done breastfeeding. I know how hard it is to find the right cocktail of medications that works to keep us functioning. If you feel like it will be too much to compromise your mental health to have a baby, there is always the possibility of fostering and adoption. I wish you luck.

Answer

I would talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks is what's best for you and your child.

Answer

Have you talked to your doctor about alternative meds you could use during pregnancy and breastfeeding? There are some antidepressants that are safe to take. It's hard to say what I would do because I am not a doctor and I don't know your medical history. I was on seroquil. I weaned off of it before we started trying for another baby. Now I am pregnant and taking prozac. It does help me. You could look into alternative therapies and discuss them with your doctor. You would obviously need a strong support system. I am sorry I don't have a better answer. Hopefully your doctor can help you decide what is best.

Answer

I think you're going to get a lot of people saying to wait until you've figured things out but the truth is that mental illness will be with you for your lifetime. If you feel you're ready to be a mom, then you can probably figure the rest out (with the help of a doctor). A couple things to keep in mind: you can stay on some meds or potentially switch to others that are safe during pregnancy, and there are studies out there showing that being off meds and depressed during pregnancy can be just as harmful or more so than the meds themselves (but you also have to consider your danger to yourself). People who don't deal with mental illness have no right to judge if you deserve to be a mom.

P.s. This is all obviously just my point of view, but I can say that I am currently TTC and went through the same thing deciding which medications to stop taking. So far it's going okay. It is difficult now but I know it will be worth it.

Answer

Ask your doctor if there are meds you could switch to prior to ttc. Or is it possible to have your SO surrogate your biological child?

Mental Illness and pregnancy?

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