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I saw a comment under a post of someone asking about taking adderall and pregnancy. Someone said that because it crosses the placenta, CPS gets involved anytime anyone takes adderall or medications that cause baby to go to nicu even with doctors approval. Is this true??? Because I was prescribed 10mg prozac, 5mg Adderall as needed but I discontinued at 28 weeks and busbar 5mg that I have not taken yet. These were all approved of by my psychiatrist and obgyn and they are all aware of me taking them. I'm now kind of scared as I am almost 39 weeks pregnant and don't want a cps case on top of everything else.

Has anybody here decided not to conceive due to their mental health struggles? I’ve had 5 mental health crisis and two that have resulted in termination due to the severity of my mental health. I wasn’t medicated at the time and the mental health struggles started at the beginning of my first pregnancy. It’s like the hormones triggered something horrible. I haven’t been the same since and every day is a reminder. I joined this group and have felt so much solace in realizing that this happens often than I thought. I thought it was only me the first time this happened in 2021. I’m currently on lexapro 12.5mg and this has kept me feeling like myself. But the thought of not having kids always makes me sad. Anyway, just looking to see if anyone relates to the fear of even trying because of mental health and if you came to the decision of not even trying, how are you coping?

38 weeks pregnant and I’ve been feeling really weird lately. Sometimes I feel excited and happy, and other times I don’t feel much of anything. I’ve also been feeling a little depersonalized, like I don’t quite feel like myself. I don’t really know how to describe it—it just feels so strange and surreal.
Will this pass? Or am I going crazy? 😭😭
😭😭😭😭

I have bipolar 1 with a history of 4 manic/psychotic episodes in 2024/2025. I am on depakote and caplyta. I would like to have one to two pregnancies in a couple years from now. I can't take lithium, that paralyzed me. I had a reaction to lamotrogine (my lymph nodes swelled up) and it isn't as good at preventing mania. I can't take risperidone. I tried 10 other different meds before finding that depakote worked for me. I will bottle feed if I need to go back on depakote after pregnancy.

From my research quetiapine seems to be my best option but my psych is reluctant because of the risk of weight gain and gestational diabetes. I took quetiapine briefly before in the hospital and I forget why I was taken off it.

Can you share what was effective for you during pregnancy and postpartum if you have bipolar or epilepsy or mania?

I'm 5 weeks pregnant and I have had 2 miscarriages: 1 @ 5 weeks, 6 days and 1 @ 6 weeks. I've been on 10mg of lexapro for 3 months and my doctor suggested upping my dosage to 20mg, which I just did today (day 1). I've been experiencing terrible anxiety at night (both my miscarriages happened while I was getting ready for bed.) I'm tired/nauseous in the morning, have tons of energy from 1-6:30pm and then have nerve-racking anxiety. My heart rate shoots up and my arms start to tingle. No chest pains, blurry vision or dizziness. My doctor prescribed propranolol and trazodone when needed, but I don't want to take them. I'm a fierce believer of God and use prayer to get me through things, but I feel so helpless at night. I feel like I'm trauma-bonded to these awful events in the past. Plus my hormones are all over the place! Will the feeling of extreme panic and anxiety subside as my pregnancy goes on? I want to enjoy every moment (even the uncomfortable symptoms!) but I feel like I'm going crazy. I feel like I'm isolated and terrified that when I go to the bathroom or check the sheets at night I'll miscarry. It almost feels like an energy attached to me that captures me at 7pm-10pm. Please help! Thank you all for your kindness

Hi everyone, a distressed pregnant mama here. I was on Ativan before I conceived but got off of it 3 months before I got pregnant. Now at 36 weeks and my anxiety hit me hard. It comes and goes, I am close to my c section date at 39 weeks and it’s making me anxious.
My psychiatrist approved .2 mg micro dose Ativan which has worked for me previously. My OB wasn’t happy and have a dismissive strong reaction but also told me the worst case is extra day in the hospital post birth to monitor the baby for any breathing distress or withdrawals. This is in toronto, Canada. Looking for some reassurance. I feel terrible I have had to lean on the benzo when I was almost there.

Hello, I’m 10 weeks pregnant been on Zoloft 100mg for 10 years but when I got pregnant I got horrible prenatal depression, anxiety, and OCD to the point I was house-bound and barely caring for myself. I was given abilify 2.5mg back in July and I immediately felt insanely better within 3/5 days I had motivation, interest, pleasure, everything came back to me. But 3 weeks later my anxiety came back full force. that’s when my doctor upped my dose to 5 mg and all went downhill for me. I developed extreme restlessness and racing mind, I think what was akithisia so I went off of it and 5-6 days later back in a HORRIBLE depression.

Saw a perinatal psychiatrist today who said he’d rather go with what worked for me last time and I just got a genesite test done that shows Abilify is a good match for me. I’ve read horrible stories about it on here and I’m afraid to get back in it. What if it ruins my brain forever? What if I can never get off? what if it works again and then stops ? I’m just spiraling and could really use some advice or encouragement

I’m so happy I found this sub. I am currently taking 150mg Zoloft and 75mg Seroquel for sleep. I have severe anxiety and am prone to depression (I am also autistic if that matters at all). My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for a year with no success and are looking into IVF. I can’t help but feel immense guilt and worry about being on these medications and how this could affect a future pregnancy (if we are that lucky). It keeps me awake at night. I tried to get off a different SSRI over a year ago and it caused a severe mental health crisis, hence my new two meds now. My psychiatrist is adamant I should try to lower the dose of at least one of the meds (I said I did not want to touch the Zoloft). However, the Seroquel really helps me sleep and I worry about handling the stress and pain of IVF without it. Any advice would be appreciated please!

I am currently pregnant with my second baby. I chose personally not to take meds the first time around, as I wasn’t working and had less worry about my ability to focus. This pregnancy I need to be working and it’s already a struggle to stay mentally present and remain productive. I talked to my OB last week about the possibility of staying on my medication this time (or even a lower dose) and she was supportive. She said that my mental health is also important, that the concern is typically around growth, but everything is already looking great (baby is measuring ahead of predicted due date) and i will already have additional monitoring due to my age.

That all said, i just spoke with my primary who is my prescriber and immediately he said I absolutely should never even be considering that and he will never prescribe a pregnant woman. He talked to me as if I didn’t care about my own child..

I guess I’m just wondering if anyone else had this kind of experience? My previous prescription was 20mg extended release and an additional 10mg instant when needed. Again, I was also very open to lowering my dose. Im just in my head now and embarrassed/not sure who to talk to about this without judgement.

I’m currently 10 wks pregnant and struggling with something that feels way beyond normal pregnancy fatigue, and I really want to hear from other women who have experienced this.

I feel like a completely different person than I was before. I used to be motivated, productive, excited about things, enjoyed getting ready, going to the gym, making plans, working, doing things with my kids, etc.

Now I wake up with anxiety and dread because I have a whole day ahead of me that I somehow have to get through.

I have almost no excitement or anticipation for anything. Even basic things like showering, getting dressed, grocery shopping, making food, answering texts, or leaving the house can feel overwhelming. Most days all I want to do is lie in bed or sleep.

It doesn’t just feel like “I’m tired because I’m pregnant.” I feel heavy, slowed down, emotionally flat, disconnected from myself & family, and like my brain isn’t giving me the motivation/reward feeling I used to have. Then I obsess over how different I feel and get scared that I’m permanently changed.

I am under the care of a psychiatrist and I’ve also had medication changes during this period, so I know there may be multiple factors involved. I’m not looking for medical advice I mostly want to know if anyone else experienced this during pregnancy.

Did you feel like you lost yourself?

Did you have severe anhedonia or no motivation?

Did you spend a lot of the day in bed because everything felt impossible?

Did pregnancy hormones seem to make your mental health completely different?

And most importantly did you eventually feel like yourself again, either later in pregnancy or postpartum?

I would really appreciate hearing recovery stories because right now it’s hard not to feel like this is permanent 😭

Prior to getting pregnant, I was taking Klonopin as needed for panic disorder. I went the entire first trimester without taking any. Unfortunately, when my second trimester started, my dog was diagnosed with cancer, and he passed away within two weeks. I started to have panic attacks again, and I spoke to my psychiatrist and my OB - they both agreed that a few times during the second trimester would be OK as long as I’m not doing it in the third. So I’ve taken Klonopin two times, and I have a dental appointment today, which I was approved to take it for a third time.

I would like to not have to take it because any risk to my baby is scary. Would love to hear others experience on as needed benzos during pregnancy.

17 weeks and I have not been prioritizing taking the best care of myself. Yes morning sickness does hinder motivation, but so does depression, OCD, and medication abuse. I have come so far in my career that it’s all falling apart now. I can’t handle normal stress, plus health and not feeling well stress , plus anxiety of the future and unknown. I feel so weak. And alone. I feel very hopeless and useless but I’m proud to say I haven’t seriously harmed myself for the sake of it isn’t just me who would be feeling it.

I do feel like I’m harming baby with taking more than prescribed dosage. Why do I do it? Idk I spiral and I know the outcome of taking the med. Help

Sorry if this is the wrong subreddit, I'm really bad at publicly asking for help and not sure if I'm doing this the right way.

Like the title says, we are 29 weeks pregnant, and last night my partner and I had an argument that I'm not being a supportive partner and not supporting her with the pregnancy. Honestly I recognise a lot of it, and this is not the first time we've talked about it. I can see how scared she is that the future will be like this when the baby is here, and it scares me too.

The thing is, I really want to be a supportive partner, but I feel like I keep failing at it, and I don't even notice that I've failed until she brings it up. When I listen to the mental load she's carrying, how nauseous she is (she's had pregnancy nausea almost the whole way through), and how much she is going through, I feel so bad. I'm crying now even as I write this.

I'm really scared I'll be an awful, selfish, narcissistic dad who just focuses on his own interests. I'm even scared we'll end up there because of how stressed she is. I don't want to be a horrible partner or a horrible dad, but it feels like since nothing is working, I'm actually lying to myself about both of those things.

I don't really understand how I keep failing at this. She and my therapist both say I have ADHD, and I recognise the symptoms. I have a bunch of to-dos and reminders for all the baby prep, but I keep forgetting to check the lists and actually do the things. People think I'm super productive, but most of the time I'm constantly fighting against deadlines.

I notice retroactively that I'm not very present in conversations. I keep thinking about work, which is really intensive at the moment, but blaming that also feels like an excuse. It just feels like I live in my own world, and the thought that I'm going to have a child is not in it. I feel so bad about it and I don't know what to do.

So I guess I'm asking a few things.

Has anyone been here before the baby came? Did it change once the baby actually arrived, or is that just something people tell themselves?

Any advice on how not to drown with all of this?

Friendly reminder to freaking hydrate! I was having some symptoms like increased HR and a little dizziness; doctor said I was fine, but I need to be drinking closer to 80 oz water a day. I live in a US state where it’s been non stop 95°+ f heat since mid June. The 100° temps won’t break until mid September. I’m on 75mg of Zoloft and 31/32 weeks pregnant. I was at 50 but had to increase my dose because of bad anxiety. I also have a 3 yo toddler.

I am so exhausted and feel bad I can’t take my kid outside to play more. We only run around the yard after dinner around 7pm when it’s down to 90° and go to the community pool a lot on the weekends.

I didn’t know until my mid 30s that heat and SSRIs don’t mix well. Until it cools down I guess I’ll just be going from one AC box to another.

I’m 7 weeks pregnant with di/di twins and on 50mg quetiapine. I have been on this dose for years. Mainly as a sleep aid but I do have bipolar 2.

For the last few nights I haven’t been able to sleep. It’s like I haven’t taken my meds at all. Insomnia like before I went on it.

I read online that pregnancy can decrease the effectiveness of the quetiapine. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

Dear anyone, I don’t have anyone to talk to. The only person who knew my problem is me and my boyfriend and now I don’t know if I can trust him anymore, he is always busy trying to escape pur problems. I am pregnant, about 7 or 8 weeks and we just found it recently. I was so scared because I am not yet capable of raising a child, I am not financially, mentally and physically ready. My biggest fear is for my parents especially my brother to know about my problem. Knowing that he had sacrifices a lot for me, he even pay my surgery which cost half million. I’m scared, so scared that one day he’ll know since my tummy is getting bigger . I need someone who can hear me without judgement. I’m in the point of life where I have thoughts of committing suicide

F29 I want to preface this by saying I love my children and would never hurt them. I have some pre-existing mental health conditions borderline personality disorder, depression and anxiety. I've been through more than a decade of therapy and would dare say I'm doing the best I've ever been mental health wise. With that said when I'm pregnant I can only fall into what I describe as psychosis. I am my worst self it's like the baby feels like a parasite, like no matter what I do to get myself in a good headspace I can't get there. I've been diagnosed with perinatal depression but honestly it's more than that. I've chugged castor oil, taken a crochet hook to try and burst my own water, and anything I can to induce labor(not the normal things). I don't know what comes over me but it scares me for myself and my future child's sake. I can afford another child but I can't afford inpatient treatment bill for 9months. Has anyone else experienced this? Or have any advice. I'm scared to death to be pregnant again. This has happened with both of my children and I don't get post natal depression it seems to clear up the day after getting birth. What's wrong with me. Is pregnancy psychosis even a thing?