I am 22 weeks pregnant and am taking Quetiapine and sertraline.Can someone share who gave birth on such drugs?

[Miracle_]

I am 22 weeks pregnant and am taking Quetiapine and sertraline, I am very worried about the future health of the baby. Can someone share who gave birth on such drugs?

[Maria_at_APP Moderator]

Hi Miracle_, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your pregnancy.

I remember having a lot of questions about medication and pregnancy when I was expecting my baby back in 2021. Have you been able to voice your concerns to the team following you?

I can relate my own experience, if that can be of help. I took olanzapine for the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy. I had a plan to stay for 3 days Postpartum in the hospital so he will be observed for any withdrawal signs, which was a possibility. He was OK and we were able to go home after he was checked by the peadetricians.

How are you feeling at the moment? This time can be a confusing mix of trepidation and expectation, but you will find a very welcoming and sympathetic community here, and hopefully that can make you feel a bit more supported.

Take good care,

Maria

[Miracle_ in reply to Maria_at_APP]

Thanks for the answer. After the birth of my first child in 2019, I developed insomnia due to anxiety, was treated with quetiapine, and a year later I was without medication. The condition was stable, the second pregnancy began and after one sleepless night came the next one and panic attacks, I have been taking quetiapine 25 mg and sertraline 50 mg since 22 weeks. I am afraid for the further development of the baby. I would really like to hear the stories of those who gave birth already on quetiapine. I take medication and can’t calm down because of it

[Maria_at_APP Moderator in reply to Miracle_]

Hi Miracle_, I am so sorry you have experienced insomnia and panic attacks in this pregnancy, that's just horrible. And that you had severe anxiety and lack of sleep with your first baby. I found the following website useful in terms of understanding effects of medication during pregnancy:

medicinesinpregnancy.org/

Hope for the best for you in this journey. Do ask on this forum as there is lots of experience from many mums who have been on a similar journey. Take good care,

Maria

[Miracle_ in reply to Maria_at_APP]

Hi,

Thank you very much for your support, I have already read about medications at this link, but I am worried that there are no studies on how these medications affect the further development of the child.

Therefore, I’m looking for mothers who have had experience using these medications. Their answers calm me down a little.

[Maria_at_APP Moderator in reply to Miracle_]

Hi Miracle_, I am glad the answers here are calming you down a little. I am sorry to read that your doctor has not been giving you much information on which to go on. Is it possible for you to request a second opinion regarding this?

Take care,

Maria

[Miracle_ in reply to Maria_at_APP]

I consult with two psychiatrists and one did not prescribe me quetiapine at all, only sertraline, and the second one said that sometimes I can only drink quetiapine

[Arabella-]

hiya,

I did and was fine. I found that Quetiapine made me too sleepy in the night so switched to Olanzapine. It has horrendous side effects for two weeks but after that it’s worth it as you don’t become so sleepy after taking it.

I would personally recommend swapping from Quetiapine to Olanzapine but you’ll be fine if you don’t. I’ve had three children, two when I was on Olanzapine and one with Quetiapine. I was and am still taking Sertraline.

Good luck with it all! We’re in it together! Feel free to ask any questions.

Hugs x

[Miracle_ in reply to Arabella-]

Hi, Arabella-

Thank you so much for your reply. I take quetiapine precisely because of insomnia, but even with it I sleep very little and poorly, and I worry about the baby. What dosage did you take quetiapine? I take 25 mg specifically for sleep. How old is your child? I'm concerned about its development after the medications. Sorry for such personal questions, but this is what keeps me from calming down, there is a feeling of guilt.

[Arabella- in reply to Miracle_]

Look ask away! That’s why this forum exists. My children are fine. The one I had with Quetiapine has suspected ASD and ADHD but I think that’s genetic- I’m pretty hyper and my husband is likely autistic. Intellectually she is fine. My other two are fine too.

Is this your first baby? Do you have a bipolar diagnosis?

you can ask for perinatal mental health support, I imagine in Germany - don’t be shy. Have you got a good psychiatrist?

Xx

[Miracle_ in reply to Arabella-]

Thank you so much

I don't have a bipolar diagnosis, doctors diagnose me with depression, but I just have severe problems with sleep, I’m afraid that I won’t fall asleep and this causes severe anxiety, If I don't fall asleep for a long time, I don't sleep until the morning. I have a daughter, she is 4 years old, I gave birth to her without medication, but such problems and phobias appeared after her birth.

[Arabella- in reply to Miracle_]

Gosh that’s hard.

Do you have moments of energy? And intense worries?

Bipolar is hard to spot. Most people don’t get diagnosed until they are in their thirties.

Anyway, if that’s not you, then maybe see a hypnotherapist or counsellor in conjunction with the medication. My daughter is absolutely fine. X

[Isabella5991]

Hello! I am on the exact same medication as you. Not pregnant, but I did breastfeed on risperidone and sertraline for two years. My daughter is amazing and such a fire cracker. I was also pregnant on these medications with my first daughter for a couple of months and she is ridiculously smart and emotionally mature. My eldest can see and hear things at times, but my psychiatrist has reassured me about 30% of children do and it doesn’t mean anything serious. I have been able to most of my life as well, so most likely genetic, unlikely the medication. My youngest does get a bit noise sensitive at times and sometimes my partner worries the medication did something, but I’m noise sensitive as well so again I think it’s genetic.

Plenty of women have been on these medications pregnant. You’re doing the right thing by seeking advice and reviews. I’ve never read a bad story about being on these medications pregnant. Good luck with your pregnancy xxx

[Miracle_ in reply to Isabella5991]

Hello, Isabella5991

how old is your daughter with whom you were pregnant on these medications.?Thank you very much for such an answer and support, I hope that this will calm me down, because every day I feel more and more fears

[Isabella5991 in reply to Miracle_]

My eldest is 7 who I was pregnant with on the meds and my youngest is 4 who I breastfed on these medications for two years. I was very preoccupied with prenatal anxiety with my second, it was horrible. so I know how awful it can feel with all these worries about your baby and their health. Have you got someone you can talk to about this if you feel it would help? It’s a hard enough time as it is, but with these added worries I know it can be really hard. But again, I would feel comfort that millions of women have to be on these medications during pregnancy for various mental health conditions and their baby has been completely fine. Perhaps you could phone a lactation consultant or perinatal nurse and I’m sure they’d have really good information for you that would make you feel much better? Your gp may be able to forward you someone Xx

[Alpav]

I was on a high dose of quetiapine (I think 500mg) during pregnancy with no side effects for my son. I hope you find the right balance of meds for you.

You might also find this website helpful:

medicinesinpregnancy.org

[Miracle_ in reply to Alpav]

Thank you so much for your reply. The doctor told me that taking medications is my responsibility. How old is your son now? How is he now? Does he have any developmental features? Ыorry for such personal questions

[Alpav in reply to Miracle_]

Not at all! He’s 2 1/4 now, has hit all the expected developmental milestones and is a happy little boy who likes to run around, sing and ask for cake! I also breastfed him on quetiapine for two months before I (very sadly for me) had to stop and go onto lithium. I’m not sure if you’re also considering breastfeeding, but my understanding with quetiapine is only the smallest amount makes it into the breast milk which is why it’s safe. The NHS website is very helpful for this information though as I’m not a doctor!

[Miracle_ in reply to Alpav]

HI)I'm glad to hear that everything is fine with your son. I read on medical sites about quetiapine, but everywhere it is written that there are no good studies on the effect on future development, therefore it is important for me to find mothers who gave birth on quetiapine, to calm down and take this medication. Thank you

[Alpav in reply to Miracle_]

If you’re still feeling nervous, you might be able to get an online appointment with a private UK perinatal psychiatrist. (I’m not sure how the system works in Germany). I saw Dr Lucinda Green for pregnancy planning advice and she talked through a lot of the scientific literature in that session. But glad to hear that talking on this forum has been useful 😊.

[Essex1982]

I was on both during pregnancy. My daughter is fine. They are the safest in their groups for pregnancy and breastfeeding. X

[Miracle_ in reply to Essex1982]

Hello ,Essex1982

Thank you too for your reply. The doctor told me that taking medications is my responsibility, so I don't feel confident. How old is your doughter now? How is she now? Does she have any developmental features? This is a very personal question so I will understand if you don't answer.

[Rachel_at_APP Partner APP in reply to Miracle_]

Morning Miracle_

I’m part of the peer support team at Action on Postpartum Psychosis

You’ve had lots of replies here with some links to further information about medications and pregnancy. Which will hopefully be helpful for you. The sites Action on Postpartum Psychosis suggest are:

-choiceandmedication.org/ncmh/?

- choiceandmedication.org/hum...?

- medicinesinpregnancy.org/?

Bear in mind that these links are UK based, so the information might well differ in Germany.

Hope the forum replies you’ve had will be useful, do still revisit this conversation with your doctor. Yes it’s great that you’re considering all the information but I do hope your doctors will be able to provide a bit more insight too about the balance of risks based on the information they too have access to.

Take care, Rachel

[Essex1982]

she’ll be 3 in May. No issues identified so far. The website medicinesinpregnancy.org is good for assessing risk x

[Miracle_ in reply to Essex1982]

Thank you!

and feel good to you!

[Miracle_ in reply to Essex1982]

One more question..what was your dosage?

[Essex1982 in reply to Miracle_]

Sertraline was 150mg and quetiapine ranged from 100-300mg I think x