Abilify and Pregnancy

[crae]

Hi all,

This is my first time posting here. I have generalized anxiety disorder and am currently on 200 mg Zoloft and 1 mg Abilify. I am 7 weeks pregnant. I have tried desperately to stop taking the Abilify but every time I stop within three days I have unbearable anxiety attacks and can't go to work, care for my 2 year old, etc.. My pdoc says that everything known so far indicates that there is no increased risk for major organ malformations with this drug. Zoloft apparently is thought to be very safe. Still I would feel better if I heard from someone with personal experience. I have scoured the internet looking for anyone who has taken Abilify during pregnancy and I haven't found a single post. Does anyone on this forum have any experience with Abilify and pregnancy?

Thank you for taking the time to respond.

[blueandgray]

I did not take Abilify - but I did take Zoloft during my second and third trimesters of my second pregnancy. During my first pregnancy, I did not take anything. I AM NOT TRYING TO DRAW ANY CONCLUSIONS FOR ANYONE ELSE, but I do wonder if my stability helped my second child's development in the womb - she has much less anxiety than my first child.

You need to do whatever you need to do to not suffer unnecessarily during pregnancy. Severe stress is very dangerous when you are pregnant. You've done your homework and current research suggests that Abilify is safe, so you need to trust that you are making the best choice for you and your baby. Good luck and keep us updated on your growing belly! And congratulations!!!

[Becks]

My last pregnancy I started off taking Zoloft (then dx'd with MDD by my OBGYN). About 2 months later I saw a pdoc and he took me off of the Zoloft (sent me into a mixed, paranoid state) and put me on Seroquel. Now I know Abilify is not Seroquel, but......I had to see a specialist through out my pregnancy (was having difficulties that had nothing to do with meds or my MI) and he and my pdoc worked together. They both agreed that the risk of me NOT taking the medication was greater than the risk to the baby if I were to continue taking it.

I would suggest calling your pdoc and your OB and getting them both on board for your treatment throughout your pregnancy. Having them both agree on what the best treatment for you and Baby is, is the best possible way to go. If they are working against each other, then everyone will end up confused and frustrated. The way my doc's did it was through fax and telephone calls. I can say my pdoc is the one who pushed to be on the same page as my OB. He wanted my OB's opinion about the course of treatment and he wanted to make sure they both agreed about what was best.

Also, Zoloft is a class C medication for pregnancy. I would do a little research on your own and decide for yourself if you still feel it's safe throughout pregnancy. Most newer psych meds are Class C....because well, they are new and there isn't much data out there about them.

In my case, I've had 6 unmedicated pregnancies and 1 medicated. I'll take the 1 medicated over the unmedicated any day.

Good luck!

Edited April 8, 2012 by Smurfkette

[Jose]

You can read my blog at : https://schizophreniapregnancy.wordpress.com/author/schizophreniapregnancy/ I had the same questions and had a baby with 20mg of abilify. The baby is now 18 months old and is fine. No health problem. Everything is normal.