withdrawal and pregnancy

Hi all,
I'm 13 weeks pregnant and have been on 10mg Paxil for over a year. I started weaning myself off it 5 days ago (I've been taking 5mg since then). I'm having the typical withdrawal symptoms (dizziness, vertigo, shock sensation) and am wondering if this process is worse for the fetus than if I stayed on Paxil. Does anyone know?
My doctor is clueless; he told me I could stop Paxil cold turkey since it was such a low dose. Wrong!
Thank you!

Hi Jdc
Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Im afraid Im not an expert but the main risks of the withdrawal are probably to you rather than the baby - so the nausea etc.
However, In my opinion you would be better off going back up to 10mg for a few days until you stabilise and then reduce more slowly using the liquid version (by 1mg or at most 2.5mg). This will help minimise the withdrawal symptoms which may well be being worsened by you being pregnant.
I would go back to your doctor and explain the symptoms you are having and say that you obviously cant just cut down so what other advice can they give you.
Best wishes
Kizzie

jdc- looks like you and I are doing precisely the opposite, both on doctor recommendation. Just shows how little hard evidence there is on pregnancy and this drug. I am 9 weeks along, and I went off Paxil before attempting to get pregnant. Once I am out of the first trimester, I am strongly considering going back on. In fact, my doctor yesterday told me that he felt it would be a bad idea to let my anxiety hit "bottom" before going back on, as this critical state is unsafe for the baby, plus it takes a few weeks for the meds to begin working (and I can't take ativan or anything like that due to pregnancy.) My doctor encouraged me to be off first trimester- no studies have shown a problem, but this is based on wanting to be chemical free during this particular period if possible.
Anyway, with my first pregnancy, I did this- went back on the meds at 11 weeks. My 2 year old is bright and healthy. And since my anxiety symptoms have returned, I think I will probably go back on. They are not bad yet, but I don't have the life situation right now that I can be an anxious half-functioning stress case half the time.
At any rate, do what you think is best. I don't think the withdrawal symptoms are harmful unless you are not eating or sleeping or are extremely stressed or depressed- all of which CAN produce body chemicals that are not healthy for you or the baby. Just make sure you have a lot of support in place to help you through this. Good luck-
Beth

Beth - Thanks for your insight. I'm glad to hear that you were on Paxil with your first child and everything turned out fine. I'm curious what research you've found on Paxil during pregnancy. Two docs were going to keep me on it throughout the pregnancy, but after reading somewhere that being on it AFTER the first trimester (when the baby's brain development occurs the most) might be questionable, I decided to taper off and got another doctor's OK to do that. So, although it's too late for me now, what have you read about Paxil and the first trimester? Like I really need something else to stress over, but oh well! Best of luck to you.

[scared*diana]

hi,
I just posted on this subject. If you go to yahoo main page and then go to news and search for paxil yo´ll find a recent article about paxil not being linked to birth defects.
(don´´t know how to copy links)
Diana

Everything I've read shows no significant problems at all from taking Paxil. The first trimester thing is PURELY on the basis of it being the time when the major organs and brain is forming, and when most defects happen- but the studies so far, as diana writes, do NOT show any defects anyway. Like I said, it all is so new that the doctors aren't sure what advice to give. Anyway, the second and third trimester thing is totally new to me- unless the doctors are referring to the study where women went on the meds later in pregnancy and had some higher incidence of complications due to withdrawal in the infant. That was a study of 55 women in Canada- not exactly huge- and the complications all seemed to clear up (jaundice, lower birth weight...) Anyway, if you could ask your doctors what exactly they read that made them give you this advice, I'd surely appreciate it, as it is nothing I have heard before, unless it is the withdrawal thing.
By the way, I believe my breastfeeding probably helped my daughter not experience withdrawal- but just my theory. She did have jaundice, but mildly and it cleared up in a few days. Who knows if it was Paxil? Anyway, DO NOT stress out about being on it- nothing says it's harmful. Clearly everyone is just feeling their way around with this, but with the large numbers of women on these meds, many of whom had babies while on it, there are no horror stories or any evidence that there is any significant risk. Remember, we have to do what is best and safest for our OWN health to take care of our babies! If that means taking a slight risk, well, anxiety and depression are also risks, so....
Take good care- good luck to you!