SSRI's during pregnancy

I have been off Paxil now for about 45 days. ; However, my panic
attacks and depression have returned.  It now effects me everyday for
the past 2 weeks.  My husband and I are trying to get pregnant, but I
don't know how much longer I can stay off of medication.  I am having
to take Ambien at night to sleep which I know isn't great when you are
trying to get pregnant.  I can't concentrate in the day because I am
anxious about everything.  I was wondering if anyone did get pregnant
on Paxil or any other SSRI and did have complications.

Hi, first of all, I wish you luck with trying to conceive!  My husband and I have been trying for our 3rd for 7 months now with no luck. ; I stopped taking Paxil after finding out about the birth defects.  My personal opinion is I will NEVER!!  go back on that stuff after the crap I went through coming off!  I'd rather have anxiety attacks I think.  Well, I started therapy too which has helped with them a little bit too to where I can more or less control it without meds, at least for now.  But anyways, having anxiety and such and getting pregnant is kind of a catch 22 I think...it's not good for the baby for you to have anxiety and be stressed and depressed and such while you are pregnant, in fact I think there's a recent study out about if you are highly stressed and anxious in the first trimester it increases odds of miscarriage (like we need one more thing to be anxious over, geesh!)...so you take the meds to help with the anxiety, but then those carry risks of side effects too, birth defects as just discovered if taken in the first trimester, then if you take it in the last trimester you run the risk of your newborn going through withdrawals, or "discontinuation syndrome" as they call it (I was put on Paxil in my last trimester, my daughter did go through withdrawals).  Then again it affects everyone differently.  If I remember right from the study it was a fairly small increase in risk of birth defects if you take Paxil in the first trimester, however I personally cannot in good conscious take something that I know increases the risks, kwim? ; I don't THINK that the other SSRI's have studies showing increased risk of birth defects, but then again I haven't really researched it either.  I know that when I was put on Paxil there wasn't really any studies out on the effects on babies in utero, the study on the infant discontinuation syndrome came out right after I was put on it I believe.  I was worried about the effects on my baby but my dr. said that they kind of have to do a cost benefit analysis...if you can make it through the pregnancy without meds, and keep a control on the anxiety and depression, GREAT...but if you CAN'T, then they kind of weigh the risks and benefits of taking the meds against the risks and benefits of NOT taking the meds, kwim? ; Sometimes it is in better interest to be on the meds.  As for anxiety and such getting better during pregnancy, I suppose it CAN...I know that they say things like allergies and asthma and some other stuff can get better during pregnancy, pregnancy does weird stuff to your body, LOL  MY personal experience however is that my anxiety and depression tends to flare and be worse than normal about halfway through the pregnancy and continue until the end (and in the case of my first born, beyond, as I was diagnosed with PPD after I had her...didn't have it the 2nd time, but then again I was already on Paxil at the time).  SO, it's hard to say what will happen, kwim? ; Have you looked into more natural alternatives to help with your anxiety?  Magnesium is supposed to do wonders (read the book "The Miracle of Magnesium", you'll see what I'm talking about, I know some people on this list have had good results from magnesium)...whatever path you choose, I wish you the best of luck with trying to conceive and with keeping your anxiety/depression under control and making the choices that work best for YOU during your pregnancy, because in the end that's what it boils down to, it's a very personal decision, you just have to weigh the risks and benefits...hope that helps!