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xanax during pregnancy

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mendeelen:
Hi all...I just wanted to see if any of you have taken xanax during pregnancy and had healthy babies afterwards.  First of all, let me preface by saying that I do NOT want your opinions on whether I should take it or not...I have spoken with my OB and he has determined that the benefits of taking this medicine outweighs the risks.  I only take small doses and only when I ABSOLUTELY need to.  As I said, I would just like some positive stories to put my mind at ease a little.  Thank you in advance!!!

StarHunter:
I would never tell you not to take a medication that you needed!  It's like diabetes, if you need insulin then you need insulin, pregnant or not.

As to your actual question, I have no taken xanax as such but have taken valium, oxazepam and lorazapam (ativan) during different pregnancies along with other drugs (all prescribed) and my babies were ultimately fine.

My son (who I took oxazepam for pretty much the entire time) was lethargic at birth and had some feeding issues which *can* be attributed to benzo use during the last trimester of pregnancy.  My son also has autism BUT I do NOT think that is due to my taking the benzo - he would have been autistic regardless. 

I have had 4 children and they are all (apart from my son's autism) very healthy and happy children now (My eldest being 8 and my youngest being 20 months).  I am also pregnant again and taking Ativan on a daily basis and am sure that this baby will also be fine.

Benzo's are not the best drugs to be taking when pregnant, but they are not the worst either.  They can cause issues with lethargy in the infant and feeding issues but these can all be overcome and are usually only attributable to benzo's taken in the 3rd trimester - so if by chance you can stop taking the drugs by then (if you are able to) then you are unlikely to even have to deal with those minor issues. 

mendeelen:
So did you take the benzo's in the first trimester?  I know this is when majority of development happens, so I'm very afraid my baby will have some serious birth defect...

Door:
This is a concern of mine too.  According to my doctors, it's fine to take low doses of Xanax.  With higher doses (6+ mg/day) in the first trimester, there *might* be an increased chance of cleft palate.  You are not in that category.

If your OB says it's fine, it's fine.  Panic and high anxiety are probably more harmful than a very small dose of Xanax.

StarHunter:
With my 3rd pregnancy I was on valium the entire time (well since about 6 weeks due to massive increase in anxiety).  With my 4th pregnancy I was on serepax (oxazepam) for the second half of the pregnancy.

Yes, development happens during the first trimester however studies have shown that benzo's do not commonly cause defects in the fetus.  They can cause breathing/feeding issues due to lethargy if taken in the 3rd trimester though. 

Of course there is always the risk that you will be on the wrong side of the statistics, but the vast majority of babies born to mothers who take benzodiazapenes are fine.  As my OB told me "millions of babies are born everyday to mothers who use cocain, heroin and methamphetamine and most of these babies are ultimately fine".  Women smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol when pregnant and in most cases their babies are fine.  Obviously it's not a *good* thing to be taking any drug while pregnant, and there is ALWAYS a risk BUT as you stated in your opening post your doctors have weighed up the risks vs the benefits and have decided that you should be on this medication.

Don't beat yourself up over something you cannot change, IF your baby develops problems due to the benzo (very unlikely) then cross that bridge when you come to it.  Just don't forget that occasionally babies have problems that are not related to any drug so *if* your baby does develop a problem it might not be due to the drug. 

I am on lorazapam, mirtazapine and zyprexa currently and have done since the beginning of my pregnancy (I am now 18 weeks) my latest scan has shown my baby to be developing completely normally and is a good weight, lots of movement etc.  I am on fairly high doses of these medications also....my lorazepam alone is a higher dose than your xanax so I am sure you will be fine. 

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