Questions & Answers

I was on venlafaxine during my first pregnancy and my psychiatrist said it was okay during the 1st trimester but that we should switch to something else in the 2nd trimester because you need to be on something else instead by the time the baby is born. If you aren't seeing a psychiatrist I'd highly recommend it; they know lots about which drugs are safe during different stages of pregnancy. Also please tell your OB about antidepressant med(s).

Certainly *treating depression is better than not*--but there are some scary stories on the internet from moms that were on Effexor right before birth. :( I believe SSRIs are safe during 3rd trimester but may or may not be as good during 1st trimester. Depending on the stage of your pregnancy that may be why your doc is okay with it--though if you're on the starter dose anyway they might consider putting you on something safe for pregnancy that you won't have to switch around later.