Depression is a serious illness. It is associated with feelings of sadness and anxiety after some difficult life situations. Depression changes your thoughts, feelings, behavior, and even physical health. The consequences are that it can affect your relationship with loved ones, family, friends, and co-workers. It can occur at different periods of life, situations, or as part of other disorders.
Pregnancy is the most beautiful period in the life of every woman. The very thought of a new life growing inside you is magical. However, pregnancy often brings with it certain complications that lead to fear, anxiety, and even depression. Some women have had these symptoms before, even using certain therapies. Many expectant mothers are interested in whether taking antidepressants can have a negative effect on the baby.
A woman in pregnancy experiences a number of biological and psychological changes. Psychologically healthy women, perceive pregnancy as something positive and as a form of self-fulfillment. Some women experience pregnancy negatively, with fears mostly focused on possible fetal malformations, complications during childbirth, and in the care of the newborn. The mental health of women in pregnancy and childbirth is affected by a variety of factors such as:
- the importance of motherhood in the value system of the woman and her environment, and the positive or negative identity of the woman,
- the quality of marital or partnerships,
- experience of pregnancy as desired or unwanted, out of love or without love, planned or unplanned,
- defining pregnancy and childbirth as a natural process or a life-threatening disabling process,
- previous experience of intentional or spontaneous abortion. The role of stress, as well as the symptoms of anxiety and depression, are considered important for the period of pregnancy.
Although most people have only heard of postpartum depression, there are other moods and conditions that can significantly affect pregnancy, and one such condition is anxiety, which occurs in 1 in 10 pregnant women at some point in pregnancy. It is quite normal for a woman to be worried from time to time about everything that awaits her in the following months of pregnancy, and just thinking about childbirth and the first days after it rarely causes at least some level of fear and concern in some women.
Taking antidepressants in pregnancy has long been one of the medical controversies, as there is a pervasive fear that continuous taking of certain types of pills has a detrimental effect on the baby, among which lower birth weight and premature birth are most often mentioned. But it is also a fact that this problem is faced by a large number of women who are prescribed antidepressant therapy due to depression and/or stress, and when they find out that they are pregnant.
Xanax is a drug that belongs to benzodiazepines. Many believe that this drug can be taken during pregnancy but in very small amounts. Otherwise, the baby may be born with a cleft lip, known as a rabbit lip. In any case, it is recommended to avoid this and any similar medications during pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, if possible.
In addition to the fact that a child can be born with a physical defect such as cleft lip, Xanax, as well as other depressants can have other consequences at the birth of a child. So, if the mother used this medicine during pregnancy, the baby will have symptoms such as weak muscles, poor control of the head and extremities, breathing difficulties and changes in heart rhythm, and so on, two to three weeks after birth. Research has shown that a baby is actually born with an addiction to these antidepressants.
What happens when you use Xanax for a long time?
After prolonged use, antidepressants are addictive. Symptoms such as hangovers, confusion, weaker judgment, dizziness, unstable gait, and so on also begin to occur. The Exclusive Hawaii claims this is a moment that is important to recognize and seek professional help.
Given the above data, the use of alprazolam during pregnancy can only be considered if the approved indications and dosage of the drug are strictly followed, or if the treatment is absolutely necessary. Doctors prescribing alprazolam to women of childbearing potential should warn their own patients to contact them if they think they are pregnant or are planning to become pregnant, to discontinue treatment. If treatment with alprazolam is necessary during the last period of pregnancy, it is necessary to avoid high doses and monitor for withdrawal symptoms and/or the onset of flaccid newborns. If alprazolam was used during pregnancy or if the patient became pregnant while taking ant depressives, the patient should be warned of possible fetal harm.
Women who plan to breastfeed should be aware that small doses of medication also pass into milk. In some cases, certain steps can be taken to reduce the exposure of the newborn to the mother’s drugs, for example, the timing of feeding, taking the drug, and sleeping. The potential benefits and risks of breastfeeding in a woman undergoing psychiatric therapy should be discussed with the attending physician.
Treatment of anxiety and depression in pregnancy To get rid of these symptoms without risking your child’s health. The first thing to start with is psychotherapy. It is necessary for the therapist to establish a quality therapeutic relationship with the woman being treated, so that the psychotherapeutic procedure can take place successfully. After establishing contact with the patient, it is possible for the doctor to prescribe the medication that he considers the least harmful for the further development of the child. Breastfeeding after childbirth is not recommended for women receiving antidepressants.
What also has a calming effect is deep breathing, the use of aromatherapy. Sometimes the best way to stop anxious thoughts is to physically move away from the room or situation. Go outside, focus on your body and the flow of your breath, and not on your mind and the worries that haunt it.
