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Questions on weaning from Bipolar meds before pregnancy

Susan - posted on 07/31/2010 ( 2 moms have responded )

Hi. I am 34. I have a 4 and a half year old son. I was diagnosed with Bipolar around age 26. I did not start taking medication until my son was 6 weeks old and I had a severe manic episode. Throughout my pregnancy, I was not on any medication and did not have any issues.
I am currently on Lamictal 200 mg, Geodon 80 mg, Zoloft 100 mg and occasionally Klonopin 0.5 for panic attacks. I am trying to slowly wean off of everything because we would like to try for another baby.
So far, the process has not been easy. I feel like I am going through withdrawals. My Psychiatrist is very supportive but my OB does not yet know that I have Bipolar disorder. It did not cause any problems with my pregnancy so I never told her because I was embarrassed.
Does anyone have any advice on getting off meds? My psychiatrist seems to think the pregnancy hormones will stabilize any of my possible episodes. I have been stable for over 4 years now and am terrified something will happen when I go off the meds. Does anyone have any experience with a similiar situation and if so, how did they deal with being off meds while pregnant?
Thanks for any advice or words of wisdom you might be able to share.

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Sheri - posted on 09/29/2010

Hi Susan, I actually had to go abruptly off my meds when I got pregnant for my daughter--it was an unexpected pregnancy. I was afraid of something REALLY bad happening. The worst that happened was I had a stay in a mental health hospital for a week. They put me on a low dose of abilify (5mg) and that carried me through my pregnancy. I was pretty stable throughout my pregnancy. The best advice I have to give is don't be afraid of going to the hospital. However, keep in very close contact with your psychiatrist to try and avoid that. Also, after you deliver, keep VERY close contact as postpartum depression is very common in women with bipolar or any other mental illness. I experienced it and didn't keep close enough contact with my doctor and ended back in the hospital...however, that was still beneficial for me....so again I say--DON'T be afraid if you have to go to the hospital...it's not the end of the world and it is actually very helpful. Lastly, I think it is very important to keep your OB in the loop--bipolar is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed by. Bipolar is just an illness of the brain which is just as much an organ as the pancreas that has disorders such as diabetes. I hope this helps! ~ Sheri

Rachel - posted on 09/16/2010

Sorry, I can't help with going *off* meds, but I can tell you I stayed onGeodon and Zoloft throughout my second pregnancy with no ill effects on me or my baby (who is right next to me playing right now). She's a happy, healthy 5 month old. My pdoc and my ob both knew my situation and were totally professional and pleasant about the whole thing. I did stabalize in my first pregnancy on a low dose of zoloft. Hope I wasn't too late to help!