[mommy to be]

I am 24 weeks pregnant and have been having family problems (my grandmother passed unexpectidly) I suffer from extreme depression and anxiety, and have had these problems for years. The past couple of days I have taken between 1-3 mil. of ativan a day and am worried about the effect on my baby. I just can't stop crying and i go into severe panic attacks and the ativan is the only thing I have found that calms me. Has anyone taken ativan throughout a pregnancy, or for short periods of time durring? Please no critisisim, I only want helpful answears.

[Margarita T]

Contraindicated in all stages of pregnancy.

[mel]

lot of the effects on your baby depends on which trimester you are in.Ativan is addictive. It is transfered between mother and child, so there is a chance that your baby could become addicted to it also. Then the baby would suffer withdrawl.I have not had to take it myself, but I do work in a mental health clinic and there are almost no anti-anxiety medications that they will prescribe to a pregnant womanHere are some information sites I found for you.

[Mrosie]

It's not recommended for taking during pregnancy, however there are many drugs where sometimes the reasons for taking it outweigh the possible risks. If your anxiety is really that bad where ativan is necessary (I'm a nurse who works with a lot of folks who regularly need ativan for that reason, so I know how bad it can get), and your doctor prescribed it, then it should be fine if you stay within the recommended doses and don't become too dependent on taking it every day for your entire pregnancy.If your doctor prescribed it before your pregnancy, and it hasn't been brought up in any prenatal appointments, you should avoid taking it until you have consulted with your doctor, just to be safe.