A question about medication and panic..

I hope this doesn't start up the SSRI thing again, I added those who seem to
have an agenda to my killfile. I am not rehashing, I put in a call to my
primary care physician, to ask her about the panic and rapid heartbeat
feelings I have been having for a few weeks, starting with a full blown
panic attack I had out of nowhere. I deal normally ONLY with my OB regarding
medications. However my primary care doctor is pretty sharp and she often
knows little tricks with medications and is the best doctor I have ever had
for not letting you suffer with a problem, for fixing it for you. She is the
only doctor who had tricks up her sleeve that always made my migraines
better, and I saw a neurologist too!

Of course, she left me a message to check with my OB and let them dispense
only the medications they are comfortable with (all drs do this when you are
pregnant!)...her suggestion was to ask them if they though about increasing
my Paxil dose. I don't know if that will help, since I am on Paxil CR 37.5mg
which is already a pretty good adult dose, and I never took more than that
before pregnancy. I think it would add side effects.

The other thing my p-doc said to ask about is if my OB would be willing to
prescribe benzodiazapenes (sp?) ...this brings me full circle right back to
the "Can I take a Klonopin?"...it's so frustrating to go around and
around... I asked the nruse if this means that my p-docs opinion is that a
rare Klonopin is safe during pregnancy only to stop a panic attack, and she
said "Well she wants you to ask the ob's about since they would know more
about what's safe during preganncy". I hate when doctors say that because
they all have access to the drug safety info; but I understand, that no
doctor wants to be liable for a problem during a pregnancy that could be
blamed on a prescribed drug, which is what OBs are paid to be responisble
for. So I understand I just wish someone would give me a straight answer. I
have Klonopin already in my medicine cabinet however I am afraid to take
even 1. It's very hard to deal with panic disorder, I don't want to find out
I suffered needleslly when taking 1 Klonopin, very rarely, won't hurt...and
I could have stopped a cycle of panic attacks instead of suffer. However,
doctors just seem to brush it off ...I guess what I am saying is I have been
having more panicky little episodes and they are hard to deal with and
scary, and taxing on me physically because of the stress level associated
with coping with them.

I see my OB on Weds of next week for my glucose test etc. I just want a
straight answer....can Klonopin be used at all during pregnancy without
causing a problem, because if so, I guess I am asking for permission to use
one during a panic episode. If someone would tell me definitely that one
Klonipin truly is a big deal and a bad idea, I wouldn't keep asking and I
would not want to use it. But I will be honest...no one has told me it's bad
to use rarely during pregnancy, I have only been told if you take it
regularly it can cause cleft palate during development, and withdrawal in
the newborn. I am 28 weeks and not using it at all, so if it WOULD be ok and
not risky to take 1 to stop a panic attack, it would really bring me relief.
I don't want to keep suffering panic..with rapid heartbeat and gsaping for
breath and a strong adrenaline rush/sense of fear.

I want them to tell me it's ok to take it if it's likely ok to use it! I
want them to give me a strict limit on how many are probably safe to use. If
I had taken Klonopin during my pregnancy when I needed to stop panic/rapid
heartbeat, by this point, 28 weeks, I would only have taken less than 5 "1
mg" pills total if even that many. I just want them to tell me, is that
possibly harmful??? Because if not I beg of them, help! I actually have a
full bottle of Klonopin remaining in my cabinet. And I won't touch a single
one until my OB ok's it and tells me that as long as I don't take more than
x-number in pregnancy I should be ok,. But I sure wish they could helpme or
suggest something ELSE!

All I can tell you is that it's a pregnancy category C. Sorry - I am sure
others will post more...
"Jill" wrote in message
. com...
I hope this doesn't start up the SSRI thing again, I added those who seem
to
have an agenda to my killfile. I am not rehashing, I put in a call to my
primary care physician, to ask her about the panic and rapid heartbeat
feelings I have been having for a few weeks, starting with a full blown
panic attack I had out of nowhere. I deal normally ONLY with my OB
regarding
medications. However my primary care doctor is pretty sharp and she often
knows little tricks with medications and is the best doctor I have ever
had
for not letting you suffer with a problem, for fixing it for you. She is
the
only doctor who had tricks up her sleeve that always made my migraines
better, and I saw a neurologist too!

Of course, she left me a message to check with my OB and let them dispense
only the medications they are comfortable with (all drs do this when you
are
pregnant!)...her suggestion was to ask them if they though about
increasing
my Paxil dose. I don't know if that will help, since I am on Paxil CR
37.5mg
which is already a pretty good adult dose, and I never took more than that
before pregnancy. I think it would add side effects.

The other thing my p-doc said to ask about is if my OB would be willing to
prescribe benzodiazapenes (sp?) ...this brings me full circle right back
to
the "Can I take a Klonopin?"...it's so frustrating to go around and
around... I asked the nruse if this means that my p-docs opinion is that a
rare Klonopin is safe during pregnancy only to stop a panic attack, and
she
said "Well she wants you to ask the ob's about since they would know more
about what's safe during preganncy". I hate when doctors say that because
they all have access to the drug safety info; but I understand, that no
doctor wants to be liable for a problem during a pregnancy that could be
blamed on a prescribed drug, which is what OBs are paid to be responisble
for. So I understand I just wish someone would give me a straight answer.
I
have Klonopin already in my medicine cabinet however I am afraid to take
even 1. It's very hard to deal with panic disorder, I don't want to find
out
I suffered needleslly when taking 1 Klonopin, very rarely, won't
hurt...and
I could have stopped a cycle of panic attacks instead of suffer. However,
doctors just seem to brush it off ...I guess what I am saying is I have
been
having more panicky little episodes and they are hard to deal with and
scary, and taxing on me physically because of the stress level associated
with coping with them.

I see my OB on Weds of next week for my glucose test etc. I just want a
straight answer....can Klonopin be used at all during pregnancy without
causing a problem, because if so, I guess I am asking for permission to
use
one during a panic episode. If someone would tell me definitely that one
Klonipin truly is a big deal and a bad idea, I wouldn't keep asking and I
would not want to use it. But I will be honest...no one has told me it's
bad
to use rarely during pregnancy, I have only been told if you take it
regularly it can cause cleft palate during development, and withdrawal in
the newborn. I am 28 weeks and not using it at all, so if it WOULD be ok
and
not risky to take 1 to stop a panic attack, it would really bring me
relief.
I don't want to keep suffering panic..with rapid heartbeat and gsaping for
breath and a strong adrenaline rush/sense of fear.

I want them to tell me it's ok to take it if it's likely ok to use it! I
want them to give me a strict limit on how many are probably safe to use.
If
I had taken Klonopin during my pregnancy when I needed to stop
panic/rapid
heartbeat, by this point, 28 weeks, I would only have taken less than 5 "1
mg" pills total if even that many. I just want them to tell me, is that
possibly harmful??? Because if not I beg of them, help! I actually have a
full bottle of Klonopin remaining in my cabinet. And I won't touch a
single
one until my OB ok's it and tells me that as long as I don't take more
than
x-number in pregnancy I should be ok,. But I sure wish they could helpme
or
suggest something ELSE!

I found this Massachusetts general hospital webpage, that says Klonopin
maybe safe to take after the first trimester if you don't take it near
delivery where it would cause withdrawal...opinions?

http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/to...nancy_auq.html

here is what it says...this is so frustrating to deal with, I have been
discussing it with doctors forever...
.............
Klonopin During Pregnancy (November 2001)
Q. What, if any, are the risks associated with using clonazepam (Klonopin)
during pregnancy? And, if there are any risks, does risk increase according
to dosage. I am now taking between 2-4mg at night and plan on trying to
become pregnant within 2 months. If there are any significant risks, how
long before conceiving should Klonopin be stopped?

A. The data regarding the use of the benzodiazepines (including Klonopin,
Xanax, Ativan, and Valium) during pregnancy are somewhat controversial.
Studies suggest there may be an increased risk of cleft lip and palate
associated with first trimester exposure to these medications. This risk
appears to be relatively small. Early reports suggest that the risk is about
0.7%; however, a recent study suggests that the risk may be even lower than
that. Risk does not seem to be influenced by the dosage of medication taken
by the other.

There are some concerns about the impact of benzodiazepines taken while
pregnant on the newborn. As adults who take these medications may suffer
from side effects, so too may the baby. Symptoms of toxicity have been
reported in newborns, and these include sedation, decreased muscle tone
(floppiness), and breathing problems. In general, these symptoms appear
infrequently but probably occur more commonly in women taking higher dosages
of medication. There are also some reports of benzodiazepine withdrawal
occurring in newborns exposed to benzodiazepines in utero. Symptoms of
benzodiazepine withdrawal include irritability, sleep disruption, and, less
commonly, seizure.

For women who wish to stop anti-anxiety medications prior to pregnancy, it
is best to do a slow taper (over 1 month) of the medication. This reduces
the risk of withdrawal an/or recurrent symptoms. After stopping a
medication, it may take several days or weeks to completely wash out the
medication. Unfortunately, some women are unable to stop their anti-anxiety
medication without significant symptoms and need to remain on a
benzodiazepine during pregnancy. The decision to take anti-anxiety
medications during pregnancy should be discussed with your psychiatrist or
obstetrician, ideally before attempts to conceive.

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;

Can I take a Klonopin?".

well, the last time we all discussed this, i freaked and called the
pharmacist....sometimes i think they know more....anyhow I take 1
clonazapam daily
( 1 mg ) the reason i take them in the first place was when i was having
BAD PMS!
and I have MVP and it helps with the rapid HB.....i dont think I even
need them now BUT they're a real bugger to quit,,,,when i first got
pregnant...my PCP said my meds were ok....( Clonazapam...inderal la )
then I also asked my OB and she said to cut back on the clonazapam just
until she hears the HB at about 12 weeks...so now i'm back to my 1 mg
daily....but i got scared after reading on here that it WAS NOT
good.....i called the drug store and she said it was fine and would be
worse on the baby to quit NOW and she might be a little fussy the first
few weeks, because of withdrawl.....I feel like a freaking drug
addict...i wish i knew this before...BUT she said that there shouldnt be
ANY problems at all...the fussiness was the worst...and might be ok.....
when I had my US she said NO cleft palate,,,,i didnt even know what it
was....
also when I had my US the Dr. who gave me that asked about my Meds and
didnt think anything about it.....
I'm going to get a straight answer on March 3.....about that
drug.....and i'll post!

did you say before that YOU have Mitra Valve Prolapse????????

you might want to try a beta blocker...it will keep your heart beating
very regular...and THAT helps with anxiety.....

personally i wouldnt be afraid of the klonapin especially once in
awhile......

I know how this baby is kicking and she is VERY active so i dont think
the drug is affecting her.....lol...

keep us posted if you find anything out from the Dr.....i dont like to
research because they make everything sound so bad,,,,I listen to my Dr,
and REAL LIFE experiences, like in this group....

hope you feel better...

"Jill" wrote in message
. com...
I hope this doesn't start up the SSRI thing again, I added those who seem
to
have an agenda to my killfile. I am not rehashing, I put in a call to my
primary care physician, to ask her about the panic and rapid heartbeat
feelings I have been having for a few weeks, starting with a full blown
panic attack I had out of nowhere. I deal normally ONLY with my OB
regarding
medications. However my primary care doctor is pretty sharp and she often
knows little tricks with medications and is the best doctor I have ever
had
for not letting you suffer with a problem, for fixing it for you. She is
the
only doctor who had tricks up her sleeve that always made my migraines
better, and I saw a neurologist too!

Of course, she left me a message to check with my OB and let them dispense
only the medications they are comfortable with (all drs do this when you
are
pregnant!)...her suggestion was to ask them if they though about
increasing
my Paxil dose. I don't know if that will help, since I am on Paxil CR
37.5mg
which is already a pretty good adult dose, and I never took more than that
before pregnancy. I think it would add side effects.

The other thing my p-doc said to ask about is if my OB would be willing to
prescribe benzodiazapenes (sp?) ...this brings me full circle right back
to
the "Can I take a Klonopin?"...it's so frustrating to go around and
around... I asked the nruse if this means that my p-docs opinion is that a
rare Klonopin is safe during pregnancy only to stop a panic attack, and
she
said "Well she wants you to ask the ob's about since they would know more
about what's safe during preganncy". I hate when doctors say that because
they all have access to the drug safety info; but I understand, that no
doctor wants to be liable for a problem during a pregnancy that could be
blamed on a prescribed drug, which is what OBs are paid to be responisble
for. So I understand I just wish someone would give me a straight answer.
I
have Klonopin already in my medicine cabinet however I am afraid to take
even 1. It's very hard to deal with panic disorder, I don't want to find
out
I suffered needleslly when taking 1 Klonopin, very rarely, won't
hurt...and
I could have stopped a cycle of panic attacks instead of suffer. However,
doctors just seem to brush it off ...I guess what I am saying is I have
been
having more panicky little episodes and they are hard to deal with and
scary, and taxing on me physically because of the stress level associated
with coping with them.

I see my OB on Weds of next week for my glucose test etc. I just want a
straight answer....can Klonopin be used at all during pregnancy without
causing a problem, because if so, I guess I am asking for permission to
use
one during a panic episode. If someone would tell me definitely that one
Klonipin truly is a big deal and a bad idea, I wouldn't keep asking and I
would not want to use it. But I will be honest...no one has told me it's
bad
to use rarely during pregnancy, I have only been told if you take it
regularly it can cause cleft palate during development, and withdrawal in
the newborn. I am 28 weeks and not using it at all, so if it WOULD be ok
and
not risky to take 1 to stop a panic attack, it would really bring me
relief.
I don't want to keep suffering panic..with rapid heartbeat and gsaping for
breath and a strong adrenaline rush/sense of fear.

I want them to tell me it's ok to take it if it's likely ok to use it! I
want them to give me a strict limit on how many are probably safe to use.
If
I had taken Klonopin during my pregnancy when I needed to stop
panic/rapid
heartbeat, by this point, 28 weeks, I would only have taken less than 5 "1
mg" pills total if even that many. I just want them to tell me, is that
possibly harmful??? Because if not I beg of them, help! I actually have a
full bottle of Klonopin remaining in my cabinet. And I won't touch a
single
one until my OB ok's it and tells me that as long as I don't take more
than
x-number in pregnancy I should be ok,. But I sure wish they could helpme
or
suggest something ELSE!


Here's my main question for ya...what side effects do you currently have
from the Paxil? What side effects are you worried about from increasing it?

It seems that it's safer to take increased doses of an SSRI that you're
already on than to add a benzo into the mix, only because there just aren't
that many good studies about benzos in pregnancy. My psychiatrist said he'd
rather me increase my Zoloft rather than have to resort to a Xanax, which is
shorter acting than Klonopin and in the same family of drugs. However,
other doctors have told me that if I take *one* Xanax to stop a horrible
panic attack, that it's not going to do anything to my baby. I chose to
start out by first increasing the Zoloft and then waited to see. I still
get panic attacks but not as bad as I was getting them for a good few weeks
there. I've had them since about 4 months along this pregnancy but for
about a month they were every single day and pretty bad. Not sure if I
posted this link here yet or not, but I got great support from something I
printed out from www.panicsupport4u.com . I sat down in a quiet spot and
read the "coping" page to myself when I started feeling the attack come on.
Of course it's not as reliable as my old faithful friends Xanax, but I had
peace of mind once the attack left.

If you're going to be concerned about taking the Klonopin *after* you've
taken it, then it's just not worth it. I still have a bottle of Xanax like
you do that waits on my shelf for a time when I really need it, when I'm not
pregnant. Most panic attacks hit their peak and then start to
subside...I've found that by the time medication would really start kicking
in, the attack would already be on its way to ending. Klonopin is often
used as a preventative for panic attacks.

Ok, enough rambling on my part. I'd talk to the dr. about increasing the
Paxil since you're already on it.

Good luck and I can totally relate to what you're going through. Major hugs
to you.

- Jen

Whew thanks for posting this information...i usually dont research
because it will scare the heck outta me..;(

now i'm not so scared, BUT i do want to see if i should cut back on the
clonzapam....i dont want the baby to be stressed out....I think i would
rather deal with it when she is here...i can dealwith her being fussy,
but if i thought it would stress her out then I WOULD ween off
NOW.......wwyd?

Just wanted to add that if you watch those Maternity Ward shows (which I do
of course) they always have these 15 year old crack/heroin addicts giving
birth at like 26 weeks to healthy babies...not that I'm advocating that in
any way, but it always eased my mind about the little worries I have during
pregnancy!


"Christine" wrote in message
...
Can I take a Klonopin?".

well, the last time we all discussed this, i freaked and called the
pharmacist....sometimes i think they know more....anyhow I take 1
clonazapam daily
( 1 mg ) the reason i take them in the first place was when i was having
BAD PMS!
and I have MVP and it helps with the rapid HB.....i dont think I even
need them now BUT they're a real bugger to quit,,,,when i first got
pregnant...my PCP said my meds were ok....( Clonazapam...inderal la )
then I also asked my OB and she said to cut back on the clonazapam just
until she hears the HB at about 12 weeks...so now i'm back to my 1 mg
daily....but i got scared after reading on here that it WAS NOT
good.....i called the drug store and she said it was fine and would be
worse on the baby to quit NOW and she might be a little fussy the first
few weeks, because of withdrawl.....I feel like a freaking drug
addict...i wish i knew this before...BUT she said that there shouldnt be
ANY problems at all...the fussiness was the worst...and might be ok.....
when I had my US she said NO cleft palate,,,,i didnt even know what it
was....
also when I had my US the Dr. who gave me that asked about my Meds and
didnt think anything about it.....
I'm going to get a straight answer on March 3.....about that
drug.....and i'll post!

did you say before that YOU have Mitra Valve Prolapse????????

you might want to try a beta blocker...it will keep your heart beating
very regular...and THAT helps with anxiety.....

personally i wouldnt be afraid of the klonapin especially once in
awhile......

I know how this baby is kicking and she is VERY active so i dont think
the drug is affecting her.....lol...

keep us posted if you find anything out from the Dr.....i dont like to
research because they make everything sound so bad,,,,I listen to my Dr,
and REAL LIFE experiences, like in this group....

hope you feel better...

Ok heres another good question, for those who take anything like
that......

some say the baby is born addicted....and might go through a small
withdrawl....
( I hate the thought of that ) just knowing it was my fault......BUT
cigarette smoking is VERY addicting too and there are some pregnant
people who smoke during pregnancy...now when that baby is born is the
baby addicted to nicotine??????
I'm asking because i knew a lot of ppl who smoked during
pregnancy.....my friend being one and her baby was VERY fussy when she
was born......I guess my main question is the severity of the addiction
when the baby is born......

I do not smoke....

"Jill" wrote in message
. com...
I hope this doesn't start up the SSRI thing again, I added those who seem
to
have an agenda to my killfile. I am not rehashing, I put in a call to my
primary care physician, to ask her about the panic and rapid heartbeat
feelings I have been having for a few weeks, starting with a full blown
panic attack I had out of nowhere. snip

Jill -- Just to be safe, why don't you get checked out for all the thyroid
antibodies, just to make sure you are not experiencing transient
hyperthyroidism secondary to thyroiditis. It's very common to develop this
problem for the first time during a pregnancy and then to experience the
hypothyroidism for the first time after delivery -- voila, ppd is diagnosed.

And next time you get rapid heartbeat, given how pregnant you are, drink a
quart of diluted Gatorade and sit down for a half-hour, see if it doesn't go
away.

As far as the klonipin, I can't see the harm in taking it a handful of times
between now and delivery, but who knows. As has been discussed, the 2 main
problems -- birth defects and withdrawal at birth -- are not an issue for
you at this stage, baby is not going to go through withdrawal if you only
take it a few times.

There's always a risk, so don't expect a Dr. worried about his own skin to
give you his or her blessing, since it's Category C. You know, they used to
give Paxil their blessing but that was the standard of care so the fact that
there's always a risk didn't matter, they couldn't get sued if everyone is
doing it.

Hope this helps.

-- Dagny

Just wanted to add that if you watch those Maternity Ward shows (which I
do of course) they always have these 15 year old crack/heroin addicts
giving birth at like 26 weeks to healthy babies...not that I'm
advocating that in any way, but it always eased my mind about the little
worries I have during pregnancy!

=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=9 5=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=
=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=95=9 5=95=95=95=95=95=95=95

yeah me too....;-)