Depression dilemma in pregnancy: Ditch meds?

In January 2008, Clori Rose, a high school teacher in Atlanta, was halfway through her pregnancy when she started to notice a significant change in her emotions. A remark from a student that she normally would have brushed aside sent her into a state of distress.


"It made me cry, and I seriously couldn’t stop crying for 24 hours," Rose said. "I was so upset I had to call in sick."

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Having battled depression on and off for years, Rose went to see her psychiatrist who diagnosed her as having stress and anxiety disorder brought on by pregnancy. He advised her to take Wellbutrin, an antidepressant, to cope with her mood changes. Her obstetrician prescribed Zoloft, another type of depression medication. Both told her the drugs posed only a small risk to the fetus, but Rose remained unconvinced.
After doing her own research, and discussing it with her psychiatrist, Rose decided not to take the drugs â€" unsure of what they would do to her unborn baby girl.
"I just didn’t find in my research that anyone could conclusively say to me that it wouldn't hurt her," Rose said.
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"I guess my biggest thing was, what if down the line we found out she had ADHD, or a learning disability, or something, and in the back of my [mind] I would think, 'Is it because I took that medication?'" Rose said. "Being a mom, there's so much guilt wrapped up in it anyway, I didn’t want anything to be existing that I could blame myself for anything happening to her."

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