Antidepressants & Pregnancy: Understanding Medication Changes

Question
My question is about anti depressants and pregnancy. My husband and I are thinking about trying to get pregnant. I normally take BuSpar 15mg 3 times daily for anxiety and Wellbutrin XL 300 mg once daily. My OB/GYN advised me to switch from Wellbutrin to another anti-depressant so my GP switched me to Fluoxetine 20 mg once daily. My question is if Wellbutrin is a class B and Fluoxetine is a class C why the switch? I looked them up in my friends book--she is a nurse. Is it safe to take Wellbutrin, or should I stick to the fluoxetine? Thanks

Answer
Hello,

I'm not a physician so I can't fully answer your question.  My only advice is to question this with your ob/gyn.  No drug is completely safe in pregnancy. I do know that there are differences between which drug is safe in the first trimster and which is safe later on in the pregnancy.  It may be that Fluoxetine is approved during the first trimester and you may have to switch later on.  There is a great book called "Pregnancy Do's and Don'ts" that lists all the medications that are safe and not safe during pregnancy as well as which trimesters they are approved for and which class they are in.  Just keep in mind that most all drugs pass through the placenta so you have to decide whether the benefits outway any potential risks.  Are you able to function without the medications and use other cognitive/behavioral techniques to cope with the anxiety?  Best of luck.

Sarah