wellness pregnancy plan!!

[lmorrison]

Hi, I am nursing a toddler and currently taking 50 mg zoloft , 50 mg 5htp and l-tyrosine( which helps sooo much with mood and concentration ) . I am wondering safety on these supplemets , as they have stabalized my mood drastically! ( I could not handle life before l tyrosine and 5 htp)
Also I weaned off 100 mg zoloft while pregnant and got back on after delivery. I had horrific anxirty , almost pyschosis and panic during pregnancy. What would be the best safest plan for if I get pregnant again, which I really hope to but dont want to go through the hell , really. ?? Thanks in advance

[admin-james]

Hi, thanks for your post.

I'm glad that your current drug regimen works for you. However, we do not have solid data on the 5HTP and L-tyrosine as they relate to pregnancy. What we do have suggests that they can cause problems in our animal models and that there have been several cases of poisonings due to contaminants in the pills.

Sertraline is well studied in pregnancy and does not appear to cause birth defects. Some infants have some withdrawal after birth, but that is temporary. It is also very safe while breastfeeding.

We advise the following: Wean off the 5HTP and L-tyrosine during the period of time that you are trying to get pregnant. The most critical period for fetal drug exposures is the first 30 days after conception, which might be too early to know that you are pregnant. Consult your physician about an appropriate sertraline-only regimen and stay on that throughout your pregnancy. Do not use 5HTP and L-tyrosine while breastfeeding an infant <9 months.

Please call us at the InfantRisk Center if this has not completely answered your question.*(806)352-2519

-James Abbey, MD
and
-Thomas W. Hale, Ph.D.