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Klonopin and Pregnancy

jya1124
Posted by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 7:32 PM
  • 10 Replies

I just found out that I am pregnant last wednesday, so I am a little over 4 weeks pregnant now. I was wondering if anyone else had taken Klonopin throughout pregnancy, and/or weaned off of it. I have already cut my dose in half (with doctors orders) as of last Thursday. I was wondering how long your wean down was, if anyone took the med through pregnancy, and if there were any complications with the baby or anything else...also, how was it getting off of the medication? Thanks for your help...any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the help!

 


 

Posted by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 7:32 PM
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yummy_mommy89
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 7:35 PM
Klonopin® (clonazepam) is a medication approved to treat panic disorder and certain types of seizures. It is generally considered unsafe for use in pregnant women. In animal studies that evaluated the effects of Klonopin during pregnancy, the drug increased the risk of birth defects.
 

Klonopin and Pregnancy Category D

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category D is given to medicines that have shown clear evidence of risk to the fetus in studies. Pregnancy Category D is a stronger warning than a pregnancy Category C classification. However, a pregnancy Category D medicine may still be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh the possible risks to the unborn child.
 
Klonopin was given a pregnancy Category D rating due to the problems it caused in animal studies. These studies suggested that Klonopin may increase the risk of various birth defects, including cleft palate and limb defects. However, this is a controversial issue, since some human studies have shown that the risk of birth defects may be very small. Benzodiazepines (such as Klonopin) may also cause other problems, such as withdrawal symptoms after an infant is born.
 
For women taking Klonopin for epilepsy, it is important to understand that uncontrolled seizures are also dangerous during pregnancy. The risks of taking Klonopin during pregnancy must be weighed against the risks of uncontrolled seizures.


jya1124
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 7:51 PM

Thanks for that info, but I already knew all of that...I am pretty well informed on the scientific facts, I was more looking for actual experience...but thanks anyhow!


 

jya1124
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 8:46 PM

anyone else?

Kaibutsu
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 8:48 PM

bump

mcleroytobe
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 8:56 PM

I had to wean off of it in january for the same reason. It was aweful at first, no sleep jittery and generally uncomfortable and the dr. prescribed me zoloft because she was worried about depression developing. It's been a few weeks now and my nerves are still pretty bad but more bareable, and I also was told to take benadryl on the nights when I realy couldn't sleep. I'm not gonna lie and say that I feel fine but the risk for the baby having birth defects if i were to take klonopin is too great. I hope that everything works out okay for you, I understand how hard anxiety disorders can be. feel free to contact me personally for any other uestions :)

mommy0815
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 8:58 PM

sorry i personally dont have any experience with this but i think personally i would have to ask myself if it was worth the risk. Good luck to you!!!  and heres a BUMP!

zoiezmom
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 8:59 PM
I take 0.5mg when needed, i was told it's safe by my ob
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BabieBerrie
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 9:17 PM

I just weaned off, Im 11wks now so I wont know what if anything it did to the baby, I was lucky that i had already had my dose cut so I weaned in 2 weeks the dr seemed really concerned and eager to get me off of it quickly.

ready_for2
by on Mar. 21, 2010 at 9:51 PM

i was on Ativan, its the same type of drug as klonopin, just a different name. i quit as soon as i found out bc it is KNOWN to for sure cause birth defects and especially in the heart. i didnt take time to wean off, i didnt care how bad my anxiety got, i was more worried about my baby. but somehow luckily my pregnancy changed my hormones and all that and i didnt have a lot of anxiety problems once i was pregnant. so it wasnt that bad for me. i would have had MORE anxiety had i stayed on it, bc then i would be so worried about the baby

jya1124
by on Mar. 22, 2010 at 10:59 AM

thank you all so much for the help...i am waiting for my doc to call back...im pretty sure im done weaning off, and will not take anymore..

 

"ready_for2" you are soooo right about it causing more anxiety to stay on bc of the risks to the baby.....how much were you on and for how long when you just quit taking it? how far along were you?

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