During the first trimester. Taking Xanax during your first trimester (months 1 to 3) of pregnancy could raise your baby’s risk of birth defects. These could include cleft lip, cleft palate, or more serious problems. These birth defects could affect the way your baby looks, develops, or functions for the rest of their life.
How does Xanax affect pregnancy?
- Drowsiness and unsteadiness upon standing, increasing the risk of falls.
- May impair reaction skills and affect a person's ability to drive or operate machinery. ...
- Blood pressure-lowering, heart palpitations, constipation, nausea, dry mouth, headache, and a decrease in libido are also commonly reported side effects.
Is it OK to take Xanax while pregnant?
Xanax is not safe to take during pregnancy. It’s a pregnancy category D drug, which means it can harm your pregnancy. The effects on a pregnancy depend on when in the pregnancy you take Xanax. It can cause serious problems throughout your entire pregnancy, though, so you should avoid it during all three trimesters.
How does taking Xanax while pregnant affect the unborn fetus?
- Sedation.
- Restlessness.
- Diarrhea and vomiting.
- Decreased muscle tone.
- Reluctance to suck.
- Apneic spells (meaning periods of difficult or stopped breathing).
- Cyanosis (bluish skin).
- Impaired response to cold-induced stress.
- Seizures (although rare).
What drugs are safe in pregnancy?
COMMON MEDICATIONS SAFE IN PREGNANCY Clindamycin ACNE: Benzoyl Peroxide Topical Erythromycin . Salicylic Acid. AVOID: Accutane Metamucil. Retin-A . Tetracycline . Minocycline
How to help mood issues?
Natural supplements and herbal remedies. Yoga. Acupuncture has long been touted as an appropriate treatment for mood issues. PsychCentral reports a 42 percent improvement in depressive symptoms in a treatment group compared to just 22 percent improvement in a placebo group.
Can you stop taking Xanax while pregnant?
If a woman is abusing Xanax and pregnant, the sooner she can stop taking the drug, the better off she and her baby will be. That being said, quitting Xanax abruptly is never advised, not even when a woman is expecting. Not only is withdrawal too intense for the mom; it is even harder on a developing child. Weaning off Xanax via medical detox is even more important while pregnant, and the duration of the tapering period may be extended somewhat to facilitate a calmer experience.
How many people were treated for drug abuse in 2009?
In fact, 1.2 million people who were treated in emergency rooms in 2009 had problems that arose from pharmaceutical drug abuse, whereas only 974,000 people were treated for similar problems stemming from illicit drug abuse, the White House reports.
Can pregnant women take Xanax?
Even when anxiety and depression are present, there are certain individuals who should not use Xanax. Pregnant women fall into that category. Xanax — a brand name for alprazolam — is a prescription benzodiazepine that works by calming central nervous system impulses. As neurotransmitters fire off in the brain, they cause emotional ...
Is Xanax safe for pregnant women?
When Is Xanax Not Safe? Mental health disorders that warrant the need for a medication like Xanax occur in around 500,000 pregnant women every single year, according to Harvard Health Publications. Women are more likely to receive a prescription for a benzodiazepine than men are, per EMedicineHealth.
Is Xanax safe for babies?
These babies often exhibit symptoms, such as irritability and trouble sleeping, when the drug use ceases. Xanax is excreted in breastmilk, so it is also unsafe for use in non-pregnant nursing mothers as it can be passed on to infants.
Is Xanax a controlled substance?
Xanax is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance and Category D risk in pregnancy. This means studies have been completed on the drug, and it has been proven to carry certain risks. Risks to a developing fetus are numerous.
Benefits Of Taking Xanax While Pregnant
When you’re pregnant, hormonal changes and the stress of planning for a new baby can cause serious anxiety.
Risks Of Taking Xanax While Pregnant
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies Xanax as a Category D pregnancy drug.
Alternatives To Xanax During Pregnancy
If you’re concerned about the above risks but still want to treat your anxiety while pregnant, talk to your doctor about creating a treatment plan that doesn’t include Xanax.
How to get rid of anxiety after taking Xanax?
Meditation. Massage therapy. Natural supplements and herbal remedies (probiotics, L-theanine – an amino acid safe to use during pregnancy) Yoga. Make sure to consult your doctor before going for any alternative remedies for anxiety. Also, you need to be prepared to face Xanax withdrawal symptoms.
What is Xanax used for?
What Is Xanax? Xanax is the brand name for alprazolam, which is a benzodiazepine drug approved by the FDA. It is used for treating anxiety disorders as benzodiazepine helps in calming the central nervous system (1).
Can you take Xanax during the second trimester?
During the second and third trimesters. Taking Xanax during the second and third trimester can lead to: [ Read: Stress During Pregnancy ] 1. Withdrawal syndrome lasting for several weeks or months (3): Anxiety.
Can you take Xanax while pregnant?
Xanax is not recommended during pregnancy because it can have an adverse effect on your fetus. It is a pregnancy category D drug, which means that Xanax is known to have adverse reactions in humans. Xanax reaches the fetus through the bloodstream and makes the baby addicted to this drug. Not just that, the drug can harm you in each stage ...
Can anxiety affect pregnancy?
If anxiety remains untreated, it can certainly adversely impact your pregnancy. You may miss your OB visits, eat poorly, or get into habits such as smoking and drinking. This can pose a potential risk to your pregnancy, such as (8), (9): Try non-invasive methods such as yoga and meditation.
Can Xanax cause cleft lip?
Taking Xanax during the first trimester can lead to birth defects, such as cleft palate and cleft lip, in your baby (2). It could affect the baby’s looks, body functions, and development. Xanax is assumed to carry an increased risk of congenital abnormalities when administered during the first trimester.
What Does Xanax Treat?
Although Xanax is a safe medication used to treat anxiety, there are many scenarios when you shouldn’t take it, such as being pregnant, for one. Xanax is a central nervous system (CNS) depressant prescribed for short-term relief of anxiety, managing anxiety disorders, and the treatment of panic disorder.
Is There Any Safe Amount of Xanax During Pregnancy?
In short, no, you should avoid Xanax by any means necessary when you’re pregnant. As mentioned above, it’s a category D drug, meaning it can harm your unborn child. These effects are solely dependent on when in the pregnancy you use Xanax.
The Effects of Xanax Abuse While Pregnant
Xanax is considered a Schedule 4 controlled substance, meaning the federal government regulates the use of it. The drug is monitored closely largely in part because it can lead to physical and emotional dependence or addiction, even when you follow the doctor’s instructions.
What Are the Best Xanax Alternatives?
If one of your primary concerns about getting pregnant is how to treat your anxiety, you’re in luck to learn about the alternatives for Xanax.
What are the symptoms of benzodiazepines?
Symptoms such as hypoactivity, hypotonia, hypothermia, respiratory depression, apnea, feeding problems, and impaired metabolic response to cold stress have been reported in neonates born of mothers who have received benzodiazepines during the late phase of pregnancy or at delivery.
Is alprazolam bad for the fetus?
Overview--Alprazolam is also known as: Alprazolam Intensol, Niravam, Xanax, Xanax XR. Alprazolam Orally Disintegrating Tablets has been shown to cause harm to the fetus. If you become pregnant, discuss with your doctor the benefits and risks of using Alprazolam Orally Disintegrating Tablets during pregnancy.
Is it safe to take Xanax with the lowest dose?
As far as Xanax goes, I would stay on the lowest dose your body can handle because as most health care providers say, the withdrawal and chemical reaction of being off the medication can harm your body and baby's mental development as well as physical, just as much as using the drug.
Is Xanax safe for pregnancy?
olamac 18 Oct 2011. I'm pretty sure that Xanax isn't safe with a pregnancy, BUT if the risk of a panic attack outweigh the risk for your child - (aka, you could die from your panic attack - therefore, so could your unborn baby) - then maybe you NEED to be on this medication.
Can Xanax cause depression?
It is a serious condition that also can lead to serious depression, as in my case, and I have trouble taking care of myself, and can actually function like a normal person when I take xanax or klonopin. (Btw I chose to take the xanax in this case because it doesnt stay in your system as long.)
Can you take Xanax if you are allergic to Xanax?
Important information about Xanax. Do not use this medication if you are allergic to Xanax or to other benzodiazepines, such as chlordiazepoxide (Librium), clorazepate (Tranxene), diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), or oxazepam (Serax). This medication can cause birth defects in an unborn baby.
Does lorazepam cause cleft palate?
One study has suggested that lorazepam may cause cleft palate at dosages of 20 to 36 mg/kg in mice. Lorazepam has been assigned to pregnancy category D by the FDA. An increased risk of congenital malformations in humans has been suggested with use of other benzodiazepines.
When Is Xanax Not Safe?
Complications in Pregnancy
- Women who suffer from anxiety before getting pregnant may experience a steep increase in symptoms while they’re expecting. Even those who have never had issues with anxiety at all can develop them while pregnant. Anxiety isn’t just a consequence of worry or going through a hard time. It is often spurred by hormonal fluctuations. In fact, women can experience many sympto…
Alternatives
- If a woman does get pregnant while using or abusing Xanax, alternative treatments may be used to address anxiety, such as: 1. Exercise 2. Acupuncture 3. Diet changes 4. Meditation 5. Massage therapy 6. Natural supplements and herbal remedies 7. Yoga Acupuncture has long been touted as an appropriate treatment for mood issues. PsychCentral reports a 42 percent improvement i…
Effective Treatment
- If a woman is abusing Xanax and pregnant, the sooner she can stop taking the drug, the better off she and her baby will be. That being said, quitting Xanax abruptly is never advised, not even when a woman is expecting. Not only is withdrawal too intense for the mom; it is even harder on a developing child. Weaning off Xanax via medical detox is eve...