Klonopin and Pregnancy

[kitten4]

I am currently working on my master's degree and will be finished next may (may 2009).  I was wanting to get pregnant this september, and then have the baby next june (right after school is out).  I am currently on 10mg/day of Lexapro, and I take 1mg of Klonopin when needed (about once a week...pretty much for public speaking presentations for school).

I don't really have much of a problem going off the medications (i will mainly just be a very iritable w/ my husband), but my main fear is when I have to give my Thesis presentation at some point during that time I will NEED my 1mg of Klonopin inorder to get through it.

That wouldn't hurt the baby would it...only taking maybe 4 mg of Klonopin throughout the whole pregnancy?

[aman81]

I have been on Klonopin for about 7 years. I have tried numerous times to wean my self off because doctors tried to wean me off within days, which was unrealistic. Now i'm at 5 months pregnant and STILL on the medication. I worry everyday what this could do, especially since the doctors at my AWFUL hospital seem to have no care about it when i tell them!! I have no insurance so my prenatal care alone has been like a "pull up and get looked at, not talked to and go"! I have managed to take a .5 mg pill and break it into fours though to take daily a piece of it and on work days i take 1/2 of the .5 mg pill.
I would also like to address the fact that when i have tried to get off the medication i have been treated like a drug dependant crack head! They are not remembering that i take this for agorophobia! As soon as i mention the meds to doctors, they automatically attack! This dis order has caused me more pain than i can say for many years!!  As for my pregnancy, i need help.. i would of course like an answer from someone saying it's going to be fine, but please help!!

[amish1979]

Also, if you are anticipating needing this only for situations like public speaking you may want to speak with your doctor about a beta-blocker.  Beta-blockers can be a good substitute for benzos that are taken for such situations and preliminary studies show beta blockers to be safer than benzodiazepines during pregnancy.

[spade22]

Klonopin is a Class D drug which means evidence exists to suggest that "may" harm the fetus of a pregnant women.  However, drugs that are taken once-in-awhile typically don't pose the same risk as those taken on a regular basis BUT every case is different and it depends on when the drug is taken (1st, 2nd, 3rd trimester).  In any case,  this is something you should discuss w/ your doctor to get some statically information on so you can make a well-informed decision.  Also bare in mind, that panic feelings can be amplified during pregnancy so while you may anticipate needing 4 mg of Klonopin during your whole pregnancy, that may not be the case in reality.