Took a xanax without thinking while pregnant - what to do?

March 30, 2016 11:26 AM

I am 9 weeks pregnant. I started having some bleeding and cramping, and it freaked me out entirely because I had a miscarriage before. I took a xanax (that I have in reserve for anxiety attacks, and almost never take). Then I found out that xanax is a schedule D drug for pregnancy (not recommended). Should I tell my doctor? Can I get it out of my system? I took it about an hour ago.

I read obsessively about it, and it looks like there were early studies suggesting it may contribute to cleft palate if taken in the first trimester that were later found to be inconclusive upon replication with larger sample sizes. There were also studies showing that babies with chronic exposure before delivery were "floppy" and had some withdrawl symptoms. I haven't found the original studies, but my gut feeling is that the women in these studies were taking it habitually. So, I'm thinking that one dose is probably not as bad as taking it every day, but if there's something I can do to mitigate any possible damage I'm willing to hear about. I was just freaking out so, so badly about having a miscarriage (my second one) and took it without thinking. I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow to do another ultrasound and see if everything's ok - should I mention it to my doctor at that time? I don't have a prescription - a friend of mine gets more pills than she needs and gives me some spares to use from time to time, e.g. 1 every 6 months when something really rattles me. I also don't want my doctor to note it in my file and I get treated like a drug addict every time I come in for a check-up.

posted by sockpuppetofexistentialconfusion to Health & Fitness (24 answers total)

Call your OB's nurse line. They'll talk to you about it.

*hugs*
posted by heathrowga at 11:28 AM on March 30, 2016

Call your doctor. If your doctor makes a note in your file and treats you like a drug addict every time you go in for a checkup from now on, find a new doctor.

Side note: If you look at my question history, you might see that I had bleeding and cramping when I was about 5 weeks pregnant. Tomorrow I'll be 29 weeks. Hang in there.
posted by kat518 at 11:33 AM on March 30, 2016

I am not a doctor, but after reviewing the studies of pharmacology of benzodiazepines and first trimester, it appears that the abnormalities like cleft palate were increased by about 1% in women who took an average of 7mgs per day, for the entire trimester.

Doctors will prescribe xanax to prenatal patients with anxiety orders. In other words, one dose is significantly unlikely to have an impact on the zygote.

Big hugs. Pregnancy is nerve wracking.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:41 AM on March 30, 2016

You can also call a hotline that specializes in these types of issues. Your state may have one of their own but Texas has two, one is fully staffed by genetic counselors (I think) and the other is supervised by GCs. Both are free and confidential.
posted by beaning at 11:44 AM on March 30, 2016

I was an IVF patient and every time I had a transfer procedure my doctor gave me a Xanax in the office and one to take home. Just don't start taking them daily and you should be just fine.
posted by vignettist at 11:49 AM on March 30, 2016

You should call your doctor, but just a reassuring data point: I took a Xanax before I knew I was pregnant, and the kid is a big healthy 5 year old now. I told my OB and she didn't seem worried.
posted by pipti at 11:50 AM on March 30, 2016

If you Google teratogen hotline you will find a few more options, too, in case finding one in your state is important to you. The psychiatrist I work with refers clients to the California hotline frequently for such questions.
posted by lazuli at 11:52 AM on March 30, 2016

Thanks everyone. I probably should actually get real treatment for my anxiety at some point. I was looking at pregnancy forums before this and the general consensus was that taking any kind of anti-anxiety medication made you a monster who hated your baby, so this was really, really helpful.
posted by sockpuppetofexistentialconfusion at 12:04 PM on March 30, 2016

Since you are worried about your medical chart being flagged, call an anonymous hotline before calling your doctor.

Go for a walk in nature, get a massage, get someone comforting to hold you... everything is OK :))
posted by jbenben at 12:06 PM on March 30, 2016

I was looking at pregnancy forums before this and the general consensus was that taking any kind of anti-anxiety medication made you a monster who hated your baby, so this was really, really helpful.

Yeah, no, pregnancy forums are awful vile pits of fear, loathing, judgment, anxiety, scorpions, more scorpions, and more judgment.
posted by joyceanmachine at 12:11 PM on March 30, 2016

I was looking at pregnancy forums before this and the general consensus was that taking any kind of anti-anxiety medication made you a monster who hated your baby

Pregnancy forums will tell you that drinking water and breathing air will make you a monster who hates your baby. Pregnancy forums are full of insane people. Pay them no mind.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:12 PM on March 30, 2016

you're going to be fine. Your baby's going to be fine. Step away from the internet and do something that makes you feel good. It's the best thing you can do right now. Hang in there!
posted by Omnomnom at 12:24 PM on March 30, 2016

If you do want to tell your OB, there's no need to admit where you got the pill. "Left over from an old prescription" is plenty good enough. There's no central registry of everything anyone ever prescribed you.

(Anecdote: I bled so much the first few weeks that I was convinced I'd miscarried and didn't bother going in/having an ultrasound until almost the third month, and even then only to figure out why I was still getting positive tests despite all the blood. The wiggly little critter I didn't dare hope to see on that screen will be nine months old this Friday.)
posted by teremala at 12:24 PM on March 30, 2016

You find the book Expecting Better to a really helpful antidote the pregnancy advice hysteria. Written by economist, it takes all of the major pregnancy warnings and gives you real data so you can make an intelligent decision based on facts. It covers all kinds of warning from alcohol to kitty litter to sushi.
posted by metahawk at 12:35 PM on March 30, 2016

Also, check it out, your little one isn't even working on the palate yet (they mean nine weeks after fertilisation, so more like twelve weeks after your last period): embryology. And you're absolutely right to think that those studies are talking about routine use. There's no way taking one pill at nine weeks is going to make your eventual baby dependant.
posted by teremala at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2016

I'm so sorry you're having such a rough go of it. It is extremely unlikely that you can do anything accidental to cause yourself to miscarry. Miscarriage happens. I certainly hope this one sticks for you but please know that you are doing a good job, anxiety is normal during any pregnancy and you haven't done something horrible by taking a dose of xanax. You should definitely talk to your doctor about the bleeding and cramping. You can also talk about your anxiety and ask for safe methods of coping. If you have a history of panic attacks, please let your doctor know. I don't think it matters whether you tell them about this xanax or not. You can let them know that you have used it successfully in the past and see what they say about its use now. And, yes, you can tell them that you took the pill if you want reassurance that it is inconsequential. It is.
posted by amanda at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2016

Nthing that the pregnancy boards say that virtually any action means you hate your baby. But if you ever feel stressed, you can go on the board and tell people who are saying ridiculous things that they're being absurd. And then fight with them. And realize that it's all nonsense when 25 people tell you vaccinating your kid per your doctor's recommendation makes you a monster. The crazies are everywhere!!! And I sometimes enjoy poking them to see the response!
posted by Kalmya at 1:21 PM on March 30, 2016

So it's not Xanax, but as a datapoint: My mother was on an experimental treatment that had the potential to cause massive birth defects. Please-abort-or-she'll-be-born-with-flippers level of birth defects. Long story short, Mom didn't abort, I'm fine. I honestly don't think ONE Xanax is anywhere near that powerful. But please, for your sanity, stay away from the pregnancy boards.
posted by Tamanna at 1:42 PM on March 30, 2016

Oh love.....I am totally there with you. I am sure that you will be fine. One xanax will not hurt that little one. You take care of YOU tonight. Hot bath....sinful food....and relax. Go see your DR. and give yourself a break. I am right there with you.....Had to do fertility treatments for both of mine and had extensive bleeding with the first...but they can be tough little things. She is now almost 16, 6 ft tall, thinks she knows EVERYTHING and totally mad at me because I'm making her go to her oboe lesson this afternoon. Take a deep breath. You are already a great mom for being worried about this, talk to your dr and move forward accordingly.
posted by pearlybob at 1:44 PM on March 30, 2016

You're fine on the Xanax. I also take them as needed and my OB has said she sees no issue with an occasional one during pregnancy. I have not taken one yet but I also have not ruled it out. I hope the bleeding resolves and your pregnancy continues smoothly. I am also pregnant after a miscarriage and I understand the real fear that hits you every day.
posted by notjustthefish at 1:50 PM on March 30, 2016

You and your bub will be completely fine!

n'thing all the others answers telling you not to read the pregnancy forums. They are a hive of scum and villainy.

I suffer from anxiety too, and as soon as we found out I was pregnant (26 wks now!), we put a blanket ban on Google and all forms of Internet "research" relating to pregnancy. We have two well-respected pregnancy reference books which we can consult, and all other questions get written down in a notebook and asked when we see the OB monthly. The only exception to this is scholarly, peer-reviewed articles (via scholar.google.com) if I'm looking to see if a particular product (e.g., a vitamin) is safe or not, but I'm extremely careful not to let such research activities leak out onto the Internet in general (because you will literally find people supporting ANY VIEWPOINT on the Internet, with no regard for reality).
posted by snap, crackle and pop at 2:02 PM on March 30, 2016

Family members of mine took Lexapro through multiple pregnancies without incident for anxiety. Ask your Non-OB about it.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 2:22 PM on March 30, 2016

This is really unlikely to be a big deal (the Xanax). If I were in your shoes, I would probably talk to my doctor about this tomorrow, but more about the anxiety than the pill. I think I'd say that I was prone to anxiety (if you are), that I'd had a miscarriage, and that I could use some help figuring out how to manage anxiety as a pregnant lady (like SSRIs, omega-3 fish oil [good for your nerves and also good for fetus brains], bright light therapy, etc). It's natural to be filled with emotion while you're working to grow a person inside your body, but if your doctor can make it easier why not let them try?

(My personal experience of being an anxious pregnant person was that I did a lot of Anxious Pregnant Googling and it was terrible. By the end of the pregnancy I was convinced that almost everything I did was the absolute worst thing ever (food, sleep, you name it). The book Expecting Better helped, as did The Panic-Free Pregnancy, but what would have helped more is following snap, crackle, and pop's lead and keeping away from the pregnancy forums altogether. They are full of poorly-sourced paranoia, and the culture of fear and judgement around pregnancy then extends into fearful, judgey discussions of birth, nursing, baby sleep and so forth.)

Wishing you the best.
posted by hungrytiger at 1:16 AM on March 31, 2016

Stay away from pregnancy forums, they will only scare you about things that never happen in most pregnancies. Think of the generations of moms who had healthy pregnancies in ignorance of all the things that could go wrong in the days before the internet. Your best bet is to have a doctor, midwife, or nurse practitioner you can trust and talk to and believe in, and some friends or family who have had babies and can offer reassurance and a calming influence, not horror stories. Internet pregnancy forums are the equivalent of scary old wives tales in earlier times. Remember that there is no one right way to be pregnant, go through labor and delivery, or care for your newborn. Look at the cultural variation around the world in all these things, yet most kids turn out fine, even in less than ideal circumstances.
posted by mermayd at 4:47 AM on March 31, 2016