Antidepressants

Lorazepam is in a class of drugs called benzodiazepines. Lorazepam affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced and cause anxiety, insomnia, and seizures.
Lorazepam is used to relieve anxiety, nervousness, and tension associated with anxiety disorders. It is also used to treat certain types of seizure disorders and to relieve insomnia (induce sleep).
Lorazepam is in the FDA pregnancy category D. This means that lorazepam is known to be harmful to an unborn baby.

In the past, taking a prescription antianxiety medication during pregnancy was not encouraged, but recent testing and clinical trials indicate several medications for treatment of anxiety and other disorders can be safe and effective.

Prozac:
Tested in long term clinical trials suggest no link to fetal developement or contributing effects to complications at childbirth.

Zoloft, Celexa, and Paxil:
No long term clinical trials, but considered safe in that there is no evidence that they cause problems associated with use during pregnancy.

Trycyclics: These are antidepressants, such as Tofranil, which are considered very safe for use during pregnancy.

Consider alternate homeopathic treatments which do not involve any medications, herbal or otherwise. These include relaxation therapy, meditation, aromatherapy, excercise, and other techniques for relieving anxiety and emotional problems.

Look at possible enviromental causes of anxiety, and treat them:
Overingestion of caffeine, from drinking excessive amounts of caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, soft drinks, or other sources.
Sensitivity to chemicals in the enviroment, which may include exposure to herbicides, pesticides, cleaning compounds, and solvents.
Exposure to high levels of enviromental pathogens such as mold.
Hormonal imbalances, which are common during pregnancy.

How do I go about communicating with this mother?

Hi I was on xannax and zoloft when i found out i was preg. with my 1st and 2nd. with my first i had to stop taking the xannax but continued taking the zoloft. That preg. was hard. i had many panic attacks but my depression was good. with my 2nd child i did the same and i had NO panic attacks. I have been suffering from this since 1992 and what worked for me is i told mayself that the baby in my belly was my anxiety med. It does sound silly however it worked with my second child. I think what happened with my first is that I kept telling myself that there was no way that I could do without my medican. My Dr.'s told me that zoloft was safe and xannax was not. I would check with your OBGYN. Best the of luck with you I know how hard it is. YOU WILL BE FINE!