Has anyone decided to stop their meds when the found their pregnant?

Hi all! Another sleepless night, can't help worrying about the sulpha and the effect it's had on the 22 day fetus. The first trimester is when the baby develops it's brain, spine and nervous system & I'm worried about continuing on this drug for at least these three months. My stools r really runny no blood but I don't knw how much nutrients my body is keeping :(
This stress & anxiety is not helping my colon either but I can't help but feel this way.
I've read some scary things and wish I was more thorough!! Which is silly as I've been putting off pregnancy for a long time so that I had all the info I
needed!
I've bn to my rhume yesturday I left not feeling 100% assured from the talk we had. Monday I spoke to my GI
nurse on the phone she panicked when I asked her about sulpha & the baby & had to call my GI who told her that
I should carry on. She works alongside him so this sent
alarm bells off. She jus said that it was busy most her
patients are on asacol.
Now this has all built up to me feeling this way. I'm
taking half my dose. Contemplating stopping but worried
about what may happen as I've never done no meds &
it's not a time to risk that. Also I'm thinking about for these 3 months. I don't see my GI until next Friday so i
think the waiting will be torture.

Wanted to ask if anyone has switch their drug when
finding out their pregnant or reduced their dose or even stopped it completely.

Let me knw your thoughts and experiences, their much appreciated!x
I wish there was one answer & could stick to it!

Ah cheese puff thank you for your kind words. I was switched to sulpha 6 months ago because my joint inflammation was realy bad. To the point where i was hospitalised for the first time for a night.
I too have been wanting to try and thought sulpha was safe. I was told this but now im pregnant i've been reading sources online which have made me uneasy and the two consultants i saw didnt fill me with confidence. Theres no going back now im pregnant and its my first so i dont know what to expect, just worried about the babies initialy developement as the first trimester is crucial and read somewhere that sulpha should be used in caution in the first and last trimester.
Im a natural worrier, but with a baby inside me i cant help but think about it. i wouldnt be able to forgive myself god forbid if i have damaged this baby. I'm just praying and hoping for the best.
I spoke to my GI nurse this morning, to talk about it (I never mentioned stopping meds all together) but her worry is my joints going into overdrive which i know would mean very bad consequences. Im going to continue taking the minimum dose and see how i feel and gage things that way. Im on 1g a day should be on 2g. And songlady has had two healthy babies taking it on 3g a day.
The nurse told me my specialist says its safe and hes been practicing for 20years and is a father and wouldnt suggest otherwise if he didnt believe it. So at least thats promising!!
You just cant help thinking about the negatives and the unknown, idealy you shouldnt be taking any drugs.
As for breastfeeding i want to breastfeed too so im not sure what i will do when i come to that :(
If its not one thing its another!

I don't have experience with sulfasalazine but I did stop taking Lialda when I found out I was pregnant and it was a terrible mistake. I ended up in the ER due to terrible dehydration from a sudden onset UC flare. We also think I had a stomach virus but it was the UC that made me so sick. It was terrible and I was so frightened for my baby. I started back on Lialda and had to add Rowasa enemas to get the flare under control. I stayed on the Lialda the entire pregnancy. My sweet perfect baby boy was born last week... He was a little over 8 pounds and 21 1/4 inches long. He is healthy as can be! I am doing well too so far - no UC issues. So, based on my experience I would not go off your meds.

Mia, I just wanted to add, my AS symptoms and joint pains were nearly gone while I was pregnant, I was finally able to get a full nights sleep without having to get up... Unfortunately once the pregnancy hormones were gone, I started gradually getting the pain back. I hope this is the case for you as well and you will have a healthy pregnancy !

I don't get it. You kind of don't have a choice....the distress on your body while in a flare could be very stressful for your developing baby. Remaining positive should be to take your meds...you need both oral and rectal!!!

Let me add that once the baby is born, it won't be a walk in the park dealing with a continuing flare and the demands of a newborn.

Are you going to use your meds or continue to think about it? Don't wait too long.

If you're worried about being on the sufalasalazine, then use Asacol and mesalamine retention enemas.

q

Great Mia, hopefully you can get some rest now and seriously, try not to worry. If you have any questions, feel free to ask anytime, it's scary being pregnant and have this illness, but it is manageable. Try to enjoy the pregnancy, it's magical time :)