Posting here for traffic as feel really alone with all this and I know there are so many of us on here who've had / have PND.
PND kicked in on day 3, by 6 weeks I was a shell of a person and my health visitor / DH convinced me to get help.
Started on Sertraline. Had some horrible side effects and it definitely got worse before it got better, but after 3-4 weeks I felt the old me again.
I know I'm one of the lucky ones, I got help really early on and made a quick recovery (although it didn't feel it when time was like treacle). I still have daily -albeit minor- side effects I guess just won't be going away but Sertraline has saved my life so I can handle it. And I just looked forward to the summer when I could come off it.
Fast forward three months to today and I'm having to face facts that something isn't right. For the past 3 weeks I've felt the PND sort of coming back. I feel like I did the week before Sertraline kicked in fully, almost ok but not quite. Not interested in hobbies again, can't see a future, feel distant and my mood dips randomly.
There have been things going on which could sort of account for it. But nothing major and I think I know in my heart it's a case of me needing to up my dose.
That should be straightforward but it just terrifies me. I can't even explain how scared I am at the prospect. I know I need to go and see my GP (she's on holiday for 2 weeks which doesn't help, as I'll have to see a random GP) but I would really appreciate advice or positive stories from anyone else who has been here?
Specifically I'd love to know, if you had Sertraline or an SSRI for PND, how long did you stay on it? And did you up your dose at any point?
I just need some inspiration to keep my head in the game and remember that this will all be over one day. The 'one day' goal post is constantly moving, I remember sobbing when someone said the baby blues last two weeks and thinking I'd never make it.