is anyone on mianserin for pnd?

[mimi71]

is anyone on mianserin for pnd? my gp prescribed it yesterday. i've been feeling tearful and tired for the last 7 weeks my dd is now 12 weeks. at first i thought it was just baby blues and the fact that my mum who stayed to help for the first month had left. but now anything sends me off in tears. i'm also scared my husband will leave me as we seem to argue all the time. my dd is lovely but i feel so bad whenever she cries. also am bf and dd is slow to gain weight. feel something is wrong and is my fault this is happening. should i put her on the bottle because of this? gp says safe to continue bf whilst on ad. but not sure. only took one dose and made me feel weak and drowsy when i got up at night. next day felt v tired and sleepy still. like when i take piriton for hayfever. want to feel normal again. how long does pnd last? have not told anyone yet. scared people will judge me as weak and unfit mother. afarid family will want to take dd away from me. feel v lonely and scared.

Oh, sweetheart

First of all, the ADs take a while to kick in, so I'd say don't make any decisin re stopping taking them for a week (unless you're experiencing unbearable side-effects).

Secondly, there's a reason you feel like this - it's PND. You wouldn't be beating yourself up about having a broken leg, so don't beat yourself up about this - you're not well.

Thirdly - don't stop bfeeding unless you want to. You don't need to on ADs. You don't need to because she's not stacking on the weight. If she's healthy and alert, pooing and weeing, she's very likely to be fine. As you get better, you'll see this and might regret stopping bfeeding, so stick with it for now.

Try and get your DH to let you have some sleep.

A good website for him to see why you're feeling the way you are is \link{http://www.apni.org/helpfulinfo.htm\here - this page is useful for him to read.}

I'll chat to you more tomorrow - I have PND too and I now go to bed early (I was staying up far too late and it was making me feel worse). DS2 is 12 weeks old too, so I do understand very well how you're feeling. The GP prescribed ADs for me today, but I'm going to see how I go this weekend - just knowing I have them has made me feel a bit better.

Be kind to yourself x x x

Never taken this particular drug before, only ever taken SSRIs like Prozac. Mianserin appears to be a tetracyclic (similar to a tricyclic).

You might find this link helpful:-

www.nmhct.nhs.uk/pharmacy/depr3.htm

If you see this link, it indicates that it's best to avoid driving until you are sure how this tablet affects you re:drowsiness etc. It does seem that drowsiness is a common side effect of these tablets, so if it's unacceptable to you, I would speak to your GP about it ASAP, get his advice as to whether it's likely to get better as your body gets used to the tablets or not.

PND or no PND, having a baby is an extremely tough time for very many couples, as the mum's life changes so dramatically, on top of the general physical exhaustion of birth and looking after a newborn, so arguments are really par for the course.

In terms of continuing bfing - if you are concerned that your dd's weight gain isn't satisfactory, I would speak to the GP or HV first to get their advice before switching to formula.

PND is surprisingly common - have read estimates from between 1 in 4 and 1 in 10 mothers suffer from it - however confident other new mums you meet at M & T may seem, there's bound to be someone who has PND, and the vast majority will be struggling with the adjustment to motherhood. If you have friends/good family that are generally supportive, hopefully they will understand if you feel up to talking to them about it. Otherwise internet sites like this are good for getting support from people who have been there. Also there may be support groups locally for people with PND - ask your HV.

How are you today, Mimi?

thank you for your kind words. feel a bit better today. i did not take ad last night as was waiting for ds to wake up to bf. ds did not wake til 2.30 am can't believe she had slept from 8 pm. had a nice day with dh shopping for a baby carrier and went out for lunch. also called a councellor who will visit next weds. there is a support group in town. so feel better that i am not the only one. i have decided to bf twice a day and give bottles in between. felt very guilty about this. but it meant we could out for lunch. i hope i am doing the right thing.

Twice a day with such a little baby probably won't be enough to maintain your supply - is it because you're worried about the ADs in your milk? From what I can find online, you really shouldn't be worrying about this, but you could try phoning the Breastfeeding Network's Drugline for more information and support with breastfeeding - the number is 02392 598 604. Please give them a ring - you don't sound happy about giving bottles, sweetheart.

Glad you had a better day though x x x

don't know what to do. bf takes so long an hour or more 6 times a day. feel so tired all the time. dd has taken to bottlt well and takes 6 oz in a few minutes. which just gives me more hours in the day. when last weighrd hv concerned about weight gain of 4 oz a week. to refer to gp if not better in fortnight.