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what happens if you have PND but dont take drugs?

70 replies

jetjets · 09/03/2007 13:26

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satinshoes · 11/03/2007 20:49

jetjets. i got mild pnd with dd1. admitted when dd1 was about 4 months old. went to GP who was great - apparently he loves the subject .

we talked and he suggested i get out at leats once a day for fresh air - sounds trite but exercise and sunshine helped - a lot!

he suggested i go to mother & toddler groups - i couldnt think of anything worse as i would have to talk to other mums. instead i went to a library song time. it meant i got out and did something for dd - so didnt feel too useless - but i didnt have to talk to the other mums. gradually i made a couple of friends.

i didnt take ad's. the gp didnt think i needed them and he was right. see your gp as ad's arent always the 1st solution to try. but if gp says that's the best option then go for it and see if they help.

jetjets · 11/03/2007 20:50

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filthymindedvixen · 11/03/2007 20:52

jetjet - this thread is your thread, it can go on for..ooh, well, up to a 1000 posts if you want

jetjets · 11/03/2007 20:53

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satinshoes · 11/03/2007 21:02

jetjets - could be the same. i was v. low at the time, partly from a traumatic birth and then some other factors didnt help. i mainly felt isolated i think. my main point earlier though is by all means try fresh air, sunshine, exercise, create your own plan (structure really helped me - still does) and hopefully it will help but talk it through with someone. A decent gp will work a careplan that suits you and that may or may not involve medication.

Lucy81 · 11/03/2007 21:06

I can relate to not wanting to take ADs. My dd was born 12 mths ago and it took me months to realise and then admit that what i was feeling was PND. my HV was very detached, even after i told her i'd been hallucinating, on top of the suicidal thoughts and anxiety etc. I was torn between the rational and irrational parts of my brain too, with the rational going 'something's not right, you need to get help fast' and the irrational going 'i have to be seen to be coping, i can't admit i feel like i'm losing it or they might take her away or put me on drugs which completely change my personality, or make me worse.' i kept thinking of all the seroxat horror stories etc. Anyway eventually i admitted some of this to my doctor, who i had to convince to put me on ADs and had a couple of counselling sessions before the counseelor disappeared. Luckily i then found a postnatal depression support group which helped me a little. I'm still depressed but i can say i'm much much better than i was. Looking back i feel quite let down that no-one picked up on the fact that i'd hallucinated after giving birth as this can be a symptom of postnatal psychosis. I don't in any way mean that your case is that extreme but please please consider medication if your doctor recommends it. I was the last person in the world to believe they could help me but they have, in conjunction with talking therapies. accept all the help you can get and you'll find yourself looking back in a few months, so glad you've got even a little way out of your depression, u'll see things so much more clearly.

malaleche · 11/03/2007 21:15

jetjets- don't in any way want to highjack your thread but since there are a lot of people on here who have had/have PND, I'd like to ask a question that's been worrying me since ive been better:
Can PND come back once it seems to have gone? (I had it for about 4 months and it's been gone for about a month).
What if im not better but actually manic- depresive and feeling great and happy now is just the manic bit which will soon be replaced with the depressive bit again?
Please put my mind at rest!

jetjets · 11/03/2007 21:17

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whywhywhy · 11/03/2007 21:25

Maybe you are right jetjets and alternative means of treating PND will be useful for you.

However, if you're having anxious projecting thoughts about your ds's future, and thinking of suicide...you could consider a short course of ADs as a sort of boost to get you doing all the things like exercise and healthy eating you want to do.

In my case depression goes hand in hand with low self esteem and I can't motivate myself to help myself cos I'm not worth it. On ADs the accusatory voices in your head get muffled a bit and it gives you some space to indulge yourself. I wouldn't say they provide a false self; to some extent you might see them as restoring some of your 'real' non-depressed self to you, the parts that worked before the depression set in. (They don't work wholesale anyway- mine never did- still got fed up while on them, just it wasn't as severe).

I sympathise with you though cos I am 8 months pg, quite severely depressed atm and under pressure from midwives et al to start taking the pills again but don't want to pass on drugs through the placenta and breastfeeding to my baby. However I know that my dreadful moods are affecting both him, in the womb, and his poor elder brother (who I have just screeched at this evening because he wouldn't wash his face - they certainly do get more awkward the older they get- but they are lovely too, I only wish I was more able to appreciate him atm). I can't decide what to do either, and wish it was easier.

jetjets · 11/03/2007 21:39

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satinshoes · 11/03/2007 21:44

jetjets - your ds will adore you. you just have to try and like yourself....

whywhywhy · 11/03/2007 21:55

jetjets ds actually doesn't seem to like me very much atm- constantly asking for his dad- 'no I want daddy to read my stories not you' etc etc. I was feeling more OK last week but his current attitude seems to have sent me over the edge a bit...

But sorry this is not about me (sorry depressive narcissism in action there!!)- how are you feeling and are you any nearer a decision about the ADs?

satinshoes · 11/03/2007 21:56

whywhywhy - my dd1 is such a daddy's girl that i wasnt good enough for 12 months even though i b/f her for 8 months, sahm etc. she still loves daddy more but i now know (at 3) she loves me too.

bakedpotato · 11/03/2007 22:04

jetjets, you poor thing. When I read 'at this rate I wont be able to cope with the smallest of untoward situations. I think if I had an argument with a librarian over a library fine right now I'd never recover', I got the heebyjeebies: I remember that feeling of running dry, totally out of resources... So frightening.
I experienced a surge upward relief probably when I worked out I had PND. I can't say I didn't have crashes after that, and I know how tiring it is, the hope that you're out of it, and then the realisation that you're not, quite. But all good moments are something to hold onto.
I found it useful to chart my moods a bit, just mark an 'x' in my diary on the day/morning when I was feeling awful. Got a grasp of what to expect. Useful to show to the GP too.
I did end up taking ADs, and they helped me very much and I came off with no difficulty after 9 mths.

lucy5 · 11/03/2007 22:20

Go to the dr and see is my advice. I had mild pnd when dd was about 15 months old and my dr recommended magnesium and vitamin b6 supplements.They were miraculous and I soon felt like my old self again. It also helped just to have it diagnosed and to understand the reasons behind why I could find no joy in my daughter anymore. Wishing you all the best

kks · 11/03/2007 22:30

I don't always think drugs are the answer personally. They might make you feel better at the time but your not going to be on them your whole life and what happens when you stop taking them? Unless you have solved the issues your facing, your gonna go back to being depressed. I had trouble bonding with my baby for weeks after the birth, i just didn't get that instant 'bond' i was expecting. Then over time we bonded and now she is 5 months and i love her to pieces.

jetjets · 12/03/2007 08:04

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jetjets · 12/03/2007 20:27

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satinshoes · 12/03/2007 21:08

jets - write down how you are feeling before you go. garantee you'll forget it all otherwise or feel silly.

snowleopard · 12/03/2007 21:32

Maybe print out this thread and cut out the bits where you describe how you feel, as they are very articulate and detailed, stick them to one bit of paper and take that along so you have it to refer to.

Good luck jetjets!

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