Just take the pills?

[ApplesTheHare]

I've had a shit year and have been trying to improve my mental health for the past 6 months because I'm prone to depression anyway. I've quit alcohol, been walking and running regularly, been doing activities that are meant to increase mindfulnes (e.g. gardening) and taken a new job with fewer hours to try and get more balance between work and looking after DD.

Nothing is working and I feel lower than ever. Should I just see the GP and go back on anti depressants?

If you leg was falling off would you take painkillers?

They are not a cure but I found they definitely helped alleviate the symptoms. You have been doing great though with all those other seratonin building things

My depression is caused by a chemical imbalance due to messed up hormones caused by PCOS. I’ve been on 40mg of fluoxetine since last year, will probably always take them. There’s no shame in taking antidepressants. You would use an inhaler to help asthma, for example, what’s the difference.

I feel the same, have managed without medication for the past 9 months and seen a psychologist but the last month feel things are no better and I am just not myself. I visited the gp this morning and have been prescribed 10mg Citalopram as a starting dose.

Only you know how you feel but I think you reach a point where you question how much more you can take and that in itself is an indicator you’re not coping (well it was for me anyway and I think I’ve been simply putting on a brave face for a while now).

How old is your DD? Do you think this is PND?

All

I've been on them twice before and they helped hugely. I think I'm reticent this time because it's a smaller gap since I took them and because I had awful headaches getting onto the citalopram last time. That's a bit short-termist isn't it.

I'm also torn about going back on them because we're meant to be trying for a baby. Sorry, meant to write that originally. My head is very foggy and I'm struggling to communicate and remember details atm.

cooperbug DD is 3 so it's not PND. Though a miscarriage in Autumn sent my hormones haywire so might be related.

Well done for going to your GP. I hope going onto the citalopram isn't too bad.

Sorry to hear about your miscarriage, it probably is related amongst other things.

That was the main thing putting me off taking something this time to be honest-the side effects but I can remember they didn’t last too long and hopefully won’t be as bad starting with the 10mg.

How are you feeling tonight?

it is a hard decision isn't it. I have recently (4 days ago!) re started my citalopram after being off them for only 3 months. Like you I had done lots of things to help with my mental health: cut down alcohol, seriously improved my diet, started running again, joined an exercise class twice a week, got more sleep, and started meditating daily. Despite all of that my mood kept plumeting and last week I just about hit rock bottom. I got to the point where I was so low I couldn't even manage to do the things I had been doing to keep myself well( exercise, meditate, eat well etc)
After a spectacularly bad weekend I decided there was really nothing else I could do for myself and I restarted my meds. I am disappointed, but I do believe it is the right thing to do for me at this time.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

applelolly sorry you're feeling low too and having the same experience of the non-medical things not working. A doctor I spoke to a while ago said that I'd be feeling a lot worse if I wasn't doing those things and I can see what she meant but it didn't make me feel any better iyswim?

cooperbug thanks for asking. I feel the same, and am struggling to keep moving through the day so I think taking the pills is becoming the only option. How are you getting on with your citalopram?

Hi applesthehair, I was in a similar position to you a year back, I'm pregnant and due a baby in July. I was not on antidepressants before I became pregnant but swash prescribed citalopram in my second trimester, which I didn't take, then an anti psychotic, quetiapine which works well for me. The risks to the baby are quite low, esspesally for setraline (which gave me side effects) but they are the highest in the first trimester. I don't really have any advice as it's down to you at the end of the day. You'd be best discussing with a health professional. One thing I can say is that mental health care is very good for pregnancy women, it actually made me quite angry as I didn't get nearly as good support a couple of years ago...got a friend who was homeless briefly when she was about 20 and was told if she was pregnant, she'd be offered accommodation... she didn't want a baby. Anyway, I, like you didn't get pregnant so I could get more support but, mental health in pregnancy is big on the political agenda at the moment in the UK. Good luck, sounds like your doing well and it's good to recognise your slipping, I didn't.

Op, just saw your resent comment, I felt the same when I restarted meds, disappointed as well as guilty because I'm pregnant and my body is not my own anymore and my dh was not keen on me starting, felt like he had a say as I'm pregnant... As they say, healthy mum, healthy baby and meds are really helping me sleep well and generally look after myself.