I'm too scared of side-effects to start anti-depressants.

[Jenkeywoo]

Background - history of anxiety / depression at varying times of my life. Took prozac for a while about 10 years ago for panic attacks and it really helped. Mental health always goes severely downhill when I'm pregnant - first pregnancy awful panic attacks and had counselling. 2nd pregnancy insomnia and OCD symptoms and was treated with diazepam for a couple of weeks.

dd is nearly two and I have been ok since her birth. She has cerebral palsy and about a month ago she was had her diagnosis changed (to a more significant type of cerebral palsy which means that she is unlikey to walk for some time). I have found it hard to pick myself up and am feeling depressed. I think I'm also dwelling on the traumatic birth as her 2nd birthday approaches. I've also been having about a night week of awful anxiety and insomnia where I am up till at least 4am.

I saw the GP yesterday and he said he could treat insomnia or depression but would not recommend both. I decided to go for AD's and he prescribed me Seroxat as I'm still breastfeeding. I picked up the prescription today and read the side effects and just thought no way can I take them. I'm terrified of the side-effects and terrified that getting off them eventually will be awful. I have looked at Seratline too as it's also ok for breastfeeding but again some of the threads here make me really really scared. I am already obese and the weight gain thing on either of them worries me but it's mainly all of the scary mental health side-effects that scare me.

I feel so scared right now I can feel my heart starting to race and I'm too scared to go to bed. I also have the hot and cold shakes as I have the start of a fluey type thing and I think I'm not thinking straight. I need help don't know what to do. I wish I could have hypnotherapy but we're massively over-drawn so it's out of the question. I had about 4 sessions when I was pregnant and it enabled me to get off the diazepam but it cost over £200 and we just don't have the money.

The anxiety you feel about the pills sounds like it might partly be a symptom of your illness.

I used Seroxat and found it very helpful.

I had no significant side effects. Just very slight dizziness occasionally.

They certainly aren't addictive, although you need to avoid coming off abruptly -- you can taper off over three weeks or so, with advice from doc.

The more serious side effects from Seroxat are extremely rare, and not entirely well established. It does sound like you need to be giving yourself the help of medication.

And ADs should help brilliantly with the insomnia too -- almost from the first dose. That will be a big help.

Best wishes

And of course, looking at the list of side effects for any medication is pretty scary because they have to state every possible problem

I read in the leaflet that you can't take pain killers when on Seroxat? what do you do in case of headache etc? sorry to sound stupid.

Really? Any sort of painkillers? Not sure about that one. But I think I'd rather have a headache than depression. Check with doc.

Another point in Seroxat's favour: I found that it helped with anxiety more than other ADs I have used. My 'social phobia' was much reduced. You do sound very anxious.

I took sertraline when I was pregnant and also while breastfeeding. I found I was sick for the first couple of weeks and that was it for side effects.

The beneficial side effects were so much better. From my experiences, I would suggest trying the ADs.

No way, I'd rather be depressed than have a migraine.

Those are BAD.

I am probably crap at advice in this area
but if you are not suicidal and are capanble of thinking and weighin g things up

I would try taking control of some small day to day things

like your diet...maximise the foods which give you natural boosts

make yourself exercise and walk

have a fixed get up anmd go to bed time

and wind down activities

in fact nopt dissimlar things from those you would try for a young child

JEnkey, i feel for you i really do. I take citalopram which is the same family of drugs as seroxat and prozac. I guess the side effects may be similar??

I too was put off by the list of side effects, but after i started taking them i experienced hardly anything, felt a bit sicky and headrushy for a few days.

As far as the pain killers go, i think they are talking about ibruprofen, i am pretty sure paracetemol is ok, can't take tramodol either but that is a full on pain killer that you would only be prescribed if your head were about to explode

If you are worried, go back to your doctor and ask him/her to clarify.

ive quite happily taken paracetemol and codeine on citalopram, not problem.