should I start taking ADs again? advice needed.....

[Rones]

I have a history of depression - bouts lasting a few months at a time(aged 14, 18, 21) and had my most severe one when I suffered PND aged 29 (I'm now 30 and my dd 16 months). I've generally always had an underlying 'unhappy' feeling and low self-esteem but also had lots of highs which has made me think I might be bi-polar although I've been told I'm not or might just have a milder version of it.

I've taken ADs in the past but can't say that I feel that they made a great deal of difference. The last ADs I took were Sertraline because I was breastfeeding and finished them quite a few months ago. I still get pretty down on and off. When I'm feeling OK, I think I don't need them but then I invariably feel bad and low again. I'm just so confused as to whether to take them again or just keep going without them in the hope that I'll feel better for a longer period soon? I'm starting a group CBT workshop in Sept (once a month) which I'm hoping will help as I've previously had 6 one to one CBT sessions which were very helpful.

Any advice appreciated.....

how long did you take the AD's? Just that if you had PND but your dd is only 16 months, it seems like its still early days to me. I've suffered from depression and have taken fluoxetine for 6 years. I think maybe you need to give it more time to see the benefits. The CBT group should be a positive thing I'm sure. All the best x

I think I might have taken sertraline for about 6 months and I kind of weaned myself off them in the end thinking I'd be OK but maybe it was a bit too soon in hindsight. The other thing is that I was given sertraline as I was breastfeeding so it might not have been as effective as another drug may be.... I think I will go and see my GP again as last time I went I'd had a good week and so decided not to go back on ADs... With my previous bouts of depressiong I took seroxat (age 14) and prozac (age 18) but I'm not sure they helped, it's always so hard to tell.

It's interesting that you say it's still early days as my dd is 16 months, maybe it's the social expectation but I suppose I've confined PND in my own mind to a couple of months after the birth (for me most severely the first 4 months). I wonder if it's PND or just plain old depression with the extra issue of having a child to look after, which as I'm sure you know if very difficult at times....

thanks for the advice, I'll make an appointment tomorrow. x