Page 6 | Post-natal Depression

dmozzo · 2002-08-24T18:05:07+00:00

Help!!!! My wife had her fourth child back in January. Her children's age ranges are 19,15,10 and 7 months.We both recently came to the conclusion that she is suffering from post natel depression due to the way she is reacting to things and how she cries over absoutely nothing at all. Please has anyone got any natural remedy suggestions for her to try as she doesn't want to start on tranques, I look forward to anyone's suggestions,thanks.

Willow2 · 30/10/2002 15:56

Wills - don't know where you are based but you're welcome to come along to the November 30th Christmas bash if you fancy a pint!

Girly · 01/11/2002 08:58

I DID IT! Had the chop, got rid of the lot and what a weight off my shoulders! lol My hairdresser laughed at the pile of fuzzy black hair on the floor and said she could make a frizzy wig out of it! I feel like a new woman! Its fab! (even if i say so myself!) Even dh likes the new me.

I feel young and free! Got to go now as a pooey nappy awaits and its time for playgroup. back to reality

Chinchilla · 01/11/2002 23:10

Good for you!! And I'm having mine permed later this month...not a frizz ball perm, but a new technique. Can't wait!

susanmt · 01/11/2002 23:31

Well Done Girly!
Now I am REALLY thinking about it!

roxie · 02/11/2002 01:28

Hi everyone! I'm currently on anti-depressants.
I've fallen victim to PND but only realised in Feb this year after lots of other things got on top of me. I'm a harrassed, (but NOW happy) mum of 3. My youngest has just turned 3. So, I suppose I've suffered for nearly 3 years. If anyone out there has some advice for weaning off the medication, I'll gladly listen, only my GP wants me to attempt coming off them in the new year. Having very stupidly let my repeat prescription lapse a few weeks ago, my symptons come back. I'm getting a little worried. Would love to hear from anyone.

Ghosty · 02/11/2002 02:36

Hi roxie

I weaned myself off them very slowly but surely ... I started off by not having a tablet every third day - then when nothing bad happened, after about 3 weeks, I went to one tablet every other day. After a couple of months I went down to one tablet every third day ... by the time I had been doing that for about a month and a half my doctor said that I could probably just stop ... so I did and I was fine.

I did it knowing that if it didn't work I could go back on them straight away ... so they were there as a crutch, but in the end I didn't go back to them ...

HTH and good luck!!

susanmt · 02/11/2002 10:18

Hi roxie,
It is good that you could be coming off the medication, although it is not physically addictive it is certainly a psychological crutch.
I would suggest that however much your doc wants you to come off them, you shouldd't do it till you feel ready. If it were me (have done this) I would leave it until the days are getting longer as there is nothing worse than trying to come of anti-d's in February!
You will come down the dose slowly and not come off it all at once, and I am sure the doc will make sure you do this right. I have taken 6 months to halve the dose of my tablets and expect to take another 6 months to come off entirely.
All the best - glad to hear you are feeling better.

roxie · 03/11/2002 12:10

Susanmt/Ghosty
Thanks so much for the advice. Does it really take as long as that to come off them? I was looking forward to having my wine again!! Is there a face for a drunken/dazed look? Does anyone still get dizzy, nauseus feelings if you forget a tablet? And does anyone feel that talking to a counsellor helps?

susanmt · 03/11/2002 13:39

What are you taking? I have a glass or 2 (or sometimes more) of wine on mine with no ill effects other than sleeping a bit better!! - I take Lustral.
You are supposed to come off them slowly as it reduces the chances of a relapse, the slower you come off, the more likely you are to stay off!
All the best!

roxie · 03/11/2002 21:36

susanmt
I'm taking Efexor, which suits me. I was originally on... and the name escapes me, however, I ended up in A&E after 2 pills feeling like ending it all! Major, major side effects.
I only found out a few weeks ago on Panorama that I was taking the exact same pill that they were featuring: it gives patients symptoms of a really darker nature. I don't know if anyone else saw the programme, but one man murdered his family before ending his own life! Anyway, the wine thing - I just can't drink it as well as taking the tab. Even a third of a wine glass and I end up feeling dreadful the day after. I can normally drink at least 2 glasses in an evening.

Willow2 · 03/11/2002 23:47

Was it Seroxat? I know that there are a lot of legal claims re this drug.

roxie · 04/11/2002 00:32

willow2
That's the one! It didn't agree with me. I felt worse once I'd taken them than I did prior to taking them. My GP kept telling me that they are known to heighten(?) the anxiety. Certainly did that, my head was buzzing, hallucinating...
knew it wasn't just side-effects, but they wouldn't listen, just kept telling me to try taking another one. I did and was climbing the walls. I wonder if anyone else has tried this medication and had the same thing?

roxie · 04/11/2002 00:33

willow2
That's the one! It didn't agree with me. I felt worse once I'd taken them than I did prior to taking them. My GP kept telling me that they are known to heighten(?) the anxiety. Certainly did that, my head was buzzing, hallucinating...
knew it wasn't just side-effects, but they wouldn't listen, just kept telling me to try taking another one. I did and was climbing the walls. I wonder if anyone else has tried this medication and had the same thing?

roxie · 04/11/2002 00:34

willow2
That's the one! It didn't agree with me. I felt worse once I'd taken them than I did prior to taking them. My GP kept telling me that they are known to heighten(?) the anxiety. Certainly did that, my head was buzzing, hallucinating...
knew it wasn't just side-effects, but they wouldn't listen, just kept telling me to try taking another one. I did and was climbing the walls. I wonder if anyone else has tried this medication and had the same thing?

roxie · 04/11/2002 08:32

What have I done? I will get used to this damn
machine eventually...

Girly · 06/11/2002 13:43

Hi everyone, I have a question, I have been on Prozac for about 4 months now and this may sound strange, but if for any reason i forget to take it my mood seems to improve?

It gets more confusing, when i do take it i feel very aggitated and snap at the kids more etc. ithought it was supposed to sort out depression not cause it. I will speak to my gp but thought i might just ask you experts before i go.

Thanks

missdilema · 06/11/2002 15:21

Hi Girly,I have tried a few anti depressants so I would say go back to the Gp and maybe ask to try something different.I took prozac and compared how I felt when I was on other ones and to be honest prozac made me more agressive I noticed and a little bit like I didn't give a monkeys.Anyway it didn't suit me.I can't comment on the mood improvement thing.maybe you could talk to the Gp about taking it every other day perhaps,just a thought?Good luck,hope you get some answers.

Alibubbles · 06/11/2002 17:17

I took Seroxat for 2 1/2 years, it took 6 months to come off, and I used Prozac to do it. I was able to stop Prozac with no problems, but seroxat was very very hard, and despite what the docs tell you, it IS addictive.

I didn't have any problems with alcohol with either of them though. Have been off Seroxat and Prozac for nine months, occasionally I feel as though I am losing the plot, but would never go back on Seroxat (Paxil, Paroxetine,) I would consider Prozac if I thought I needed it.

I had to make sure I was given prozac DAW (dispensed as written) rather than Fluoxetine as the generic gave me mega headaches - a common complaint, but GP's always try to prescrivbe the generic rather than the brand name as it is so much cheaper. £7 a month as opposed to £21

Chinchilla · 06/11/2002 20:11

I had Prozac, which gave me panic attacks. Then I went on to Seroxat, which made me literally twitch. After a few days of lying in bed at night panicking, with dh stroking my hair trying to calm me down, I went onto Effexor. I stayed on this for about a year, but didn't think that it actually made any difference to my moods. I eventually started to feel better by myself, and felt that it was right to come off the medication. I stupidly just stopped taking it, and lived with two weeks of feeling like my brain was twitching, and hearing this funny noise in my ears at the same time. After two weeks, this stopped. I only did this because I wanted to present my gp with a fait accompli, rather than him telling me to come off them slowly, as I wanted to try for a baby, and wouldn't advise it!

susanmt · 07/11/2002 02:46

All the SSRI's (the type of antidepressant that Prozac, Seroxat etc , basically the new ones that docs usually prescribe these days) can cause twitching and muscle cramps, especially in high doses.
Girly, I would chat to your doc about which drug would be best for you. I was lucky in that I went straight on to Lustral (sertraline) and it has always agreed with me except at the mega doses I needed to start with), and it is also good for anxiety - and BOY was I anxious!!

Girly · 10/11/2002 09:21

Well, have been to gp and he has increased my dose of prozac to 2 20mg tabs a day. Have not posted since last week because the PND got MUCH worse, almost to the pint where I was about to leave dh and dd and take ds with me! Dh came with me to GP and now seems to understand the seriiousness of it all, as before he seemed to think that it was just a phase and it would pass. It took me almost walking out to make him sit up and take proper notice, so having a really baad time at the mo and need some tlc :}

roxie · 10/11/2002 10:58

Girly

Sorry - you're going through the mill. The good thing is that dh realises now, even if he probably doesn't understand, (do they ever???
Do you get any support from anyone else - parents, close friends?

missdilema · 10/11/2002 20:33

Girly,if you're at all worried or have the feeling that prozac isn't for you then do stop taking it and get something else.I'm on effexor and it's brilliant.Prozac did really strange things to me.There has been cases where it's been blamed for suicides.Hope you are feeling better really soon.Let us know if you're worried at all.

WideWebWitch · 10/11/2002 23:13

Girly, sorry you're having such a bad time - I'm glad that your DH knows a bit more now. Please do keep talking here if it helps, plenty of us know what it's like.

missdilema · 21/11/2002 09:45

Girly have been wondering how you are and hoping you'd post to let us know.Are things better now with your medication,I hope you're ok?