Anti Depressants

[jamiedodger]

Hi,
I am a long time lurker, but have finally decided to join, because i have a problem and don't know what to do. As you guys always seem to give such good advice, i thought i would ask!

I have been feeling unwell for some months now - nothing very specific, but very tired, drained, headaches - just no get up and go at all. Sounds like every mother of three young children i know!!

But this feels different somehow. My family have started to notice. They say i am very snappy and irritable, and i am not my self at all. My DP said the other day he wished he could have the old me back.

I finally went to the Doctors a few Weeks ago, and as much as i thought i would be fobbed off, they were great. I was sent to the hospital for all kinds of teats etc, which thankfully all came back clear.

I had to go back to my Doctor today, and she said she thinks i am depressed. She wants me to try some anti depressents (cipralex 5mg)

The problem i have is i don't actually feel depressed. But i do feel anxious and stressed. The Doctor said depression can manifest itself in other ways that the symptoms i associate with depression.

So what do i do? Should i take the AD's for a little while and see how i go? Or just continue with the way i am feeling now? I am frightened of the side-effects and will i be addicted and not be able to get off them.

The Doc said she has only given me a very low dose, so i should be fine.
Anyone with any advice, it would be much appreciated.

Sorry to join the debate a bit late. It took me 10 months to accept that I had PND - I recognise all the symptoms you describe and I am currently on citalopram (20mg). I have found them great, but the real thing that helped me find a way forward was 6 weeks off work with complete rest (not easy with 3 children, I know) and doing exercise at least twice a week.

I wanted to stop work but financially couldn't so I have changed the days I work and this has also helped enormously (I now do tues, weds, fri). What I am saying is that with ADs to get you back on to an even keel and then will small changes to your way of life (primarily exercise) it is amazing the difference that can be made. Also, it means that when you come off the ADs you feel you have a leg to stand on.

It does sound like depression (especially PND) too me, but I'm not a doctor. Good luck with your choice and getting better - there is a way forward, I promise! You just can't see it now.

Dear JD
I can't believe i have just read your post. I have just been diagnosed with PND and my DS is now 11 months. If anyone had asked me I would never have classed myself as depressed, tired, fed up, pissed off stressed, very moody, and my fuse was getting shorter and shorter till one day I broke down in tears in the middle of JOhn Lewis cafe because DS started to scream again. I realised then after weeks of mulling around that I did have a prob. Like you I had been not myself for 2-3 months and never classed myself as depressed. i knew something was wrong but could not put my finger on it. Now looking back i realised over the previous months I had even started to shut out DS, I did not play with him anymore, I did not play in the bath with him, I no longer rolled around the floor etc. I would plop him down with his toys and leave hom to it. I have now reluctantly been on Prozac (20mg per day ) for 3 weeks and feel almost normal. I still have the odd down moment, but best of all I have not cried for a week, which I was doing sometimes 3-4 times a day for no reason before. I now get up in a morning feeling positive instead of dreading every day. Take it easy and things will improve

Good luck

I can't believe how many depressed people are willing to try anything rather than admit that they need professional help. Depression is a terrible illness and no amount of "pull yourself together" is going to work. Depression can be fatal if left untreated! If you were diagnosed with a potentially fatal physical illness, like diabetes or cancer, would you refuse to take medication? Your mind is part of your body, after all. Being depressed doesn't mean that you're weak or crazy or socially unacceptable!

Hi, haven't been on the site for a while but I was really sorry to read about your problems. I am a mum of 2 ds & I work in mental health. AD's have their place, & what you have been prescribed is only a low dose of the "new style" AD's called SSRI. You may need to be on them for about 3 weeks before you perhaps begin to feel better. If you are breastfeeding then your doctor should prescribe accordingly.

My view is that a lot of mum's experience these feelings that are very natural & normal but I don't like the solution being so medical. I agree with the responses that recognise how hard it can be & the impact of sleep deprivation can be huge. Try to take time for yourself & perhaps investigate relaxation techniques or homeopathy. Good Luck

sanssouci - there are other effective forms of treatment for depression rather than meds - counselling/CBT etc. Whilst a combination of the two is probably best, each on their own can be effective. Meds do not suit everyone. I am lucky - I find Prozac very effective but with minimal side effects. Some people are not as fortunate, and find that the mood lifting effects of Prozac or other ADs don't occur, and/or are outweighed by the side effects. Also it can almost be part of the illness to be terrified of taking ADs and/or to think that nothing will help anyway, so what is the point. I do agree though that depression is a valid illness, in the same way as a broken leg, and nothing to feel guilty or ashamed of. Just wish the world at large felt the same way

I should have added that PND or "baby blues" is very common after giving birth and doesn't often warrant medication. Apparently it is usually caused by the enormous hormonal changes brought on after delivery, lack of sleep, and all the other emotional "rollercoaster rides" that being a new mother brings! Clinical depression is in a different category to but if you still feel unable to cope a few weeks post-partum, I'd see a doctor.

sansouci - going to disagree with you again, I am afraid. PND is different from baby blues - whilst certain of the emotions/worries may be similar, PND is of far longer duration and may well merit medication, and be as serious (or in some cases more serious than clinical depression). Baby blues is a temporary phase - days if not weeks. PND, if untreated can last a very long time. Counselling by itself is, I think, more often considered a treatment for PND than for clinical depression, though whether that is because of avoiding giving meds to BF mums is unclear.

Hi mummytosteven,

I totally agree with you but it's difficult to diagnose yourself! It is a great pity that depression carries such a stigma. I've suffered from depression since childhood but was only diagnosed after a suicide attempt when I was 21. I went through years of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, sometimes while on meds. I've been put on many different antidepressants over the years but in 1986, I was given Prozac and am so grateful that it exists. I carried 2 babies to term while taking 40mg of Prozac a day (doc's decision, certainly not mine!) and thank God no harm came to them.

Jamiedodger - I ignored / failed to recognise that i wsa suffering from a long-standing low-key depression that had set in after DS was born because I had a certain vision of what depression was like. I wasn't lying in bed gazing hopelessly at the ceiling, in fact, I was quite buzzybody in many ways. But I felt extremely negative: very critical, very moody, snappy and far more agressive than usual. And I got worked up over things I would not normally re-act to, whilst feeling quite detatched from serious emotional events.

I am now on Cipralex 10mg (soon to stop), and felt like ME again within 2 days of taking them. Not 'high' or souped up, or zombified, but just back to normal - and much happier for that. AD's can't make you happier than you really are, but they can replace the chemicals in the brain - and allow your brain to re-stock stores that have become depleted or out of kilter because of the hormonal unpheaval of pregnancy.

I felt a little bit sick on and off for 2 days, and a bit spacey, but apart from that have no side effects, and feel very ready to stop them now, after a 6 month course.

Hmmm... I always thought that PND was the clinical name for "baby blues". There are varying degrees of PND and most cases clear up through emotional support from understanding family and friends.

Enid: 'what happens when you stop taking the AD's'? The theory with SSI-thingies, I think, is that they allow the brain to get back to normal, so when you stop taking the AD's you feel like you did before depression set in. They are not just a temporary palliative. My GP explained it in terms of taking iron tablets to allow the body to restore it's natural reserves of iron.

Sanssouci; I thought the distinction between normal baby blues and PND had long been established and understood.

sans souci - I also took Prozac when PG - had to get myself referred to psych for that tho GP is still clueless - asked if Prozac was safe for bfing when she found out I had bfed DS for a few weeks - heaven only knows what she does with seriously depressed bfing mums....

Given the improvement I experienced due to the Prozac I do not for one minute regret taking Prozac whilst PG - if I had not started it until after the birth I do not wish to think what sort of state I would have been at that point - which is hard enough as it is for anyone. Nearly all the studies on SSRIs and PG make for encouraging reading as to lack of long term side effects.

Sorry if I sounded a little harsh/combative- I guess we both have strong opinions on this coz it is so personal to us! Will try to stop ranting on this topic now, promise!

Baby Blues is the name for the down feelings a mother gets when her milk comes in, a few days after the birth. These feeling usually last a few days. Baby Blues feel like depression, but disappear with no further repercussions for most mothers. PND sufferers do not feel better after a few days, and the feelings of hopelessness and being out of control continue. PND is exactly the same as depression, and only warrants a seperate name because it is caused by the birth, rather than other stresses.

Okay, Blu. I concede defeat. If any mumsnetters reading this have questions about post natal depression, look it up on the internet. Anyway, this thread is about antidepressants, not PND, right?

Hello again everyone.

Just to clarify, it isn't PND i have. My youngest DD is nearly three, and i have only been experiencing these symptoms the last few months.

The description that Blu has given of her depression is spot on. I feel exactly the same, could have been me who wrote that!

But i do feel better for asking the question here on mumsnet. I think you do think you are the only one who has ever felt this way, and now i realise that it is much more common than i realised.

I am going to give them a try next Week when i am off work, i will let you all know how i am getting along.

Thank you all so much again x

hi jd sorry for dragging the thread into arguments about PND! good luck with the ADs, and hope you feel better soon, and let us know how you get on.

Hi everyone

Could anyone who has been on AD's give me some advice.

In short, my marriage and family life are in trouble. For about a month now, things have been getting worse and over the weekend it all came to a head, and I spent most of the weekend fighting tears and my DH and I have had very long intense talks about whether to split up or not.

Anyway I have felt very tearful, but also out of control and its hard to explain but withdrawing and unable to cope.

I can't decide whether to go to doctors now and get some help, or to leave it for a week or so and see if we can resolve it. We have decided to stay together and seek some help with our relationship and family life

i would recomend them i have been on for 5 months dont feel at all reliant on them but do feel as if they have lifted all the horrible feeling i used to get ( a black cloud used to follow me im sure) as soon as i started taking these my DP noticed a hell of a differerce and even commented on how his 'old smiley chic was back) was taking them after a m/c but honest id recomend the low dise as it will just lift you out of that black cloud and make you feel good again... i feel much better!

whitefeather

Sorry if this is hard for you in the circumstances, but does the "black cloud" feel like you are out of control, come on and then go after a time and do you feel like you are going mad?

I haven't even had anything apart from stress and nervousness, and feel very frightened by how I am feeling. There is a strong history of mental breakdowns, both of my parents and my brother have had them, but I can't ask them about it as I don't want them to worry about me.

yeah it used to, i used to feel like i was the only one in the world feeling like this i could feel myself at boiling point like i was going to explode, no reason behind it what so ever, didnt know why i was like that! went to the docs and they put me on a small dose of fluxentine ( i think thats wahts its called) and honest within anout a week i was my normal self again that horrid anxious feeling had gone i wasnt irritated by EVERYTHING i really feel back to normal and feeln probs ready to come off them , i would talk to your gp, i this a/d have a really bad name but some times i think you just need that little help to get your smiley face back, hope your ok darl x

Whitefeather

Thanks so much for your kind advice. It is really helpful to be able to put down how you feel, and be really honest with someone, because whatever people says, depression and breakdowns still are taboo, and there is nothing to be ashamed off after all.
I will go and see the doctor, I don't want it to get to rock bottom. I do feel a fraud because nothing really bad has happened to me, I'm really lucky and have a lot to be thankful for.

Thanks a lot
Take care

Kay

you defo are not a fraud you just need a little help to get your smiley face back , good luck , its good to be able to talk here keep smiling xx

Hi, I heard about this site through chat magazine, I feel I have know where else to turn at this point. I'm sorry I anyone feels this has nothing to do with my child but I feel like this is the best place to speak about how I am feeling. I had my daughter five years ago, she is the love of my life, I had her aged 17, just before I had her my partner at the time left me I was lost and confused he tried to get me to have an abortion! I felt alone and unloved! I had my daughter and begged him to be there for the birth, he eventually appeared! I had my daughter and I won't lie, as soon as she was born I seen her am I felt pain! I feel soo bad now but yes I didn't want this beautiful girl that was given to me, my ex left the day after and didnt come back! He told his family I banned him from seeing her ( I begged him to be a part of her life) anyway for two years my mum and dad helped me look after her, I did the basics but I never felt close to her I chose my friends I wanted to be loved and party and I chose the path of one night stands and drunken stupidity! I got hurt bad and one day I woke up and I realised there was an innocent little girl looking for her mummy and she wasn't there, I went home for good! I have been there since that day and I can't let go of the pain I will never forgive myself for missing out! I was there in body (sometimes) bit not there emotionally! I have went to the doctor and been on anti depressants for years! Sometimes I feel good but most of the time I feel miserable, I've made my mistakes and I don't want to ruin the future being sad I should be happy but I feel like my past is always haunting me no matter were i turn its there! This is the first time I have told my story! I would like to know if there are any other mothers out there in my position or am I the only one, I hope I'm not but I hope I am, I'm 23 and going to college trying to rebuild my life but I'm struggling to see a light at the end of this tunnel! I love my daughter soo much I would kill for her, she is my world now but why do I feel so sad and miserable? Please help me?