Postnatal Depression and Pregnancy?
Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at
10:47 am
Hi, about a month ago i was diagnosed with postnatal depression and anxiety, i’ve been taking 20mg of lexapro and still have bad thoughts sometimes but the thoughts have become habit because i also have mild OCD! I feel hopeless and that i’ll never get out of this rut.. i just want to stop feeling so horrible and to make things worse i might be pregnant.
Now, If i am pregnant i will keep the baby but will i be ok? or is more likely i wont be better by the time my next baby is born? how long does it take for someone with mild depression to get better?
Tagged with: Depression • Postnatal • Pregnancy
Filed under: Postnatal Depression
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I have raised 3 sons and have had life long GAD{generalised anxiety disorder}I am now a grandmother.We all find a way to cope and get on with life.You should check with your GP about the laxapro in relation to the baby.Good Luck
I have a friend that also suffered from postnatal depression.She had anxiety to and she tends to obsess over things.She had a similar problem she could not stop thinking of certain things and it haunted her all the time.I just supported her and told her it will be ok it’s just phase.She did get through it.And she had several kids after and she fine the depression did not come back for her other babies.It is a phase alot of women go through
I can also tell you that I have ocd myself and some times I cannot stop thinking about certain things
that really bother me and it makes me feel really bad but know I have trained my mind to stop.
Like whenever the bad thought come into my mind and before my mind can even explore it and start thinking about it I try really hard to stop the thought and it is hard to do it takes time and practice.
I will know just force myself to think of something else.Here are some things that will help other than meds.Distract yourself anyway you can.Think of the people you love.Call a friend for support or just to talk to to get your mind off things.Or even just talk to someone about how your feeling about everything and I find just talking about it stops the thought and helps sort them out a bit.
I know you will get better depression is just a phase the best thing is to just have lots of support and talk to people around you about how you feel.Also I don’t know if your religious or not but I’m going to pray for you that you have peace and happiness in your life!.you will be ok I know it.
Lexapro and Pregnancy: http://depression.emedtv.com/lexapro/lexapro-and-pregnancy.html
Lexapro and pregnancy is a bad combination because the medication could potentially cause harm to an unborn child. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Lexapro is classified as a pregnancy Category C medicine, which means it should be given to a pregnant woman only if her healthcare provider believes that its benefits outweigh the potential risks to her unborn child. There have been reports of fetuses developing complications that require hospitalization, respiratory support, and/or tube feeding after they were exposed to Lexapro during the third trimester of pregnancy. ~~~
A previous answer follows, modified for you: I’d be wanting to taper off more as follows: first week 90% dosage; following weeks: 80, 70, 60, 50, 40, 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, 7.5, 5, & 2.5%. For Paxil and Lexapro (reputedly the 2 worst for discontinuation symptoms) I suggest taking twice as long.
One way is to get a mortar, and pestle, and crush tablets to a powder; put it in a long, thin line, and work out correct proportions, perhaps cutting the line in half once, and then repeatedly (measurements need only be approximate).
A more accurate way is to dissolve them in water, and use a graduated medication measuring container, from a pharmacy.
I know Lexapro have a liquid version, suitable for this purpose, but am unsure about Paxil.
Another option is to replace the Paxil, 10% daily, with Prozac; stabilise for a short while, then wean off the Prozac (said to be considerably less troublesome, for most people). Check out http://www.itmonline.org/arts/ssri.htm & http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/taper.htm SSRI WITHDRAWAL SCHEDULE & * http://theroadback.org/workbook.htm about yours.
Depressive episodes last around 6 months, on average, for those NOT using antidepressants to treat them, and may recur in around 50% of cases. For those who use antidepressants, the situation may well be different; see http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/08/robert-whitaker-interview.aspx View http://your-mental-health.8m.com/blank_27.html and page B about effective natural depression treatments, including postnatal depression (more likely if previously depressed). OCD; see pages 1, & F.
I suggest that at least use the core treatments (have you had CBT, or counselling? – see http://curetogether.com/depression/ig/treatment-effectiveness-vs-popularity) perhaps, once below 50% weaning dosage with a RECOMMENDED brand of St. John’s Wort (I strongly doubt that most of the people in the survey did; probably just OFF THE SHELF, or OTC substandard/old product, containing too little hyperforin with the hypericin – view http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10759336?dopt=Abstract ) with meals and possibly, when almost fully weaned, 50 mg of 5-htp daily. If 5-htp is used to boost serotonin levels, (which are low in depressed people) it is best taken with a high carbohydrate, minimal protein meal, like pasta with tomato & basil, and avoid protein for 90 minutes, before, and after, to maximise the amount crossing the blood/brain barrier. Discontinue the wort before surgery, or childbirth (it thins the blood). Resume when healed. It can interfere with some birth control pills.