Is anyone else suffering from depression?

[Frippledip]

I have a long history of anxiety and depression for which I was on medication, and stopped when I got pg. I have the very few and far in between good day, but mostly I feel miserable and annoyed at the slightest thing. I can't stand being like this. I know I could ask my doc to get me back on something, but I really don't want to. I've been having to take dphenhydramine (Benadryl) to sleep most nights and I just don't want to add any other drugs into the mix. I am thrilled to be pg, but waiting til my first scan is miserable (still over a week away). I'm trying not to be negative but I'm still afraid there might be something wrong. On top of that I have this physically uncomfortable crawling out of my skin feeling. Is anyone else feeling this way?

 

[polaris]

Sorry to hear that you are feeling so down at the moment. It's tough to come off all your medication and that probably accounts for why you are feeling so bad and the physical uncomfortable skin crawling.

Are there things that you can do to pamper yourself and look after yourself a bit? I know that it is hard to do this when you are feeling depressed but it is really about trying to find ways to ease the burden for yourself a little bit. So treating yourself and being kind to yourself, instead of being hard on yourself or beating yourself up because you 'should' be feeling happy to be pregnant. Also, I know it's probably the last thing you feel like, but exercise can really help, even just getting out for a walk every day or swimming or whatever you enjoy (low impact though cos of the pregnancy). Exercise is proven to release natural endorphins so it is a natural drug-free way to fight depression.

Does your GP surgery have a counsellor attached to it or anything? I know that waiting lists are generally long but maybe in the circumstances if you explain that you really don't want to go back on medication because of the pregnancy. Talking to somebody can really help too.

Good luck with everything, only a week till your scan - you will get to meet baby soon! I completely relate to the worry that something may be wrong, I am the exact same! But have to just keep telling myself that everything will be OK and even if it's not, worrying isn't going to change things.

 

[gracegrace]

Yes, I can relate to the unrelentingness of it all. I think that, too, the expectations placed on pregnant women to seem happy at all times doesn't help. I'm feeling fairly grim, too..

 

[ClaireLouise]

Aww sweetheart im sorry you are going through this. I suffered from depression for about a year before i got medication. Mainly due to money stresses. I was only on 20mg of Citalphram, which really helped for 2 months, then i just forgot to take it and a month later i found out i was pregnant. I decided to stop taking it there and then. Thankfully, i no longer have such serious money woes as i did, but because im pregnant, i cant decide whether im feeling low because of my hormones or because of depression. I spoke to my midwife and she has told me to express my feelings with someone, which i do via BabyandBump! Its hard sometimes.

Using this website has helped me so much, speaking to others who i dont personally know who are/have been though the same experiences. Hopefully as your pregnancy progresses, you will start to feel better but please dont hesitate to ask for help when you feel you need it. Not everyone is the same of course.

We are all here to listen and help here as much as we can

 

[babystar]

do u have a health visitor you can talk to? Or your GP? I have come off my meds for my bipolar disorder and personality disorder... I have a care worker/therapist that I see tho throughout the pregnancy... you must make sure you have a good support network... I didn't have one with my 1st pregnancy and I suffered very very bad postnatal depression.

 

[puppycat]

Hi Fripple!

How luck you are to get to see bubs in a week! I've got to wait another 3.5 weeks argh!! Lol.

I can assure you that I have been down right miserable and can barely stand to be around myself some days but it MUST be my hormones. I mean, don't get me wrong I do have off days but nowhere near this many!!!

Don't panic, it'll all be fine I'm sure. Treat yourself and do whatever YOU want to do. Sod everyone else!

 

[Eternal]

did your dp tell you to stop or did you just stop? as just stopping isnt a good idea. i have been diagnosised with depression and anxiety for over a year and am on cipalopram.

when i found out i was pregnant i didnt increase to 20mg and stayed on 10mg (recently came off and had to go back on medication).

there is very little evidenece that it will effect the baby and especially not this early, was told to carry on talking it and when i get near my 3 triemster we can discuss options.

if i were you i would make an appointment to see my GP asap and get some advice.

at first i was really against taking anything while pregnant but now knowing how stressful and worrying it can be i would rather be taking it and on such a low dose means its easier to stop when i need to.

hope your feeling better soon. good luck x x x

 

[Maidenet]

Hey huni, I am not suffering with it at the minute but I have a history of m/h issues. I have bpd, anxiety and depression.

If you wanna talk pm me xxxx

 

[Frippledip]

Thank you all for your kind words. I was on a very low dose of Prozac and did stop on doctor's orders, as he said that Prozac naturally tapers off out of your body on it's own due to the long half-life. I am also seeing a counselor once a week which I just started, so I haven't noticed a huge difference there yet. I am sorry to hear of some of your troubles, but then again it helps to know that I'm not alone.

I've been trying to exercise but it's tough when I barely have the energy to brush my teeth. On top of that I don't really feel pregnant, so it's hard to stay positive even about that. I'm really sorry to be such a downer, but it's all so overwhelming right now.

 

[ahava]

i suffered bad bad post natal depression/anxiety issues after my miscarriages. I found a cure for that was to take progesterone suppositories and naturally then taper them out over a period of time..it helped me so much...alot of depression is hormonal...so with a pregnancy it can really affect us. I wanted to say please dont think it is a bad thing....you can manage it by many things. It took me a long time but i eventually learnt to manage it.

 

[shaunanicole]

Frippledip, I know exactly how you are feeling. I have suffered from depression and anxiety all my life. I was bankeracted at the age of 14 for trying to commit suicide and was placed in Halifax (a mental institution for the underage) for about 2 weeks. Part of my contract of getting out was to go to anger management, family therapy, and solo counseling for at least a year. I did so but nothing got better. I dropped out of school at the age of 16 because I formed a phobia of large crowds and did an online program to get my GED. Last year I decided to try medication and went to see a psychiatrist. I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and OCD. They put me on lamactal, seroquel, and buspirone. It turned me into a complete zombie and after 6 months of taking it I got off the medication (which was 3 months before I got pregnant).

Since I have learned I was pregnant my depression has worsened. I am at home alone during the day and I have found that my anxiety attacks have worsened. I will wake up in the middle of the night having an anxiety attack. There are days when I am so sure of myself and happy but then it is followed by a week of me feeling bad about myself and being angry that I am in this situation. So far I have found it hard to cope (especially with all this spare time on my hands) but I am being honest when I say this website has made everything so much better. It's hard for me to wake up everyday because I feel like all my energy has been drained. I can't argue with anyone because everything seems to pointless. My self confidence is non existent and it is really hard for me to look in the mirror on certain days. I feel trapped in my own skin and wish that I was someone else - anyone else. Since my pregnancy I have also got in touch with God. I pray to him a lot and share my emotions with him when I am feeling a certain way. I haven't been a believer all my life but the day I learned I was most likely going to lose my baby I got down on one knee and prayed with ALL of my heart. The next time I went to the doctors my baby was just fine and I believe it was the Lord who kept my little bean safe. Maybe you could establish a relationship with him or at least try if you don't have a strong connection with him. It might do you good the same way it did me.

You can PM me at anytime if you want. I can relate to you on this subject and I am willing to listen to you. I care about your well being and I want your little bean to be happy as well.

 

[Cattia]

Hi,

I can relate to what you are feeling too. Like you I have a history of anxiety and depression. I have been on and off medication in the past but have been well for about two years and off medication. I must say I am finding things have worsened for me since I got pregnant. My doctor told me this is normal because of hormones. If you have a mental health history they should put it in your notes and you should be monitored by a midwife. There are lots of meds that are safe to take during pregnancy. I worry how I will cope when a actually have a baby and whether I will get post natal depression, this bothers me too. If you want to pm me feel free to.

Cat
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