When to wean?

[nanamar]

Hi ladies...
This is my first post, since I have been a lurker for some time now. This board has helped me tremendously.
My youngest DD was born 5/29/09 and 4wks pp, I knew something wasnt right. I thought I had baby blues but they didnt go away. I was not sad, it was more like anger towards my 2yo dd that did not let me enjoy my newborn. I felt very weird and knew I wasnt the mother I wanted to be. I wasnt enjoying motherhood at all. I talked to my OB who prescribed me Zoloft 50mg, and after a month of taking it, the dosage was upped because I was still feeling lots of angerment and just feeling blah... I am now on 100mg and have been feeling normal. I wont say I'm 100% happy, but I'm working on getting things under control to feel like myself again. Pre-2nd pregnancy, I was super happy, energetic and enjoyed life and motherhood 100%.
My questions is.... Do I feel back to normal because of the meds? How do you know when its time to stop? I'm worried that I gradually wean and then the bad feelings come back.
Please advise. What was your experience weaning off of the meds and when?

TIA

[FischK]

I would not wean unless you've discussed this with your doctor. Most women with PPD stay on antidepressants after they feel better for several months, and you've only been feeling normal for a few weeks. This needs time.

Good luck.

[mamatolevi]

There are studies that have shown that stopping the meds too soon can lead to relapse and needing to be on the meds for a longer period of time.

You may want to give it a few months of feeling good - not just better - before making that decision with your dr.

[LilMomma83]

I weaned off zoloft during my pregnancy and 1 month later went back on..it was too early for me, I'd only felt better for a short time. Next time I will wait long and take it slower, maybe do several months of a lower dose and go from there.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

You can talk to your Dr. about it but I weaned of zolof by myself very slowly. It took 2 months to do so actually. You can try it now and see what happens if you arnt ready then you can always go back on it.

[milesmama911]

I have experience with all of this, so I echo caution about weaning off the Zoloft. It took me several years and multiple attempts. When my DD was born, I was medication-free and have remained so. A friend of mine recently wrote a book about medication-free treatment for depression. It's called The Depression Cure, by Steve Ilardi. I really believe in his program, especially the fish oil regimen. But, that said, do everything under the care of a competent mental health practicioner.