Will B-12 Help?

[LoveOhm]

I am not sure if it is postpartum depression however I scored a 73 on the test mentioned above. My dd is 14 months old and I ADORE her but the stress surrounding being a mom is getting to be in a very large way...

I feel a urgent need to make a change because these items are beginning to affect my interaction with my daughter and she is really all I have and I am her only "constant" if that makes sense.

I really would like to avoid meds if possible. I know my iron is low (it always is because I don't really eat meat) so I recently began taking an iron supplement as well as a multi-vitamin (actually prenatals becuase I am still nursing) but I am thinking perhaps I should take some B-12 injections then continue with oral supplements and excerise.

Any thoughts on B-12 injections and it's affect on PPD? Have any of you tried B-12 to aid with PPD? Any suggestions, thoughts......?

[sstripp2020]

Hi there. I am really sorry to hear that you think you may be suffering from postpartum. I have two babies (20 months and 7 months) and I suffered with PPD with both of them. I have taken zoloft as a result but recently due to some of the side effects, I have begun to treat with my diet and it is really working. I take b6, b12, omega 3 and avoid white flour and sugar as much as possible and this has been really successful so far. Good luck and feel free to emailw ith any questions.

[peilover010202]

I know you posted this awhile ago, but you should be able to achieve high enough doses of b12 orally. And, I doubt that your insurance would pay for the injections (here they are $50 every 2 weeks) unless you have pernicious anemia. You can look online for the doses needed to treat orally.

I tried using the "cocktail" that the pp mentioned. I helped, but I still felt depressed. Making sure I got out daily really helped too.

[survivingPPD]

B12

I think this is an old, old post but I wanted to respond to it. For the past 5 weeks I have been taking 1000 mcg of B12 Orally every day and let me tell you, it has been awesome! I have tried many many many drugs to try to get some relief from BOTH my bouts with PPD and I truly hated all of them. B12 gives me more energy during the day and actually helps me sleep a bit better at night (though I struggle still a bit with that). But it has helped my depression A LOT!! I would not give up my B12 for anything. I also take fish oil, a b-complex and a multi-vitamin and am currently attempting to wean off Lamictal. SOrry this is long! I read an article on B12 and it stated that research shows that at least 30% of people with depression, mania and/or bi-polar are B12 deficient if not more and that all people suffering from depression should supplement with it, it even specified Postpartum depression saying many woman get depleted of B12 during pregnancy.
SO, there is my novel! But it has worked a lot for me where many others have failed.

[purplemamaaz]

I started taking about 1000 mg orally of B12 a day since my diagnosis of PPD and I have noticed a difference. I feel a bit "lighter" since I started taking it and not as tired. Not a cure for me, but a definate help.

[LoveOhm]

Bumping for more input.

Any more thoughts / input?

Where did you laides find out about the "B-12 cocktail"? How do you know what to take? Can you handle PPD with just diet?

[heidirk]

I would actually suggest a b vitamin complex, 50 mg twice a day. I take this once a day, but I still had some problems after DS was born.

B-vitamins work together, and you CAN od on them, which can make you jittery and anxious(like you need that right now)

You can also try Sam-E but becarefull, as it can cause some of the same side effects as too much B.

This is what I did. I increased my Calcium, Magnesium, B-50 complex, and added the Sam-E. I take Valerian root at night. You can take it during the day but it can make you a bit drowsy. It's excellent for combating anxiety, and taken at night it will increase your natural serotonin during the day.

The Sam-E got me 'over the hump' but I stopped taking it as soon as possible because it made me quite weird at night.

Hope this Helps.