For those how have, or have delt with anxiety/panic attacks.

[Irish_Blue]

What have you found to work for you? I tried zoloft when I was 6 mo pp with my 4th son, but went off of it after 10 days, however after reading on this board it sounds like what I experienced was normal, I thought I was just wigging out even worse : I had horrible insomnia, dizziness, shaking, my OCD seemed to be worse, panic attacks & so on.

After that experience I went to my chiro who put me on CNE by Truehope it seemed to work pretty good, the intrusive thoughts that caused the anxiety didn't go away at first but then they too faded, but the anxiety/panic attacks eventually did and by 10 mo pp I was free of them & felt GREAT. So yes, I'm insane we got pg again (when ds was 15 mo, so they'll be 2yrs apart) this is our last & due to a history of 2ndary infertility we tried for our last sooner than normal b/c I figured it'd take yrs again but with some shock got pg the 1st month trying.

So here I am 22wks along and I'm struggling again, 4-4.5wks wks ago I had a massive panic attack in the middle of the night, since then I've fought off anxiety & a few other panic attacks. Not fun : I've gone back on the CNE and I've also added a high dose of Tuna Omega 3 oils by Standard Process Inc. for the most part it seems to be helping, but I'm noticing that my anxiety is showing up in the early morning/day time now instead of at night I'm not sure why it's changing *sigh* This morning I had to really fight to keep the panic down & I've been a bit shaky today but I can function still.

So this leads me to really worrying about the postpartum time I'm already sad over the fact that this is my last pregnancy, first baby girl and I'm not enjoying the pregnancy at all I spend most of it in fear & that just sucks. So, I'm looking for things that are safe to take while pg *and* nursing & could use some advise.

[Mallori]

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[mom0810]

I would ask your OB about going back on the zoloft now, before baby comes. This way, you will be able to feel well before hand.

Also, there are studies that show that anxiety or depression in the mother are much worse for the baby than taking meds is. Cortisol can be very harmful to the developing fetus.

Talk to your doctor and see what he/she thinks. Zoloft is very safe in pregnancy, and you may just need a baby dose, like 25 mg, to get you over this and feeling better. Then you can go up after baby is born.

I would also find a therapist who can help you with these feelings and get you prepared for Postpartum time. That would be a big help, as well.

[Fyrestorm]

I suffered from depression and manic episodes with panic disorder before I became pregnant. I went through a whole host of meds before I was stabilized. I was on Celexa, Lexipro, Zoloft etc. When I told my Doc that we were thinking of TTC, she switched me over to prozac. It was wonderful!! I had very few side effects and was able to stay on an extremely low dose throughout pregnancy.

After my delivery however, I ended up over the edge with PTSD and PPD added into the mix. I am now (3.5yrs later on a combo of wellbutrin with Xanax and Adavan when necessary.

I ended up going to a psycopharmacologist because of all the med complications. I would strongly suggest someone other than an OB or GP to prescribe these type of medications. They are specialized and IMHO require a specialist.

Good luck mama, hope things start getting better for you.

[Irish_Blue]

Thanks you guys for your advice, I really do appreciate it A LOT!

Meds scare me soo bad, but I just don't know what else to do at this point I have tried *so damn hard* to do this the natural way, and I have it in my head that if I go on meds I'm a failure, and I'm hurting my baby I'm also afraid that they wont work and that they'll just make me worse. I wish I could get over that fear.

I'm currently seeing a counselor, but I found that that seemed to make my anxiety worse b/c I was concentrating on it too much, so I've stopped going for now but plan on going back when I feel like I can handle it. She's wonderful, very sweet & unerstanding which helps a lot.

My insurance only covers 1 psychologist, wish I had more choice but I may go see him I'm not sure. I've heard their the "medicine men" and would be the best to see, about meds, side effects & safety during pregnancy & nursing.

Fyrestorm, is prozac safe for nursing?

[Fyrestorm]

Honestly, I tried everything natural...all kinds of suppliments. biofeedback...everything. Meds were the answer for me. I would love to off of them and hopefully someday I will be...but I believe they saved my sanity and maybe my life. I actually told my doc, that I would be willing to stay on them for the rest of my life as long as I never have to feel like I used to again!!

Psycologists can not prescribe meds...you need a psychiatrist or psysopharmacologist for that.

The low dose I was on at the time was safe...I was on 15-20mg. When it was no longer working, we switched to Zoloft which is safer in higher doses. We also kept a very close eye on DD for adverse reactions.

[Irish_Blue]

I meant psychiatrist, doh

Thank you so much for talking to me about this, I have never struggled with something so difficult, so lonely & so scarry in my life & I've been through a lot!

My midwife wrote me a script for zoloft, starting at 50mg but I think I'm going to start at 25mg if I do start. I believe that's the lowest dose, my husband is leaving for a wk at the end of this month so I'm afraid to start it with him gone, maybe I'll begin in November. I don't know, I need to find a doctor who understand ppd and meds so if something goes wonky I can rely on them.

Thanks again for your help, it means a lot to me and makes me feel a little less alone.

[Fyrestorm]

The sooner you start, the sooner you'll start feeling 'human' again...You might have some weirdness at first (the first week or so) then you'll feel like they aren't working for another week or so...Dh was actually the first to notice that I was feeling better...It was over a month before I actually really started to feel okay. DH noticed earlier..I was smiling again, I actually got out of bed in the morning, I was sleeping better. The changes were so small early on, that they were almost unnoticable to me.

Be patient with yourself. It took you a long time to get where you are and it might take a while to climb back out...but it is possible and you are not alone!!

[Irish_Blue]

That's true, I guess I"m just afraid of having a really bad panic attack or something in the middle of the night & not having him there. My sister will be staying with me for the wk that he's gone, so that will help a lot and she knows what I'm strugglign with.

I'm going to find a doctor tomorrow & set an appointment, my hope is that perhaps I can get something like xanax or something similar, as I start the meds and specifically while he's gone.

Thanks again for your help, it's been wonderful to be able to talk to someone about this & specifically someone who understands.

[Fyrestorm]

Personally, I feel that Adavan works much better when I'm heading into a panic attack..It seems to be more effective and faster!! I have no idea how safe it is during pregnancy though...

I'm glad I could help. It's such a hard situation to be in...but that is part of it. You feel awful and you feel like there is no way out and you feel like a failure for needing help and meds...and it just keeps piling up.

Trust me...I know!! I am the last person you would ever think of to be leading a medication pep rally!! I don't vaccinate, My DD has not seen an allopath since she was 2 months old, I believe that we are way overmedicated as a society, I don't even take an aspirin unless I feel like I'm about to die, I went through 2 UTIs and refused ABX...but, my sanity on the otherhand...I did what I had to do and I really have no regrets.

Good luck tomorrow and I hope things start looking up...feel free to PM me if you want to talk about anything..I am also more than happy to continue this here in the thread. Maybe more mamas will join in and you'll feel even less alone!

[Irish_Blue]

Adavan, okay I will look into that thanks so much for the suggestion. Is it as addictive as xanax? That's the one thing that worries me, my dad and both brothers are druggies so I know the tendency runs in the family ~ it's something I'd have to be really aware of and careful with, but I also really need something on hand just in case.

We sounds very similar, I don't vaccinate at all either & am very natural in how we live so this is a really difficult thing for me to have to accept. I find comfort though in knowing that I'm not alone, that others have gone through it and are doing okay & I pulled through this once so I know I can do it again, just need to remember that when things get really dark

Something odd I've noticed, I wonder if you experienced anything similar. My anxiety used to always be at night, the minute I say daylight I was happy and felt "safe" but my anxiety seems to be changing to during the day & I feel calm at night. So weird!

[Fyrestorm]

It is/was always worse for me at night as well..one of my worst symptoms was insomnia..Therapist thinks it's because I was afraid of waking in a full blown anxiety attack...it was also the times when I would have my manic episodes..again more than likely to escape the night!

You can and will get through this!

[Irish_Blue]

oye, forgive my typos! lol

Yes, I can relate to that! I had bad insomnia during my ppd days w/ my 4th son too, I was (and still am to an extent) afraid to go to sleep.

I refused to take a nap this afternoon b/c I was afraid of waking up with a panic attack, right now I'm taking half a unisom at night and it helps immensely ~ actually this morning was the first time I had to fight off a panic attack during the day and it was also the 1st time in awhile that I choose not to take half a unisom before bed, I wanted to see how I'd react. Not sure if there is a link to that or not though.

There's something about being woken up that causes me to be more likely to get anxiety or panicy, I'm not sure why I think maybe part of it is my brain has a hard time adjusting sometimes.

[dubfam]

I was able to use Xanax for a while just when I was having an attack, or I could feel myself getting really wound up.

I try to stay clear of Caffeine, as I discovered that is a HUGE problem for me. It makes my anxiety a million times worse.

I try to stay well hydrated, as I have noticed that not having enough water to drink will trigger my panic attacks somehow.

I also like Rescue Remedy and some of the other Bach essences. They work very well for me when I am starting to get stressed out.

I haven't taken Xanax for about 1 year now, and I don;t have very many problems with anxiety right now.

I hope that you can find something that works for you. I know that it is hard to take meds. Trust me, I hated taking Xanax. But it really helped me get back to normal, and I was EXTREMELY careful with how much I took, bc of how addictive it is (and I have an addictive personality).
I am really glad that I got the help that I needed to get better.

[sphinxie]

What helped me the most was klonopin. I took it when I felt the anxiety building or realized it had reached problematic level. By 40 minutes (usually quicker) I was back to normal, or at least feeling a lot better. There were no side effects for me unless I took too much, then I felt very sleepy and sometimes got an odd headache. My 'tolerance' went up and down a bit so the amount that worked best for me varied slightly, which is why I occasionally had too much. Normally I cut the pills in half which I think made it .25 mg. That was the best thing for short term treatment. It is an as-needed medication so if anxiety wasn't a problem for awhile, I didn't have to keep taking it.

Otherwise... last year I saw a naturopath for serious acne & joint and she treated my digestion and detoxification systems. (I'd always had digestive trouble.) All of that really helped, but I don't think I could peg one thing. I think the most important ones were (1) went sugar-free for a few months to deal with candida and took good probiotics to prevent a recurrence (2) a good multivitamin supplement (3) cod liver oil. Epsom salt baths are also great. I'm only now truly improving my general diet.

Nowadays I also know a lot more about focusing on the positive and choosing my thoughts, so I'm overall a lot more steady.

If you're having anxiety in the morning, you might look into blood sugar causes.

I highly recommend the books of Edmund Bourne on anxiety. He is a regular psychiatrist, but took alternative approaches seriously years before that became common, and his books are very informative.

[mom0810]

You would probably do really well on zoloft, and some Ativan if you need it. It is not going to be addictive, as you will not take it every day. only when you feel the panic coming. It's often prescribed along with Zoloft for the first couple of weeks because you might have increased anxiety during the first couple of weeks. The Ativan will get you through that. I would start the zoloft NOW, while your hubby is home, and by the time he goes out of town you will feel SOOOOO much better.

It's okay to take meds, and it is so worth it once you feel better. Best wishes.

[Surfacing]

I don't have time to write much, but wanted to say that I tried for almost 2 dozen years to go without meds (and do things the natural route) but have felt it necessary now...it has been helpful. I had a very strong reaction to meds in the past and this psychiatrist was willing to work with me to move up in quarter doses to give my body time to adjust in a manageable way. It's been a godsend. I am on a low dose of prozac now (10 mg) and will be working up to 20 mg. Hugs and keep trying, I hope you find something helpful. It's so hard to have panic/anxiety. Hang in there, it will get better.

[Irish_Blue]

Hi you guys

Thanks *so* much for your replies mama's!

I'm going to look into that book sphinxie, thanks for the suggestions. Also blood sugar what a great idea, I'm hypoglycemic so mmmm maybe there IS a link!

Mom0810 ~ I actually tried zoloft when I was 6 mo pp with my 4th son & it really wigged me out. The problem was also that my m/w didn't know much about ssri's and I had no idea you could react so strongly, so it scared me *really really* bad & I went off of it after 10dys. I also didn't realise that I could take things to help with the transition period, oye! It was a really scarry time which is another reason why I fear meds, Iw as afraid of them before & that only made it worse.

Anyhow, so on Friday I made an appointment with my GP, I explained to him what happened with the Zoloft & then told him about things I'd learned and he shared what he knew with me. We decided to try me on Wellbutrin with Ativan for when I need it. I took my 1st pill on Saturday morning, so today will be day 3. I slept badly last night & woke up this morning around 6am with a pounding heart & anxiety, no crazy thoughts or anything just anxious and then more anxious b/c I knew what it meant so I got up 30 minutes later & am trying to distract myself. I'm not sure if it was me or the meds or a mixture of both, I've only been on it two days.

I have some questions about it but not sure if I want to start a new thread or not, if I read anything negative it puts me into a spin quite easily so I want to be careful with what I expose myself to as I transition onto the meds. Maybe I'll start journaling.

[mom0810]

It would be a good idea to stay away from message boards until you get yourself settled on the Wellbutrin.

Wellbutrin can cause a little more anxiety than zoloft, but it shouldn't be too bad. IF it does not go away after two weeks, I would consider something else.

I really recommend you call and get in with a psychiatrist, only because they know the meds better than any other doctor and will help you get on the right track. Also, you can call them at any time if you are having difficulty, and they will talk you through it.

Just stay where you are for now... and use the Ativan if you need it for anxiety until your body gets used to the Wellbutrin. You could experience some diarrhea and upset stomach, so don't let that fool you. Also racing heartbeat (or the sensation of it) and anxiety might persist for a few weeks. As long as you know what it is, though, you should be fine.

Are you in therapy at all??

[cjanelles]

Lexapro worked for me before I got pregnant, but I stopped once I found out we were expecting...

I have taken low dosages of Valium (5 mg) before and that has worked fine.

It's the difference between a maintenance drug--which you take daily/routinely to prevent depression/anxiety/etc--or an acute drug--which you take when you feel a panic attack coming on.

I personally don't want to be on a maintenance drug (like Lexapro) because I'm still primarily breastfeeding my dd. So, I think an acute med like xanax, klonopin, or valium would work best for me now.