Dealing with Anxiety while pregnant...

babyviso

I have suffered with anxiety since high school. I have been an medicine talked to a therapist. It comes and goes... I have been off everyday medicine since trying to have my first child almost 4 years ago. Since then I have only taken medicine when needed. Since becoming pregnant obviously can not take anything I have been having really bad anxiety. Chest pain....arm hurting....feel like I'm going to pass out ....feel like can't breathe....all the good stuff I went to the dr in April I'm physically fine. But I'm having a hard time keeping it in control...what can I do?

kbrands7

I used to have anxiety that would bring on long lasting panic attacks like you're describing. I really found "grounding" mental exercises and some of the mental exercises in the Hypobirthing book to be incredibly helpful. Physical exercise helped a bunch too. (Not while anxious, but as a routine to relieve stress.) A CBT approach in therapy worked wonders as well. ::hugs:: I hope you find some strategies that work for you!

Charla1224

kbrands7 said:

I used to have anxiety that would bring on long lasting panic attacks like you're describing. I really found "grounding" mental exercises and some of the mental exercises in the Hypobirthing book to be incredibly helpful. Physical exercise helped a bunch too. (Not while anxious, but as a routine to relieve stress.) A CBT approach in therapy worked wonders as well. ::hugs:: I hope you find some strategies that work for you!

As someone who also struggles with anxiety and as a therapist.... I agree and approve of this message. Lol

saladflambe

I meditate, use essential oils, visualization exercises, mantras, etc. etc. Edit to add: also am in therapy 3x a week with 24/7 access to my therapist via emails, text messages, and phone calls as needed... yes, I'm that crazy.

And Benadryl & Doxylamine... honestly, there's no replacement for my Klonopin, Vistral, and Brintellix. I'm trying my damndest to stay off of these things, but I haven't been able to "turn off" using natural remedies. The Benadryl and Doxylamine do help in the evenings and are OK during pregnancy. They aren't the same as what I was taking, but thank god for there being something. I am considering taking L-Lysine and L-Arginine as well. And I have a couple other herbal supplements but they are iffy for pregnancy. I took them for a couple of days but got scared.

KidShrink

Agree with PP about CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy). You can buy a book/self-help guide called Mind Over Mood, which is really great- I'm a psychologist working with kids, but my adult psyc friends use it all the time. And believe me, it'll be great for you and for baby growing up...there will be more for you to worry about, and unfortunately meds are only a quick fix in the moment...they don't help fix what's leading to the anxiety to begin with. Best of luck!

khall0

I have terrible anxiety, have had for most of my adult life. I've put together an emergency pack for when things get beyond me. It includes a few snacks I like to eat, television shows that comfort me and a list of things I know make me feel good. It sounds silly but it's something I do for me and it works

vinerie

I also have an anxiety issue. I suffer from panic attacks and the only thing I know to keep them at bay is a specific combination of meds. Of course, you are not supposed to take these meds while pregnant, which is a major issue. I know my trigger, and when I'm going to be in that situation, I take those meds and all is usually fine. So I don't take the meds regularly, which is a good thing, and my doctors are basically telling me if the benefits of taking them outweighs the risk of those meds, then I should go ahead and take them as needed. Honestly, the stress of having to deal with this has been overwhelming; just yesterday I was meeting with my GP about it and I burst into tears, which was obviously embarrassing.

babyviso

Thanks ladies!

Bellodomani

I've found that combination of exercise and a couple different multivitamins have worked pretty well for me to manage anxiety while pregnant/ nursing. I take fish oil with 1060 mg EPA (from Nordic Naturals), tri-magnesium and b-complex (Integrative Therapeutics), and probiotics and now my prenatal! I came to this particular combo by talking to a naturopath, that might be something worth considering. In addition to all that I try to run 4-5 times a week. 

Also, prior to pregnancy when I felt a major anxiety attack coming I would take a lavender oil pill (lavela from Integrative Therapeutics) and that helped immensely. My naturopath said that in my 1st & 2nd trimesters it would be ok to take those on a VERY occasional basis (basically for emergencies only), and that I should not take them at all in my 3rd trimester. 

I know these things vary widely from person to person, but this has helped me immensely, so I figured it was worth putting out there.