- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
2nd Trimester
m2marryn
member
Anxiety Issues
m2marryn
member
Hi everyone, this is my first time posting. I am 16 weeks pregnant. Before getting pregnant-well actually before trying to conceive I was on many medications for depression and anxiety. But for baby reasons I was taken off everything and put then only on Zoloft for issues with depression and anxiety. I was doing okay in the beginning-not great but getting by. But now my anxiety is out of control-to the point where I cannot function and I am frequently having panic attacks where I black out. I know that is not good for the baby either! So my psychiatrist put me onto .5 mg Lorazepam (ativan), but I really don't feel any different, so I think I will have to go up to 1 mg. I am dealing with a huge deadline that I cannot get an extension on (for my PhD, if I do not make it I get kicked out of the program-8 years of work down the drain). This is where most of my anxiety is coming from. So my thoughts are maybe go up to 1mg daily just during my second trimester, then slowly go down and hopefully off by the time Dec. comes and baby is born. All studies show issues in the first and third trimesters-but none mention the second.
Can anyone help me? I don't want to hurt my baby, but I need to also function. Any tips for anxiety besides relax, meditate etc-all skills (plus therapy) I am doing? Thanks!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Anxiety Issues
BFP #5: 3/25/2015: EDD: 12/8/2015.
Ok, my computer keeps deleting everything because I keep hitting something wrong on my new laptop's keyboard. UGH! here goes third attempt...
Ok, yes, def, ask your doctor. Hopefully a mental health doctor in conjunction with your ob/gyn. I too was on medications and went off of them for baby. It is no fun to suffer from anxiety and I am so sorry you are going through this.
One thought I do have, is that I was on a mood stabilizer (for bi polar) and I do know that I should not ever be on antidepressants alone without the mood stabilizer. Some doctors do not realize this and my ob suggested putting me on anti depressants again. I said no. That would be a worse situation for me (get very suicial/crazy feeling/anxious beyond belief). Now, I do not know your situation obviously, that is just something I have learned and thought I'd throw the thought out there. Always something to discuss with your doctor again though, as I am no expert, that is just what I have learned from my doctor's and experience.
I am so sorry you are going through anxiety. I hope you are able to take it one step at a time, perhaps limit all other possible commitments you have to anything or anybody until this big deadline passes. I won't even commit myself to a birthday party right now. If I feel ok, I go. If I don't, I don't. But I do not commit, because for me, it's too hard and causes me more anxiety.
I hope everything works out ok for you. I know "nice phrases" don't always help, but I'll say it anyway, hang in there, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
But please be sure to talk to you doctor (s).
Like the other posters said, we can't really give medical advice, but I'm in a very similar situation and thought I'd offer some perspective.
I was also on Zoloft up until the positive pregnancy test. And when I went off of it, things were ok for awhile and I was really optimistic. My major triggers are health things (this may be due to the miscarriage of my first pregnancy in February) but not just my own, I start panicking about my husband, sisters, parents, etc. It is extraordinarily difficult every single day to know how regulated I feel on that 25mg and how I'm not on it anymore, especially being a Category C medication, I know that people do stay on it during whole pregnancies. I am starting my 6th year of a PhD and finishing up in September (pending a paper acceptance) and we also moved, and miscarried this year.
I think the hardest part about all of this is that no one really talks about how difficult it is to be pregnant. We deal with our regular life responsibilities as women and then suddenly, everything you do is riddled with this extra layer of "meaning". All I can do is share what has helped me without being on Zoloft and without being able to continue long distance running...I'm sorry if they sound silly but I feel like sometimes anything is worth a try.
1) I learned how to knit last year so I have been steadily working on a baby blanket for the little one. You have to think about it just enough that your brain is occupied (unlike meditation which I find insanely difficult)
2) Drawing can be very meditative, again without having to fixate on the thoughts that start panic attacks
3) Some people scoff at journaling but I swear by it. I hadn't done it in 2 years and things were getting really bad this weekend so as a last resort, I pulled it out. First I read my last entry (it was one in 2011 right before I went back on Zoloft) and identified with being in the same position back then. This helped me to realize that things do get better. You will be able to get back on your medications faster than you know. Just think about how quickly the last 16 weeks have gone! I'm 15.5 weeks and I definitely plan on going back on it after the baby is born. The pain is temporary and remembering that might actually lessen it. Anyways, getting things on paper can be very cathartic.
Again, I'm sorry if these seem silly, but besides talking things through with my husband and taking care of myself by eating well and taking long walks for exercise, these are the things that help me re-center. If you want to talk more, feel free to send a message
Remember that you're not alone.
Agree. Good luck!