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Breastfeeding
kmtneb
member
Breastfeeding and anxiety meds
kmtneb
member
Hi all, I don't post here very often but I could really use some encouraging words and/or stories. Sorry for the long post. My baby boy is 7.5 months old I have been breastfeeding on demand. I got my period when he was 6.5 m old. About 2 weeks ago when I was due to ovulate again I started experiencing horrible insomnia. It is to the point where I can't fall asleep at all on my own and have been sleeping 1-4 hours most night (even though baby is sleeping). I ended up in the ER on Friday because I was so desperate and I couldn't get in to see a doc. They prescribed me ambien but last night I only slept from 10:30-1:30 am on 2 ambien. I am feeling really desperate. Anyone have experience (positive stories only please) with anti-anxiety meds when breastfeeding or post partum anxiety? I am also worried I am going to have to stop breastfeeding to get the treatment I needbut my little guy is MPSI and is rejecting the hypoallergenic formula and I don't have that much stash left, so it is stressing me out even more! Thanks in advance for any advice or words or encouragement :-)
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Re: Breastfeeding and anxiety meds
https://www.infantrisk.com/
you can also ask questions about specific medications in their forums and they will get back to you there.
additionally, you can look up specific medications on LactMed: https://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT
if you want to ask one of your own doctors, i would ask your pediatrician, they seem to be more knowledgeable about drugs and BFing.
if you haven't already, i would also consider seeing a therapist. going to therapy in combination with medication has been shown to have better outcomes than medication alone.
GL!
I developed a horrible case of Insomnia from 4months PP that lasted about 2 months. I am now 12 months PP and still struggle a little with sleep every now and then, but it's not that big of a deal. Once I figured out it was anxiety/adrenaline I started sleeping better (I was convinced for awhile it was hormonal, but now I realize it was just a self-fulfilling prophecy). There are quite a few sleep meds to try if you want to go that route. A few I tried were Remeron, Trazodone, and Vistaril. They worked great for me for a short time, but I really needed to get the sleep phobia anxiety under control.
I changed jobs at about 6 months PP and took a week off of work in between the old and new job. I slept beautifully that whole week which helped me realize that this was all related to anxiety and being in "mom mode" 24/7. I needed to find a way to unwind everyday. I had essentially developed a sleep-phobia and that adrenaline pumping in me at night was keeping me awake which I suspect is maybe why Ambien isn't working for you because your adrenaline is taking over.
I am taking a sleep med right now at a very low dose and in the process of weaning off it which is really challenging only because I've classically conditioned myself to think I need it. I have learned a great deal about sleep and how fascinating the mind really is. Please PM me if you have questions, I'm happy to help