Depression -- anyone else?

MamaSquishyB · August 2016

This past week or so, I've been feeling more down than usual. I've been crying a lot, not interested in doing much more than sleeping, and not really caring about managing my gestational diabetes so carefully (don't worry though, my highest numbers have only been around 150, and that's rare). I miss DH all the time, and when he texts me from work, I start crying all over again. Am I alone? Do you think this is just a side effect of the contractions and everything else that's been going on? I've been on Zoloft my entire pregnancy, but now I feel like it's not working at all. :-(

tinypikachu · August 2016

I'm very hormonal at this stage of mt pregnancy and am crying over little and bigger things every day pretty much. If you feel your depression is getting worse, I would talk to your doctor about it, especially so close to delivery.

rock1cherry · August 2016

@MamaSquishyB so sorry to hear you're feeling this way. I'm sure a lot of it is natural considering all of the hormones, but I would definitely speak to your doctor. Maybe they can change your dosage or try something else. Depression is no joke. I really hope you can get out of your funk soon. Wishing you the best!

AnnaS930 · August 2016

I echo the others, talk to your doctor... maybe a dose increase is in order, even if just to cover the final weeks and first few post-partum.

Ah825 · August 2016

Hey girl, you are not alone. I struggle everyday. I take celexa and cut myself down to 10 mg during pregnancy from 20 mg (which use to be 40!) which I am surviving with. I've been struggling lately too. My anxiety is at an all time high now worrying about if my baby is going to have any health problems when born or anything wrong with him. This week I've been obsessed with autism. I hate that I have to take medication and the side effects it could have on baby but I don't know if I'd be alive without it. I just worry if something is wrong it will be my fault. How much time do you have left with your pregnancy? What's your dosage? My doctors are weird and wanted me off it completely and i literally had to tell them I have suicidal thoughts without it and it can't happen. Don't really like my regular doctor. Obgyn is must better. Sorry if I'm getting too intense, just never run into people who open up about the medication thing! It's so hard!

ahackett1990 · August 2016

Hey I'm right there with you. I suffer from anxiety and have had bouts of depression since I was a teenager. I used to be on Zoloft back in college but I haven't taken any medicine for a few years now. The past couple weeks have been especially hard since I'm now on maternity leave and kind of left to dwell on thoughts that give me anxiety. My hormones are all over the place and I'm a weeping mess!
Are you working right now? If not, are you finding activities to keep you busy during the day? I find that my anxiety is worse if I have too much free time to let my mind wander. I would definitely try doing something you really enjoy to try to keep your mind busy. Whether it's reading, crafts, exercise, cooking. Anything to help you relax.

AnnaS930 · August 2016

Ah825 said:

Hey girl, you are not alone. I struggle everyday. I take celexa and cut myself down to 10 mg during pregnancy from 20 mg (which use to be 40!) which I am surviving with. I've been struggling lately too. My anxiety is at an all time high now worrying about if my baby is going to have any health problems when born or anything wrong with him. This week I've been obsessed with autism. I hate that I have to take medication and the side effects it could have on baby but I don't know if I'd be alive without it. I just worry if something is wrong it will be my fault. How much time do you have left with your pregnancy? What's your dosage? My doctors are weird and wanted me off it completely and i literally had to tell them I have suicidal thoughts without it and it can't happen. Don't really like my regular doctor. Obgyn is must better. Sorry if I'm getting too intense, just never run into people who open up about the medication thing! It's so hard!

Not too intense for me, I'm a pharmacist and took Zoloft for a couple months during the post-partum period. I never had suicidal thoughts but my anxiety was sky-high and I couldn't eat more than a few bites here and there without being overcome with nausea. It took a huge toll on me. I had a lot of thoughts of wondering if I'd need to be institutionalized to get better (thankfully did not come to that), and wanting to run away from my family.. I felt a lot of guilt over those thoughts until I reminded myself that mental illness is a disease and we shouldn't hold people accountable for those thoughts.
As people will tell you, we don't judge people who need treatment for high blood pressure or cancer or diabetes.. so why such a stigma against anti-anxiety/antidepressants? It really grinds my gears that people feel like they can't talk about their mental health.

AnnaS930 · August 2016

Also @Ah825 I don't know if you'd be interested/if it's too late to join but there used to be a registry for pregnant women taking antidepressants to be part of a national registry.. NPRAD. The more women to enroll the more data they can gather about the use of antidepressants during pregnancy and if there are any effects to give better advice moving forward.

homebird · August 2016

I've been feeling "meh" over the past few weeks too. I think I'm nervous about having 3, nervous about postpartum crap, etc. That combined with really poor sleep (thanks sore hips and constant peeing) I'm not surprised I don't feel great. Hang in there!

Edited to add I am also taking medication during pregnancy (lexapro and wellbutrin) because the risks outweigh the benefits for me.

asht · August 2016

For those that are extra anxious about what could happen to the baby.... Just remember as one of you said, with out it who knows where you might be including potentially dead. Small doses of certain meds are not going to harm anything. I went off mine prior to trying by my choice. My OB wanted me to start them again last week but I refused and really want to make the rest of the pregnancy with out them, but realistically not sure if I can and I'm down to two weeks to go.

CantanteLirica · August 2016

I have been medicated for anxiety and depression, but weaned off my prescription with Dr Julia Ross' mood cure regimen of high dose vitamins and amino acids about 15 months before we got pregnant. Of course, no one has tested those for pregnancy, so even though they are probably fine....no one really knows. My doc, hubby and I decided to have me try going without, as my previous prescription was considered ok but with a risk of baby going through withdrawal if I were on it in the third trimester. (But also knowing that we had that as a back up was a huge relief.)

I'm at 35w 5d and have really just had symptoms start to show in the past few weeks. In particular I'm having lots of discomfort/difficulty moving around and low energy, which makes me frustrated and feel useless. Like @ahackett1990 said, being left alone with my own thoughts can be the most chalenging thing. We also moved to a new city just at the beginning of July, so there's that stress and some loneliness.

We are currently debating what we will do while nursing, as I ended up on prescription meds with PPD after my first and figure the worst is yet to come.

Thanks for sharing - it's nice to know there are others out there. And congrats to all of you for making whatever the right decisions are for you. Healthy momma, healthy baby.

MamaSquishyB · August 2016

I am so grateful I can open up and find support here. I'm always terrified about opening up with anyone, including DH. He's a mental health nurse, but ironically he has a hard time understanding my anxiety and depression. He'd rather I not be on any medication at all, for anything. I'm currently on 100mg of Zoloft, and will be 36 weeks tomorrow. I've been working less and less, a combination of being too uncomfortable and having fewer clients available at work. I admit I don't find much to do at home. I sleep a lot. I have a blanket I'm trying to crochet for the baby, but I only ever do a row or two at a time before I give up. I will be talking to my doctor about all this on Wednesday, but I worry about increasing my dose. Doc recommended against taking anything during this pregnancy initially, but I told him it was absolutely necessary. I've never been suicidal, but I don't know how I would have made it this far without medication. I can't wait for this baby to be born, but I'm terrified of post partum depression as well! Mental illness is no joke.

Want a personalized experience?

Depression -- anyone else?

Re: Depression -- anyone else?

Choose Another Board

Search Boards