Posted by polarbear206 on January 5, 2003, at 14:33:13
In reply to Mitch and others, I am at my wits end., posted by nmk on January 5, 2003, at 11:28:54
> I am going to see my pdoc tomorrow and I am hoping any of you can help with suggestions, treatment options etc.. I am currently one year postpartum and dove into a severe depression five months after the baby was born (this also happened with my first pregnancy). I have tried zoloft (no effect), effexor (made me too dizzy), Lexapro (cured the anxiety and depression but left me extremely nauseous), and am currently back on 125 mg of zoloft with 300 mg x 2 per day of Trileptal with no success. I have never been diagnosed as bipolar but my doc wanted to see if the Trileptal would help. I have been on the current cocktail for the past month.
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> I don't know what to do at this point and am wondering if I have given the AD's a fair shot. I feel normal when I get my period each month but then the anxiety and depression emerge afterward. I have tried oral contraceptives but the progesterone sent me into a severe depression so I discontinued immediately.
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> I awake with severe anxiety, take 1 mg of ativan, and feel a bit better afterward but still depressed. The depression is more tolerable than the anxiety for me. I don't want to continue taking the ativan but it is the only source of relief for me.
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> I just don't know what to do at this point and am hoping anyone can offer some suggestions? Thanks in advance.
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> NicoleNicole,
Where you aware that many women who suffer from postpartum depression are later diagnosed with an underlying bipolar disorder? I suffered from postpartum depression after my son was born and I really never got back to normal after different trials of antidepressants over the years. I had the same cyclic depression and anxiety after my period as you did. I would just bottom out and slip into depression and anxiety attacks. All of this got worse over the years. My pdoc suspected I had a mild bipolar disorder. It was hard for me to accept this. I did alot of research over the years and finally came to the conclusion that this is what I had. I have been on lamictal since last march. I feel so much better taking a tiny dose of an antidepressant with the lamictal.I also tried birth control pills, but the mental depression was very bad. There is a broad spectrum to mood disorders. You don't have to be manic to be diagnosed with bipolar. Manic depression is at the other end of the spectrum. A good book I suggest you read is "Why Your Depression Isn't Getting Better" It's about the epidemic of undiagnosed bipolar disorders. My bipolar is depression dominated. I would cycle with oversleeping, low energy, confusion and concentration problems. This would escalte to anxiety. Antidepressants used alone and in higher doses without a mood stablizer would just exacerbate everything. You may need to back of the a/d and increase the trileptal or try another mood stablizer. I finally found the right mood stablizer after trying lithium and depakote. I didn't like the side effects with them and just didn't feel right. Lamictal has no side effects. No weight gain either. Many who post here are having alot of success with this drug.
Laura.
poster:polarbear206
thread:134602
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021230/msgs/134621.html