Hi Anonymous,
Thank you for your comment and for finding EmpowHER. A really low dose of antidepressant may be just the extra support you need at this time. I had postpartum depression (PPD) around the same time (when my son was 6mo old), and went through therapy, support group, and took a very small dose of prozac. Most women find the quickest recovery in doing all three forms of treatment (individual therapy, group therapy, and medication).
Everyone is different, but it's important to take the anxiety seriously, for your health and for the sake of your little guy, especially if you're having scary "what if" thoughts. My doctor told me I needed to commit to staying on the prozac for four to six months, then we would look at it again and see about stopping the prescription. Through treatment you can learn about what is happening to you, and help learn ways to deal with the anxiety so it won't be so troublesome in the future. I don't take medication now, and haven't since my baby was small. If you truly are resistant to taking the medication, then call your doctor's office for options. Maybe individual or group talk therapy would work for you. Here is an article on PPD to help explain what could be happening. Near the bottom of the page, it explains some alternative ways to deal with anxiety associated with PPD:
https://www.empowher.com/postpartum-depression/content/susan-dowd-stone-postpartum-mood-disorder-qa?page=0,2
You may want to read the whole article for your own research into the condition. It also says there, if you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or the baby, get medical attention immediately--it is not something you want to mess around with. Here is a link to part III of my PPD story if you're interested in reading it:
https://www.empowher.com/postpartum-depression/content/my-postpartum-depression-story-part-iii-how-control-ppd-without-medicatio?page=0,0
Good luck and let us know how you're doing.
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Hi Anonymous,
September 2, 2010 - 9:40amThank you for your comment and for finding EmpowHER. A really low dose of antidepressant may be just the extra support you need at this time. I had postpartum depression (PPD) around the same time (when my son was 6mo old), and went through therapy, support group, and took a very small dose of prozac. Most women find the quickest recovery in doing all three forms of treatment (individual therapy, group therapy, and medication).
Everyone is different, but it's important to take the anxiety seriously, for your health and for the sake of your little guy, especially if you're having scary "what if" thoughts. My doctor told me I needed to commit to staying on the prozac for four to six months, then we would look at it again and see about stopping the prescription. Through treatment you can learn about what is happening to you, and help learn ways to deal with the anxiety so it won't be so troublesome in the future. I don't take medication now, and haven't since my baby was small. If you truly are resistant to taking the medication, then call your doctor's office for options. Maybe individual or group talk therapy would work for you. Here is an article on PPD to help explain what could be happening. Near the bottom of the page, it explains some alternative ways to deal with anxiety associated with PPD:
https://www.empowher.com/postpartum-depression/content/susan-dowd-stone-postpartum-mood-disorder-qa?page=0,2
You may want to read the whole article for your own research into the condition. It also says there, if you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or the baby, get medical attention immediately--it is not something you want to mess around with. Here is a link to part III of my PPD story if you're interested in reading it:
https://www.empowher.com/postpartum-depression/content/my-postpartum-depression-story-part-iii-how-control-ppd-without-medicatio?page=0,0
Good luck and let us know how you're doing.
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