Always Anxious

Hey! What kind of medician did they put you on? I was and still am on Zoloft, I got put on it when I was pregnant. I still taking but in a smaller dose. Where do you live in NC? I am right outside Raleigh and it helps me to go into raleigh and go walking and join groups and stuff. Hope this help. Feel free to email me back if you like. It took a while and is day to day, but gets better. T.

An antidepressant will help with your depression but may not necessarily help with your anxiety. Talk with your doctor and explain what feelings you're still having. He/she may prescribe Xanax or another antianxiety med to help you. I currently take an antidepressant (and have for some time), but a little over a year ago I was going through the death of my mother and a divorce at the same time. My doc gave me xanax to take as needed when I felt anxious and it really did help. I no longer need to take it. Good luck!

OMG, all the time. I think I'm a basketcase. I'm always worried, have anxiety, and depressed. I'm also on antidepressants. I'm so tired of feely sad and worried all the time. I'm hoping once Spring gets here and the sun is out more that it will get better. I'm not sure how to help you because I'm at a loss too. I just wanted you to know that you are not alone.

A.

First of all, get out of the house. Sunlight is a wonderful "Drug." It has been scientifically proven that sunlight helps your body create B vitamins that help you feel better and give you more energy. Secondly, antidepressents don't make you feel happy, they just take away the blah feeling. Did you work before having your son? Maybe you miss the interaction with other people your own age. Also, you might not feel productive. I know that you are raising your son, but you might miss the feeling of completing a project or even just a paycheck. You need to find the reason that you are anxious. Doing this is half the work. Then you can find out how to deal with it.
I suffered from postpartum depression after I had my little girl. I was put on medication and it helped me very little. I came back to school and started working a part-time job. I feel 100% better now than I did then. I'm done with work and school by 2pm everyday and I don't go to school on Friday, Saturday or Sunday so I still get mommy time. My little girl is benefiting from going to daycare because she has friends to play with instead of me being busy with housework. I was really against daycare in the beginning but now I think it was one of the best things we did for her. P.S. We don't plan to have another baby for a few more years and she's three now.

exercise and reading. You might also need to get off the depression meds and get on an anti-aniety. I personally take Effexor XR. It targets anxiety and underlying depression. There are so many drugs out there. It's trial and error to find what works for you. Also get involved in moms clubs or a ladies bible study. Find ways to keep yourself busy!

First off....you're not alone. I am a 30 year old mom to a 21 mo old son. I work FT and was recently diagnosed with moderate to severe depression and anxiety. I had been battling it for a long time but didn't know what it was. I just thought I had "too much on my plate" or didn't have the hang of this whole "mommy thing". I felt like a failure as a mom and a wife. my housework suffered and my patience level dropped. I was unhappy with my post baby body and I would often cry but couldn't tell you exactly what was wrong. it was very hard.

I see you're in Midlo. I'm in Mechanicsville if you want to talk or get together. the winning combo for me has been lexapro (although I agree with an earlier post about being tired so I always took mine at night as well), talking with a therapist near Willow Lawn who specializes in PPD and womens depression and a mom/baby fitness class called Stroller Strides to get me out of the house and moving again. there is one on Southside. Stacey Pawluk runs it. http://classes.strollerstrides.net/location.aspx?webUsern...

unfortunately I have an appt this week with my pcp to find amother drug because after months of samples....we still can't get my insurance co to cover Lexapro. the sad part is that with Lexapro I noticed a difference almost immediately. within a week the 1st thing I noticed was in the car. I wasn't as pissed off and aggitated at other drivers as I normally was, little things didn't get to me as easily and I was in a better mood. here's hoping we find something comperable!! good luck and let me know if you need anything. I work in the far west end so if you want to meet fo rlunch one day I'm 5 min from 288 and broad st.

A.

Talk to your doctor! It may be that you will need to be on a bit of a higher dose of antidepressant; there is nothing wrong with this!! everybody's body is different and requires different amounts and it may be possible that the dose you are on is simply not effective. If that is not the case, it may be necessary to switch to a different antidepressant, there are so many out there and they each work best for different people. There is no need to suffer!!! You are a mommy and by taking care of yourself you in turn take care of your son, so do it for him!!! You'll both be glad you did!

Xanax really helps for the anxiety, but it's not generally prescribed for depression. I like Xanax because it's short-acting and I don't have to get my levels checked like with other meds. It also doesn't render you a zombie. I just deal with the depression part on my own.

I did not get help for my anxiety until my husband came into my life. He would get on me to get over things that he found trivial, but meant a lot to me. I took all of the anti-anxiety/anti-depressant medications. I got lucky when I was put on Lexapro and took it during my pregnancy with triplets in 2005. My OB/GYN strongly suggested that I not take them, but since the consequences outweighed the risks I took it any way. The babies have shown no signs that they were effected by the medication. In order to breastfeed I had to change medications. I am now taking a 50mg dose of Zoloft and it works fine. There are still times when my anxiety rears it's ugly head, but I can talk myself through it and eventually it goes away. I wish you well. Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like.

Hi B.. I take Zoloft and have been taking it for about the past three years. My son will be two in April. Do you mind if I ask what antidepressant you're on? It's quite possible that the one you're on is causing the anxiety. You might be better off seeing an actual psychiatrist and a counselor to determine if your anxiety is more situational, chemical, or a side effect of your antidepressant. (I am assuming that your OBGYN prescribed the antidepressant). Please feel free to email me if you'd like to talk further! :) Hang in there.

B.-

I have been struggling with the same problems, and as bad as this sounds I feel better knowing I'm not alone. Sometimes it feels like everyone else is handling everything so well and we're crumbling at home. I'm a 34 yr old SAHM with a 17 month old boy. I have dealt with depression and anxiety since he was born. Eventually I decided to see a psychiatrist, and we have tried Zoloft (no effect), Cymbalta (some effect on depression, none for pain, and little for anxiety), and the real winner, Lexapro. I was on it for a few months after the Zoloft, but although it was helping my depression and anxiety I was feeling extremely tired, so I switched to Cymbalta. My anxiety returned so I went back on Lexapro, but started taking it at night rather than in the morning like I was before. That seems to be helping. I am also taking Provigil in the mornings which helps me to focus and boosts my energy. It has taken time to get doses and meds right, but I think I'm finally on the right track. I am also seeing a psychologist which may also be helping. You may want to look into something like I'm doing. Please e-mail me at ____@____.com anytime you need to just talk about things or if you have questions. I could use the communication, too! If we don't live too far away from eachother we could even possibly get the boys together while we compare depressing stories.... if we can work through the anxiety to actually make a plan and keep it. ;-) I hope to hear from you!

Take care,
Jenifer

I also have high anxiety but have learned how to somewhat control it. When I first started having attacks I would freak out and that only makes them worse to where I even made a couple of trips to the ER. One of the ER DR's prescribed me all of this medication, Prozac, anti-anxiety, and something else and I remember him looking at me like he didn't really believe me that I was really having these attacks and almost like he felt sorry for me. (I was only 29 when I started having them.) Needless to say, I never got the prescription filled. I did take Sarefem (a mild form of prozac)for about six months and that did help take the edge off, but now I can feel them coming on. Sometimes I just have to leave the room or dinner table and just breath slowly and talk myself out of it. It usually works if it doesn't, I just lay down for a little while. Talk to your OBGYN about anti-anxiety medications and have them prescribe you one for the bad days but really try to calm yourself. If you know what it is that is half of the battle.

Hey B.,

It could be something as simple as the wrong antidepressant. It took a long time for my doctors to find one that would work for me. If you are taking it and it's been a few weeks and nothing has changed in the way you are feeling then you need to try a new one.