First off, sorry for recently bombarding you all with reviews, as opposed to actual posts. I didn't realize I would be so successful in finding people wanting me to review their products, and so they all kind of came at once, and not wanting to get behind or slack off - I'm never one to procrastinate - I wanted to get them done ASAP. Anyhow, I'm back now with somewhat of a real post, and need some input.
I've been feeling a bit down. In case you weren't tuned in after A's birth, I suffered a bit of postpartum depression. And by a bit, I mean four days after her birth you could've found me, any time of day, crying uncontrollably for no reason. I went on Zoloft on New Year's Day, and made a swift and relieving improvement.
I'd been thinking at six months of starting to decrease my dosage and go off the Zoloft, but with the way I've been feeling the past week, I'm a bit nervous. I have nothing to be down about. I'm one of the luckiest, happiest, most fulfilled people I know, particularly since the addition of Ava to our little family. Yet, for a good chunk of this weekend, I felt like doing nothing but holing up in bed with Ava and just shutting the world, including poor D, out.
Part of it, I know, is exhaustion. For whatever reason, I've been so tired. SOOOOO tired. It could be that I've been the only one waking up at night for 6.5 months, or, judging by the severity of the fatigue, it could be more. Right now I'm trying out a few lifestyle changes to see if that helps, otherwise I may stop in at my docto's office to make sure I haven't gone anemic or I don't have some sort of severe vitamin deficiency due to this dairy-free lifestyle I've adopted.
Anyone with any suggestions for holistic ways to get more energy? I know working out should top my list, but between working full-time (August will be particularly busy with the girls not in camp and not starting school until the end of the month), mommying full-time (a blessing, but tiring), writing part-time, keeping up my house, etc. And while I'd love to loosen up with regards to the housekeeping, I'm anal/neurotic/completely psychotic in a way that just won't permit that. I seriously cannot sleep if there are dishes in my sink or clutter on the tables/shelves. I'm a weirdo, I know.
Also, anyone with experiences weaning off anti-depressants after a bout (pretty severe) of PPD? When/how did you go about it?
As usual, thank you ladies for your stellar advice and input!
Anyhow, hopefully nothing worse than fatigue is going on...I'll keep y'all posted. Hope you guys had a great weekend! I'll add some pics later on when I'm back home :)
I didn't have PPD, which was kind of a surprise because I've suffered from severe depression (hospitalization, meds, the works) several times. I would recommend talking your doctor about cutting back on your antidepressant dosage. Whenever I would decrease my dosage, my blood pressure would drop to dangerously low levels--not a normal side effect, but it happened. So it's a good idea to let the doctor know and decrease dosages under his/her guidance.
ReplyDeleteI understand about being exhausted--I am working full-time, my husband is gone all summer, and I spent the first few weeks of summer having to find a different sitter every day because Anne's original sitter had to "retire" due to health problems. Talk about stress. Then Anne started teething. Argh! So it was back to waking up several times a night.
People are constantly telling me that they'd like to babysit Anne (most of them for free, yay!), so I'm taking them up on the offers and arranging for different people to babysit Anne for about six hours on Saturdays (my day off). I use that time to nap, run, write, or whatever--no "running errands" allowed, though I do try to take care of some housekeeping. This has helped.
I look forward to reading any other advice people have, as I desperately need to find ways to get more rest. I'm with you there!
Aww, I'm sorry to hear that. Sadly, I have no suggestions due to never being in your position before. I hope you find answers! I'll pray for you! Keep your head up. It'll get better!
ReplyDeleteI took Zoloft after my last pregnancy. More than likely, it is your culprit.
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal: I got lots of good suggestions, but you need to check with your doc if you decide to stay on Zoloft, before you take any of them. My two cents is to come off of it. You wean yourself down by 25 mg a week until you are done.
Now, here's my suggestions: Go get you a Vit D & Calcium. You need Magnesium to help absorb them. Get you a good Super B Complex (I am one specially formulated for stress). Take you a 5-HTP before bed every night (seratonin= happy, energy, and calm. And find a gluten-free multi-vitamin (I actually prefer Prenatal Vits).
Also, I found a fabulous website I think you will like:glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.com.
Ok, feel better soon. sweetie.
It definitely can't hurt to go to the doc and get checked out. At least get some basic blood work done. I think you need to take a vacation or at least some quiet time for yourself. You don't have to be super mom all of the time! You certainly make it look easy though. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon! Let me know if there's anything I can do for you.
I was on Zoloft about 2 months, during the worst of my PPD. I waited three weeks and then went to my doctor in tears, begging for help. My PPD was short, but it was severe...I had intrusive thoughts about hurting my daughter...so much so, I locked myself in a bathroom while she slept in a safe place, and called my brother who drove 2 hours from Denver to help me.
ReplyDeleteAfter about three months on the Zoloft, I noticed that I didn't feel any different than I usually did, so I cautiously weaned to 15 (I was on 25 mg) and then stopped after a week.
I didn't have any side effects, but the doc told me next time I shouldn't do it quite that fast. My advice is to talk to your doctor and get approval before going off it.