HERE WE GO AGAIN WHEN WILL IT GO AWAY

[JOANNE]

HI ALL

I AM HAVING A BAD WEEK SO I THOUGHT WRITING IT DOWN MAY HELP,I HAVE BEEN VISITING THIS SITE FOR A WHILE BUT HAVENT FELT THAT BAD THAT I COULD JUSTIFY ASKING FOR ANY ADVICE OR HELP BUT HAVE REPLIED TO SOME OTHER PEOPLE,HOPEFULLY WITH POSITIVE FEEDBACK.I THINK I HAD PND APPX 5 YEARS AGO WHEN MY SON WAS APPX 2 1/2 AND MY DAUGHTER WAS APPX 1,WHICH WENT UNDIAGNOSED FOR A LONG TIME AND THEN WHEN SHE WAS TWO I WAS TOLD I WAS JUST DEPRESSED(LOOKING BACK I NOW THINK IT MAY HAVE BEEN BECAUSE WHEN MY SON WAS BORN HE WAS VERY POORLY (HES OK NOW)AND BECAUSE OF THIS EPISODE I DID NOT WANT ANY MORE CHILDREN,ANYWAY I UNEXPECTEDLY FELL PREGNANT AND GAVE BIRTH TO A BEAUTIFUL DAUGTHER IN JUNE 2003,DURING PREGNANCY I HAD A FEW OFF MOMEMNTS AROUND THE TIME OF MY PERIOD,AND HAD A SEVERE PANIC ATTACK THE DAY AFTER SHE WAS BORN(I HAD NEVER HAD THEM B4 MY 1ST BOUT,I THEN FELT GREAT UNTIL SHE WAS SIX WEEKS OLD AND I STARTED WORRYING THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY HEART(STUPID I KNOW) THEN WORRYING ABOUT THE HEALTH OF BABY ETC.I GOT ANTI DEPRESSANTS FROM THE DOCTOR (LOFEPRAMINE)(AS I WAS STILL BREAST FEEDING)IT TOOK THE EDGE OFF THE ANXIETYAND I FELT A BIT BETTER BUT I HAD ANOTHER MAJOR PANIC ATTACK APPX 3 MTHS LATER (SORRY TO GO ON & ON) THE DOCTOR ADVISED ME TO GIVE UP BREAST FEEDING AS HE FELT I WAS TIRED AND ALSO SO HE COULD GIVE ME A DIFFERENT MEDICATION, I EVENTUALLY STOPPED WHEN SHE WAS 5 1/2 MTHS OLD ALSO AS I WAS GOING BACK TO WORK,AND HE THEN PRESCRIBED CITALOPRAM WHICH SEEMS TO BE HELPING WITH THE ANXIETY AND PANIC ATTACKS A BIT BUT I HAVE BEEN FEELING REALLY AWFUL FOR ABOUT A WEEK (ALTHOUGH I DID START MY FIRST PERIOD LAST WEEK,DOES ANYONE HAVE SIMILAR PROBLEMS AROUND THE TIME OF THE MONTH) I STARTED BACK AT WORK (ONLY 2 DAYS A WEEK) LAST WEEK,MAINLY TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE AND HOPEFULLY STOP HAVING SO MUCH TIME TO THINK ABOUT HOW I FEEL,I AM TRYING TO STAY "CHEERFUL & NORMAL " FOR THE KIDS AS I DO NOT WANT THEM TO PICK UP ON IT BUT EVERY DAY SEEMS TO BE A STRUGGLE,ANY HELP, ADVICE,GOOD NEWS ABOUT PEOPLE THAT HAVE OR ARE RECOVERING WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.MANY THANKS

[Elaine]

Hi Joanne

I too suffer from PMS and for about a week or so I feel almost (but not qute) as bad as when I had PND at its worst, the panicky feelings, thoughts that it would never go away, worrying constantly etc etc. I currently feel quite low at the moment but know this is due to my time of the month. Quite a few of the girls on this forum have also mentioned that they get bad PMS - so it must be something we have to go through. Apparently, just before your period, your seratonin levels drop, so I suppose as we are already low on this, due to the PND, this is why we feel so bad. It is awful though isn't it cause you feel so good otherwise and then bang that time arrives and you feel rubbish again. It is a good idea to eat lots of carbohydrates when you start to feel down as these will increase your seratonin.

Good on you for returning to work, it must be so hard. I keep considering going back but I just can't imagine leaving my little girl. Silly really cause she is so good with both grandparents and would be as happy as larry with either of them.

Hope this has helped Joanne.

Love

Elaine

[JOANNE]

HI ELAINE

THANKS VERY MUCH FOR REPLY,YES IT DID HELP,I THOUGHT IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BIT OF PMS AS WELL BUT I AM NOW 3 DAYS INTO MY PERIOD AND DONT FEEL ANY BETTER DO YOU FEEL BAD BEFORE PERIOD AS WELL AS DURING AND IF SO HOW LONG DOES IT LAST.A FRIEND OF MINE SUFFERED QUITE SEVERLY FROM PMS AND A PHARMACIST RECOMMENDED BUSY BEE FROM HOLLAND & BARRETT,EVENING PRIMROSE AND MAGNESIUM, AND SHE SAID THEY HAVE HELPED ENORMOUSLY (MAY BE THEY COULD HELP YOU TOO)SO I AM GOING TO TRY THEM ALONG WITH B6 WHICH I USED TO TAKE AS A TEENAGER WHEN I A BIT RATTY B4 MY PERIOD I WILL TRY CARBOHYDRATES BUT AS YOU KNOW PND MAKES YOU LOSE YOUR APPETITE

THANKS AGAIN

JO

[Jinja]

Hi
So sorry to hear what a lousy time you are having. I have suffered with bad PMS ever since I had PNI. The worst part is that it means there are only 2 (if I'm lucky 3) weeks of the month when I'm not a screaming banshee!
PNI changes your appetite, sadly not always reducing it. I wish my PNI had reduced my appetite. I turned to binge eating which became yet another problem to overcome. I have read and been told though that the regular small carbohydrate snacks work. I just still have difficulty keeping them small!
Also I would say with regard to the medication, that often when you start a new one you feel the affect for a while then sort of plateau off. Maybe the dosage needs to be looked at. Also some people take paracetamol, others aspirin - i.e. not all tablets suit everyone. You need to find the one that suits you.
Take care and keep talking. It really does help.
Jinja

[Elaine]

Hi Jo

Yep - I do suffer before, during and sometimes after!!!! What hell.

I have been taking a nutritional supplement called PMS Escape which comes as a powder and you mix with water. It is a mix of complex carbohydrates, nothing more, no drugs etc and is supposed to raise your serotonin levels which drop during your period. I do not usually think much of these so called wonder drinks, but I have to say I do find them a great help and I do start to feel much calmer and relaxed after taking one (takes about 45 minutes to kick in). It was covered on GMTV and LK Today. You can find out more about it on www.pmsescape.com. Loads of questions answered and lots of info on it.

Bye for now

Elaine

[JOANNE]

HI ELAINE/JINJA

MANY THANKS FOR REPLY,HAVE HAD ANOTHER LOUSY DAY,VERY TEARFUL TODAY I AM JUST HOPING IT IS DOWN TO MY HORMONES,IF ANYONE IS TAKING CITALOPRAM ,DID THEY FEEL NAUSEAOUS,DID IT WORK FOR YOU AND HOW LONG DID IT TAKE TO BE COME EFFECTIVE ( I HAVE BEEN ON IT FOR 6 WEEKS) FOR THE FIRST FOUR I FELT OK

MANY THANKS

[Kelly Southall]

Hi there Joanne,

I am sorry you are having a rough time at the moment I do know how you feel though. My name is Kelly Southall and I am 30 years old I suffered a nasty bout of pnd six years ago after the birth of my son Samuel such is the pain still very raw I am really scared to have another baby. The way that you feel will get better I promise you just feel everything is so bleak - it does not help with the dark days either when the summer comes it helps as you can get out more. I totally agree with you about the pmt I still feel terrible six years on!! Chin up!!

[Kelly Southall]

Hi there Joanne,

Its me Kelly again - Yes I am on citralpram and yes I did feel nausous at the start and they took about eight weeks to kick into my system so in the next two weeks you should start to feel a little better. You know what you said about your periods I am sure PND makes them work afterwards I have never had such a terrible time beginning two weeks before my period as soon as it comes I feel the tension melt away. You know what we should have been born a man!! We have so much to contend with. Remember just be kind to yourself xx

[JOANNE]

HI KELLY

THANKS FOR REPLY,I HAVE BEEN TO SEE MY CPN & MY DOCTOR AND THEY HAVE INCREASED MY DOSE TO 40MG BECAUSE I AM FEELING MUCH WORSE,I CANNOT SEE A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL AT THE MOMENT,MY MUM HAS COME TO STAY FOR A LITTLE WHILE TO HELP,BUT I AM GETTING NERVOUS JUST KNOWING THAT MY OLDER KIDS ARE DUE HOME SOON,I AM TRYING NOT TO LET THEM SEE ME UPSET AND AM TELLING THEM I HAVE A SICKY BUG,I ONLY STARTED BACK AT WORK TWO WEEKS AGO AND DO NOT THINK I WILL BE ABLE TO GO IN TOMORROW I HAVENT BEEN OUT OF THE HOUSE FOR 3 DAYS,I AM HOPING THE HIGHER DOSE WILL KICK IN SOON AND START MAKING ME FEEL BETTER,HAVE YOU BEEN ON CITALOPRAM FOR SIX YEARS,IF YOU WOULD LIKE ANOTHER BABY COULD YOU NOT TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT IT AS I AM SURE THAT YOU CAN TAKE SOME ANTI DEPRESSANTS DURING PREGNANCY (I WAS LOOKING ON A WEB SITE THE OTHER DAY(SURREYPND.ORG I THINK) AND THERE IS A PND SPECIALIST THAT YOU CAN TALK TO AND THERE IS A STORY ABOUT SOMEONE GETTING PREGNANT AND STAYING ON ANTI DEPRESSANTS SO THEY DO NOT GET PND AGIAN,ALSO I FIND WITH ALREADY HAVING A SIX AND SEVEN YEAR OLD IT IS MUCH EASIER WITH THE BABY AS THEY HELP ME AN AWFUL LOT,EG GETTING NAPPIES,CLOTHES,PLAYING WITH HER

THANKS AGAIN

JO