HHHEEEELLLLPPPP!!!

[looney]

I feel like I am loosing the plot! I was prescribed anti - ds and have only been taking them for 2 days but they are making me really sick!! The side effects on the packet are just mild things but i am getting full on nausia and wierd headaches and i constantly feel tierd altough can not sleep! Is this normal? i havent taken one today and have a docs appointment because even if i only had this sickness off of them for a week and then felt better i can not go on feeling like this. I feel like there is nothing that can help me and i just need to pull my self out of it but i cant pull my self out of it thats the problem! My headaches and nausea are making me feel like ive got a brain tumor or am going to have a stroke, i hate this sooooo much i just want to be back to my normal self! HHHEEELLLPPP!!!

[angel]

try not to worry there are lots of different medications that can be prescribed and just because the packet says mild side effects doesn't mean they will be like that for everyone. There is help out there for everyone but it is different for everyone. make sure when you speak to your doctor you tell him exactly how the tablets are making you feel and ask him about the different medications there are and also ask him about their side effects. hope you start to feel better soon.

[Veritee]

Hi I agree totally with Angel
You obviously should not be taking this medication - not every Anti D suits everyone and their are many others available to chose from.

Several women on this forum have suffered reactions for various Anti Ds and have had to try a few before they find one that suits them

I am sure they can tell you about this themselves?

Reactions can make you sick but others have had unbearable, dizziness, tingling, skin problems also, but there are medications that will suit you - you just have to find out what they are.

You are obviously suffering an reaction to them as many SSRI Anti Ds do make you a bit nauseous in the first weeks - but as you say it should not be this drastic.

You have done the right thing by stopping them - I am sure if you explain to your doctor you can try some others.

It is remotely possible that you are intolerant of Anti Ds of a certain type and most modern Anti Ds that are not prescribed are of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) type of which Prozac is the most known.see : www.medicinenet.com/fluoxetine/article.htm ( any web sites I point you to are only for general information - you should consult a GP or pharmacist with any questions about medications)

If you try a different one and get the same effects then you can ask to try one of the older ant Ds such as tricyclic antidepressants see: www.medicinenet.com/trimipramine/article.htm for an explanation

Can I ask what medication you are on?

However any information we can give you here is only general and as we are not medically qualified can only be viewed as our opinion - not facts.

But what this forum can do is offer you ongoing support if this would be helpful to you?

As are all services available for women with PNI this forum is limited in what it can do and as well as the time of volunteer moderators and myself who are all either suffering PNI or have suffered in the past
we rely heavily on all who use the forum supporting each other as this is a self and mutual support forum.

So if you want to join us we may be able to offer you useful support and I am sure your experiences and feelings will benefit others also.

You said
'I feel like there is nothing that can help me and i just need to pull my self out of it but i cant pull my self out of it thats the problem! My headaches and nausea are making me feel like ive got a brain tumor or am going to have a stroke, i hate this sooooo much i just want to be back to my normal self'

It is just so common for women to come on here and say that they feel nothing will help them - but I have seen so many who have said thi8s go through this illness and out the other side -

I know you can be helped and you will get better.

Actually many medical professionals believe that PNI is 'self limiting' and you will get better eventually, with or without help and treatment.

I too think this is probably true also, as women have always had PNI and their are not thousands of women with it in after they have finished their child bearing years and in the past their was little treatment for most -

(I think the fact that women do mostly get better without intervention is one of the reasons PNI does not get the money and resources it deserves!!)

But I also strongly believe that for most the length of the illness can be drastically reduced by having the right treatment and support.

Also treatment and support reduces the effects of PNI on yourself and your family and I see no reason why just because you will get better in the end - anyone should just suffer in the meantime.

You will get better and you deserve some help to get through this as easily as possible.

I a, so wanted to say that the headaches if not the nausea itself could be part of your PNI symptoms!

These symptoms are not uncommon
some women have treated nausea short term with an anti emetic or anti nauseate see: www.gut-reaction.freeserve.co.uk/anti-emet-review.htm

Anyway, let us know how it goes

All the best

Veritee

[looney]

Thanks for replying! Ive been back to the doctors today and she said it was not uncommon to have those side effects from Lexapro. So she has prescribed me with a more relaxant (luvox) because i have much difficulty sleeping which i think is a major contributer to my depression. Im a little shocked because i thought that i would be able to eventually kick this myself but my doc said that it's all part of the brain and the longer you go without medication the more damage this can have on your brain. So now i'm scared and feel i HAVE To go on anti - ds or ill have a breakdown or something!!! I'm so sick of this i feel so hopeless!

[Veritee]

Dear Looney

( I really do not like calling you this as you are not Looney at all - you are just like all of us have been and currently suffering PNI)


I have to say I am quite shocked by what you have just said about what your doctor has said to you.

I am not a medical professional - but I am VERY knowledgeable about the medications women take with PNI, the way they work and why they work!

And I have to say that I have never heard such complete rubbish as to suggest that if you do not take them your 'brain' will be damaged!!!

I agree that taking an Anti d that suits you, will benefit you in that it will alleviate the symptoms - but to suggest that your brain will be damaged - is just not so

While I do think that the best course if you can tolerate them is to take medication for your PNI along side extra support and perhaps counselling

But you can indeed ‘Kick this thing by your self '

In fact myself and many women on this forum have got through very severe PNI for different reasons without any medication, and many PNI specialist believe that PNi is self limiting anyway - which means that it will go away in time whether you have treatment or not.

However I would not now recommend going it alone - this is the hardest option and effective medication ,support and therapy can really help, and there is really no need to ‘kick it on your own’.

But back to your medication:

I am not medically trained but I do have a relative who is a qualified doctor an another GP who I can call upon to advise me on medication for this forum - so I will check with one of them to confirm this is not so that your brain will be damaged by not taking medication - and get back to you!

I can only assume that this was a misunderstanding and that your GP was trying to explain in simplified terms how the chemical messengers in the brain work.....

And in doing so unfortunately and accidentally gave you the impression that without the Anti Ds your brain will be damaged in some way???

It is true that the theory with clinical depression

( and this only a theory really and has never been proved conclusively - and PNI is different as it is less about depression and much more about anxiety and compulsive disorders, for many so it might apply less)

but the 'theory' simplified is that if you are depressed you make less of the 'happy' neurotransmitters - that is the chemicals that transmit different emotions from brain cell to brain cell-


and most of the medication prescribed for depression in some way works by increasing the levels of these neurotransmitters available in your brain.

The Ani D you are on 'Lexapro generic name escitalopram' www.medicinenet.com/escitalopram/article.htm or www.drugs.com/lexapro.html

Is a SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)

This does not help you make more of the 'happy ' chemicals as some older Anti Ds do

but stops the ones you do make being re-absorbed so the result is that you have more 'happy' chemicals in your brain and you therefore feel happier and hopefully less anxious.

But to say that not taking your medication will do any long term damage to your brain - is nonsense.

I will stand corrected if anyone knows of any research or information that points to this.

But as far as my knowledge goes not taking meds will just mean that you stay the same with no artificial chemical help, an dyou can still use counselling and support to get your through PNI

There is also an old theory that your brain can get used to producing too little 'happy chemicals like serotonin and this gets to be a habit for your brain and proper mendication can kick start the chemicals back into action.( usually the older Anti Ds -non SSRIs were said to do this)

but as Lexapro does not make your brain make more but merely makes what you do produce stick around longer - I fail to see how it would help you brain make more in the long term anyway and how not taking it could damage your brain in any way.

There are a number of SSRIs that basically work the same - they are all slightly different chemically and people tolerate some better than others and if you do not tolerate them at all you can always ask for an older - non - SSRI type to try..

Somew women on here have tried several before they found on that suited them!


I am sorry if my words are a bit emotive

But I can not let you go away thinking that if you do not take medication that you feel is not right for you or you are intolerant to and is making you ill- your brain will be permanently damaged!

And the last thing you need when feeling so awful with PNI is the complication of a medication that you do not tolerate and adds to your misery.

However all these Anti Ds have a ‘lead in’ time of about 3 -4 weeks before they kick in properly – so maybe your doctor is thinking that if you just get through the initial few weeks they will begin to work, so she was trying to encourage you to do this.

and that the new drug will be tollerated more - and it well might.


But only you can know how bad your side effects are and whether you can tolerate them.

After you have been on the new Luvox

Think about your side effects and weigh up the pros and cons and if they are just about bearable maybe it is worth trying them for up to 4 weeks to see if they help.

But if by 4 weeks maximum the side effects are still too much – then you are not on the right medication for you as the over all effect has to be to improve the quality of your life

Not make it worse.

If you think it will help you are welcome to print out what I have said , and and take it to your GP to read.

She may ask what right or qualifications I have to question what she said to you - but I am willing to risk this !!

However I think you will find that you have misunderstood what she was trying to explain as it is very complicated how these drugs work and difficult to explain to someone it is all new .

and I am certain your GP also would not want you to be left with a fear your brain will be damaged in some way if you do not take this medication – this just can nto be what she meant?


Luvox is also a SSRI but slightly different from Lexapro and recommended I beleve for more obsessive-compulsive disorders, (OCD) anxiety, rather than just depression symptoms only .

So this change may well be what you need and you will tollerate this better.

But as I have said I am not medically trained

But I do urge you to check this all out - and I am aware that I may be confusing you and worrying you more - and I do not want to do this.

So I would recommended that you go back to your GP - perhaps having printed out this reply to you

And you can get a second opinion also or usually you can see a different GP in the same surgery ort even go somewhere else for medical advice.

Do you know if there are any perinatal specialists in your area you could be referred to??

All the best

Veritee

[angel]

i would also advise that you go back to the GP or maybe a different GP. I'm not a doctor but i am a nurse and can tell you nobody HAS to go on medication and if you don't take them it certainly wont make your brain damaged, you have to do what you feel is right for you everyone is different. I am suffering with PND too and at the moment things are OK i have chosen not to go on medication but that would not make me tell others not to try. Like i said everyone is very different and has different symptoms there are lots of alternatives out there.

You haven't said much about yourself on here if you wanted to chat not here you can email me i don't pretend to be an expert and its strange because i can advise other people with my experience as a nurse but i can't seem to do it for myself but never mind. Like i said if you want to chat my email address is available.

[Veritee]

thanks angel

it is great that you are a nurse as you can offer information that we cant

[collette]

hi there

just wanted to offer my support to you and to agree that you certainly do not have to take medication it is your choice whether or not you take anti ds and if you don't you certainly will not have any damage!

people do recover without taking mainstream medication and there are a lot of complimentary therapies available, altho this would entirely be your decision of course and I cannot offer any medical advice.

I know i still have issues with having to take anti ds as I want to plan another baby next year poss and will prob have to come off them when and if i get pregnant and am so worried about how withdrawal will be.

just remember you are not hopeless you are in control of this. i think this is such a big part of recovering is getting control of things, like whether or not you take anti ds, what support you receive just taking control of what you are going to do to get over this horrible illness. just be gentle on yourself, don;t let anyone tell you what to do or force you to take anti ds if you really don't want to. this is your life remember.

all my love collette xxxx

[looney]

thanks everyone for replying! i have been takind Luvox for a week now i dont really know if it's doing anything yet though but im gonna stick at them i will do ANYTHING to beat this! i cant begin to explain how crap i feel. Does anyone elae have the problem of NOT being able to sleep? no matter how hard i try i can not sleep i just toss and turn all night and think horrible paraniod thoughts like, Im going insane and Im going to have a heart attack and im going to stat hearing voices. Is this normal for PNI? My main problem is my anxiety and al the what ifs. i feel so sick every day i cant eat and i love my food. Its so starnge coz i want to be strong and i know that all this is is thoughts so why cant i change them? I havent seen my doc again yet but i probably did take her wrong she just wasnt very compassionate. i feel so horribly guilty for my partner because he hates seeing me like this and he just doesnt know what to do. Does a normal counsellor do cognitive therapy or is that a different thing?

[angel]

hi

I'm glad you have been able to stick to the tablets that you have been taking however i hope you don't mind me asking do you feel that it is still the tablets that are making you feel sick and unable to eat?

I to have trouble sleeping at night i just lay in the bed thinking horrible thoughts. personally i don't hear voices but i do have thoughts that just run through my head normally to do with losing a member of my family. I find that if i read a few pages of a book before i go to sleep that normally helps a little.

Its such a shame that you GP wasn't very compassionate do you feel you could talk to anyone else sometimes health visitors can be a great help and i would think that they would be able to put you in touch with other people that can help. Hope things start to improve for you but I'm here if you need someone.

[cinders]

Hiya Looney,
Just wanted to say Hi and to let you know that I have been through exactly the same as you. The not sleeping, anxiety, not being able to eat and the thoughts of hearing voices or going completely mad.
I never did hear voices, but that was always one of my main concerns when I was ill. Still dont know why to this day.
I was on Citalopram, which helped me through the bad times, but its not just the meds that help. You need support and to be able to give yourself time to get over this. Its a horrible illness, but you will get through it.
I was on meds for about a year, but I'm off them now and things are going great and they will for you too eventually.
Take good care of yourself.
Love and hugs Cinders xx

[looney]

thanks heaps Cinders, its really nice to know that someone is or was going hrough the same thing coz although i have much support i still feel so alone. I dont hear voices either and it never even entered my mind until i realised that im sick then i was just paranoid about everything. i satrted questioning my sanity because i was a typical "Oh you can just snap out of depression" type of person before sufferinf with it and then realising its not like that. im still on my medication and am doing a lot better. i'm actually at home just with my baby at the moment and aren't panicking where as 2 days ago i couldnt stay home by myself. i also havent cried in 3 days. i have to say though im still a bit dissapointed in myself that i need medication and ashamed but hey thats life!

[angel]

please don't feel ashamed and disappointed about the medication and the illness think of it this way if you had a really bad throat infection you would go to the doctors and be given antibiotics to treat it. Well at the moment you have an illness and all you are doing is taking medication to treat it there is nothing to feel ashamed about. Its great that you are starting to feel better about things and not crying for three days is brilliant i know i always felt it was such an achievement when i hadn't cried for a couple of days. I really hope things carry on improving but please keep telling us how things are for you.

[catherine]

Don't feel a failure. As I was once told regard taking antidepressants:

If you were diagnosed with angina, would you take medication?

The answer is obvious, although I felt like it was a kick in the teeth and not helpful at the time, I now look back, nearly 4 years later and think, hey, what's the problem. They help me live a happy and fulfilled life without the hassles. Good Luck. Stick with this site - it's great - there are lots more of us out there - remember that. I was lucky and had a very close friend going through similar problems, but with this site we can all have friends going through similiar problems. Don't log on often now, due to not feeling the need for support, but good luck - you'll make it - we all do - but in different time spans, that's my main advice - don't set a time limit - take each day as it comes.

[cinders]

Hiya Looney,

Glad to hear that you're feeling better in yourself.

Yes, the hearing voices thing just entered my head when I was ill too and I couldnt shift it.

I just couldnt understand why or how I could become this ill after being so confident and thought the hearing of voices would be the next step.

My tummy would churn and I was just a complete heap. I couldnt eat, sleep and like you mentioned being on my own was just horrendous.

I was even worried going to the loo on my own. It was a horrible time, but looking back on that time it really helps you realise the important things in life. I look at things differently now and peoples illnesses.

I used to think that depression was something that you could snap out of, but I know so different now.

Please dont feel ashamed for taking meds. When I was first ill I was happy to take the meds because I knew it had to be better than how I was feeling at the time.

It was when I had my meds upped that I felt terrible guilt (why arent I getting better etc). Especially when family (bless them) said ' you're better now' , when inside I was still really ill.

I wanted to be off them too, but I knew I had to just go with it. Accept that I still needed help and to take it one day at a time.

Its a rocky trip. Up one minute down the next, but eventually you'll see that the good days do out number the bad and then it will be just a distant memory.

Anyway flower, I'll close for now so take good care of yourself. Thinking of you.
Love and hugs Cinders xx