Yes Vikki
I did.
I think whether you take meds has to be entirely your choice in consultation with your partner/husband, family and GP,- unless you are so ill i.e. with more Puerperal Psychosis type symptoms than anxiety, and/or that your behaviour is either anti social or a real danger to yourself and others - but even then if you really do not want them even then, there has to be room for negotiation i.e. shortened course or more counselling.
But this is only my opinion of what I think should happen and hope does happen. But it was not my experience 15 years ago and I too would be interested to find out what happens to those who refuse meds now.
i.e. are they offered alternative treatment?
do they get the same input from other agencies ie Mental health teams, CPN, HV and perhaps social services, Home Start or Sure Start as someone on meds?
The trouble is it is hard to gauge if two similar women with the same severity of PNI will get the same treatment other than the meds if one refuses them
Because I think the assumption is still made as it was in my case - that if you don't want meds - then you are not as ill as someone who does.
I know my experience was sometime back but this is how it was for me!
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As you know for reasons that go back to when I was a teenager when I was given very heavy medication against my will. a cocktail of heavy mood/central nervous system altering drugs which would never be allowed now ( I was under 18 so parents signed the consent forms, this was in the early 1970s)
For a condition that turned out not even to be fundamentally a mental health one but a severe food intolerance, although the treatment I got and the fact my food intolerance was untreated/undiagnosed despite the treatment -meant I did suffer severe anxiety through this.
Unfortunate because of this I found that when I had PNI 20 years later, I just could not face taking them ie any medication - I found I have a phobia about the meds themselves - so I refused all medication except cyclogest. ie ' natural' progesterone pessaries.
I actually wish I could have forced myself as I think I would have got better sooner.
However because I refused the prescribed medication all attempts to treat me or even acknowledge I was suffering PNI ceased from that moment
So for me it is a big YES to your question.
This may have just been a result of opinion of my doctor who was very old fashioned, he had 5 children and never any trouble, a fact he kept telling me ( lovely man though he actually retired early through stress, I do not think he was hard bitten enough to be a doctor)
Without his support I could not access any other NHS treatment and I was not strong enough to fight it at that point.
So despite him being a caring man, it was this attitude that force me to go it alone.
It seemed to me that the assumption was that if I was not ill enough to need Anti Ds ( or that I could get by without them) then I was not ill enough to have any other NHS treatment such as counselling, psychotherapy support from a CPN etc.
I even had social services involved for a while ( I was very alone and unsupported as Barry was at sea and I had a baby that failed to thrive, it was all very frightening)
and because of no diagnosis from my doctor of PNI I could not access some of their support services.
I tried and failed to get this and so struggled on my own and paid for private therapy for 2 years as well as getting marvellous support from the APNI. ( I was working as a youth worker half time throughout this so could just about afford private therapy)
I also had 'alternative' therapy such as Rekki and did Tia Chi
It was only at the end off my illness that I was able to get some support/psychotherapy from the NHS,
But I got this through the back door so to speak when I psychologist from a family centre based at the Royal Cornwall Hospital came to give a talk about their work on a counselling course I was on through my job as a youth worker.
She mentioned PNI in a way that really hit home and I referred myself and Caja to them, but it was only me they saw for some wonderful counselling bordering on psychotherapy.
Anyway I had to fight for every little bit of support I got and pay for most of it.
This was a long time ago though so I too would be interested to hear from women who are going through PNI now without medication.
I think Tina who sometimes uses this site is also going through her PNI without help. Maybe she will contribute her.
All the best
Veritee
