Post-Partum Anxiety...and medication

Prior to becoming a mom, I had some knowledge of ‘baby blues’ and post-partum depression…but I had never heard the term ‘post-partum anxiety’.  As it turns out, myself and many women I’ve spoken with say that anxiety can be much stronger than depression, post-partum.  Some women have panic attacks, others obsess over the health of their baby.  I think the sudden loss of control for women, who usually prefer to be ‘in control’, can be very disorienting. 

For me, I found that my underlying anxious nature became more intense for a period of time.  I’ve always been a general worry wart – the type who plans things far in advance, processes situations over and over again, and has trouble making decisions.  All of these tendencies went from being noticeable yet manageable to being so distracting that they finally started to affect my daily functioning.  I had started checking off diagnostic criteria in my head: “excessive worry – check; difficulty controlling the worry – check; feeling restless – check; difficulty concentrating – check; difficulty sleeping – check; irritability – check, check, check!”.  I used to wonder whether my previous level of anxiety would have warranted some medication treatment.  In retrospect, I’m sure it couldn’t have hurt to do a medication trial or two…but in comparison to my anxiety level post-partum, I was finally sure that medications were ‘needed’ (as sure as an indecisive anxious person can be). 

The topic of mental health medication can be a controversial issue, since there is a full spectrum of people who range from being completely for it, to being completely against it.  After my recent pendulum swing toward all things natural, I was really torn about the decision.  I contemplated seeing a naturopath or taking more of the natural & homeopathic medications I was already tinkering with.  But I decided that my anxiety was so strong and my mood so fragile, that I wanted to give medication a try.  So I talked to my family doctor who agreed that I would probably benefit from a low dosage of anti-depressants (which are often also used to treat anxiety).  I had some side effects for a few days, but within weeks I noticed a dramatic increase in my energy, improvements in my mood, and I found it much easier to sleep.  This reaction isn’t common for everyone, since many people have to trial various medications and dosages before finding the right one.  And I made sure to use the medication as just part of a ‘treatment plan’ that worked for me – including therapy, exercise, walks, and of course blogging!

I’m now at the point where I’m weaning myself off the medication since my mood has been stable for a few months.  However, I have no regrets about using them.  It was a very personal decision that not everyone would make…but as many women told me in retrospect – they wish they had tried medication to get back some precious moments with their baby.