I Am One Crazy Pregnant Lady and I Need Help.

There are many medications for depression that are considered pregnancy friendly.

Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Effexor = Level C

I was the exact same way but without smoking...Anxiety that caused panic attacks and mood swings. I do not agree that you should be on anti-depress meds while preggie or nursing contrary to what we are told therefore when I was rational I told my husband to point out my crazy moments so I could take a deep breath before I launched into a tyrade...Also, because my anxiety was so bad I was seeing a therapist until I could get on Lexapro. We also did checkins with marriage counselor so my husband wouldn't strangle me and lose his mind over my mood swings. Started taking it the day my son was born per my doctors's suggestion :) Talking about it brings the issues to light and helps maintain a better balance until you can take meds. I feel your pain. I felt invincible when I was pregnant and just looking for a fight. I honestly thought that anyone who'd mess with me would get their "butts" kicked....Ugh...the female hormones...Go talk to someone!!!

I would say the first thing to do would be to find yourself a good therapist. Excercise and journaling are great, but coming off of an addiction like smoking is hard enough on it's own, and adding the fact that you quit an antidepressant - that's a lot to emotionally manage! Keep in mind too, that if you have these issues now, you are more likely to have depression issues after the baby comes - better to deal with things now. You may decide to find a safer med to take during pregnancy or you might not, but start by finding someone trained and objective to talk to about all you are feeling. (Look for a psychologist or clinical social worker) Good luck!

K., CD(DONA), LCCE

omega 3 supplements will help. google them for your specific situation, but its really helped me with these types of issues.

There are meds that you can take that are SAFE to take while pregnant.

I didn't find this out until after my son was born (darn darn darn). I could have saved myself a million years (felt like) of pain and craziness. Hormones can do massively wacky things to you. I was suicidal for 50-75 minutes each night, every night. (normal for my family... there's a time in the evening known as "the suicide hours" in my fam).

Talk with your OB & your psychiatrist.

Go out for a LONG walk, and listen to some great music while you're doing it.

I suffer from anxiety/panic attacks and tried as hard as I could to go with out medication through my pregnancies.

Both times, after talking with my OB and explaining what I was going through he put me back on very very low doses of my anti-depressants...enough to take the edge off. He and my primary care physician both reassured me that a calmer mentally healthier mama made for a better pregnancy than an anxiety ridden mental case.

I was so worried that my children would have physical or mental problems...however, they are both very healthy and mentally stable (I am a bit worried about my son as he is very similar to me and I already see signs of anxiety...but I have resources for him to learn to deal with it young...my parents never noticed my anxiety or helped me learn coping skills at a young age).

Anyways...you are not alone in dealing with these types of issues. Don't be scared to talk with your doctor if you think you might need more help than you are getting now. Sending you a huge hug!!

Start a journal. Every day, write down all of your emo-crazy thoughts. Read it back to yourself if you want, and you will probably feel less crazy.

Try deep, deep breathing exercises like Yoga or Qi Gong. Something that you can do all by yourself, in peace and quiet every day. Go for a walk outside, even in yucky weather, by yourself, as often as you can.

Good for you for stopping smoking. You should be soooo proud of yourself. That is really something to focus on - that you are proud that you quit smoking. Forgive yourself for snapping at people and acting crazy. Forgive other people for being irritated with you.

It sounds dumb but don't label yourself. Your brain follows your train of thought. Talk out loud to yourself and put 3 by 5 cards on your mirrors and read them. Say, "I am so proud of myself for not smoking anymore. I am such a good mom. I am a really good wife. I am doing just fine." That is an age-old technique called an affirmation. Negative thoughts breed bad emotions and negative behavior. Positive thoughts breed positive emotions and positive behavior. It really works. The talking out loud will help more than you think.

Prenatal yoga might help a little. The classes I've taken have been mostly slow stretches and relaxing breathing (no real strenuous stuff like in some regular yoga). Also there may be some medications that are okay during pregnancy. But a certain amount of hormone induced craziness during pregnancy is not that unusual. I was irritable and stressed during my second pregnancy especially.

Why don't you go back on your lexapro? I use it for my pregnant girls when they need it.

Go for a walk! Seriously! You'll find yourself feeling MUCH better and alot less stressed. I'd been walking 4 miles a day and found myself feeling so much better than what I do now that I'm not able to get out since my kids are on winter break. Take long, deep, slow breaths as well if you're finding a bit overwhelmed. Just remember, this too shall pass :)

I have a history of depression, including post-partum, and was taking Wellbutrin when I got pregnant. Like you, I stopped cold turkey when I found out also. We talked quite a bit about it and my doc started me on Zoloft during my pregnancy. I took it for the last trimester and then for several months afterwards and it made a HUGE difference in how I felt. Totally smoothed out my moods and allowed me to deal with some pretty huge issues like my dad's death without being a complete basketcase. He said it was the safest one to take while pregnant and I'm really glad I did. It gave me the ability to function normally and in my opinion was worth the small risk to the baby.

I will also say that exercise really does help to regulate your moods and I did a lot of walking, but sometimes it just ain't enough. LOL You might try it and use meds as a last resort? Either way, best of luck!

Hi,
Im not sure that I have a solution for you, but I wanted to let you know that you are not alone. I experienced the same thing with my last pregnancy. Went off Zoloft at 5 weeks pregnant. I have anxiety/ocd. I quit smoking before becoming pregnant with my first child, so I know how that feels too.
Anyway, I was a total mess through my pregnancy. I was bitter and if I was a snake, I would literally hiss. I actually think I did hiss. I was so easily agitated it was horrendous. My husband just kept wishing the pregnancy would go faster! However, five weeks post pregnancy, I am back on zoloft, yet probably not a high enough dose and for long enough, because I am so ocd and constantly worried about this babys health. Do you think you went through lexapro withdrawal too? I:m assuming you did. That is bad enough without the hormones.
I would just ask your husband to be forgiving and to give you a little pass because you are not really in control of most of this. Talk to your ob though. I wonder if I would have been better off staying on the zoloft like I did with my first pregnancy. Not an easy road and if you want to chat let me know. I also seemed to distance myself from everyone around me. I knew I was doing it yet could not fix it. Yuck! It will be ok though, at least you are aware of it!

Anxiety and depression could have many causes. If you'd like to try something that might help, you could get some B-12 (methylcobalmin). Try to get a version that is sublingual (under the tongue) so it won't get destroyed in the stomach acid. You can find some at iherb.com. Most b-12 at the stores is cyanobalmin which is not an active form, and some people cannot convert it to the active form. Methylcobalmin is ready to go. B12 in the brain helps with serotonin and dopamine receptors so it may help you more efficiently use what you have, and B-12 is water soluble, so it is safe for baby. What isn't needed is passed in your urine.

Be sure to get your thyroid levels checked, too. Underactive thyroid is bad for baby and can cause your adrenal glands to freak out, which explains your snappy/exploding feelings. Not much you can do about adrenals until after delivery, tho. But, you can get thyroid meds.

Congrats and hope you can find some relief!

I just looked through this posting after responding to your "Divorce" question. Please reconnect with your therapist and psychiatrist. You didn't mention your anxiety disorder in the "Divorce" posting and that's a significant piece here.

You and your husband should absolutely get involved in counseling. Between your anxiety and his short temper you need to learn how to communicate your needs in non-comabtive ways.