Quote:
Originally Posted by Amazonmom
Geez. You go into the psych NP's office because you are depressed as hell after having a baby. You figure that some SSRI and some therapy will make you all better. You have always had mood swings, but some really sucky crap has happened to you in life, so you have always assumed the sucky things caused the depression issues. You've never lost touch with reality- you have two college degrees, do well at your job, never spent too much money, everyone has always told you that you are really super competent in life and they wish they were like you. Your spouse loves you and the relationship is great. You have never gotten professional help before.
You take the Zoloft. Great stuff. After a month the depression is gone, and you feel like your old self (only the sex drive goes bye bye). After 8 weeks you start getting more and more hyper, you pace all the time, you do 8 loads of laundry, all the dishes, vacuum the house, and wash the car in one day. You catch yourself wanting to shop all the time (but you stop yourself). Your sex drive is back, and stronger than it ever was before (hubby loves that). You wake up after three hours of sleep crying that you hate yourself and you should just die already. BUT you really don't want to die- you just feel like crap. You can't sleep after that. You are constantly in motion. You freak out over stupid crap.
Your postpartum mood disorder support group says you should tell the NP about this stuff. You don't want to, but you need to.
Great. Now I am bipolar, with a case of PTSD stemming from an attempted rape 12 years ago. Go in depressed, come out batshit crazy. Hypomania sucks so much.
Now what do I do?
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Since you have had a baby and are having these issues, I would suggest getting your hormones checked! I say this not because I don't trust the diagnosis, but because there are other situatins that can cause manic type symptoms such as thyroid disease...appropriate tests at the bottom...and ovarian hormonal imbalances!
For the ovarian hormone imbalances, you should have your hormones checked in the follicular (days 1,2,or 3) AND luteal phase (days 19, 20, or 21) of your menstrual cycle! Try to keep a journal of your symptoms on a calendar so that you can track when your moods are worse, mine are in the luteal phase. For example, postmenopausal women's estrogen levels should be at least 100 or more, mine were 13 in the follicular phase and 60 in the luteal phase and I an perimenopaussal and still having periods! I just started BHRT or you can take a high estrogen 50 mg. of estrogen as opposed to more progesterone BCP that could help with some or all of your symptoms! Trust me just a little estrogen stopped my psychosis that I was having 10 days of each month and I just started the estrogen in the form of bioidenticals! It couldn't hurt to get your levels tested...if you have an appointment that is not around the times suggested, get an order and go to a lab during those times!
If you have any questions or I can be of further support, please message me!
Best Wishes,
TJ
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Smooches! Hope you have a Beautiful, Blessed Day!
Thyroid disorders can cause depression and can mimic bipolar disorder... Please read below regarding one form, hypothyroidism, and have your numbers checked...TSH, T3, T4, Free T3, Free T4, and Thyroid Antibodies (for Graves Disease and Hashimotos Disease (which mimics BP)