Anxiety Attacks - anyone else

Not surprisingly, I have been having some anxiety lately. It has gotten worse as I lost my appetite and am on the toilet all day (sorry tmi). I went to the ob/gyn today to discuss ppd meds but she isnt sure that is what it is and switched my birth control pill now that I am not nursing to one with some estrogen in it. She recommended benedryl if I feel panicky but I cannot imagine taking that as I think it will make me too tired to be with the babies. She also wrote me a script for Xanax to take as needed but I am a little afraid of it.

I know this is a private thing but if anyone has experienced this and has any advice I would really appreciate it. I was kind of hoping she would diagnose ppd and treat me for it and we could be done with it but she wants to wait.

I just get really nervous and a little scared that I can't do this. I lose my appetite and kind of feel a bit disconnected from myself and feel like I am on autopilot.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
Amy

 

Amy sorry to hear you're having a rough time. I am a therapist that has lots of experience with anxiety disorders. They are rarely hard to treat.
The stress and hard work of having babies can really take a toll on us!
I would suggest you see a psychologist/therapist/counselor to get an assessment done so you know what you're dealing with. Short term cognitive behavioral therapy has excellent results in dealing with anxiety disorders. It helps you find ways to think and act so you initially can control your symptoms and over time they go away.
If you do need medication it's best it be perscribed by a psychiatrist rather than your ob/gyn. A psychologist should be able to tell if medication would be useful or not and refer you.
On a more everyday level try to sleep and eat well because symptoms get worse if you don't take care of yourself. Also, can you find some time to exercise? That helps many people. It might just be a case of your soul telling you you need to take better care of yourself.
I hope this is helpful to you.
Hope you feel better soon.
:hug99: :hug99:

 

when my girls were about 4 months old i was in your shoes. I called my ob and he put me on paxil. It has been a life saver for me....

 

I was also put on Paxil for my anxiety and panic attacks. Let me tell you, it worked wonders for me. I felt relief after the first week of taking it. I did quit taking it when I became pregnant and have experience one panic attack... I look forward to being put back on it and the birth of this baby.

Benadryl makes me too out of it, I take one and I am OUT! LOL

 

Paxil is a miracle drug!!! When I was in law school I suffered from an anxiety disorder. I lost a ton of weight, etc. It took about 3 weeks for it to really work but after 3 weeks it was great! After about a year I weaned myself off of it and have been fine ever since.

 

Sorry you're feeling this way, anxiety attacks STINK!! I think it's great that you're recognizing it as an issue and taking steps to get help. I experienced panic attacks in college and was put on Paxil, which helped tremendously. I was on it for about a year and then slowly weaned myself off of it. I found talking to a college counselor to be extremely beneficial as well. I've been feeling more and more anxiety recently, so am considering calling my ob/gyn for her opinion and/or reference to a psychologist. There are so many resources out there for anxiety and you shouldn't have to suffer with it.
Good luck and take care of yourself!! :hug99:

 

I have also been getting a lot of anxiety lately. I was having chest pains over the last couple days and I actually went to see a cardiologist. Aparently nothing is wrong with my heart but I have acid reflux so bad it is causing chest pains( I know it is from stress and not eating enough). She started me on prevacid and told me I need to eat more often and try to get out more. The less I eat the worse I feel and then the less I want to eat and it becomes a very vicious cycle. So I have been MAKING myself eat and also planning more outings with the boys. At night when DH gets home he makes me leave and go get a coffee at Starbucks and go tanning, that little bit of time away really helps. The more I have planned the more I have to look forward to each day and it really seems to help. Mine are sleeping more at night but during the day it seems like if I'm not moving them around from one contraption to the next every 10 min then they are crying. When they are really fussy during the day after they are fed and changed, sometimes I have to just put them in their swings and go out on the back deck for 10 minutes, I have gotten a lot better at just walking away. I never FEEL like doing anything but I make myself and once I do I feel so much better. I hope you feel better soon. Just keep venting!!! :hug99: