Taking various anxiety and depression meds. How hard is it to get off them in th!
Question: I recently lost my newborn baby. She was born with a congenital heart defect that was not detected until she was 10 days old. I am now suffering from extreme depression and anxiety. I didn't realize the anxiety until I tried to return to work. I couldn't stop crying and all I wanted was to be home where I knew I was safe with my husband. I told my self I was ok, but just didn't FEEL that way inside. Now my doc has me on Effexor XR (75mg), Xanax (.25 - .5mg), Trazodone and occasionally Ambien (10mg) to sleep. I take the Effexor XR everyday. The Xanax makes me feel sleepy and the other two are to sleep so I only take it at night. I have not tried the Trazodone yet. How hard will it be to get off these in the future? We want to have another child, but I know I can't do it with all these feelings and/or on all these meds. I have been going to therapy, but I have never believed they REALLY listen to you, just say, "ya, uh huh, of course, yes, I see.". So how can I get off these meds?
Answers: I recently lost my newborn baby. She was born with a congenital heart defect that was not detected until she was 10 days old. I am now suffering from extreme depression and anxiety. I didn't realize the anxiety until I tried to return to work. I couldn't stop crying and all I wanted was to be home where I knew I was safe with my husband. I told my self I was ok, but just didn't FEEL that way inside. Now my doc has me on Effexor XR (75mg), Xanax (.25 - .5mg), Trazodone and occasionally Ambien (10mg) to sleep. I take the Effexor XR everyday. The Xanax makes me feel sleepy and the other two are to sleep so I only take it at night. I have not tried the Trazodone yet. How hard will it be to get off these in the future? We want to have another child, but I know I can't do it with all these feelings and/or on all these meds. I have been going to therapy, but I have never believed they REALLY listen to you, just say, "ya, uh huh, of course, yes, I see.". So how can I get off these meds?
My sympathy goes out to you, and some experienced advice.
You are dealing with so much at one time. You need to "take it easy". I know, ...l know. The thing is, the more you stress on all and any of this, the sicker your mind and body get.
Try to take it in steps:
1- accept that you suffered a terrible loss. accept the anger and the grief... it will get better, it really will, but only in its own good time. There is nothing you can do but accept and give yourself permission to feel your feelings and know they are natural and God-given for a reason. Fighting this process will only prolong it, and maybe make it all worse. "Taking your mind off it" is the worst advice anyone can give you. Your mind will know when to get off it and will do so all on it's own when it's time.
2- contact a support group for mothers who have also lost a child. They will give you honest, loving, supportive advice. They have felt and are feeling exactly what is happening to you. These groups are everywhere.
3- unless you're one step from homlessness don't even think about going to work right now. believe that your loss and grief
are legitimate and important enough to get the attention they need for you to heal. do your very best to not add any stressors on the load you are bearing already.
4- don't worry about getting off the medicines, you will in good time under doctor's supervision. DO NOT do it on your own- some of them must be withdrawn gradually.
BUT there are a lot of meds on the market, some may work better for you than others, and often they are over-subscribed.
When you are able to you might want to get a second opinion from a psychiatrist if these were prescribed by another kind of doctor. NO, YOU ARE NOT CRAZY. It's just that psychiatrists are the most knowledgeable about these meds, other doctors may use them without knowing enough about them. If they are prescribed by a psychiatrist, you might consider a consultation with another one. A good doctor is one who will tell you exactly what he is giving you, why, and what you can expect as a result; that doctor will also monitor you and tell you to call if you have concerns or experience unexpected side-effects.
BE SURE to use only ONE PHARMACY, preferrably one where you trust the pharmacist. He is the one who can prevent dangerous interactions and he can discuss your concerns with you.
5- Most people who are referred to "therapy" don't understand the process, nor do many "therapists". Finding the right one can be harder than finding the right hairdresser.
Therapy is not about what the therapist says, it is only about what YOU say. The more you open up, the more you say what you think and feel, the clearer your situation will become to you and the more you will know what you need to do. It is necessary to discuss your feelings of guilt, shame, all the things that you hope no one will ever know... the reason is that all those are natural and universal. There is NOTHING in your life that an experienced therapist has not heard before or that will make them judge you or reject you, or shame you.
It is our secrets that make us sick. Think of it as lancing a wound to allow an infection to heal... The thrapist is there as a traffic cop to keep you focused and on track.
you can speed up the process by keeping a totally honest journal that only you will see. Writing down the unhapiness will lead you to think about it, follow your thoughts on paper, it will become like automatic writing and will lead you to solutions, some easy andd some hard. The hardest will be to accept what you cannot change. remember that "bad things happen to good people," there is a book by that name in the library. Also, acceptance does not mean you have to like it. Crying, yelling and screaming are okay, but at a time and place where you will not distress those who love you, which does not include your therapist!
Please believe and trust, this, too, shall pass.
Nature did this so you and the child would be spared the pain that comes with a condition that cannot be cured.
When the time comes you will hold another, healthy baby in your arms. Of that l am sure.
Thank you all for your quick responses to my question... All of them really helped me think of what to do and how to handle this and when/what to expect by slowly going off these meds in the future. Report It
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