Post birth anxiety

[squadger69]

Hi,i wonder if anybody can offer me some advice,im 21 years old and i gave birth to my lovely son in march 2010,when he was about 6 months old i suddenly had a huge panic attack which set off some very severe ones pretty much every day atleast two or three times until i saw my doctor who put me on citalopram,at first things got much worse for a couple of weeks but now things have gradually started to calm down with help of the medication but i still get attacks.basicallyi was wondering if anybody else has suffered with panic attacks and anxiety after child birth and if they can offer me any tips of dealing with it so i could mayby eventully think about coming off the medication, thanks x

[squadger69]

Thanks for the feedback :-).well the other thing is that i have been seeing a counsellor to try to figure sum things out so on the first meeting with him just over a week ago i explained how i had been feeling and how i felt everything was connected and added together to make me feel how i do and he just paused and said well to be honest with you thats what i would have said to you,so i said well im studying psychology but iv come here for another persons perspective and viewpoint and relaxation techniques,so he gave me a sheet with sum relaxation techniques and sent me on my merry way!!!lol.iv got another apointment with him coming up but im quite disappointed to think that im not sure if he will help me much,whether all counsellors are like that towards sumebody with a basic knowledge of how our psychology works or whether it was just him im not sure,but im beginning to think that its just me and the medication which will get me thru,which im sad to think!x

[Alisonj29]

I had panic attacks before I had children but I can tell you that after the birth of my last in 2007 my attacks were horrible. I was almost the worst I had ever been. My doctor and OB told me it was a mix of hormones working themselves out partnered with postpartum depression. It can happen to many women that they have their first attacks after the birth of their children. I am glad they you have been to see your doctor and got medication and things are calming down. I believe that when you and your doctor feel the time is right you will likely be able to wean off it. Good Luck and keep us updated. Oh and congratulations on the birth of your soon!!! Almost a year old now!

[mammo]

Call your doctor and let him know that you are still experiencing panic attacks, you may need an increase in the dosage or an anxiety medication to go with the Citolopram. Since you are still having panic attacks while on medication, I don't see getting off the medication working at this time. Therapy can be helpful in learning if there is a root cause for your anxiety, and if there is how to get it out and deal with it.  Therapy can also teach you coping and relaxation techniques. Understanding that a panic attack is caused by a normal response coming at the wrong time can help.  When we are in danger our brain signals the "fight or flight" mode and floods our bodies with adrenaline to give us the ability to protect ourselves.  Since this isn't needed the adrenaline has nothing to work on and what we experience during a panic attack is a result of all this extra adrenaline.  It can't hurt us, just scares the heck out of us!  Exercise is great for anxiety, meditation, yoga, etc.  I don't feel the anxiety or panic attacks are associated with childbirth unless it was an experience you have trouble getting over.  Maybe being a new mom is making you anxious, it may just be coincidental, or it may have triggered a traumatic event from you past which you may have forgotten, and never really dealt with. This is when therapy is very beneficial, because traumatic events from our past come back to haunt us in the form of anxiety and/or depression.  Once the cause is addressed and dealt with, our anxiety subsides.  I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!