Bipolar, Anxiety..new to this website!

So i just had my daughter 4 months ago and I also have a 3 yr old boy..I've had severe anxiety and depression(finally diagnosed as bipolar disorder) aand I'm also ADD and OCD(not diagnosed tho) When i'm pregnant I feel really great. my symptoms aren't nearly as bad and I'm in a great mood..I was taking Lamictal before I got pregnant and stopped as soon as I found out i was pregnant. After i had her I was put on xanax xr and lithium, I have been on lithium very long but lately I'm very very irriatable and angry, the more time goes on since giving birth the worse my symptoms get..same way after I had my 3yr old son. I'm in therapy and I have a phsyc. eval. in a week or so..

[ILADVOCATE]

The changes during pregnancy and afterwards such as post partum depression can often create mood changes. Also the lithium might not be working for you as well as the Lamictal did and Xanax can sometimes cause personality changes as a side effect but each person reacts differently to each medication but it would be worthwhile to speak to your psychiatrist about all this.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

I learned once that pregnancy causes a release of hormones that have a sort of protective effect against mood disorders... so that might explain why you feel great during pregnancy.

[amberb777]

The Lamictal made my mania really bad..I was very impulsive, reckless and just completely not myself. I meant to say "I haven't been on it very long"..typo. I'm sort of starting to tell a difference and I think the xanax helps ALOT. I've had very high anxiety for about 10 years, since the age of about 13. It was worse then just because i didn't really know what was happening. But I feel alot of relief with it.

[amberb777]

Yeah, it's awesome. I wish there were a way to make my body think I'm pregnant all the time. My symptoms come back about a month after I deliver and progressively get worse. Actually worse than they were before each pregnancy. I hate it. But thanks, I didn't know that.