Aa
Just wish I could turn my brain off...
I have suffered anxiety and panic attacks long before I even knew it had a name. I have been prescribed to 3 mg's of Xanax a day for 7 years and found out 2 weeks ago I was pregnant. I stopped taking my Xanax immediately after I found out, and yesterday I went to the Dr. to find out I am 6 weeks! It was easy at first to not take my medication but my brain just won't shut off and it's getting harder and harder to breathe, and was wondering if anyone knows if I can take .5 mg of my medication. My anxiety got so bad 6 days ago that I made my husband get my lobster and his steak from Pappa's resturant to go, we were trying to celebrate my pregnancy...WHAT DO I DO?!?
please follow whatever your doctor tells you,I would not start self medicating natural stuff or anything without talking with your doctor. pregnant was one of the only times i felt good too! and like Jen i am menopausal and hormones do seem to make this crap worse. Congrats and good luck!!
Take all sorts of soothing natural supplements. Aswagandha is very helpful. Take it in the evening. If you have trouble sleeping you can try Benadryl. The dosage of Xanax you were taking was extremely high. For symptoms the same as yours I was given only .25 mg, to be taken only as needed. My problem was not emotional. I had high cortisol (a malfunction of the adrenals). Did you ever investigate a physical cause for your anxiety and panic attacks? It isn't always mental.
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I think your doctor can only tell you if you can .5mg or not. The best I can do for you is try to give you some non-medical advice. First of all, hormones are evil. :) I spent my whole dang life with anxiety and depression, the only reprieve I've ever gotten is when I was pregnant. Then poof! it just disappeared! Now, in perimenopause ~ ugh, it's horrid. The hormones are making it worse! Maybe that's what's going on with you. I just really really have to focus on my self-talk, what kind of BS my brain is feeding me, then have calm-rational me explain to my body why my brain is on crack. :) Give yourself a break, pregnancy is a stressful time. There are so many physical changes and it is all leading to huge a life-changing emotional event that will leave the past (AKA safety zone) far behind. Perhaps concentrating on what exactly you feel anxious about (concerns about the baby, your life after baby, it's affects on other children - if you have others, the affect on your relationship with your husband, for example) and try to just focus on that then the generalized anxiety may back down a bit. Also, there are some AWESOME yoga classes for pregnant women which may help too. Yoga and meditation both teach radical acceptance. That helps with any anxiety. Hugs to you, my friend. Take good care.