Recovery without medication

[Tangerine7]

Hi, I'm just wondering if anyone with undiagnosed retrospective PPP eventually recovered without the use of medication and if anyone is able to share useful info regarding how you've recovered and approximately how long it took? Thank you

[Rachel_at_APP Partner APP]

Good morning Tangerine7,

I hope you’re ok? I had PP back in 2016, I was diagnosed at the time and was admitted to an MBU, subsequently put onto medication to help me recover, so I’m afraid I don’t have first hand experience to share unfortunately.

I do know, anecdotally, of people who many years later discovered that they had PP, but didn’t have a diagnosis at the time. I imagine in their situations that can be really tricky trying to understand what might have happened to them and their family.

That said, most mums with postpartum psychosis need to be treated with medication. It is a very effective treatment, with many likely to find that symptoms begin to improve between 3 to 6 weeks of starting medication.

I wonder if you / or the person your question relates to might be able to visit their GP to chat through their experience. PP is a medical emergency, and does most often need medical treatment and medication. You can read lots about treatment on the Action on Postpartum Psychosis website. And you can read more about support and care in recovery more generally in Action on Postpartum Psychosis Recovery Guide, I’ll pop the links below for you.

Take care, and hopefully you’ll have some other replies from people soon which might be helpful.

Rachel x

Treatment: app-network.org/postpartum-...

Recover Guide: app-network.org/wp-content/...

[Cherub12 Volunteer in reply to Rachel_at_APP]

Hi Tangerine7

I had PP after both my children After my second I had progesterone pessaries and I recovered fully after one month They are worth trying as they are completely natural

I hope you recover quickly Take care

Chrissyx

[Tangerine7 in reply to Cherub12]

Thank you so much Chrissy, I will research into that, I'm getting my hormone levels checked to see if it's back to normal. Thank you for sharing your insight, it's much appreciated.

[Tangerine7 in reply to Rachel_at_APP]

Thank you very much Rachel, I was advised by trained professionals that I experienced Sleep Deprivation hallucinations after a very long and painful labour. It went away but was followed by PTSD nightmares in the months that followed. In retrospect I sometimes wonder if it what was diagnosed as sleep deprivation was PPP at the time, because some of the symptoms sound similar, except it went away when sleep improved. There was a lot of hormonal changes at the time and stress then so that may have contributed to what occurred.

I don't have the symptoms anymore so that's why I wondered if there is anyone out their who recovered without medication. It could have been sleep deprivation related as they said and not PPP, I've been trying to make sense of what happened now that I've recovered.

Thank you.

[Travel_free]

Hi Tangerine7

I was retrospectively diagnosed with PPP, that was three and a half years after the birth of my daughter and when the episodes happened.

From my experience, my PPP acute symptoms lasted around 11 days the first time but then 2 months later I suffered a second acute episode which lasted around 14 days. I do wonder if it was picked up and I was medicated the first time it happened would that have prevented the second episode. Unfortunately it wasn’t picked up the second time either so I was never medicated. My GP did put me on antidepressants during the second episode but I never got anti psychotics. I would say the none acute symptoms of PPP lasted over a year (beliefs/ delusions) but most of this I internalised and managed to continue with life without it completely taking over. In that time and the year following I did suffer with episodes of PTSD like symptoms and went into panic thinking it was happening again. A lot of this was due to not having any answers to what actually happened to me. If I had know it was PPP and an illness I possibly would have recovered quicker than I did even without the medication. Since everyone’s experience is so individual all these factors can vary so much.

I hope you get the help you need if it is you or someone you love going through PPP. If you want to know anymore about my experience of being retrospectively diagnosed, I’m happy to answer any questions

Thanks x

[Travel_free]

also just to add, not sleeping was one of my main symptoms. I didn’t sleep for 11+ days the first acute episode and for the 2 weeks the second episode. I tried telling this to everyone at the time but I felt it was dismissed as women don’t get much sleep when they first have a baby. I knew this wasn’t anything to do with that. It was completely impossible for me to sleep. I was completely wired and my body wouldn’t allow me to sleep not even for a minute in that time. I’m pretty sure the sleep deprivation from the birth itself along with a traumatic birth and hormones is what caused the PPP but for it to be completely impossible to sleep for that length of time mixed with hallucinations/beliefs/suicidal thoughts is what made it clear to me it was definitely PPP x

[Tangerine7 in reply to Travel_free]

Thank you so much for sharing I really appreciate your reply, so sorry that you went through PPP too, so glad you have recovered well. x

[Jo-jo2005]

Hi there!

I had PP after the birth of my first child, diagnosed retrospectively when I became pregnant with my second just over 15 months later. The first time I had 2 acute episodes, at 5 days and then again at 10 weeks post partum. At the 10 week mark I was seen by a generic crisis team after having a 'breakdown' who I disclosed my symptoms to (no sleep, visual and auditory hallucinations and paranoid delusions) and they did nothing. I had no support, therapy or medication. Gradually the acute symptoms lessend but I didn't 'recover' and I was paranoid, anxious and had little sleep or rest.

When I became pregnant the second time I had a relapse of my hallucinations at about 8 weeks pregnant. I saw my midwife and I told her the whole tale. She referred me immediately to the perinatal mental health service and the next day I had my wonderful nurse and psychiatrist on my sofa and my medication/treatment began from there.

They described my psychosis as a 'slow burner', and said (based on the notes from the crisis team) had they seen me after my first child was born they would have sectioned me as it was that bad.

Luckily I had a good pregnancy the second time, but did relapse again at 10 weeks and needed an MBU admission. I've now been recovered for 4 years and doing well.

Not sure if that helps xx

[EquineBeauty in reply to Jo-jo2005]

Hi Jo-Jo, I wanted to follow up with a question to your story. Were you medicated your whole pregnancy and then did you continue taking antipsychotics postpartum as well (for your second) but you still relapsed even on medication? Did I understand that correctly? If so, did the doctors say anything as to why the medication didn’t work? How was that second PP - was it more manageable, how long were you at the MBU? My husband and I are planning on having another child and my psychiatrist assured me that I shall be well as long as I’m medicated. But I guess it’s now 100%?

[Jo-jo2005 in reply to EquineBeauty]

Hi,

My case is fairly unusual in that I didn't receive treatment at all the first time, which I was told was the reason I relapsed the second time. I was medicated in my second pregnancy with olanzapine, which titrated up to the highest dose by the end of my pregnancy. I had to switch to another antipsychotic from the one I had been taking in pregnancy when I relapsed the second time, as I was already taking the maximum of olanzapine. I'm obviously not a psychiatrist, but apparently they attributed the relapse to my lack of any treatment from the first time.

I switched to a different antipsychotic and mood stabiliser and became stable again very quickly. I was in the MBU for 6 weeks the second time.

Hope that answers the question x

[Tangerine7 in reply to Jo-jo2005]

Thank you so much for sharing that all makes sense, sorry to hear that you went through that with both, but it's great that you received support. I was advised that my symptoms were down to sleep deprivation, the symptoms went away and I had a relapse a couple of months later that wasn't as bad but presented more as the anxiety and the paranoia described. I spoke to the GP and they advised on me having talking therapy. By the time I'd spoken with a talking therapy counsellor the symptoms had gone. The first episode was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before: I have been doing research to understand it better to identify if it complety goes away after a time or if any medication is still required even though there's now no symptoms just for the fact that it happened after birth.

[EquineBeauty]

Thank you so much for sharing your story. It had to have been very tough and awful not to have been medicated at all after the first time. I can’t imagine going through PP without medication.

It is strange that they attributed the second relapse due to no medications the first time… I wouldn’t have guessed that either.

So they had you on Olanzapine 20mg during your second pregnancy but after birth they switched you to another antipsychotic? Is that correct? Or did you relapse while on Olanzapine so then they switched you to another antipsychotic after that? Which one if you don’t mind me asking?

(I took Olanzapine as well after my PP for a year - a high dose - 15 mg and then slowly tapered off).

Glad to hear that the second time you recovered much more quickly even though the MBU stay was long. Great that you’re doing well 4 years on! And have 2 precious babies 👶

Were you and and your second child kept at the hospital for a short while to ensure the baby was ok after being on medication during pregnancy? I was told we would be kept for observation in hospital to make sure there are no side effects from the medications (antidepressant, mood stabilizer - Lamotrigine and antipsychotic - Olanzapine) for baby.

Anything you want to share is much appreciated 🩷

[Jo-jo2005 in reply to EquineBeauty]

Yes- so I began taking olanzapine when I was 8 weeks pregnant with my second, that was the first treatment I'd had. I began on 5mg and titrated up to 20 by the time I was about 22weeks pregnant. I did well after he was born until 10 weeks post partum and then my delusions and visual hallucinations began to return, but we're much less than the first time. It was then advised I do a voluntary admission to MBU (a section was mentioned if I declined) for supervision while my medications were adjusted. The second relapse was nowhere near as bad as the first PP thankfully.

I don't think it's strange really, it makes sense to me...I didn't begin my second pregnancy from a place of being recovered from PP- I'd never had any treatment, so my baseline mental health was very poor compared to the majority. It could also have been a bit of overkill, they were all twitchy that it had been missed. I'm not sure, but that's what I was told it 'could' be down to. I was told at the time there isn't much data on those that are missed (6years ago now) so there were no definitive 'answers'...just theories I suppose. All I know is I relapsed, I've had to just accept a lot of things without clear justified reasons and answers around my first birth and subsequent PP, and I've come to a place where that's ok now.

No, we weren't kept in hospital for that reason. I had to stay in for two days anyway as I had caesarean section, tbh that time was very 'fuzzy'- probably due to the meds and general disassociation I was experiencing.

In hindsight, the first time was very traumatic yes...but at the time I'd didn't feel like that. Part of my delusions were that my husband and health professionals were trying to hurt or poison me...so at the time it was a huge relief they appeared to 'leave me alone'. I was forced that time to disclose things which felt dangerous to talk about, as I couldn't hide It anymore. It was only when I got the diagnosis and began to face up to what happened that the gravity of the situation and subsequent trauma began.

[EquineBeauty in reply to Jo-jo2005]

Thank you so much for sharing more Jo-jo.

I’m glad the second time wasn’t as severe as the first and that you recovered quickly. However still it’s awful to have to experience it more than once. So glad to hear you’re doing well 6 years on. It’s good to have all that behind you now.

It’s interesting you say that your delusions centered around being paranoid about your husband and health staff. Mine were similar. I thought I had died and gone to hell and my husband and nurses were all about to start torturing me any minute. The minute never came of course but I kept being very afraid of them, for awhile until the psychosis was stopped. I guess for a lot of women delusions center around people close to us especially our loved ones.

Again I’m sorry you had to experience all that, the missed diagnosis being a major mistake by the medical professionals. It’s amazing after everything you have fully recovered and have two healthy children in your life.

Stay well and Happy belated New Year 😊