Antidepressants

[SR1812]

Hello, I am wanting to speak to my doctor about my anxiety and ocd which has become worse and I have tried all possible things to help with dealing with it. I don’t go to doctors unless needed and this has been a problem for me for longer than I care to admit. I am trying to get the courage to speak to the doctor about seeking help and possibility of medication / anti depressants for my problems. My worry is that I am currently waiting for surgery to have endometriosis and cyst removed before I can start ivf and I feel worried that by saying about my anxiety and ocd and possibly getting medication that I may be told no because I’m going to have ivf or that doctor will say yes but the ivf clinic will frown upon me being on anti depressants. Am I being stupid and over thinking this or will they say no?!? Thanks

[Krn210]

Your concerns aren’t dumb at all. I do not think that they will say no in either scenario you gave. I too suffer from anxiety. I commend you for seeking help, it is hard to do when even that feels scary. You’ve got this!

[SR1812 in reply to Krn210]

Thank you for your reply. It is so hard. I still haven’t built the courage to ring the doctors. Partly because you have to explain your reason for an appointment to the receptionist. How to put that in words in a short sentence and justifying I need an appointment makes me feel nervous. My doctors in particular is so hard for an appointment and you feel like you have to have an interview just to even be considered for an appointment in over 2 weeks fine. I just feel worried that it will be frowned upon when it actually comes to going for IVF. maybe it’s totally normal and I’m being silly but I worry that they’ll be worried about starting treatment for someone on that type of medication. I hope I’m just being silly.

[AllthatGlitters in reply to SR1812]

Hey I know it’s so hard. I reached out to my GP for CBT to help me. She agreed that it would be beneficial for me, I had to ask her to refer me though. No shame in asking for help at all, it actually does make you feel better x

[AllthatGlitters]

Hi I would say I suffer with mild anxiety due to my illnesses. Your GP will help you so don’t leave it any longer. Lots of people suffer with anxiety, it’s not to be frowned upon and even if you start IVF then that shouldn’t even come into it. You have decided to take control of the situation and help yourself 🥰x

[SR1812 in reply to AllthatGlitters]

Thank you. I know I shouldn’t suffer and should get help. Especially since it’s got worse since lockdown but I just have this worry in my head that I have the operation and the surgeon I have is actually the top person for the IVF clinic will be concerned I’m on antidepressants and not want to me start treatment. I hope I’m just other thinking it and it’s actually fine but I don’t want anything to get in the way or be a concern when we’ve waited so long.

[CryBaby91]

Please never be ashamed to reach out when you have mental health issues, that's why people end up being so unwell. I have complex PTSD so can empathise, I spent from the ages of 15 to 27 on antidepressants and anti anxiety medication, honestly it didn't help me deal with the root of my issues, it just masked it for me and numbed me. But I know lots of people who found them helpful! So I definitely understand why people take them, they just weren't for me.

Some antidepressants can be taken during pregnancy, but can come with complications and addiction worries for baby. You would need to thoroughly discuss this with your GP and consultant to be sure it is safe during pregnancy. You do have options though and there certainly are ways you can take antidepressants whilst being pregnant, just make sure you discuss all the facts and understand what risks come in. I had to do the same back in 2015 when I had a surprise and found out I was pregnant but I was taking a truck load of medication at the time, doctors helped me sort it so I could stay on antidepressants but changed brand and dose.

Personally, I found I dealt better with my mental health when I came off of all the meds and started counselling. Have you tried some CBT? That may be helpful for you. Mind is a fantastic charity and you can self refer for support but please never feel stupid or like you are over thinking things, your feelings are real and valid. Your worries are real and valid. And anyone who would judge you for wanting to discuss the best treatment for your mental health is really not worth talking to 😘😘 xxxx

[CryBaby91 in reply to CryBaby91]

CBT (Cognitive Behaviour Therapy) xx

[SR1812 in reply to CryBaby91]

Thank you. That’s really kind. I know I’m silly to have left it so long but I’m very much the type of person to try everything before going to the doctors. Plus admitting it to a doctor feels me with dread. I know there are ones safe for pregnancy which is great, at the moment I’m worried about will it have an effect on me starting IVF or when I go for surgery and have the pre op and they ask about medications that they will be concerned I’m on something like that. I know I’m probably being silly and I very much doubt that I’d be the only person to potentially be on that type of medication and going for IVF but I just worry. It’s all knock on effects. I’ve had ocd since a child but the anxiety is caused by fertility problems yet don’t want the treatment for these things to effect fertility treatment. Does that make sense 🙈. I have looked at CBT online. I’d be happy to try it if a gp referred me and my ideal scenario would be medication and CBT. I can imagine CBT wait times are bad going to by how everything else is at the moment. X

[CryBaby91 in reply to SR1812]

Please stop thinking you're being silly, that's the anxiety monster talking not you 😘 I definitely understand feeling like you're in a vicious cycle, my anxiety gets triggered by my pain and the pain triggers my anxiety 😂 which is not ideal haha but I've learned some great coping strategies over the last 2 years and honestly I've never been healthier in my mind, I've learned to cope better when things get on top of me. My counselling was all done off my own back, I got a referral to a rape crisis centre and they were amazing. Please don't think your GP is the only option, there's lots of places you can self refer to when it comes to mental health and you won't have the NHS waiting list to cope with, which most therapy is around 12-24 month wait even for extreme cases. So i would definitely recommend jumping on Mind.co.uk and seeing where you could self refer, I think the NHS website also has really good links where you can choose where you get support and don't need a GP to fill in the form. Cuts out waiting!

You're definitely not silly for considering if the meds could be a complications when it comes to the IVF, I know they will ask you what meds you're on and why you take them. My neighbour went through IVF and I believe she came off the anxiety medication during her treatment and pregnancy, under advice of her consultant. So I believe (I may be wrong) that they would want you to be free of as much medication as possible before they would start the IVF properly, because it ads extra risk in an already high risk situation. A good plan might be to join some IVF groups on Facebook, you could ask some other parents on there and see if anyone has any advice for you? Obviously i can't comment from an IVF perspective but just from a pregnancy one I can say that they try get you off of antidepressants if possible, but in extreme cases they keep you on it. I was having such bad attacks I started bleeding at 12 weeks and had to go to hospital for monitoring, they said the stress of the depression might make me miscarry. So in my situation they said antidepressants would be better, the risk was worth it essentially, because without them I likely would have lost him anyway. But you have to talk through all your options openly and don't be embarrassed to tell them what you need! You have to be healthy too, not just baby. So please do what is right for you!

Here if you need a natter I know how tough it can be xxx

[SraB]

My GP's reaction was not nice, BUT i was strong (out of desperation i guess) and got a referral ! Which was wonderful and changed my life for good. Couple of years later my friend had a referral but not such a good experience HOWEVER she started ivf process and was referred to a medical psy to support her in the ivf process and that was perfect for her!!! So (1) many of us have issues (2) look for help until you get the right one for you.

[Pinkmice]

Your anxiety is very high -try to get help but as you are due for a op.

Take time to think - more tablets you need a hug - which I could give you

Your body will need time to recover - take it gentle -talk over your concerns

with a partner,nurse etc and then plan to have your dreams come true.

One step at a time- look after yourself

kind regards

[Moon_maiden]

HiYou can use the econsult on your GP website that way you can explain without having to talk to a receptionist.

It’s a very good idea to talk to your GP and even the consultant. There is potentially a fine line between hormones/endo and how you are feeling with your anxiety. Just coping with what you are going through physically without their support is huge. Ask GP for a blood test to include thyroid,hormones, Vit D, B vits, iron, magnesium (women in particular tend to be short of this) maybe also cortisol to partly measure your stress levels. They’ll hesitate at hormones. Vit D is generally lacking in this country and is technically a hormone. The endocrine system is very complex.

You’ve got this far 🙂