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Anxiety & Depression for 22 years

by Sue
(New York)

I had miscarried my sixth child at the age of 30 and experienced a very long period of depression. My MD at the time didn't diagnose me for many months, Just told me "you're fine" and sent me home. I finally got to a different Dr. and he put me on Prozac. I took that for yrs. even though it wasn't working, I didn't know what else to do. He was the doctor. He should know what was best for me. It should work. Meanwhile I had five kids ages 10 and under to take care of. I did the best I could, petending much of the time that everything was alright. I stopped taking the Prozac after about a year. I got pregnant 2 yrs. after the miscarriage and had a boy. The whole time I was pregnant I was depressed. On and off,at least twice a year, I feel this way but with a HUGE amount of anxiety to go with it. This has been going on for 22 yrs. I am now in menopause and am experiencing it again. I have started seeing a naturopathic doctor and she has me using Ostaderm cream which she said should start working in 3 days. It's been 7 days and I don't feel much better. The high level of anxiety is what's most troubling to me. I feel so overwhelmed by everything. I'm 52 years now.

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Jan 02, 2012
 Anxiety & Depression for 22 years
by: Wray

Hi Sue I think I've answered part of your question on another post you did. You evidently had post natal depression, and needed large amounts of progesterone, see here. Unfortunately doctors rarely check for a progesterone deficiency when women have PND. It drops sharply after birth sending 25% of women into some form of depression, from the baby blues to post natal psychosis. Serotonin levels drop too, I gave you the Anxiety page in my other reply. It appears your vitamin D level was very low while pregnant, this also causes anxiety and depression. The Ostaderm says it contains progesterone and oestrogen, but it doesn't say how much of each hormone. and it doesn't give any clue as to how much is in the container. Or how much you should use. I've found oestrogen is not needed, but at least 100-200mg/day progesterone is. Even with this amount, it can take 3, sometimes 6 months before all symptoms have been resolved. Take care Wray
Jan 02, 2012
 Anxiety and Depression for 22 Years
by: Sue

Thanks for your reply, Wray. My youngest son, with whom I was pregnant at that time, also has a great deal of anxiety and some OCD. He's now 19 and has been prescribed Prozac, which does not seem to be doing much good. He recently started seeing an ND who prescribed inositol, Lumina, Thytrophin PMG, and 5HTP 100 mg. We've seen some improvement, but some days all he does is sleep to avoid the way he feels when anxious and obsessive. Could his current problems have anything to do with my struggles during his gestation? Would he benefit from the use of progesterone cream or is there anything else you would recommend to help him? Thanks so much.
Jan 04, 2012
 Anxiety and Depression for 22 Years
by: Wray

Hi Sue Yes, your depression could well have affected him. There's a branch of science called epigenetics which fascinates me. It's 'altered gene expression without changes in DNA sequence'. If, while in utero, the foetus does not get sufficient nutrients or there are toxins in the foetal environment, it fails to develop correctly. That includes the brain too, which is very sensitive. If a gene or genes have been altered in any way it leads to what many researchers are now referring to as 'the foetal origin of adult disease'. You'll see from these papers here, here, here, here and here, that many things can affect the way the foetus develops. Vitamin D being one, it's the most vital nutrient for the foetus, a lack leading to many problems, not least mental ill health. Low progesterone, high oestrogen is another. Excess oestrogen causes oxidative stress, see here and here. Excess oestrogen also destroys the beta-endorphin neurons in the brain. Although principally involved in pain control, beta-endorphins also promote feelings of well-being and increase relaxation. This paper here acknowledges the problem of depression during pregnancy, but offers no solution. It does point out that Asian and African-American women suffer from it more than European women. This is understandable when one takes into account Asian women are covered with clothing, while African-American women have darker skins, which require more exposure to sunlight to produce vitamin D than do lighter skins. Continued below.
Jan 04, 2012
 Anxiety and Depression for 22 Years Part 2
by: Wray

Hi Sue It's never too late to start a nutrient program. Please ask your son to have a vitamin D test. I did give you the links, but here they are again, Vitamin D Council and GrassrootsHealth websites. I don't know how much inositol your son is being given, but it does reverse OCD if enough is taken. Up to 18g/day is given successfully, see here. Progesterone is certainly worth trying too. It has similar actions in the body to vitamin D. They both regulate gene expression, have a positive fundamental effect on cell differentiation and growth, with anti-oxidative and autoimmune anti-inflammatory mechanisms. They positively effect the nervous system by stimulating neurotrophic factors, quenching oxidative hyperactivity and regulating autoimmune responses. We also have a page on Anxiety you could look through. Take care Wray

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