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Baby then crazy

by Melissa
(Toronto)

Hi Wray, I wrote in February 2011 about my trouble after baby. 18 months after baby I lost it. Full blown panic, fatigue, depression, frustration, hair loss. The whole lot. I have been slowly battling my way back with acupuncture and naturapathic doctor guidance.

I tried anti-depressants in the beginning but spiraled downward. I now understand that my liver couldn't handle the anti-depressants and I had a reaction to the ssri's. I was totally committed to acupuncture and chinese medicine, but got panic attacks when I try anything. I began progesterone but got wicked headaches so I quickly gave up. I tried another progesterone cream and have been using it monthly for the past few months. I have also began taking ic3 in order to bring my estrodial levels down. But I still freak out whenever I try anything new. I can only take a bit of ic3 it amps me up and makes me super angry, panicky but I am trying to make it work and get my estrogen levels down and my progesterone levels back up. I am also taking astragulus to improve my wellbeing. Free and easy wanderer and serenagen help me when I am super panicky. I am concerned that the chinese herbs (astragulus and free and easy wanderer) add to my estrogen because of plant estrogens.

Anyways can you please help me? I think I am on the right path but need to be sure. What should I be doing? Thanks.

Comments for Baby then crazy

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May 25, 2011
 Baby then crazy
by: Wray

Hi Melissa Did you not get my reply? All your symptoms can be helped with progesterone, plus many nutrients. Progesterone is excellent for headaches, they were caused by you evidently using far too low an amount, which merely ramped up the oestrogen, see here, here, here and here. As I said in my previous reply, you need 250-400mg/day progesterone, were you using this much? And please have a vitamin D test done, a lack of this leads to depression, plus reducing the benefits of progesterone. For more info see the Vitamin D council and GrassrootsHealth websites. I will paste my previous reply to you below, as a new comment. Take care Wray
May 25, 2011
 Baby then crazy
by: Wray

Hi Melissa You have post natal depression, drugs are always the 'solution'. I'm currently helping 3 women who have PND. It affects 25% of women, from mild baby blues which last a few days, to post natal psychosis, which can incur infanticide. Antidepressants are not what you need. What you do need is at least 250-400mg/day progesterone, divided into hourly amounts. Dr Dalton would give up to 2400mg/day to her patients with post natal psychosis, see here. You have not been correctly advised on its use either. If following a cycle it should be used for the full 14 days of the luteal phase and not 7 days as you are currently doing. But in your case I suggest using it daily, throughout your period too. Follow this for about 2-3 months, or until you begin to feel it's benefit. For more info see here. During our monthly cycle our corpus luteum makes up to 20mg/day progesterone after ovulation. When pregnant the placenta takes over production, with levels rising to over 400mg/day in the last trimester. It's the sharp drop in levels after birth which can precipitate PND. You also need the B vitamin inositol, this stops panic attacks (so does progesterone if enough is used). Please take 8000-12000mg/day, it really needs to be this high to work, see here, and here. You also need 2000-5000mg/day taurine, this amino is a potent anxiolytic, see here and here. GABA is another excellent anxiolytic, start low at 500mg/day and increase gradually. The GABA receptor sites need progesterone to function, it's this action of progesterone on the GABA receptors which is the reason for progesterone's calming effect, see here. Please have a vitamin D test, this is the most critically important nutrient. A lack leads to many depressive disorders, see here. You possibly need tryptophan too, more info about this on our Anxiety page. Take care Wray

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