Depression and Panic after Miscarriage

[Bing1]

Hello all,

I'm new to this site and would really appreciate anyone's advice.

A few months ago I had a complicated miscarriage which caused weeks of emotional and physical pain. The pregnancy was unplanned and my OH left me as I wouldn't have an abortion- it certainly wasn't a straightforward pregnancy or miscarriage.

Basically, have had months of stress which has now resulted in depression and continuous panic attacks/severe anxiety. Before all the trauma, I did suffer from mild panic attacks and took beta blockers ( not often, more so before work presentations etc )

Anyway after 4 days of mental torture, today I went to docs who prescribed 2mg Diazepam and 10mg of the anti-depressant Cipralex. As this was an out of hours doc, I have to go to my own doc again this week. Just needed some relief from the constant panic/terror but was a bit disappointed with the Diazepam. It took the edge of the anxiety but not any happy or relaxed feeling like I was expecting. Does anyone know the best dose for symptoms like mine?

Also, does anyone have any advice about how to stay distracted from all these horrible thoughts? I have been practising breathing techniques which helps but even simple things like reading or tv too difficult if that makes sense?

I have been referred for CBT but that will take a while

[vicky23]

hi Bing,
That is certainly an awful situation to go through so it's no wonder you're experiencing depression and panic now.
I would suggest going to your local library and getting as many books as possible. Some things you will find helpful some probably not but I certainly find it helpful to get knowledge about what's going on in my body/mind
Unfortunatley medication is sometimes just a case of trial and error, I'd suggest starting off at the low dose and maybe upping that if your Doctor says it's ok but also remember that you'll never get a medication that will take away the anxiety the aim of a medicine is just to take the edge off enough so that it's easier for you to learn to cope with the panic.
Distraction is a difficult one as low concentration is a symptom of depression so it's unlikely you'll find something to 'get lost in' but I do think there are things that remove the thoughts from the forefront of your mind. For me that is creative things like card making and calligraphy for others it might be puzzles, suduko for example.
Exercise is really useful for both panic and depression, make sure you've got a good balanced diet, when your mind is so busy the body burns up nutrients like crazy so it's important you get enough, you might want to take a supplement if you think your diet isn't that good.
I've come to realise recently that learning to control panic and depression is a journey made of small steps each one is a wonderful acheivement so be very good to yourself.
best wishes