Usually 6 - 8 weeks trial.
It sounds like you had PPD and it has not been dealt with. You can recover from this. I had it very severely after my 4th baby. With medication (which i tried to avoid for one year) i have made a good recovery and am now back to myself. But that was my final baby.
It is an illness, like any. Try out the psychologist. It really helps to talk to someone and to 'focus' on yourself/your feelings for one hour a week.
There is a PPd forum here with some good links
Get all the support you can and take it slowly.
thank you. i do feel like something has been off with me since having my son two years ago but i just never did anything about it. my OB said that they don't test hormone levels when you're pregnant because your hormones are all over the place. she really feels i may need some medication to balance myself out during this pregnancy and take it from there. the psychologist i called and left a message for yesterday called me back last nite and i am going to see her tonite. i mentioned to her the meds my OB suggested (zoloft or wellbutrin) and she didn't seem oppossed, though she seemed to lean more towards zoloft. does anyone know anything about that?i guess we will see how it goes. if they do start me on medication-how long will it take for me to start to see or feel a change in my mood? is there like a standard trial period you have to give every medication before you know if it will work or not?
I know it's confusing, and I can imagine how rough it is in your case. Meds are pretty dicey when you are pregnant, there are very few that are safe to use. I would suggest you look for a psychiatrist instead, I've jumped through hoops with psychologists to get treatment. In Canada, we have to pay for the visits, there is no coverage except I think 4 visits if you have private insurance. I was lucky enough to get a shrink, they are fully trained in psychopharmaceuticals and would know which might be safe. Has your OB done any hormone tests, because hormonal imbalances can show up as depression as well, so you want to make sure you rule that out as well. I think meds are important in the treatment of many folks with depression, at least to get you through difficult times. Did your get PPD after your first child? If you did, from what I've read, and it's only my guestimation, but it usually means there is a chemical imbalance going on.
I hope this helps rather then confuses you more. Talk therapy is extremely important, but when there's a neurochemical imbalance as well, usually medical intervention is required as well.
Congrats on your baby :)
LCC