Hi Suzi
you certainly sound like you're in a lot of pain and my heart goes out to you.
I wonder if you may allow me to tell you a little of my story.
I was diagnosed with post natal depression after the birth of my first child over 9 years ago. She was a very difficult child, a poor sleeper, feeder and cried of most of her waking hours in the first few months.
I went to a GP who prescribed an antidepressant, I was a little unsure of using it at first, but in the end figured that it couldn't hurt. Well, I was wrong. Within only days I began a dissent into a nightmare that would continue for two years. What happened first was panic attacks, which were attributed to a worsening of what was considered only mild PND. The doctor told me the antidepressant hadn't yet worked and that is why I was getting worse. He increased the medication, added more. Within only a week or so more I was cutting myself, I had this rage inside of me that could only be temporarily put at bay by seeing blood. Keep in mind this all stemmed from simply feeling sleep deprived and overwhelmed dealing with a difficult new born with little help.
I was continually told that the antidepressants wouldn't have taken effect for as long as four weeks, so when, by about the third week I was becoming suicidal and was intent on self harm, feeling ever increasingly violent, enraged and becoming suicidal, no one yet thought to suspect the drugs, including the doctor.
All of this destructive behaviour became mingled with the exact opposite and my mood would swing from one of deep despair to one of elation - this I later found out was classic antidepressant induced mania - something that is highly recognised and documented.
To cut a long story short, after two years of being called a 'medication non-responder' I discovered that antidepressants are linked to all the things that had happened to me. After weaning, very very slowly, I made a full and complete recovery. That was six years ago. I've even now had a second baby and no sign of all the terrible stuff while on antidepressants. I must say though that coming off the particular antidepressant I was on took 9 months cos to do so any quicker I risked shocking psychological side effects as well.
Please know I am making no assumptions about whether or not you have been given medication, nor am I saying that medication can't help people and I recongnise that in some cases it really can. And you certainly don't have to comment on anything I've said here at all.
I just want to let you know that I know what it feels like to have those terrible urges to turn on yourself and self harm.
If anything I've said here resonates, you might want to check out the following forum
www.antidepressantawareness.comI'm wishing for you a speedy improvement.