Have you been feeling tired or noticing a change in emotions and don’t understand why?
Did you experience symptoms of depression or high anxiety after starting birth control pills or a copper IUD?
Do you have experience with postpartum depression or depression related to menopause?
Were you diagnosed with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome)?
If you said, “yes” to any of these you should be tested for copper overload.
Welcome to my first blog
I am a survivor of copper overload also referred to as copper toxicity. Having suffered high anxiety, depression, fatigue, and a host of other relatable symptoms for thirty years of my life. Halfway through those years, copper built up and I imploded, resulting in giving up an unborn child and my career. For the next fifteen years, I went on a quest to find answers. I needed to know why my life was spiraling out of control. The problems I faced along the way were many. I will guess if you are experiencing any of the above symptoms you will be able to relate.
Judy Tsafrir, MD explains more about Copper Toxicity in a Psychology Today article— Copper Toxicity: A Common Cause of Psychiatric Symptoms—posted on September 11, 2017.
First of all, as women, our lives are so busy. We are working in, or outside of the home and taking care of our families’ needs. It’s no wonder we have times when we are overly stressed or behave uncharacteristically. But we brush it off and power through. Sometimes we beat ourselves up for not having better control over our emotions. Or sometimes we just don’t understand why we can’t get out of a funk of feeling down. When it gets bad enough (or we finally implode) we seek medical help. Unfortunately, traditional doctors’ responses to anything involving how we are feeling emotionally is—you know it—antidepressants.
For high copper individuals (total copper and/or elevated % free copper) like myself, antidepressants may help with depression but worsens anxiety. And there is no getting around the awful side effects of these drugs. For me it was weight gain, insomnia, restless leg syndrome, feeling numb, and dry mouth to name a few.
“Nothing weighs on us so heavily as a secret” – French poet Jean de La Fontaine
Because of the stigma with depression, I became a master at hiding it from family and friends. I lived in shame and unworthiness. That is until now.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that almost 13% of Americans take antidepressants. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 16.2 million adults in the U.S. are suffering from depression. That alone causes me to want to speak out about my experience with depression and antidepressants.
Women are at an increased risk of developing depression because of hormonal factors. They are also twice as likely to have depression as men.
My battle with copper overload correlated to major hormonal changes in my life. I suffered unnecessarily because traditional doctors resorted to pharmaceuticals. When I changed directions to alternative treatment, I finally found relief and started to heal.
I invite you to follow me as I continue to share how I survived toxic levels of copper and got my life back.
My complete journey can be found in my book I Cu Copper to be released in the near future. Stay tuned!
My hope is by reading my blogs and book you will not feel alone and reach out for help.