Any luck going natural?

Has anyone here had any luck with natural remedies for depression? I can not find an antidepressant that doesn't give me awful side effects. Won't bore you with the details.....

I also have problems with my thyroid, which seems to play in with things. It seems pretty stable right now, as of today-

I have found a good Omega 3 supplement that helps. I feel like I might need something else though. Any suggestions for me? Thank you!

I have to echo Karen here--side effects largely go way after 10-14 days. You don't know how it will impact your body until your have been on the drug for two months.

Secondly--there are bad side effects and good side effects. The good ones are the lessening of the depression/anxiety. The bottom line-does it help more than it hurts?

Good luck!

It seems as I've gotten older and developed auto immune issues, my intolerance has gotten much worse. I've been on and off antidepressants for 15 years or more. I've read when you get to your senior years, you can be more sensitive to meds, so maybe that is it. I sure wish I could find a good fit, I need it badly. Maybe I can just stay on prozac and take something strong to help me sleep at night b/c that is my main problem with the prozac. It's probably the least difficult of all the side effects I had.

Sorry to hear of this. It's good that you reached out.

You say, "It seems as I've gotten older and developed auto immune issues, my intolerance has gotten much worse. I've been on and off antidepressants for 15 years or more. I've read when you get to your senior years, you can be more sensitive to meds, so maybe that is it. I sure wish I could find a good fit, I need it badly. Maybe I can just stay on prozac and take something strong to help me sleep at night b/c that is my main problem with the prozac. It's probably the least difficult of all the side effects I had."

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As for sleep, Melatonin from the health food store or from the net has helped me, and a number of others on the website.

It comes in 1 mg and 3 mg tablets. I get the one mg size, because one or two mg may be all that I need, and with the 3 mg., maybe that's too much. My psychiatrist doesn't mind me taking the Melatonin, but she doesn't like me taking some of the others for she says there has not been enough testing.

Some say talk with your psychiatrist or pharmacist about side effects with meds you are taking of health food sleep aids from health food store.

I take 1 mg of Melatonin and along with my anti-depressant and Lithium, it's enough to put me to sleep.

Others on the website have said they take maybe 3 or 4 or even 6 mg of Melatonin.

On the "anxiety/panic disorder" forum on this website, there has been pretty good talk on this subject, so you might want to check there, looking under, "I can't sleep," kind of topics, going 2-3-4 or more pages back.

You say, "I've read when you get to your senior years, you can be more sensitive to meds, so maybe that is it."

As a senior citizen, I have not really noticed that.

I looked up some things on the net, and one of them was the name Genesight.com, which someone on this website in the "anxiety" forum mentioned a few months ago. They give you a test, and they can tell you what--in this case, antidepressants--you are best suited for.

It says talk to your healthcare provider and get that person to connect with genesight. Again, their is a website, www.genesight.com I think is the right address.

In search engine, type in genesight, would lead you to that.

Someone said there is a cost, but then there's also insurance which might cover it. Or, the cost may be reasonable. I don't know.

Below is what it says on GeneSight:

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--- GeneSight Psychotropic
The GeneSight Psychotropic laboratory developed test analyzes how your genes affect the way your body may respond to FDA-approved medicines commonly prescribed to treat depression, anxiety, bipolar disease, schizophrenia or other behavioral health conditions.

The information from the GeneSight test can help your healthcare provider select the medicine(s) and dose(s) that are best suited to your condition and genetic makeup. Medicines that align well with your genes may work better with fewer side effects.

-- Medications covered by GeneSight Psychotropic are FDA-approved for one or more of the following conditions:

Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar disorder, Panic disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and Schizophrenia

Talk to your healthcare provider about which treatment is best for you and your specific condition.

Good morning. Recently, I posted a thread in this forum on my experience with N-Acetyl-Cysteine and depression/OCD. It's an amino acid and about as natural as it gets. I am completely off SSRIs or other drugs and it seems to be helping me. Might be something to try after speaking with your doctor.

I hope it works for you. And yes, do keep us posted.

Have a great day!!!

Hugs, Karen...

jeanneac: Fantastic that the Cogniaid has helped you. Yeah, please keep us updated.

GG

I was on anti-depressants for 15 years (family history, "chemical imbalance" etc etc), the most effective ones were Lexapro, Zoloft, and Effexor. But they always wore off in a few months, and after I got on such high doses and had to switch, I became suicidal from withdrawal. I got married and realized the side effects were not something I was willing to put up with. So I decided to get off all of it. Right now I'm stuck on Wellbutrin, which I really don't think helps at all (how could it if I need serotonin help and that works on norepinephrine and dopamin? doctors never seem to be able to explain that logic!), but since I'm in Lyme depression now, they aren't willing to remove it yet.

I'm seeing a Naturopath, completely changed my diet, got my cortisol checked (turns out the reason I couldn't get out of bed in the morning was low cortisol, not depression!), treating thyroid with natural supplements, and now working on hormones - messed up levels will also make you depressed. Lyme threw everything off and messed up my progress, but I have full hope that I'll be right back on track when that's done.

I took 3000mg omega 3 (DHA and EPA, no junk filler; now down to 2000), 5-htp, vitamin D, GABA, vitamin B complex (at least 50 mg of each B), cut out gluten, sugar, and dairy (gradually; you go nuts if you go on an extreme diet all at once!) adrenal complex, thyroid complex, hormone support, lots of protein to rebuild those neurons... i don't even remember what else.

ALSO I was seeing a counselor until I moved. Some days I hated it and thought it was a waste of money, but I did always feel better after talking, and i got some really good things to think about - cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and very simply keeping healthy snacks on hand because I get very HANGRY!

I do not recommend going to the drugstore and just pulling out some fish oil and 5-htp... my ND recommends high quality products, and when I see the price, I cry then go to the drugstore and find a cheap alternative... and it never works. As soon as I do what she told me in the first place, I feel better. At the very least get a professional to tell you what YOUR specific needs are and recommend how to find the good stuff (for example, most fish oil in the store says 1000mg... but its only 360 mg of actual EPA and DHA! Those were crap for me. Also the "super high potency B complex" turns out to not have nearly enough of what I needed! my psy. told me at least 50 mg of each, which GNC has a supplement for)

It IS a lot of pills, and the start-up and testing with an ND is expensive, BUT the best part is that there are NO SIDE EFFECTS! I have my libido back (priceless), I am sleeping so much better, and if I accidentally skip a dose, NOTHING HAPPENS! I don't have to freak out if I forgot a pill, I'm not going to go crazy in a day like being on AD's. And no suicidal withdrawal (after the last of Effexor - its a BEAST, took me 9 months to taper!). The body is a complex system that works together, and if something is off, you can't even imagine the chain reaction that can cause depression. Perhaps, just maybe, there's a hereditary chemical imbalance like they told me... but I would much rather work on my body and nutrition and whole-system health FIRST than have wasted 15 years of my life losing the battle.

I feel so free (and healthier) not being chained to pharmaceuticals!

I know its not for everyone, but once I discovered the alternative - even if for now it is a strict diet that makes me lose my social life and cart around a ton of pills - it's so worth the FREEDOM.

But it was my journey that led me here, so I don't expect anyone to just "get it". You have to find out for yourself. If you're currently on AD's, my recommendation would be to work as much as you can while you're able, save up a lot of money for an ND, let them build your immune system and brain up for a fight, then get off them. Pull the plug before you're ready, and you lose your job and your family and your sanity... *shudder* I hope that's all in my past.

Sugar, a huge culprit. I always get real tired when I eat processed sugar. Then I get thirsty and am up peeing all night.

BabsBunny, Thanks for the input. I am glad that this has worked for you so well. Though you had to climb a few mountains to get there. I hope it continues to work and that you continue to be happy.

Hugs, Karen...

This has been a great discussion! Yes, I have seen an alternative medicine ARNP. Had some testing, food intolerances, cut out gluten, dairy, soy and yeast. I had a lot of food intolerances.

The CogniAid actually gave me chest pains and muscle spasms. It affect acetylcholine and for a supplement, was a pretty strong supplement. I got those from my Drs. office so they were a good quality. I saw they make another supplement that I might try. It doesn't have the herb that affects your acetylcholine. It's amazing how strong some herbal supplements can be.

Yea, I don't buy supplements from the grocery store or drug store, well, except for some gummy vitamins. Those are the only vitamins that my stomach can tolerate.

I feel much better when I take the vitamins. I think I was deficient in quite a few.

I have thyroid issues as well that can play into depression and or anxiety. It gets so complicated. But I can say without a doubt the great Omega-3 and multi vitamins help me a lot.

Thanks so much for your replies!!!