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Hi I am new and have depression and I take supplements

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Posted 3/7/2006 9:20 AM (GMT 0)
Hello,

  I use supplements for my depression.  I have noticed that supplements also wear off after months of use, just like antidepressants did for me when I was taking them, if they worked at all.  The supplements do not wear off completely though it seems, either did the antidepressants that worked.

  So I do not have a good job and I only work part time.  When I am feeling good (like when I start a new supplement that I haven't been on for a while or have never tried and have been taking it for a couple of weeks I will feel good) I want to go out and accomplish stuff.  But now I don't even do that when I am feeling good because I know I will feel bad again and I will let people down if I am scheduled to do something and the effect wears of which it will eventually.

  I take SAMe every day 1600 mg if I didn't my life would be a living hell.  Other supplements that have worked for me are l-tyrosine, dl-phenelaline, ginko biloba, 5-htp, and st. johns wort.

  Does anyone have any advice on supplements or depression treatment in general?

  Many of the supplements I have tried seem to not do anything at all for my depression.  I figuer supplements are healthier than prescription drugs (although I know that is not always the case).

  The thing that got me going on supplements is how well SAMe worked for me at first , for about a two months, then it seemed to go downhill from there.  Although I am still definitaly better on the SAMe than off.

sorry I am a bad speller

Post Edited (jjjjj) : 3/7/2006 6:39:24 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/7/2006 3:04 PM (GMT 0)

Don't worry about your spelling, mine would be terrible if I didn't have spell check on my toolbar. lol~ tongue

As for the supplements, I don't really know.  There are quite a few people that say that they work and have helped.  However for someone that has Major Depression or a long term depression situation I believe that more traditional routes of medication are probably best.  There are not many studies that show that these supplements can support mental health for long term treatment.  I would suggest talking to your physician about it and seeing what they say.

Posted 3/7/2006 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
I agree that you should talk over what supplements you are taking with your doctor. Some do not go well with prescribed meds and some do not work at all. I do not use supplements but do take prescriptions.
Posted 3/8/2006 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
Hi, I was on SAM-e (400mg) for three years and depression free. My depression than returned with a vengeance. I tried to increase it to 600 to no avail. After trying numerous supplements, they wore off quite quickly and many were not strong enough (St. Johns Wort, L-Theanine, L-Tyrosine, etc). I may try SAM-e again sometime. I felt it worked really well for me. I am finding that Omega 3 (I take Carlson's Cod Liver oil - Lemon flavored - pleasant taste - I take about a teaspoon with a meal) and find that has been helping, especially during the winter months and shorter days.
Posted 3/8/2006 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
Oh..was just curious..have you ever been to a Naturopath? They are really good about depression and knowing what supplements would be good.
Posted 3/8/2006 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
Hi ya
Im not usually around this part of the forum, but i like to have a nosey about, and this looked like one i would like,
First good on you for trying the alternative's, and you are right that the dosage of many are way to low, or the good effect's they have fall away over time,
I think a great problem with both Med's and supplements is that that's all you have to do, and the problem will go away, and you carry on as best as you did before, but there's a need to make changes in your life when any illness strikes, and both method's give you time and a bit of clarity to figure out and implement those changes, you feel you need to make,
the other posts here are all spot on, mixing supplements with Med's is probably not a good idea, and seeing a naturapath is a great idea, but i would also consider some meditation, yoga or tai chi, something along those line's, if you learn these properly, those area's in life that need changing will come more easily and clearly
I hear SAMe is having some good result's,
Theres a couple of herbal's that caught my eye, but as yet haven't been able to find any, one in particular, sceletium, which in trial's is suppose to act like an ssri without the side effect's and ashwagandha, which as yet doesn't have much testing but show's some promise, any one find some info on these two, i would be grateful if you could post in A/P.
web site for Sceletium www.sceletium.org
Posted 3/8/2006 6:33 AM (GMT 0)

I can relate to what you have talked about in regards to your health needs(depression.) The great Dr. Linus Pauling once said, "the basis for most if not all disease starts with a lack of "essential minerals."The minerals you take however, must be in a form that yours and my body can absorb. Hense, there has come a super supplement now which has both mineral & vitamins at the nano size that is completely bio-active for you to take in and let your cells do the rest which is called "healing."

I urge you to try it, it is called "vibe" and it is all natural.

If you do give me a e-mail.

Post Edited (brux13) : 3/10/2006 8:31:40 PM (GMT-7)

Posted 3/8/2006 7:44 AM (GMT 0)
i just want to reply to the netsmart marketing post

I just had a look at the site and the product and really what has this got that other's like it don't ?, nothing, this is a vitamin drink and what has got to do with treating any disorder, this sort of marketing annoy's me, i am sure most people with a condition are careful enough to eat well and take vitamin's and minerals, "this is not Alternative health this is those parading as such with only one thing in mind, "your money"
Posted 3/8/2006 3:50 PM (GMT 0)

Brux13,

I have edited your post due to Forum Rule #4. No advertising.  You are more than welcome to continue to post here if you have something to add besides selling your product.

Posted 3/8/2006 3:58 PM (GMT 0)

Hi brownleaf,

I just wanted to tell you two things.  First, you are more than welcome here at anytime, so please dont think your being nosey by popping in, we love to have you.

Second, you are completely right in your advice / post to jjjjj.  A lot of people get on medication for depression or whatever and think that it is going to solve all their problems when they start to feel better.  Antidepressants and suppliments are not majic pills unfortunally.  Most of us dont make any changes in our lives to help prevent or circumvent another episode.  Diet, exercise, counseling and eliminating unnecessary stress is essential to maintaining mental health.

Posted 3/8/2006 7:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi els,
Thank's
i think i use the word nosey with a little bit of humor,
thanks for taking that Advert off, this is what give's Alt health a bad name, i have some friend's who Practice within this industry, and while they have to make a living, they are people who respect those they treat, and thier financial situation's, i just get very annoy at those companies who prey on those who may jump quickly at a promise to fix thier condition.
Thanks again Els, have a great day
Posted 3/8/2006 10:32 PM (GMT 0)

Why thank you brownleaf,  You have a wonderful day yourself :-)

Posted 3/9/2006 2:43 PM (GMT 0)
I had tried SAMe a few times before I really started taking it. Each time I would get a box or two and it would work but the cost is outrageous. Each time after about a week or two I had excellent results. Now I have been taking it for a year and it doesn't seem to work as well. I have severe major depression. I quit going to the doctors because I was just fed up with there lack of results and so on. Almost all my money goes to supplements and I have tried many many of them. I feel that if I go to the doctors I will not accomplish anything. I was on fairly high lvls of many different prescription drugs that I had tried after many years of using the doctor and supplements have worked better for me. I take many kinds of supplements and spend alot of time reading about them.
Posted 3/9/2006 2:48 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your posts, no I have not seen a naturopath
Posted 3/10/2006 11:57 AM (GMT 0)

I am sorry that you were unable to find an antidepressant to work for you.  There are times that physicians will come accross someone who is drug resistant.  In those cases they usually start to stack antidepressants (2) to try to force a response.  Has your doctor ever put you on more than one antidepressant at a time?  Were you seeing a Psychiatrist or family doctor?  I would suggest returning to them and letting them try to treat your depression with traditional methods. 

There are other more radical routes that can be done for depression in conjunction with medication or instead of it.  Such as hyperbaric oxygen chamber therapy and ECT (electroconvulsive) treatments but these are usually reserved for extreme cases and can be very expensive.  I dont think I would ever do either of these but some people swear that they have been helped greatly by them.

Posted 3/10/2006 12:18 PM (GMT 0)
I seen a psychiatrist. I have been four medications at a time sometimes.
Posted 3/10/2006 12:30 PM (GMT 0)
Hi jjjjj,  The only thing I can say is that it is more than likely that the medications that you tried just didn't work for you.  There can be several reasons for this, one being that they weren't given long enuf to work, body chemistry, too low of a dosage, or taking it with another medication (such as antibiotic) that can cause an interaction or to make it less effective.  You say that you have been on four antidepressants before at one time?  That is quite a few.  I cant say I have ever seen that many stacked at once.

Something you can do is add Omega-3 to your diet.  This may help somewhat.  You can get it in a supplement.  Good luck and I hope you start to feel better soon....

Posted 3/12/2006 12:56 PM (GMT 0)
They were not all antidepressants, I think the most antidepressants I was on at a time were two. They gave me antipsychotic medication also which I don't like the name of. I guess all antipsychotic is is a heavy sedative. I was on a low dose of that to take at night. I don't like the thought of being on an antipsychotic and other people don't understand.
Posted 3/12/2006 2:06 PM (GMT 0)

That could explain a lot.  One being that you dont have an isolated diagnosis of depression or major depression.  I say this as you say you were put on an anti-psychotic medication.  These medications are for psychosis such as racing thoughts, mania or what most people know as Bipolar Disorder (I am not saying you have this) and other disorders of this type.  Yes, some of them do have a heavy sedative effect but for the most part once your body becomes adjusted to it that side effect goes away. You are right that some people dont understand when it comes to these type of meds or even why they are given.  It is a shame that people are still this way in this day and age. However, you dont have to say what you were taking and what medications you are on is between you and your physician.  So why worry about what everyone else thinks?  You dont have to tell them.  These medications are given for very specific reasons and not lightly I might add.  So this is something that you can potentially not be able to handle with supplements alone.  I would still suggest that you seek professional help.  There are lots of medications out there, I am sure that your physician should be able to come up with a regime that would be of some help to you.

Take care...

Posted 3/13/2006 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
The doctor told me that I have major depressive disorder and mild paranoid personality disorder. This was years ago. He gave me a very low dose of an antipsychotic medication risperdal. I think he gave me one milligram. He told me to take it before bedtime and that it would help me sleep. The class of medications know as antipsychotics are in fact simply heavy sedatives. People with very bad depression are sometimes given antipsychotic medication.
Posted 3/13/2006 7:24 PM (GMT 0)

Yes, I know of Risperdal and your right it is a low dose at 1mg.  They have some newer medications out now that maybe more beneficial to you if you decide to go back to the doctor and give it another try.

My little brother has Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorder too.  Quite a combination huh?  He goes on and off meds all the time.  It is very difficult to control it without medication. 

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