anti depressants

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VampireMike

New member
Hi this is my first post,wondering about peoples experiences of medication for mild depression.
I am more of an anxiety sufferer than depression and although I can procure prozac should I need it I have always sworn by 5htp,a plant based product available from various herbalists on the high street.The problem is I cannot get this stuff on the NHS (EXPENSIVE)and despite the fact it works wonders for me(more than a match for prozac) I feel as though my recourse is back to conventional ssri's with all it's inevitable horrors-withdrawal,libido loss etc,therefore can anyone recommend anything that fits between the two extremes ?
 
I was diagnosed with Depression many years ago, took antidepressants long term (they almost killed me). Fast forward many years later and I believe the cause of my depression and anxiety may have been antibiotics which causes yeast overgrowth and hormonal imbalance.

I won't go into how antibiotics and the yeast overgrowth scenario plays out. That is for another day. But I will tell you that getting to the root cause of your anxiety and depression is paramount if you do not want to suffer all of the side effects you mentioned. They may not show up immediately but they will over time. And then more medications will be suggested.

My suggestions are many...

1st Find a Naturopath who will do the tests needed to get to the root cause of your situation.

Eat frequently throughout the day and eat things that do NOT turn to sugar. Almonds for example...that are full of nutrients. This will balance your blood sugar in case blood sugar spikes are causing your anxiety.

Drink plenty of water to insure that you are not dehydrated.

Get of Soda's (that includes Diet Sodas) Sugar is very Bad, Aspartame is worse. Plus Sodas deplete nutrients from the body.

Eat healthy foods as much as possible. We all cheat but we really are what we eat.

Make sure you take Fish Oil. Our brains are mostly fat and the fat needed is Fish Oil. Research shows a marked increase in depression as our diets have changes over the years. Check out "The Omega 3 Connection" by Dr. Andrew Stoll.

Make sure you are getting plenty of antioxidants when taking the fish oil. We take a liquid Vitamin/mineral created by a doctor who is an expert in nutrient delivery systems to ensure that it works.

Get more magnesium in your diet. Research also shows that most people are low in this most essential nutrient that is responsible for over 300 functions in the body. A liquid magnesium is what we use made by the doctor above (when we feel we need additional mag)

Take Vitamin D Supplements. Check out the video on youtube called Vitamin D really cures Cancer (or something like that). While it doesn't talk about helping depression and anxiety directly my guess is that they will soon make the connection as depression is affected by getting proper sun exposure and what are we getting there other than Vit D.

There are many causes of anxiety and depression today. Funny isn't it that antidepressants are always the solution given when you see a doctor?

Hope this helps,
2nuts (2healthnuts that is)
 
I take a low dose of Prozac each day, but I am considering going off of it. It works for me, but I feel that I am starting to be a little more forgetful... which can be annoying. Since I've been improving a lot with my anxiety already, I want to see if I can do without it. Prozac still isn't bad with side effects on me... I took Cymbalta in the past and felt pretty awful on it. I had zero energy and always felt like I was about to fall asleep, and I had mild weight gain. I'm sure the weight gain would have been worse if I wasn't working out a lot and counting calories and carbs. I also didn't feel any better! I just felt cloudy on it.

What I do want to continue doing is getting a low prescription to Xanax, but only taking it as needed, NOT on a regular basis. I don't even take it once a week... less often than this. I find that it's good for days when I am extremely anxious. I like that you don't have to take it every day. Since I take a low dose, I don't get side effects from it.

For me, exercise and diet play a huge role. I also stay calmer from being very organized and setting aside time to relax. I tend to be quite an "on the go" person and constantly think and worry, so I have tried to do things that relax me a bit more often... such as reading a fun magazine or book, sudoku puzzles when I really need to distract myself, and taking a nice relaxing bath. I also started a new fitness routine (P90X) but I also love to go running. It really helps with my mood and anxiety. I honestly think that making lifestyle changes is the BEST thing to do... taking medication can sometimes just cover up the root cause. Yes, it may help... but you also need to work on the anxiety or depression by making changes in your lifestyle and being healthy!! Taking care of yourself is #1!!
 
There is a GREAT cover story article on antidepressants in this week's edition of Newsweek. The basic premise of the article, citing of course to relevant research, is that antidepressants have no statistical benefit over placebos. I just read it last night. It is truly fascinating. I would recommend checking it out to see another side of the story on antidepressants.
 
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