Piscean33
08-19-2005, 01:11 PM
I need to know some good alternative meds for anxiety and depression. I suffer with both and was taking zoloft but it just wasn't working well for me. I've also taken several other prescription meds for anxiety/depression but I either had terrible side effects or they just didn't work. I would really like to try something herbal. I've heard very good things about herbal medicine and that it works sometimes much better than prescription drugs. Could anyone tell me the different kinds of alternative meds for anxiety/depression? Thanks!
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sneezydiva
08-19-2005, 09:46 PM
I have no experience with this. But I have heard St. John's Wort is good for depression. Also Omega-3 fats are supposed to help. But please research any supplement carefully before taking any. Especially if you are taking a prescription.
HELLASRULES
08-20-2005, 08:03 AM
I agree with SneezyDiva, Check out herbals thoroughly before trying. I've tried a lot of things for anxiety, St. John's Wort, Valerian, 5-Htp, Sam-e, and found that the St. J.W, Valerian & 5-Htp was great if I needed sleep, but made me too sleepy for daytime use. I tried the Sam-e, but felt a little shaky on it. So it's a lot of trial and error in finding something that works for each individual. A lot of herbs do not mix well with prescription drugs, or need to be stopped before surgeries, so always tell your doctor if you are using them. Also, herbals are not without side effects or health risks, so you really have to do a lot of "homework" on them.
So far, I've had the best luck with Omega 3 fish oil. I was having a lot of anxiety attacks with menopause. After a few weeks of using the Omega 3 my anxiety attacks/panic attacks stopped. It's not dramatic relief like an A/D or benzo, but has helped me tremendously. Plus it has a lot of benefits for many functions of the body, so what the heck, right?
Hope you find something that will help & that you are comfortable with taking, whether it be a prescription or herbal. Good Luck.
So far, I've had the best luck with Omega 3 fish oil. I was having a lot of anxiety attacks with menopause. After a few weeks of using the Omega 3 my anxiety attacks/panic attacks stopped. It's not dramatic relief like an A/D or benzo, but has helped me tremendously. Plus it has a lot of benefits for many functions of the body, so what the heck, right?
Hope you find something that will help & that you are comfortable with taking, whether it be a prescription or herbal. Good Luck.
veelveta
08-21-2005, 12:51 AM
acupuncture and chinese herbs cured my depression. i had depression ever since i can remember. after seeing an acupuncturist for 3 months, the depression was gone. a good acupuncturist will ask questions and check your pulse and tongue-and it shouldn't hurt when they insert the pins.
homeopathy can also be of help. there may be a physical reason you're having problems w/anxiety and depression. homeopaths can check for vitamin and minerall deficiencies, metals and other toxins, health of organs, etc.
before prozac came along, tryptophan was used as a natural anti-depressant. my homeopath often uses tryptophan on patients w/depression.
homeopathy can also be of help. there may be a physical reason you're having problems w/anxiety and depression. homeopaths can check for vitamin and minerall deficiencies, metals and other toxins, health of organs, etc.
before prozac came along, tryptophan was used as a natural anti-depressant. my homeopath often uses tryptophan on patients w/depression.
goldenseal
08-21-2005, 01:41 PM
Royal Jelly and Fish Oil have been known to mood elevators, both of which I take;) Others, which I have heard wonderful things about (which I do not take), include St. John's Wart and Sam-E (which is supposedly the ultimate natural anti-depressant). I suggest doing a search on the boards for St .John's Wart and Same-E... drinking certain teas like St. John's Wart, chamomile and peppermint (caffeine free) may help soothe you and your nerves...taking a multivitamin is known to help, as well as getting regular exercise, and keeping a balanced diet which is free of wheat/gluten and refined sugars and artificial sweeteners. Hope that helped!
ratboy83
08-23-2005, 11:51 AM
i suffer from depression and i have done so since the age of 14. i will suggest some alternative therapies that i have tried and tell you how i got on with them:-
1) FISH BODY OIL (AND COD LIVER OIL): i found this most helpful alongside the other therapies. it seems to enhance the effects of the other things i have tried. the fatty sheaths around the brain are made up of a omega 3 fatty acid called DHA. many depressed/ anxious individuals have been found to have lower levels of DHA in there brains. if there isn't enough DHA in the sheaths then the brain cells do not work as efficiently at processing neurotransmitters (most importantly in the context of depression- serotonin, noradrenaline), meaning brain activity slows. unless you get enough oily fish in your diet then i'd recommend taking atleast 3x 1000mg fish body oil concentrate capsules a day to ensure any defciency is corrected or doesn't occur. start off on that but see how you go; you may need to take more. the reason i also mention cod liver oil is that research has also shown that it is also beneficial to take cod liver oil in the winter. studies have shown that those who have adequate supplies of vit D have better moods, than those who have depleted levels. since the body manufactures its own vit D from sunlight, with three hours of summer sunlight on the face producing 200% RDA of vit D, it isn't necessary to taek the cod liver oil in the summer. but sunlight levels are much lower in the winter, meaning less vit D is produced. cod liver oil is also good because it is also rich in DHA(although not quite as much as fish body oil).
2) there are certain vitamins and minerals that are needed by the body to produce nuerotansmitters in the amounts required to ensure normal brain chemistry.
(a) B-Complex. All of the B-complex is needed, esp. folic acid, vit B-6 and vit B-12. any stressful condition such as depression or anxiety depletes the body of the B-vitamins, meaning such individuals have higher demands for this group. unless this is covered by the diet, mood can be aggrevated. take a B-50 with breakfast and a B-50 with dinner (both timed released) to ensure a good supply around the clock.
(b) Vitamin C. it is needed for normal production of serotonin and noradrenaline. stress also depletes the body of vit C.
(c) magnesium. needed also. is called the anti-stress mineral for a good reason. allevaites depression. take 500mg a day, in divided doses.
(d) calcium. makes anxious people less jittery.
(3) in my experience. i found the best combo of herbs was one 225mg rodiola rosea capsule in the morning. it acts on serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine levels and increases the body's resistance to stress. it also enregised me physically so i had the energy to exercise (more on that later). at dinner i would take one 500mg st john's wort capsule. it acts only serotonin and dopamine levels, NOT noradrenaline. because noradrenaline is the neurotransmitter acossiated with energy and motivation, the rodiola gave me the zest in the day but also seemed to calm my anxiety, but not to the extent of sleepiness. the st john's wort was more sedating, meaning i slept better and was calm in the evening. this is because although it does act on noradrenaline levels it acts on serotonin levels to a greater levels than rodiola. the key to treting depression/ anxiety is finding the balance between raising noradrenaline levels and serotonin levels. i found this the best combo for me.
(4) EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! out of everything that i have tried, the only thing that seemed to completely get rid of my depression and anxiety was exercise. i don't mean just a stroll in the park in mean something that increases your heart rate and does so for a good period of time. long bike rides, matches of tennis and intensive sessions on my drum kit worked for me. in my experience the more physically fit i am, the better my mood and the deeper i sleep. the herbs helped but the exercise really was the cherry on top of the icing on the cake. so get fit and keep up the fitness. if you stop the depression may come back. i should know, i did, and i'm now paying the price. but i'm striving to get back to where i was.
get fit and take the measures i suggested combined with a good diet, 8 hours sleep a night and enough rest and you'll not only rid yourself of you condition but you'll be suprised at how good you realy feel compared to the average man on the street. i see my depression as a blessing in disguise. it has forced me to live my life healthily, when i do and stick to it i feel :bouncing: . give it a go.
alex :D
1) FISH BODY OIL (AND COD LIVER OIL): i found this most helpful alongside the other therapies. it seems to enhance the effects of the other things i have tried. the fatty sheaths around the brain are made up of a omega 3 fatty acid called DHA. many depressed/ anxious individuals have been found to have lower levels of DHA in there brains. if there isn't enough DHA in the sheaths then the brain cells do not work as efficiently at processing neurotransmitters (most importantly in the context of depression- serotonin, noradrenaline), meaning brain activity slows. unless you get enough oily fish in your diet then i'd recommend taking atleast 3x 1000mg fish body oil concentrate capsules a day to ensure any defciency is corrected or doesn't occur. start off on that but see how you go; you may need to take more. the reason i also mention cod liver oil is that research has also shown that it is also beneficial to take cod liver oil in the winter. studies have shown that those who have adequate supplies of vit D have better moods, than those who have depleted levels. since the body manufactures its own vit D from sunlight, with three hours of summer sunlight on the face producing 200% RDA of vit D, it isn't necessary to taek the cod liver oil in the summer. but sunlight levels are much lower in the winter, meaning less vit D is produced. cod liver oil is also good because it is also rich in DHA(although not quite as much as fish body oil).
2) there are certain vitamins and minerals that are needed by the body to produce nuerotansmitters in the amounts required to ensure normal brain chemistry.
(a) B-Complex. All of the B-complex is needed, esp. folic acid, vit B-6 and vit B-12. any stressful condition such as depression or anxiety depletes the body of the B-vitamins, meaning such individuals have higher demands for this group. unless this is covered by the diet, mood can be aggrevated. take a B-50 with breakfast and a B-50 with dinner (both timed released) to ensure a good supply around the clock.
(b) Vitamin C. it is needed for normal production of serotonin and noradrenaline. stress also depletes the body of vit C.
(c) magnesium. needed also. is called the anti-stress mineral for a good reason. allevaites depression. take 500mg a day, in divided doses.
(d) calcium. makes anxious people less jittery.
(3) in my experience. i found the best combo of herbs was one 225mg rodiola rosea capsule in the morning. it acts on serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine levels and increases the body's resistance to stress. it also enregised me physically so i had the energy to exercise (more on that later). at dinner i would take one 500mg st john's wort capsule. it acts only serotonin and dopamine levels, NOT noradrenaline. because noradrenaline is the neurotransmitter acossiated with energy and motivation, the rodiola gave me the zest in the day but also seemed to calm my anxiety, but not to the extent of sleepiness. the st john's wort was more sedating, meaning i slept better and was calm in the evening. this is because although it does act on noradrenaline levels it acts on serotonin levels to a greater levels than rodiola. the key to treting depression/ anxiety is finding the balance between raising noradrenaline levels and serotonin levels. i found this the best combo for me.
(4) EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! out of everything that i have tried, the only thing that seemed to completely get rid of my depression and anxiety was exercise. i don't mean just a stroll in the park in mean something that increases your heart rate and does so for a good period of time. long bike rides, matches of tennis and intensive sessions on my drum kit worked for me. in my experience the more physically fit i am, the better my mood and the deeper i sleep. the herbs helped but the exercise really was the cherry on top of the icing on the cake. so get fit and keep up the fitness. if you stop the depression may come back. i should know, i did, and i'm now paying the price. but i'm striving to get back to where i was.
get fit and take the measures i suggested combined with a good diet, 8 hours sleep a night and enough rest and you'll not only rid yourself of you condition but you'll be suprised at how good you realy feel compared to the average man on the street. i see my depression as a blessing in disguise. it has forced me to live my life healthily, when i do and stick to it i feel :bouncing: . give it a go.
alex :D
Frank186
08-28-2005, 04:03 AM
^I agree with all that Alex has to say about recovering from Depression/Anxiety naturally. I have done the same with a combo of high dosage fish oil, vitamin b complex, ester c, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. I cut out processed and fast foods as much as possible, ate right, and got lots of excercise. I would say do at least 30 mins every other day and do it outdoors or if you have to be indoors open the windows. I would say i'm 90% symptom free now. This may sound wierd but I will also recommend that if you're a guy don't maturbate too much. Afterwards it lowers your motivation and drains you. If you can afford it get massages regularly, take up stuff like tai chi and yoga and see a holistic medical practitioner like an accupuncturist or homeopathic doctor. If you don't currently see a therapist I suggest you pick up some CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) based self help books and work on the excercises. They'll help a lot. Keep thinking ahead and force yourself to do new and different things, don't be afraid to change. Many times resistance to change in life is what brings on anxiety and depression. Never stagnate and give up on yourself because if you take care of yourself you'll pull out of it.
-Frank
-Frank