Natural treatment for depression?

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cathmg
cathmg Member Posts: 278
edited June 2014 in Complementary and Holistic Medicine and Treatment

Hi All,

Please share your experiences with depression/anxiety and any natural treatments you found effective. I just started an SSRI,but it seems to be making my anxiety worse. Help!

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  • chrissyb
    chrissyb Member Posts: 16,818
    edited July 2011

    Hi Cath, I have used St John's Wort to great effect at times when I've needed an anti depressant.

    Love n hugs.  Chrissy

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  • voraciousreader
    voraciousreader Member Posts: 7,496
    edited July 2011

    My husband did st. Johns Wort and SAMe.... He also did bio feedback and hypnosis. None of those helped much. How long are you taking the anti- depressant? Talk to your doctor. Some ant-depressants work better than others for anxiety. Try to stay away from the anti-anxiety meds as much as possible because once you start them, they are hard to come off of them. The anti- anxiety meds are the benzodiazepine family... Such as Xanax and klonipin. Try exercising... Take walks and keep in close touch with your doctor. Good luck. I promise, once you find the right med, you will feel so much better. My husband and I have had many serious health problems and I don't think there is anything worse than anxiety and depression. Thankfully, my husband is now much, much better thanks to the help of many, good, patient doctors.

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  • mollyann
    mollyann Member Posts: 472
    edited July 2011

    First consider that you may be hypothyroid. Blood tests are not reliable in diagnosing this. You may need a trial dose of Armour thyroid to see if you benefit.

    Next: 

    Sam-e http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S-Adenosyl_methionine (start low as more is not always better)

    (or) what Chrissy said, St John's Wort (start low dose as more is not always better)

    (and) lots of B complex

    (and) exercise or Chi gong outside if possible

    (and) good fats and omega 3 oils

    I'm sure the others have good suggestions about online groups just for anxiety/depression.

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  • cathmg
    cathmg Member Posts: 278
    edited July 2011

    Thanks for the ideas. I will talk to my doc about the hypothyroid. I am cold a lot of the time.

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  • Claire_in_Seattle
    Claire_in_Seattle Member Posts: 4,570
    edited July 2011

    I use exercise to keep my brain screwed on straight.  Makes a major difference.  I also find that if I don't get outside, I don't feel right either.  I would describe it as sensory deprivation.

    Which means I need to get it in gear to do a training ride.

    But I don't have serious depression either.  Besides the brain and a general sense of well-being, exercise helps with body image.

    I at least feel tons better about myself when toned and fit.  Good luck.

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  • MariannaLaFrance
    MariannaLaFrance Member Posts: 777
    edited July 2011

    Agree with Claire's post, but also take magnesium, which is something that helps with depression and anxiety. I also have a friend who has more severe depression than I've experienced, and she takes lithium for it.

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  • cathmg
    cathmg Member Posts: 278
    edited July 2011

    Thank you all for your tips and advice-all important pieces: supplements, exercise, therapy. I'm putting them altogether.

    I had a strange experience with the Celexa-severe anxiety, which is a rare side effect. My counselor found that side effect listed... the drug is out of my system and I feel 100% better.

    I'm cutting out caffeine, and have added fish oil, magnesium, and B vits. to my regimen.

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  • revkat
    revkat Member Posts: 763
    edited July 2011

    I just want to add that I tried St. John's Wort at one point and found that I had more side effects with it than with plain old prozac. I also tried one other supplement -- not sam-e, something with a 5 in it -- and had a bad reaction to it. We are all so individual in how we react, and that is true of herbs as well as medications.

    There are lots of things that can help depression besides medication (like those mentioned above), but if they don't work, perhaps your doctor can work with you to find another medication that will do better for you. Just because you have a rare side effect with one, doesn't mean you will with all. A psychopharmacologist or a psychiatrist could probably make an educated guess as to what would be best for someone who developed anxiety on Celexa for instance.  

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  • mollyann
    mollyann Member Posts: 472
    edited July 2011

    cathmg,

    Revcat's post reminded me that there's a whole field of wholistic or integrative psychiatry devoted to depression. Their objective is to identify the underlying cause of a person's depression such as exposure to molds, certain blood pressure medicines, chemical, nutrient or hormone imbalances, etc. They would try this approach first before band-aiding with a series of pharmaceuticals. Often the drugs mask the underlying cause.

    A good book on this is What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Depression. You can probably get it used on Amazon for a couple of dollars.

    http://www.buzzle.com/articles/depression-breakthrough-integrative-approach-effective-treatment.html

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  • cathmg
    cathmg Member Posts: 278
    edited July 2011

    Revcat, Mollyann, and everyone,

    thanks for your ideas and views-all helpful. I went to church this morning and saw a number of people who struggle with anxiety and depression-wow, it is everywhere. Will check out the book.

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  • 1Athena1
    1Athena1 Member Posts: 6,696
    edited July 2011

    Cathmg - I second Mollyann's suggestion re: the thyroid.



    Also, I posted a response to your anxiety question on the depression/PTSD forum with some medication-related thoughts that I hope are helpful.

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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited July 2011

    Cathmg,

    About the Thyroid test.  Make sure you get the PRINTED RESULTS of the TSH ( thyroid stimulating hormone) test.  Since 2003, the American Society of Endocrinologists have said the TSH should be BELOW 2.5   BUT, and this is a BIG, BIG, BIG BUT, many laboratories consider "normal" to be anything below 6.

    Your being COLD is another clue that your thyroid may be invloved.  Very easy to deal with.  Just make sure YOU see the actualy printed results of the TSH test.

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