Colleen
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Does anyone use supplements for depression and do they help? What info can you give me?
Thanks
Thanks
Supplements for depression??
- Thread starter Colleen
- Start date
RadishRose
SF VIP
- Location
- Connecticut, USA
Coffee.
I don't suffer from depression, but I do use supplements/foods that reduce inflammation which is a cause of depression. I have a relative that used St. John's Wort for awhile, but didn't continue on it because it wasn't effective enough, and they went on pharmaceuticals....which I never recommend if something can be dealt with by change in diet, change in lifestyle habits/attitudes or natural supplements/vitamins.
Some supplements that can help are Vitamin D3, vitamin B-50 complex, Omega 3s (salmon, fish oil, flaxseeds, etc.), Turmeric (Curcumin), coconut oil, etc. Here's a video with some suggestions.
Some supplements that can help are Vitamin D3, vitamin B-50 complex, Omega 3s (salmon, fish oil, flaxseeds, etc.), Turmeric (Curcumin), coconut oil, etc. Here's a video with some suggestions.
RadishRose
SF VIP
- Location
- Connecticut, USA
Have you been inside a great deal Colleen? Light therapy does help some depression. Usually people suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder in the cold months, (SAD) but I just had this thought. My Dr said it has to -
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...nal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298
Coffee really does perk me up for awhile, especially on those mornings when waking up after an upsetting dream.
Good luck!
- Provide an exposure to 10,000 lux of light
- Emit as little UV light as possible
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases...nal-affective-disorder-treatment/art-20048298
Coffee really does perk me up for awhile, especially on those mornings when waking up after an upsetting dream.
Good luck!
jaminhealth
Senior Member
- Location
- Santa Monica CA
From 1991 to 2002 I struggled with clinical depression, not situational. My gut told it was sluggish thyroid but the MD's and their numbers told me otherwise, so the scripts of A/D drugs..grrrrrr
Finally my then D.O. called in for Armour thyroid and that 10 yrs of depression lifted in less than a week.
So, could it be thyroid for you?
Then in 2006, I found how Vit D deficient I was and that lowness I was having lifted when I got my D lifted up.
So NOW thank goodness no drugs and thyroid is supported and so is Vit D.
I took some St. Johns yrs ago before thyroid was fixed and it elevated blood pessure.
Finally my then D.O. called in for Armour thyroid and that 10 yrs of depression lifted in less than a week.
So, could it be thyroid for you?
Then in 2006, I found how Vit D deficient I was and that lowness I was having lifted when I got my D lifted up.
So NOW thank goodness no drugs and thyroid is supported and so is Vit D.
I took some St. Johns yrs ago before thyroid was fixed and it elevated blood pessure.
Colleen
Senior Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Mine is situational. Thyroid is good and I live in AZ with plenty of sun. I have my morning coffee out on the back patio and soak up my sun while it's only 82* at 6:30am...haha.
I took St. John's wort years ago when I was dealing with a terrible divorce but it didn't seem to help much. I don't think a Rx would have helped back then, either. Terrible.
I just wondered if there was anything else. I have to be careful what I take because I have a very sensitive stomach and I have acid reflux. Maybe I just need to tough it out until I get this problem solved.....sigh
I took St. John's wort years ago when I was dealing with a terrible divorce but it didn't seem to help much. I don't think a Rx would have helped back then, either. Terrible.
I just wondered if there was anything else. I have to be careful what I take because I have a very sensitive stomach and I have acid reflux. Maybe I just need to tough it out until I get this problem solved.....sigh
jaminhealth
Senior Member
- Location
- Santa Monica CA
I just did a lot of research on Lithium Orotate 5mg and am trying it for a Lowness due to arthritic pain...I'm on it a couple days so too soon to know. It's said as we age, our lithium levels are reduced...so that is an idea...do research.
Also look at Tapping videos and I like Brad Yates videos...I feel much better when I've tapped my meridans and it's free and easy...Tapping is from the chinese and so many don't know about it.
And the link SeaBreeze posted -- one just has to try things...we're all different. One person on another group is work with Rhodolia now.
Good luck, what I have to offer now. jam
Also look at Tapping videos and I like Brad Yates videos...I feel much better when I've tapped my meridans and it's free and easy...Tapping is from the chinese and so many don't know about it.
And the link SeaBreeze posted -- one just has to try things...we're all different. One person on another group is work with Rhodolia now.
Good luck, what I have to offer now. jam
Happyflowerlady
Vagabond Flowerchild
- Location
- Northern Alabama
I agree about meridian tapping. The idea may seem strange, but it is from the same basic premise as acupuncture, and is much simpler to do.
There are a lot of good videos on meridian tapping, as well as some facebook groups for that. I have used it to help with panic attacks, and it is amazing how well it can work.
I think we might have some old threads on it here if you do a search for that.
There are a lot of good videos on meridian tapping, as well as some facebook groups for that. I have used it to help with panic attacks, and it is amazing how well it can work.
I think we might have some old threads on it here if you do a search for that.
I have been on AD medication on and off for two decades. Nothing else helped. Supplements are things that may help but there is no definitive proof of it .The Placebo effect comes into play so it is difficult to determine. See https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/condition-1143/depression
Typical with none FDA approved drugs the words may or might are used liberally. I have never found supplements to work for any problem I had, especially my insomnia. I suffered bouts of depression after Vietnam, 9/11 and again when I turned 60 and moved into a large retirement community where I saw friends die that were younger than me. I was not handling old age and how it was affecting my mind and body well. Whatever the reason, my depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in my brain which my medication, Wellbutrin, takes care of so well that I cannot remember the last time I felt sad or depressed. My major symptoms were quick to anger, obsessive bad thoughts, worry, anxiety and chronic insomnia. No supplement was going to fix those things.
Try what you want, but beware that even supplements can have unwanted side effects. I made the mistake of just going to my family doctor and they are not really trained to deal with mental illnesses. They will prescribe their favorite AD and give you Xanax or other tranquilizer and keep switching drugs to see what works for you. I had resisted Psychiatrist due to the stigma in our generation, mistaken belief that I would lay on a couch talking about myself and the fact that I liaisoned with Government agencies that required clearances. Once retired I saw one and he made a big change in my life. Just a guy dressed in regular clothes in a small office with no couch. He asked me what my problems were and then switched some of my medications and made a big difference in my life.
My wife used to get on my case for needing drugs and would instead take over the counter stuff. Eventually as her health got much worse than mine, she realized the judicial use of medications worked better than the OTC drugs that were never submitted for FDA approval or subjected to stringent testing, did. Supplements have their place for some, but never helped me. In my way of thinking, if I know something works why not subject it to scientific testing and get it approved because it if truly worked, the cost of FDA testing would be dwarfed by the sales of this wonder supplement that is proven to work. Just my opinion.
Most AD drugs have unacceptable side effects which is why many stay away from them. Ask your doctor for Wellbutrin in its genetic form Bupropion. It is very inexpensive and referred to as the happy, horny and weight losing drug. Doctors shied away from it a long time ago when people were having seizures using it. It was then learned that it can cause a seizure at doses much higher than prescribed, but the damage was done and doctors moved on to the new SSRIs and other drugs pushed to them by pharmaceutical reps. Low dose Wellbutrin is used to help people stop smoking under the name of Zyban.
However it does not work for all, so you may have to try various AD drugs. The problem is that it takes 4-6 weeks for these drugs to take effect so you can spend a good part of a year trying various ones. Like I said, try the supplements in the article I linked to if you wish, but ask your doctor not strangers on the internet. Supplements can cause problems with existing medications and many rarely work at all.
Also keep in mind that there are several types of depression. As referred to in another post, chronic pain can cause you to feel depressed and once the pain is removed, so is the depression hopefully. However a lot of depression is caused by how you feel emotionally and removal of the cause of the emotions may not remove the emotions. Example is a divorce. Although divorced you may still have mental problems stemming from it for various reasons. Many here get depression due to realizing that old age is the final stage of life. Nothing is going to change that so the choices are either drugs or talk therapy which is another route you can take if you are adverse to taking prescription medications. It has a very high success rate, but I do not do well in it.
Typical with none FDA approved drugs the words may or might are used liberally. I have never found supplements to work for any problem I had, especially my insomnia. I suffered bouts of depression after Vietnam, 9/11 and again when I turned 60 and moved into a large retirement community where I saw friends die that were younger than me. I was not handling old age and how it was affecting my mind and body well. Whatever the reason, my depression is caused by an imbalance of chemicals in my brain which my medication, Wellbutrin, takes care of so well that I cannot remember the last time I felt sad or depressed. My major symptoms were quick to anger, obsessive bad thoughts, worry, anxiety and chronic insomnia. No supplement was going to fix those things.
Try what you want, but beware that even supplements can have unwanted side effects. I made the mistake of just going to my family doctor and they are not really trained to deal with mental illnesses. They will prescribe their favorite AD and give you Xanax or other tranquilizer and keep switching drugs to see what works for you. I had resisted Psychiatrist due to the stigma in our generation, mistaken belief that I would lay on a couch talking about myself and the fact that I liaisoned with Government agencies that required clearances. Once retired I saw one and he made a big change in my life. Just a guy dressed in regular clothes in a small office with no couch. He asked me what my problems were and then switched some of my medications and made a big difference in my life.
My wife used to get on my case for needing drugs and would instead take over the counter stuff. Eventually as her health got much worse than mine, she realized the judicial use of medications worked better than the OTC drugs that were never submitted for FDA approval or subjected to stringent testing, did. Supplements have their place for some, but never helped me. In my way of thinking, if I know something works why not subject it to scientific testing and get it approved because it if truly worked, the cost of FDA testing would be dwarfed by the sales of this wonder supplement that is proven to work. Just my opinion.
Most AD drugs have unacceptable side effects which is why many stay away from them. Ask your doctor for Wellbutrin in its genetic form Bupropion. It is very inexpensive and referred to as the happy, horny and weight losing drug. Doctors shied away from it a long time ago when people were having seizures using it. It was then learned that it can cause a seizure at doses much higher than prescribed, but the damage was done and doctors moved on to the new SSRIs and other drugs pushed to them by pharmaceutical reps. Low dose Wellbutrin is used to help people stop smoking under the name of Zyban.
However it does not work for all, so you may have to try various AD drugs. The problem is that it takes 4-6 weeks for these drugs to take effect so you can spend a good part of a year trying various ones. Like I said, try the supplements in the article I linked to if you wish, but ask your doctor not strangers on the internet. Supplements can cause problems with existing medications and many rarely work at all.
Also keep in mind that there are several types of depression. As referred to in another post, chronic pain can cause you to feel depressed and once the pain is removed, so is the depression hopefully. However a lot of depression is caused by how you feel emotionally and removal of the cause of the emotions may not remove the emotions. Example is a divorce. Although divorced you may still have mental problems stemming from it for various reasons. Many here get depression due to realizing that old age is the final stage of life. Nothing is going to change that so the choices are either drugs or talk therapy which is another route you can take if you are adverse to taking prescription medications. It has a very high success rate, but I do not do well in it.
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