Supplements for Anxiety/Depression?
- Thread starter SweetErika
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fire_breeze
Softly Seductive
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While I do agree with the majority of your post, I feel like I have to point this out: SADs is not the same as depression. While it is a type of depression that comes from the changes in seasons and it's believed that it is caused by a disruption in circadian rhythm and melatonin levels due to lack of exposure to light (for those who have winter SADs), the symptoms of SADs do change with the change of seasons, whereas in most types of depression remain relatively stable regardless of the season.
There has been many significant studies that indicated that light therapy works (here, here, here and here), and it is usually the first line of treatment. It is NOT for everyone, and like treatment for depression does not work for everyone, nor does it help with bipolar, for example.
Light therapy doesn't duplicate sunlight, but rather duplicates the intensity of the light and includes similar light waves that sunlight has, reducing one's melatonin and amplifying the day-night differences, thus regulating one's circadian levels. This is why it is imperative that a person does not sit in front of their 'happy light' (how I call it) for more than an hour and it should not be used after 4.30pm, because it can cause irritation and insomnia if overused.
We do not know if SweetErika's husband suffers from SADs or some other form of depression. If it isn't SADs, then light therapy is unlikely to work. But as someone who struggles with SADs every single year and has had depression - light therapy definitely helped to alleviate my symptoms of SADs. It lessened my depression at the same time, but it was more along the lines of less SADs = less depressed Breezey. I was very much well aware that my SADs and depression had different roots, and most people with SADs who also experienced non-season depression knows this.
I know some people who has SADs who do not respond to the happy light, but a vast majority of people who do have SADs respond very very favourably to it.
Again, not wanting to start anything nor do I wish to diminish your very excellent post, but there are facts that support the use of light therapy for someone who suffers from SADs.
xtinelauren1
Really Really Experienced
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I didn't read through all of the thread so idk if anyone mentioned it, but St. John's Wort. It's inexpensive and pretty readily available in the vitamin aisle at most drugstores. I have terribly anxiety and PMDD that I was prescribed Serafem (which is just prozac with a prettier name) for. I was out of my prescription and picked up SJW to tie me over and it worked surprisingly well. I've also heard Kava Kava works.
It's my opinion though that medications or supplements by themselves won't work. If your husband is afraid of prescription medication because of a bad experience, sometimes it can take months to find the right one, dosage, combination, etc as well as taking time to feel the intended effect. It also doesn't help if you have a poor diet and don't partake in regular exercise or other physical activity. I'm not a doctor obv, but that's just my experience. I'm sure others have mentioned it as well.
It's my opinion though that medications or supplements by themselves won't work. If your husband is afraid of prescription medication because of a bad experience, sometimes it can take months to find the right one, dosage, combination, etc as well as taking time to feel the intended effect. It also doesn't help if you have a poor diet and don't partake in regular exercise or other physical activity. I'm not a doctor obv, but that's just my experience. I'm sure others have mentioned it as well.
Last edited:
husband101
Virgin
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Caution is Warranted
Your post caught my eye because I have depression and psoriasis and have been treated -- successfully -- with Wellbutrin. I would urge caution before concluding that Wellbutrin is aggravating your husband's psoriasis, and particularly before discontinuing its use and even more so before supplementing it with St. John's Wort.
First and foremost, consult the the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health -- the federal agency created specifically to look at the risks, benefits, and impact of non-traditional medicine:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/sjw-and-depression.htm
At best, there is SOME evidence that SJW MAY be helpful for SOME patients with SOME FORMS of depression. That has to be weighed against potential negative consequences, including ineffectiveness and potentially harmful interactions with prescription medications. In effect, it's a crap shoot with potentially disastrous consequences.
The "herbal remedies" and "dietary supplements" industry in the US is largely unregulated by the federal government. Why? Because the industry spends millions on lobbying and political contributions to keep itself out of appropriate scrutiny under the federal Food & Drug Act. Thus claimed effectiveness and safety of these supplements isn't usually subject to the clinical trials required of mainstream medications and may only represent the unsubstantiated claims of the manufacturer that is looking to boost sales.
Yes, of course, there are problems with prescription medications too -- among other factors is the question of whether clinical trials data accurately reflects positive and negative results. And the major drug companies are hardly free of seeking to maximize profits -- they are in the business of making money too. Even under the relatively rigorous clinical trials and review required before a drug can be sold in the US there have been some serious safety failures that have resulted in negative health consequences including deaths. BUT these have been detected and the drugs have been taken off the market.
Three-quarters of all psychotropic medications prescribed in the US are prescribed by primary care (non-psychiatrist) physicians. The qualifications of primary care practitioners to treat mental illness is debatable. Some are highly qualified and really wonderful practitioners with a special interest in mental illness. Some have no training and little interest, and practice in settings where the form of payment creates big incentives not to get saddled with complicated patients such as those with mental illness. For that reason, it's usually best to find a good psychiatrist to manage that portion of a patient's healthcare.
When it comes to prescribing medications for mental illness, there is both an art and a science. The science is in knowing which drugs at what dosage are most likely to provide relief for a patient of a specific gender, age, physical type, etc. presenting with a specific problem. The art is in tracking the patient and determining whether and when to increase or decrease dosage, supplement the medication, or trying something different. This is complicated by the fact that it is not necessarily easy to correctly diagnose the mental illness which is first presented.
Psychiatrists would most likely agree that medication alone is not the best way to treat mental illness such as major depression. Thus, it is usually the combination of pharmaco- and psychotherapy that achieves the best result over time. It is also worth nothing that even the right medication can lose its effectiveness (temporarily or permanently). In my case -- and in many others -- my Wellbutrin was briefly supplemented with Abilify. This is a relatively new drug used primarily to treat schizophrenia but -- in low doses -- has been found to be helpful in treating non-responsive major depression. A short course with Abilify certainly helped me.
As to psoriasis, it seems to be an inherited genetic disorder that is affected by a whole host of physical and environmental factors. For me, these include stress, anxiety, exercise, sleep (or lack thereof), the weather (dry cold air and dry warm air), etc. Since depression can and will have an impact on many of these factors, it would be safer to assume until proven otherwise that it is the condition and perhaps the effectiveness of the medication -- but not necessarily the medication itself -- that may be having a negative impact on the psoriasis. I'd check with both a psychiatrist and a dermatologist about it, and in doing so it is important to be completely candid with both about all conditions and all medications. Patients can be ashamed of reporting that they have been diagnosed with a mental illness and thus leave both the diagnosis and the medications used to treat it out of their overall health profile when visiting a physician for some other reason. Mental illnesses are not a character defect or a form of self-indulgence, and no-one should be ashamed of it.
Sorry for the length of this response, but I hope it is helpful and that things are well. Take care.
Your post caught my eye because I have depression and psoriasis and have been treated -- successfully -- with Wellbutrin. I would urge caution before concluding that Wellbutrin is aggravating your husband's psoriasis, and particularly before discontinuing its use and even more so before supplementing it with St. John's Wort.
First and foremost, consult the the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health -- the federal agency created specifically to look at the risks, benefits, and impact of non-traditional medicine:
https://nccih.nih.gov/health/stjohnswort/sjw-and-depression.htm
At best, there is SOME evidence that SJW MAY be helpful for SOME patients with SOME FORMS of depression. That has to be weighed against potential negative consequences, including ineffectiveness and potentially harmful interactions with prescription medications. In effect, it's a crap shoot with potentially disastrous consequences.
The "herbal remedies" and "dietary supplements" industry in the US is largely unregulated by the federal government. Why? Because the industry spends millions on lobbying and political contributions to keep itself out of appropriate scrutiny under the federal Food & Drug Act. Thus claimed effectiveness and safety of these supplements isn't usually subject to the clinical trials required of mainstream medications and may only represent the unsubstantiated claims of the manufacturer that is looking to boost sales.
Yes, of course, there are problems with prescription medications too -- among other factors is the question of whether clinical trials data accurately reflects positive and negative results. And the major drug companies are hardly free of seeking to maximize profits -- they are in the business of making money too. Even under the relatively rigorous clinical trials and review required before a drug can be sold in the US there have been some serious safety failures that have resulted in negative health consequences including deaths. BUT these have been detected and the drugs have been taken off the market.
Three-quarters of all psychotropic medications prescribed in the US are prescribed by primary care (non-psychiatrist) physicians. The qualifications of primary care practitioners to treat mental illness is debatable. Some are highly qualified and really wonderful practitioners with a special interest in mental illness. Some have no training and little interest, and practice in settings where the form of payment creates big incentives not to get saddled with complicated patients such as those with mental illness. For that reason, it's usually best to find a good psychiatrist to manage that portion of a patient's healthcare.
When it comes to prescribing medications for mental illness, there is both an art and a science. The science is in knowing which drugs at what dosage are most likely to provide relief for a patient of a specific gender, age, physical type, etc. presenting with a specific problem. The art is in tracking the patient and determining whether and when to increase or decrease dosage, supplement the medication, or trying something different. This is complicated by the fact that it is not necessarily easy to correctly diagnose the mental illness which is first presented.
Psychiatrists would most likely agree that medication alone is not the best way to treat mental illness such as major depression. Thus, it is usually the combination of pharmaco- and psychotherapy that achieves the best result over time. It is also worth nothing that even the right medication can lose its effectiveness (temporarily or permanently). In my case -- and in many others -- my Wellbutrin was briefly supplemented with Abilify. This is a relatively new drug used primarily to treat schizophrenia but -- in low doses -- has been found to be helpful in treating non-responsive major depression. A short course with Abilify certainly helped me.
As to psoriasis, it seems to be an inherited genetic disorder that is affected by a whole host of physical and environmental factors. For me, these include stress, anxiety, exercise, sleep (or lack thereof), the weather (dry cold air and dry warm air), etc. Since depression can and will have an impact on many of these factors, it would be safer to assume until proven otherwise that it is the condition and perhaps the effectiveness of the medication -- but not necessarily the medication itself -- that may be having a negative impact on the psoriasis. I'd check with both a psychiatrist and a dermatologist about it, and in doing so it is important to be completely candid with both about all conditions and all medications. Patients can be ashamed of reporting that they have been diagnosed with a mental illness and thus leave both the diagnosis and the medications used to treat it out of their overall health profile when visiting a physician for some other reason. Mental illnesses are not a character defect or a form of self-indulgence, and no-one should be ashamed of it.
Sorry for the length of this response, but I hope it is helpful and that things are well. Take care.
Cumference
I brought my plunger!
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- Jan 5, 2014
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As a European, I can say that "strictly regulated" is exaggerating (to say the least).
In some way, 'the alternative' have managed to get exempt from the normal requirements of actual testing and proof of effects in controlled tests.
Not to mention standardized content of active substance.
There is a surprising lot of woo happily milking people's purses.
We call the effects we like "good", and the rest "side effects". If it can have an effect, there will always be side effects. The question is whether they are acceptable or not.
SJW can reduce the effect of other medications and give a significantly increased sensitivity to light. Most famous for cows getting sunburned, but quite a few people have gotten some very creative pigmentation too.
"Natural" is no guarantee for neither harmless nor beneficial.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pjqvjdRxEmA/VQMoUhttg8I/AAAAAAAAAYA/BUqjsIibeIU/s1600/St%2Bjohns%2BWort%2Bwith%2Btext.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2015/05/24/21/289CFFEF00000578-3095307-image-a-20_1432499159696.jpg
Last edited:
livingdeadgirl680
Really Experienced
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- Apr 7, 2015
- Posts
- 280
As some one who's had an anxiety disorder all my life for me the prescribed drugs left me feeling like a zombie if you can find a natural supplement go for it.
