Anyone has experience with natural antidepressants?

Question

Any feedback on natural antidepressants? Rhodiola Rosea? Anxius? Amoryn? I'm looking for alternatives since I have gained over 50lbs on conventional antidepressants. I've googled but unable to find any reliable info. Any help/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Will appreciate if feedback comes from personal experience. Thanks!

Answer 1

St. John's Wort is good.

Answer 2

St. John's Wort is good, but not for a long time...you can get used to it, not feel the benefit anymore. Temporarily, great.

Making sure your sleep is good is vital. Go over your going to sleep routine, make sure you don't eat 3 hours before bedtime, don't drink coffee at all, black tea only when you wake up and a few hours on. Don't drink water before sleep. Let yourself wind down, if you don't fall asleep immediately, well no big problem you're in bed resting. Take a cup of calming herbal tea with you to bed, read a little, be cosy. Put a few drops of diluted lavender essential oil on your wrist.

There is actually quite a lot of recent research regarding the effects of antidepressants compared to the effect of walking for 30 minutes every day. Walking has the same if not better results after a few weeks, but in the long run and studying relapses of depression, walking seems to be a better treatment. The problem is that doctors find it hard to prescribe walking, as the patients doesn't take this seriously and may also feel as if they haven't been heard. Walking has next to no bad side effects, antidepressants do - they mess up our whole system.

This kind of thinking helped me, now a few years back. I moved to the country, started allowing myself to take it easy. Sat down and wrote through all my routines, how I ate, how I cooked, how I went to bed...and noticed how I allowed myself to act totally against what I found nice. I like walking...but never did, I like good home cooked food, but never cooked. I like being cosy, but never gave myself the time...always stressed about something or letting my head buzz with 1000 half thought thoughts getting no order in anything.

So forcefully, 'cause I was still depressed and about as easily motivated as a sleeping politician, I got myself to get up a little earlier in the morning to enjoy the scents of the morning...grumpily with a cup of tea...but this was nice and now it's a routine, but still as nice. Then I make sure I cook 3-4 times a week, but more than the meal for the evening, so now I can eat home cooked food every day, and it isn't a major time loss. I go for walks, I get cosy in the evenings...one needs to wind down, summarise the day anyway. Doesn't take long, 5-10 minutes.

All of these little changes were quite hard to get in place, but they have really been a major change in my quality of life. And I like them, so it's strange it was so difficult to make them, but changing habits is hard. Remembering values, and giving them priority is hard too, we tend to just brush ourselves under the carpet...but what's the point of lying there amongst all the dust?

I hope this can help you a little and hope you're feeling better soon.

Answer 3

Yes, I use SAM-e, a natural antidepressant, it really helps me so much, and has changed my life forever. I used to take Zoloft, but I felt more depressed sometimes, like I was forced to be happy, but now on SAM-e, I don't feel that way anymore. And this isn't a herm, or a hormone, it's just a molecule that all living cells produce, and it enhances the impact of mood-boosting messengers like serotonin and dopamine. It's all natural, clearly less toxic than prescription, and really has made me a different person in a completely positive way. I highly recommend it.

Answer 4

i haven't taken it personally, but a naturopath explained to me that rodiola rosea will pick you up. It is best to be taken in the morning when you need a lift.

Answer 5

I would suggest looking into Kava.  It's very relaxing, and can act as a mood lifter(as well as providing a pleasant tongue tingling sensation).  I've also heard St John's Wort is supposed to work similarily but haven't experienced it.

  Whatever you do I would suggest looking for information on erowid.org, it has a lot of user experiences for most 'drugs'.  It should be able to provide you with plenty of the first hand experiences you are looking for.

Answer 6

I haven't had personal experience with Rhodiola Rosea but i have personal experience with the passionflower herb and eating foods to bolster the production of serotonin in your brain buddy .........  i was prescribed a very powerfull level of the antidepressant Effexor 150mg and misdiagnosed with Bipolar a few years ago and the side affects for me were almost catastrophic .........  i ended up doubling my weight in 3 months, had a diabolical array of digestive troubles,  irritability and moodiness, skin rashes, constant infections & colds & flus .......  the list is endless .... the simple fact that you are asking this question leads me to believe that by focusing on your nutrition, avoiding vitamin thieves such as caffeine, sugar, antidepressants, alcohol etc.... and pumping up your intake of fresh air and sunshine (safe sun exposure) on a daily basis you will move ahead in leaps and bounds in a short space of time .......  take it easy though and don't try to change everything at once .... baby steps will reap huge rewards for you.

The following is specifically what has worked for me buddy.

The leaves from the plant that produces passionfruit, passionflower herb, when made into a tea are exceptionally useful as an antidepressant and is also used to treat nervousness and anxiety, insomnia and nightmares, to alleviate mood swings and as a gentle sedative and relaxant.

The passionflower organic loose leaf variety of the herb encourages the uptake of tryptophan, which is an amino acid that assists deep sleep, as well as maintaining levels of serotonin, which is a hormone that is crucial in regulating mood swings and depression.

Check out this link for a complete list of herbs and their cautions ~ with passionflower it is wise to consult a nutritionally oriented physician or naturopath or herbalist if you are pregnant or breast feeding and not to use on infants or young children.

http://www.hystercity.com/modules.php?op...

Any good health food store should be able to supply you with the organic variety of this herb....... only organic will suffice as the commercial and tea bag varieties have had so much of the goodness pulverised from they could never possibly be of any therapeutic use. Also, the spent leaves can generally be reused once more as the essential oils are still so potent in them, so you really do get your money's worth ♥

Foods rich in Tryptophan do a brilliant of conquering the blues and levelling out your moods and stress and anxiety levels i reckon.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that's used by the brain - along with B6, B3, and magesium (known as the antistress mineral) - to produce serotonin (the natural feel good drug), a neurotransmitter that carries messages between the brain and one of the body's biochemical mechanisms of sleep.

The EFA's in foods rich in omega 3's such as cold water fishes like tuna, salmon, sardines and whiting are also essential in this process to nourish the neurons that are receiving the messages from the neurotransmitters. Cold water fishes such as salmon are particularly rich in the EFA's and will do a brilliant job of levelling out your stress and depression levels and smoothing any mood swings ....... i've found fish particularly beneficial for mood swings and stress & depression as they are also rich in Tryptophan.

Eat more foods rich in all these things ♥

The Doctor doesn't tell you that when you go complaining of depression & stress & anxiety now does he .............. he surely should though.

Tryptophan will help induce natural sleep; reduce pain sensitivity; act as a nondrug antidepressant; alleviate migraines; aid in reducing anxiety and tension and help relieve some symptoms of alcohol-related body-chemistry disorders and aid in control of alcoholism.

Best natural food sources of Tryptophan are; cottage cheese, milk, meat, fish, turkey, bananas, dried dates, peanuts and all protein rich foods.

Best natural food sources for magnesium are: leafy and green vegies, nuts and seeds, cold water fishes such as tuna, sardines, whiting and salmon.

Best natural food sources for niacin are: the white meat of chicken, whole wheat products, roasted peanuts, fish, eggs, avoacadoes, dates, figs and prunes.

Best natural food sources for vitamin B6 are: wheat germ, fish, soybeans, brewer's yeast, cantaloupe, cabbage, blackstgrap molasses, unmilled rice, eggs, oats, peanuts and walnuts.

By taking a good quality multi B complex supplement including all the B's ie: B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and B12 you will support your body in dealing with the everyday stresses life throws at us. ie: new job, new home, school studies ...... the B complex of vitamins is essential for healthy digestive, neural and immune systsem functioning..... Don't, however, buy any of the B complex of vitamins individually, but rather as a whole complex, unless under instructions from a nutritionally oriented physician or naturopath.

Bear in mind also that calcium and vitamin D and vitamin B6 are needed to effectively absorb vitamin B12, part of the B complex of vitamins, so eat more foods rich in calcium and try to get at least 10 - 15 minutes of safe sun exposure on a daily basis...... cold water fishes such as salmon and tuna are rich in both calcium and vitamin D..... vitamin B6 & vitamin B12 will be included as part of a Bcomplex of vitamins ♥

Things that will rob you of your precious B complex of vitamins are :- stress, eating too much protein, alcohol, eating too much tinned food, laxatives and diuretics, antiobiotics, antidepressants, penicillin, prednisone and aspirin, otc cold and flu medicines.

Also, try to cut back on drinks such as caffeine, tea, sodas and soft drinks as they are all B complex thieves........ as well as being great at dehydrating you.

Hydrate your body properly too and ensure that you drink at least 2 - 3 litres of fresh filtered water on a daily basis to ensure that your body is able to function at peak levels..... you'd be amazed at the difference being just a little bit dehydrated can make to your energy & mood levels.

Do things that make you smile ........  do you like music??  I love music and make sure i put my fave music on most days and a lot of the time i'll even leap around my lounge room with my imaginary air guitar pretending i'm up on stage with all the boys in the band having the time of my life ........  works for me .........  whatever floats your boat, just make sure you smile more often buddy ......  exercise, however you manage to get it in to your daily routine, will seriously pump the level of serotonin in your brain.

The whole food source of tryptophan and all other vitamins, minerals amino acids etc.... will always be the most nutritious and easily assimilable form.

cheers

♥

Answer 7

I have been using Valerian Root Pills for about a month now. They are very safe and you can take up to 3 a day. Research Valerian online for extra health information. They have been helpful for my anxiety issues which led to my depression. The first time I took them, I felt very relieved of troubling emotions within the half hour.

Answer 8

You can try st. john's Wort....I've always wanted to take it but you can't while on birth control. Good luck!!!

Answer 9

All those mentioned before are effective. Additionally may be: 5-HTP, DL-Phenylalanine, borago oil, homeopathic serotonin (available in Germany).