Do I really need to take meds?

Question

Ton of stuff going on in my life. Under stress. Can't sleep. Feel depressed and low. Tired all day.

Friend say to get meds to raise serotonin(?) Will help with sleep, and domino effect... everything will be better again.

I don't like taking meds, make me feel funny, light headed, foggy, etc.

Answer 1

Want to raise your serotonin levels eat a piece of whole wheat bread. Also try St John's Wort too it works for me.

Answer 2

If your serotonin levels are down that would cause your depression, and when you are depressed you can not sleep and are often depressed.

I think your symptoms will subside after you take the medicine, even if it causes some symptoms it's better then the ones you have now.

Answer 3

Have your thyroid tested.  It can cause tiredness and make a person feel depressed if it's not functioning properly.

You should speak to a therapist to see what options you have to help you deal with the stress.

Yoga, meditation, certain essential oils and chamomile tea may help, along with therapy.

Answer 4

Serotonin selective re uptake inhibitors (SSRI or SRI), the first and most famous is Prozac, are for depression. You may be depressed and they may help. They have side effects like loss of sexual interest. Some people gain and some lose weight on them.

Get checked out it could be a lot of things. if you feel you have to try stuff on your own then learn to meditate (plenty of instructions on the web), try taking the supplement SAMe (you need to take it for at least a month to see if it helps but that is the same for antidepressants) it can help with joint pain also. If that doesn't help you can use St.Johns Wort but be careful about going out in the sunshine.

There is also counseling, a form called cognitive therapy, which works well for your symptoms especially when combine with SSRIs

I suggest you see a doc and get checked out. Tell the doc about not wanting to take meds.

Answer 5

I started taking Zoloft over a year ago to manage my depression and anxiety. I also couldn't sleep, so I was tired all day, like you have described. I saw several different doctors who all suggested different things and saw various counselors, but nothing helped. Then I found my current doctor. Before I started taking Zoloft, I really didn't want to be on medication, but my doctor convinced me to try, and they really have helped. My doctor also referred me to a good psychologist and both my doctor and myself feel that the techniques my psychologist has taught me combined with the Zoloft is the most effective treatment.