Have you found any natural remedies/solutions that have helped with your depression?

B

BAM

Cathlete
Without going into details that would probably take way too long to write, I was wondering what you may have found that is not a prescription to help with depression (outside of exercise.) It can't have GABA or L-Theanine in it and it's not about seasonal depression. There are many food/chemical sensitivities involved and MUCH has been tried to date with no relief or with reactions. If you have found something that has personally worked for you, if you wouldn't mind, kindly share your experiences. If you'd prefer to pm me, please feel free to do so.

Thank you!
Bam
 
I watched the Food Matters documentary recently and I think one of the docs interviewed talked about using Niacin in high doses. If you have access to Netflix, watch it.
 
Thank you SO much for that link. I've always been into alternative and natural treatments but hadn't heard of high doses of niacin for depression. It definitely is something I will be considering.

I greatly appreciate the information!!!

Bam
 
In that same documentary, there was a woman who had terrible migraines. She did a juice fast, or just did the juice in the morning I forget...I think it's the juice fast. Nothing but juice and water for a week or so. Her headaches went away, and she had more energy. This is not a special juice that is marketed, just what you may already have made at home with kale, apples, etc.

I mention that because often the migraines go hand in hand with depression. I hope either this or the niacin helps.
 
Thank you! Cleaning up the diet certainly helps the body with any illness or imbalances. It is a great thing to do. Thankfully there are no migraines involved. :)

Much appreciated!

Bam
 
I don't know if St. John's Wort is contraindicated for you, it does work, but it also makes you photo-sensitive (sensitive to the sun.) I take Ashwaghanda when I'm stressed out (not just depressed.) I use solar spectrum lights, that does help. I take fish oil. That helps too. If you get migraines, you might try taking zinc. It won't stop one but it shortens the duration and reduces the severity. I take them for my menstrual migraines which manifest as irritability, sensitivity to light, and sensitivity to sound before the headache arrives. If I take my zinc, I will feel much better right away. Don't take it on an empty stomach. I just use lozenges, that way if I am too nauseous to swallow a pill, I can still absorb it. Dehydration can also show up as depression, if you are short on water, potassium, or sodium, that can create depression. I do meditations if I'm having depression first thing or before bed, I use guided ones to help relax my mind. Exhaustion can cause depression.

I hope that you feel better soon. Hugs.
 
have you tried l-tyrosine? really helped me. i take it morning and lunchtime (2 500 mg capsules) and 5-htp (100 mg) early evening.

The tyrosine seems to help much more than the 5-htp, but they need to both be taken to keep a balance with your dopamine/serotonin transmitters.
 
RapidBreath, I have taken St. John's Wort in the past and it didn't agree with me and I haven't had results with fish oils. I take a very good food based multi-vitamin and mineral. I've tried so many things and unfortunately things have gotten worse. I'm all about meditation but the way I'm feeling today, I can't even muster up any oompf to do that.

Thanks for all of the info and the hugs!

Andreadaile, I've been doing a lot of research today and L-tyrosine came up so I'm going to be considering trying that. I've taken 5-htp in the past and my body wasn't happy with it. I have so many friggin' sensitivities and that adds to how I'm feeling. In my stash o' supplements, I have an unopened bottle of a supplement called Relaxium. It was a free sample so I'm going to try that tonight. It does have some 5-htp in it along with Ashwaganda which RapidBreath had mentioned. It suggests taking 2-4 capsules but I will start with one. Do you take your l-tyrosine with food or on an empty stomach and which brand do you use? I'm very familiar with what's out there but I like to hear which ones work for others.

Thank you!
Bam
 
usually empty stomach. i order the now brands from Amazon. hope you get a chance to try it! i am truly amazed with what its done for me.
 
I love Now products. Here's a link of where you can purchase it perhaps cheaper than Amazon. I've ordered lots of products from them from food to supplements to pet stuff and skin/hair care at cheap prices. Plus, it's on sale from their already low prices.

http://www.webvitamins.com/product.aspx?id=18437

So to clarify, you take one 500 mg. capsule on an empty stomach in the a.m. and one before lunch, not 2 in the a.m. and 2 at lunch, yes? I'm SO glad you found something to help you. I can only imagine how your life has changed. Can you recall how long it took before you noticed a difference? Even though I won't be taking the 5-htp, it sounds like I'll be getting great results with the tyrosine alone. (Sorry for the additional questions.)

Thank you again!!!

Bam
 
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thanks for the link!

i take two in the morning, and one or two at lunch. i would recommend the 5htp if you ever start to feel it losing effectiveness...unless the side effects were just too much. in that case, lay off the tyrosine for a week and eat some high serotonin foods (pasta, chocolate).
i also take now true calm to help keep me from freaking out at work (ha ha, i work in a hospital and the stress can be overwhelming) but it has GABA in it so I guess its not for you.

keep us posted!
 
Thanks for clarifying the info for me and the suggestions. I will have to look into other foods that are high in serotonin. I guess I'll just have to start eating more chocolate in the name of emotional health! :D

I'm glad you can purchase it cheaper now......get it? Now? Yep, I'm reachin' here, lol. I don't know how long their additional sale will be on for so just keep that in mind if you plan on ordering it.

Ya know, I just had a bowl of rice noodle soup and my spirits did get lifted a little. Perhaps the rice has something to do with serotonin levels as well. I'll have to look into that.

Much gratitude!
 
The problem with supplements is that there are no guaranteed results and it costs a lot pretty quickly. A prescription medication, if you have insurance, can cost considerably less.

Outside of exercise I have never found anything else that works.

Large doses of Niacin will make you flush bright red in public. It's a recognized side effect. Good luck with that. I tried it. Not good.

Clare
 
Thanks Clare for sharing. Our bodies are all so different and it's not necessarily easy finding what works for each of us. I'm glad that exercise has worked for you! Hope it continues to do so! :)

Bam
 
When I was offline I kept thinking of you and this song. I realize depression is much more
than just listening to music, then feeling better, but music really helps me, at least in that moment. You said you are feeling particularly down tonight, which makes me think even more, that I should post. In case it does help.

If this is the end (The sound of belief) - YouTube
This song was inspired by the drummer of the band fighting cancer, and they wrote this song, which was therapeutic for them. The lyrics have some similarities, even though depression is a completely different beast, it is like cancer. It's often hard to fight it, find out the cause, difficult to understand, or talk to other people about.

If you like this song, you'll likely like their other songs, and this link also links to
other songs by Greek Fire. They are from St.Louis. I don't get anything by
sharing the songs, they are just by fav. band, and the song is about hope.

Hope that helps,
Kristi
 
Have you thought about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)? It is a short course of therapy (6-12 visits) that will teach you how to recognize errors in your thinking and how to correct them. It is usually covered by insurance and is at least as effective in treating depression as taking antidepressants.
 
Wow, Kristi, what a POWERFUL song! Thank you so much for posting it. I'm sure others will see it also and receive its strong energy. I will be watching it again for sure. Music is so influential. I have songs that I listen to when I'm especially down but they just make me cry more in sadness, not in hope. :confused: I'm glad that you find relief in music. We need to find what we can connect with and helps us.

Thanks again!

Jen, (if that is your name :) ) I will certainly consider that. I have had similar, if not exact, types of therapy. Sometimes I can't keep track of all the things I've done and tried. *ugh*

Thanks for the suggestion!

Bam
 
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