Alternatives for prozac/anti-depressants?

[druglessdouglas]

kava-kava is an excelent anxiolitic, mood stabiliser and antidepressant with few side efects(some people get dry/scaly scin at high doses, but tou dont need high doses). St. johns wort(hypericum) is a natural SSRI, like prozac but may have side effects in some individuals. In the past i found kava to be very usefull. Prozac proper is not too bad. the worse side effect for most is disinhibition. Cipramil is the best of the lot. theyre nothing to be afraid off as most people just need a holiday from theyre stress to heal. Seroxat has some severe side effects. think slurry spreader! i shit you not. my point is if your friend is depressed SSRIs are sometimes the best option. except seroxat that is.

 

[HappyMind]

Saint John's Wart is a natural anti-depressant. Worked fine for me.

 

[phalaris]

Saint John's Wart is a natural anti-depressant. Worked fine for me.

How much time does it take to notice any change ?

Did you take extracted pills, or the plant material ?

Thank you guys for reminding me of St. John's. I totally overlooked that one.

>off to the shop<

 

[HappyMind]

Most antidepressants have a delayed onset of action and are usually taken over the course of weeks, months, or years. With Saint John's Wart it can takes up to 3/4 weeks before there are any noticeable effects. But this is personal. A friend of mine felt positive effects within a week! Maybe because of a placebo effect, but that's not the point. What I do know is that they work, and it's not very expensive and isn't bad for your health if you use it properly.

Antidepressants are generally considered distinct from stimulants, and drugs used for an immediate euphoric effect only are not generally considered antidepressants. Despite the name, antidepressants are often used in the treatment of other conditions, including anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and chronic pain. Some have also become known as lifestyle drugs or "mood brighteners".

For information about Saint John's Wort (I said Wart, but it's Wort ): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_John's_Wart

There are side-effects possible (as with every other substance), so read about it and listen to your body.

Do not use it for a very long time (let's say for more then a year), and if you have a serious depression what can't be helped with natural substances, go to a doctor, maybe he can help you out with a psychiatrist. Not everything can be cured on your own, with the help nature.

I bought pills in a supermarket near my home. The price was 4/5 euro for 60 tablets.
Nothing special, but they worked fine for me.

 

[scamie]

depression must be defeated at different levels.
body: definately... running therapy.. start jogging!! Get a more structured life bit by bit. Eat healthy and take good care of your body.. be aware of those things..
Mind: You can choose your psychedelic.. iboga/ ayahuasca lsd... NO MDMA!!
Mushrooms. Do it under GOOD guidance so you can dose high for the best insight about your problems and fears. Go for the shaman or a guide like with the geweide reis. After you confronted your self.. You can also take assistend curative plants... like .. indeed the brainmood From the Tuinen you have a product wich got ginseng and guarana in it!!! veeery good stabalising/ giving you more focus and is very soothing for the head and upper part of the central nervous system.
Start making st. janskruid tea. Every day one cup of 2 grams herb... 10 minute soak.
cacao powder... bit expensive... but a very good product also!!

Walk in nature !!! Find out wat is your path in life.... what is making you happy... focus on that!!! Remake your life ... bit by bit... step by step... make life as you wish it to be... Take controle more and more no matter what

 

[scamie]

st john's worth... you have to take for three weeks/ 4 weeks daily for the effects begin.. If someone is very depressed... higher dose i once read 4-6 grams powdered herb daily.. dont know... go see the
i use 2 grams in a tea .. daily

 

[scamie]

oh yeah... i also read about a women chewing like threshhold dose of salvia divinorum leaves... also swallowing, but mostly absorption through the mouth..... she had goo really good results on doining that once or twice in like 4-5 days

 

[HappyMind]

st john's worth... you have to take for three weeks/ 4 weeks daily for the effects begin..

That's not always the case. Depends on the person, substance and on the depression.
But generally speaking all anti-depressants (natural and chemical) start to work optimal after 4 weeks.

 

[vajrakana]

Lots of people here saying not to take MDMA because, I am assuming, they believe that the depression is being caused by low seratonin levels. That definitely isn't always the case.

Regardless, taking 5-HTP supplements for 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off, for 6+ weeks will help a LOT. Also eating food with high L-Tryptophan (like bananas and so on). Getting electrolytes in order is also #1. You wouldn't believe how much better I feel when I am properly hydrated and salted

I don't agree that no MDMA is a rule here. Especially if someone bulks up on 5-HTP beforehand, waits a few days then tries it. My first experience with MDMA was mind blowing and so happy, it pulled me right out of a funk (aka, low grade depression) with just one dose. Mind you, I was with great, supportive friends at the time. Set/Setting is important.

 

[magickmumu]

Health and wellbeing go hand in hand.
Pay attention to what you eat, when dealing with depression.
Avoid: White sugar and flour, Caffeine, alcohol, artificial sweeteners, bad fats, etcetera

beneficial foods are. Fruit and vegetables, soy products, eggs, salom, white fish, beans, nuts,

exercise is also essential. Swimming, running, walking. Bike riding.

I am also anti – antidepressant. Antidepressants are polluting the oceans and killing the inviorment.
I advise everyone to stay away from antidepressants.
http://discovermagazine.com/2003/dec/fish-on-prozac1127

 

[HappyMind]

And don't forget to go outside the house!
Hang around with friends or search for new friends and do things what you like.
Do stuff with them or try new things, for instance: you never played golf or the last time you went swimming was a couple of years ago etc. etc. just try it.

 

[Qcash3]

I don't agree that no MDMA is a rule here. Especially if someone bulks up on 5-HTP beforehand, waits a few days then tries it. My first experience with MDMA was mind blowing and so happy, it pulled me right out of a funk (aka, low grade depression) with just one dose. Mind you, I was with great, supportive friends at the time. Set/Setting is important.

I agree with you in the sense that it would be unfair to automatically rule out MDMA as a possible treatment for depression. Alot of it depends on the mental state of the person in question. I have tried to use many things to cure my depression, but it took me a long time to figure out that before you start self-medicating there are certain things that you must come to terms with. It is important to find and understand the root cause of your depression before you dive into world of psychoactive substances in general, but especially MDMA. Because of the serotonin spike caused by using MDMA certain sufferers of depression will not be able to handle the emotional change if they have not pin pointed the actual cause of their depression. To use myself as an example, when I first started using MDMA I still had not actually fixed the things in my life that were causing me to be depressed, therefore the subsequent few days following any roll I was at absolute rock bottom. This could have easily led to me becoming psychologically addicted to MDMA, but I was able to pull my self out of that cycle before it came into full fruition. I have been trying to treat my depression for years, and on a daily basis I tend to use Cannabis as my medicine of choice but at this point in my life I am for the most part aware that to completely cure my depression I will have to face those issues in my life that are causing me to be depressed. I know what these issues are, and over time I have become very adept at caging them in a remote area of my mind until I am fully ready to face them. In my opinion the only way to treat depression is to fully evaluate yourself and deal with your issues, I use psychoactive substances as tools to help me become a better thinker and evaluator, not as medicine for my illness. Hope all that makes sense to people, and because we are all different, what works for me may not work for others, but I think it might.

 

[druglessdouglas]

And don't forget to go outside the house!
Hang around with friends or search for new friends and do things what you like.
Do stuff with them or try new things, for instance: you never played golf or the last time you went swimming was a couple of years ago etc. etc. just try it.

definately the best advise. walking in at least nice surroundings works wonders. sometimes when depressed its hard to motivate yourself but once out of the house people tend to be glad theyre out and moving. a bit of excersise and sunlight in a natural setting and you wonder what the problem is. next day you got to motivate yourself again but after a while its a habit and easier. if you can get somewhere wiyh trees and water the noises can calm the mind. traffic noise and many people trigger stress making you avoid going out. the hippys have a point there

 

[HappyMind]

And if you're feeling depressed and if you smoke cigarettes (a lot), try quiting.
Tobacco can be very depressing.

 

[Forkbender]

try quiting

Trying to quit is like trying to not breath.

Just quit.

 

[druglessdouglas]

nobody likes a quitter

 

[angeliki]

I must say that I started feeling depressed and anxious at a very young age so ,, I started talking to a counselor and i loved it.

Eventually my school counselor told me to go see a psychiatrist, which I did, and then "she suggested i take pills" but i dont want to ...so what other options do I have?

 

[????????]

I must say that I started feeling depressed and anxious at a very young age

and how old are you now? I personally don't recommend pills unless there's no other possible solution... which is t say I do not recommend them at all. I think they don't act at the source of the problem.

Some of the other options, which would be the best to me, include various ways of introspection... or you could just get some Saint John's Wort (check previous posts about it).

 

[GOD]

Her sugesting that you take pills was just a cop out = shes a bad psychiatrist = go to other ones untill you find one that doesnt want to chemicaly supress you . If talking helped you that means that your depression is not a bad one . Sleeping good = practice , lots of exercise , do interesting / new things and talking are the best ways to deal with a mild depression . How old are you ? Maybe its a phase . Just dont take it seriously and think its not going to go away . Most people have depressions sometime in their lives and it just goes away on its own after a while . Learn to ignore it and be your own friend . Dont pump your self with any drugs , you need to see things as they are and not through a cloud of drugs .

St.johns wort is realy good to :- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_John's_wort

 

[mysticwarrior]

For people in Holland, who are interested in a ceremonie with a shaman. I can bring you in contact with people who organize such ceremonies in Holland. If you wanting to have more information about this, please PM me.

Greets,
Mysticwarrior.