Posted by Tomatheus on January 3, 2009, at 2:42:53
In reply to new and VERY VERY VERY depressed, posted by Sunkistcat79 on January 2, 2009, at 10:57:57
Sunkistcat79,
Hello, and welcome to Psycho-Babble. I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling for as long as you have and haven't had many successes with your treatment. I can relate, in a way, as I continue to experience some depression on a daily basis despite treatment.
Personally, I've suffered with depression for about nine years and have been diagnosed with dysthymic disorder, bipolar disorder, recurrent major depressive disorder, and currently schizoaffective disorder. I experienced full remission taking Nardil with doxylamine succinate, but I had quality-control problems with Nardil that led me to discontinue the medication. Have you tried Nardil or one of the other MAOIs (Parnate and Marplan)? If you haven't, I recommend that you try an MAOI at some point, as they tend to be useful in patients with treatment-resistant depression.
I too have tried some 60-plus supplements for my psychiatric symptoms (mostly depression, though) and failed on most of them, but I have found a few of them to be useful. I currently take l-methylfolate as part of my treatment regimen for schizoaffective disorder, and I've found that I'm spending less time in bed now that I'm on the supplement than I was before I started taking it. It's a relatively new supplement, so I thought that I'd suggest it in case you haven't tried it. I also had some success with SAMe in the past when I took it with the MAOI Parnate, but unfortunately I don't respond to SAMe nearly as well as I used to. Another supplement that I take only when my depressive symptoms get really bad is niacinamide. I build up a tolerance to niacinamide's antidepressant effects if I take it for several days in a row, but if I only take it on occasion, it can help get me out of a really nasty depressive spell. Finally, other supplements that I think have some value in treating depression include St. John's Wort (especially the Kira and Perika brands), fish oil, B vitamins (of which niacinamide is one), l-methionine, l-tryptophan, l-tyrosine, 5-HTP, and zinc. My guess is that you've probably already tried at least some of the supplements that I've suggested, but I just wanted to put them out there as options for you.
I'm really sorry to hear that you can't put up with being depressed anymore, and I wish that there were more that I could do to help you beat your depression. I know that you've probably heard this before, but I would not give up on finding the right treatment. You found something that helped you a lot before in the opioids, and the possibility that something else could help you just as much remains. Please, keep doing your best to fight this illness of yours.
Tomatheus
poster:Tomatheus
thread:871909
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20081006/msgs/872056.html