Posted by Lao Tzu on May 24, 2010, at 10:59:10
In reply to What remedies work for TRD, w or w/o meds????, posted by stargazer2 on May 23, 2010, at 13:43:43
There could be any number of nutritional deficiencies, depends on your individual biochemistry. There are many vitamins, minerals, and also fatty acids that can be of benefit. And some herbs too. Something is bound to be helpful to you. It depends on your health status and any conditions you might be dealing with. There is no one tried and true method of eliminating depression from your life. As far as depression, what is your diagnosis? Are you unipolar, bipolar, anxiety disorder? Do you have sluggish energy? Are there any health conditions you have, such as diabetes, thyroid, liver or kidney problems? You can rule these out with blood work. If it is just depression, you could be B12 deficient or perhaps, lacking folic acid in your diet. You might need more B6 and/or B1 in your diet. You might have an imbalance in your calcium and magnesium levels. You might need more antioxidants in your diet, such as vitamin E, C, and selenium. You might benefit from a low dose of fish oil daily. As far as medications, it depends on your symptoms. In some cases, it is a lack of serotonin, or it could be problems with dopamine function. Abilify has been used for depression in people who are already on an antidepressant, but I don't have the knowledge as to whether or not you can take Abilify with MAOIs. There are some contraindications as to what medications you can or cannot take with MAOIs. Your doctor would know this. I have been tailoring an individual nutritional program to my medication regimen, and have found it very helpful because the meds alone do not address all of my symptoms. Like I said, it all depends on your individual biochemistry and also, other psychological/social factors. Are you stressed out all the time because of any events or situations in your life? This could also add to your depression or whatever your diagnosis is. In some cases, it is a dysfunction of a number of neurotransmitter systems, or it can be hormonal or endocrine. Probably get blood work done to rule out any metabolic problems and to see whether you are anemic or not, or if you have thyroid or blood glucose problems. These can add to depression. Also, histamine levels in your body can affect mood. You could be high, low, or normal. You could have heavy metal contamination or high or low copper levels. High copper or low copper could cause problems with depression. It really is a daunting task to figure all of these out, but I'm just letting you know of some causes for low mood and depression. Good luck and you might do some research or talk with your doctor if you have resistant depression. Perhaps, there is another medication that can help you further. Like I said, it is a daunting task for some people.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:948457
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100516/msgs/948587.html