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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2018, at 17:46:05
by "depression" I mean: high anxiety, social retreat, eating extremes (usually too much...past episodes of this, before the tranquilizer, resulted in massive, rapid weight loss...), sleeping too much or too little...
i react well to good social interaction, prayer. writing helps. my weight went up because of recent moves.
antidepressants...aren't the best for me. they were off the table with the last psych i had at the clinic. new psych...???? who knows.
i trimmed the supplement line up a tad. loads of vitamin C (15 grams, time release), natural form E...re-ordering b-100. i dropped niacinamide for a bit, thinking about reintroducing at or below 3grams/day. and...
im beginning to think that i -need- massive amounts of C, but the B3...optional. not big into herbals...part lack of interest, lack of study, and also concern about drug interactions...
but i'd really appreciate some advice, suggestions, even if its an herbal.i -must- continue on the abilify for...possibly indefinitely, im thinking at least the next 3+ years. its the mood component of all this mess im looking to tinker with.
thanks in advance.
Posted by sigismund on October 25, 2018, at 7:59:07
In reply to success with 'alternatives' for depression?, posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2018, at 17:46:05
Reis Shi has been good to me for years. Somewhat calming.
Ashwaganda I might have reacted to after a bit.........sinus, mucus.
Rhodiola made me anxious.
NMN was *wonderful*, but I developed bad herpes simplex.
Posted by Lamdage22 on October 25, 2018, at 13:51:03
In reply to Re: success with 'alternatives' for depression?, posted by sigismund on October 25, 2018, at 7:59:07
Blueberries, Selenium, Vitamin D3
Posted by sigismund on October 25, 2018, at 18:06:23
In reply to Re: success with 'alternatives' for depression?, posted by Lamdage22 on October 25, 2018, at 13:51:03
D3 I liked, but thought it agravated my insomnia. Probably I was drinking too much.
Posted by Hugh on October 26, 2018, at 10:48:41
In reply to success with 'alternatives' for depression?, posted by Christ_empowered on October 23, 2018, at 17:46:05
Of all the things I've taken, the muscle relaxant baclofen had the most dramatic effect on my mood. A high dosage of baclofen eliminated my depression and anxiety, probably because it increases striatal dopamine levels. Unfortunately, it started to cause terrible insomnia after a week, so I had to discontinue it. I later tried taking lower dosages of it, but they didn't help. If I'd been able to tolerate the higher dosage, it's possible that I would have eventually developed tolerance to it, but I'll never know.
I think ultra-low-dose naltrexone is worth trying. I wrote this post about it:
https://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20180331/msgs/1098109.html
Neurofeedback is the treatment that's helped me the most, long-term.
I'm very interested in being treated with a transcranial laser. Theodore Henderson in Denver and Harold Kraft in Santa Monica use powerful transcranial lasers to treat mood disorders. Here's a television segment about this treatment:
https://www.thedoctorstv.com/articles/can-laser-cure-depression
The last couple of weeks, I've been having some success with tefillin. It improves circulation and decreases inflammation. I've been sleeping more deeply and my mood has been better since I started using it. Here's an article about it:
https://www.uc.edu/news/articles/2018/10/n203301.html
This is what I use to do it:
https://www.amazon.com/Dritz-9506W-Non-Roll-Elastic-3-Yards/dp/B004ALO9CK
Except the stuff I use is 1/2 inch wide instead of 3/4. Mine is 4.5 yards long. I get it at Walmart in the crafts and sewing section.
It should be tight enough on your bicep and forearm to be somewhat uncomfortable, since your circulation needs to be somewhat restricted in order for it to have the desired effect. I wear it for 30 minutes most days.
Posted by sigismund on October 27, 2018, at 18:07:33
In reply to Re: success with 'alternatives' for depression?, posted by Hugh on October 26, 2018, at 10:48:41
I was buggering around with gastrodin to see if might do something. One day I took 4 in the morning and 3 in the late afternoon. My sleep was definitely lighter, disturbed, that night. I thought of your experience with Baclofen
Posted by Hugh on October 28, 2018, at 11:08:40
In reply to Re: success with 'alternatives' for depression? » Hugh, posted by sigismund on October 27, 2018, at 18:07:33
Both gastrodin and baclofen affect striatal dopamine, so it could be.
Posted by Christ_empowered on October 28, 2018, at 12:41:29
In reply to Re: success with 'alternatives' for depression? » sigismund, posted by Hugh on October 28, 2018, at 11:08:40
thanks for the input, everyone. im keeping it simple...back on the old Orthomolecular routine (2 b-100 tabs, 20 grams time release C, 6 grams niacinamide, 1600 IU natural form E, etc.), plus a hefty dose of fish oil...
and I'll see where that takes me. As much as I whine and moan about tranquilizers, the Abilify is reasonably good to me, and its effective. I think the Orthomolecular combination seems to prevent adverse effects...
I don't even have stiff gait or that god awful dysphoria every.single.neuroleptic seemed to cause, eventually.
i dont think i want an antidepressant, not even wellbutrin. nothing against them, its just...they've never panned out, over the long haul, for me. so, fish oil for right now. if that doesn't prove effective in, say 2 months...then I think I'll see about amino acids or possibly an herbal preparation.
thank you all. :-)
This is the end of the thread.
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