Alternative treatments for depression

[rubysmomjess]

Hi
I was wondering if anyone out there has tried alternative treatment besides antidepressants. I have tired Prozac, Wellbutrin, and Effexor and while they do seem to lessen the depression I feel numb and zombie-like so I never stay on it. I've been reading about yoga and depression ...and nutritional supplements like flaxseed oil...
Also if there's anyone in Boulder/Denver with a good therapist reccomendation, that would be great too.

Thanks
Jess

[VikingKvinna]

Hi Jess,

There were lots of good suggestions in the replies to my recent post, "Help Me Do This Naturally." You might want to browse those.

HTH.
~nick

[moss]

http://www.mycustompak.com/healthNot...Depression.htm

And i'd *really* recommend Abram Hoffer's book on orthomolecular medicine. I've only read orthomolecular medicine for physicians, but he has published other books for laypeople as well.

and more ideas here: http://www.kellymom.com/ppd/ppd.html (geared towards moms with ppd, but i'm sure that some of kelly's ideas would work for regular depression as well)

[isadorable]

This doesn't answer your question, but I know when I started meds they often left me feeling like a zombie for a month or so before I became more "normal". It's hard to wait when you're not sure if it is the right medicine for you, but in my case my depression had been so severe I knew I had to deal with the side effects in hopes of help. Sooo, I was suggesting maybe staying on the meds for at least 6 weeks or so (I don't know how long you did...)
good luck in your search

[princess buttercup]

I recently made a switch to Omega 3 (fish oil) and b complex for my depression. It's too early to tell (I quit my psychiatric meds cold turkey when I found out I'm pregnant). Try searching for Omega and depression
good luck!

[wannabeamamma]

I am trying Motherwort Tincture. One of my friends suggested it...it's supposed to help tremendously. You can pm me if you are interested in getting in touch with her for more info..she sells it and can tell you more. GOod luck hun. I know where you are...I am right there with you.

[Jillmama]

I am doing a home therapy program (m)

Hi, I do owe an introduction since this is my first post...but I couldn't just sit on this one.
I have three children - oldest is 5 youngest is 2. Two of them have special needs - my 4 yo dd has DS and my baby boy has autism and/or other problems...anyway, I thought my depression was situational - or PPD because it seemed to start after the birth of my first dd and has been worse with each child.
However I came to realize that I really was just depressed, and anxious as well. I don't know if it was triggered/brought on by PPD or if it was there always (I do think this is the case when I look back) but I did go for therapy after the birth of my third child. It helped in the sense that I got to dump on someone who wasn't my husband but this particular therapist didn't offer me anything to help me cope with my circumstances and feelings - she was way too into "analyzing me" and I just lost interest in therapy.
THings got worse for me and I felt desperate and didn't know what to do. ONe day I heard a radio commercial for this program ..it was like an infomercial and all these people who spoke sounded JUST LIKE ME...I could not believe it. I bawled my eyes out and I called and ordered the program.
Well, it has SAVED MY LIFE. I can NOT in a forum such as this ever begin to touch on how much this has helped me.
Here is a link, check it out, and {{{{{{HUGS}}}}}} and good luck to you...
http://www.stresscenter.com/
Jill G

[KonanKaren]

Hi...If you are looking for alternative depression treatments I would look into traditional chinese HERBAL medicine. I know Boulder has alot of good practitioners but make sure to find one that has not only worked with depression a lot but also has been practising Chinese Herbal Medicine for a long time. It really helped me and I had chronic depression when I was younger. However when I first started taking Chinese Herbal Medicine I was fairly stable and on western meds, plus in therapy. I went off the meds very gradually after I had been taking a formula (made specificly for me) for a while. NEVER let an alternative practitioner talk you into going off meds cold turkey with the promise that their treatment will cure you. Mental illness is so complex and there are different degrees of the illness. Being an alternative medicine practitioner myself I have seen much harm done by inexperienced, overly confident practitioners in this regard.
Good Luck

[neveryoumindthere]

princessbuttercup how is the fishoil and b working out for u?

[OhMel]

I would 2nd the B-complex recommendation. It is working wonders for me -- tons more energy and happier in general. However, in the same time I've given up sugar so it could be that too.

[moss]

there's a book called: natural guide to pregnancy and postpartum health by jean raffelock

it goes into great detail how to treat depression naturally. talks about amino acids and about neurotransmitters...and how to tell if there's a deficiency and what to do about it (naturally) if there is.

EVERybody who has a body should read this book. there's valuable info for everyone, not just pregnant/pp women.

[rubysmomjess]

Wow! I totally thought this thread was dead and gone. Thanks for all the reccomendations! I have been taking flax seed oil for the omega-3. And I just read this book called "Yoga for Depression"...it was a really good read. One of my favorite parts was a meditation for when you're feeling really down: " I am not my depression, I just am." I love this because it recognizes how I feel but says I don't have to let it determine who I am.

isadorable- I have been on a couple meds for 2-3 months or longer. The apathy never goes away for me. I think that I could continue to try other meds...but I find the first few weeks so overwhelming it's almost easier to be depressed.
I also tend to be a very active person so for me it feels better to have something I'm actively doing to control my depression, instead of waiting for meds to work. For awhile it was running, but that is hard to do all the way through pregnancy and nursing. So I wanted something like yoga that is a bit easier to do with kids an big bellies.

moss- that book looks really interesting...especially since we're expecting #2 in January!

Thanks again everybody...and I would love to hear what works for everyone.