Treating Depression W/o Meds

well, first of all i'd get your thyroid checked...if it's underactive or overactive that can cause problems and it's easy to fix. but seriously, and take this from some one who works in the medical field and who also has personal experience in this area: DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TRY MEDS. i take celexa, it's a very mild script (and only $4, which is helpful) that works quickly, and only require small doses and not all the time. think of your mental health like your physical health....you wouldn't NOT go to the doctor for appendicitis or a broken leg, would you? no...you would get it fixed. it's the best thing for yourself and your kids. good luck.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi A. - I totally understand!

I was put on a vitamin regime and that TOTALLY handled the condition with me.

Go to your local health food store and get the following:

Vitamin B 1: this is what will really help! REALLY REALLY helped! I took 100mgs per hour until I felt better.

You have to take several other Vitamins to keep in everything in balance.

Vitamin B Complex: take 100 mg 3x per day with food
Vitamin C: take 1000mg 3x per day
Vitamin E: take 800iu per day
Vitamin A&D:10000/400 IU

Liquid Minerals are vital as well. Here is a link to what I use and they are EXCELLENT.
http://www.petergillham.com/product-line/peter-gillhams-o...

Also Liquid Vitamins which are excellent - you will still need to up the amount of B1 intensively until you fully cease to experience the depression.
http://www.petergillham.com/product-line/peter-gillhams-o...

I did this regimen until I no longer experienced the depression. This took me personally about 1 month to now feel like myself again and 2 months to have it fully gone with no surprise downs. I then went into a regular dosage of the vits AND PUMPED UP THE AMOUNTS WHEN A HINT OF THE FEELING RETURNED.

It really worked. I would not have believed it would but I had to do something and no way was I going on meds that don't actually address the nutritional deficiencies that create this condition.

Let me know how it goes!

All the best,
K. Lee
____@____.com

1 mom found this helpful

I know you exercise but maybe you should change the routine. Just like everything the same old gets boring. Take your girls and start taking walks. Try getting as many fruits as you can. I don't know if you talk to your husband about it or not but make sure you do. He really needs to be involved and just talking to him will help. I wish you luck. I think most of us have been through this.

I have struggled with Bi Polar, Manic Depression... anxety disorders and PSD since before my kids were born. I was on meds as a teen but never liked how they made me felt. My best advice is to find someone you can talk to... pour your heart out to... do something special just for you once in a hile and get one good nights rest a week at least...try to plan out your day and dont let small things get to you. If you ever need someone to talk I am here I understand what you are going through. OK? Good luck!

Hi A.!
Do you go to church? If you don't, it might be worth a try. Sometimes all you have to do is surround yourself with happy people and it's kind of catchy. Just a thought. Hope you get to feeling better soon!

I would definitely recommend talking with your doctor. You can explain your opposition to medication and ask that your doctor work with you or seek one who will. Take a good hard look at your health...Are you eating enough? Are you eating healthy nourishing foods? Is there something that is missing from your diet? Are you eating on the run and grabbing lots of greasy fast food or drinking a lot of sugary soda? Why aren't you getting enough sleep and what can be done about that? You may already have a feeling about what might be wrong, or you may need to talk over every aspect of your life and health with a doctor to find it. Have your doctor check for underlying issues that may cause your symptoms. I feel very strongly that our society is over-medicated and that if we all simply took care or ourselves, we would all be healthier. I also feel that there are many people out there who truly need and benefit from medication. If you turn out to be one of those people there is no shame in making an informed decision to use medication.

I hope this helps and that you are feeling more like yourself again soon.

Hi A., I am a former teacher with a degree in home economics and Nutrition. I work with Shaklee, a company that is number one in health products in the U.S. We have several natural products that will give you help and if not there is a 100% guarantee for your money back. I have been with the company 34 years and it is 52 years old, but is not sold in stores. You can purchase it on the internet under my supervision for different prices depending on your desires. Call me at ###-###-#### and I will explain some instant help as well as more help and good stuff for the kids health so they don't have to be going to the doctor with colds, ear problems etc. Liz

If it's fairly mild, an herb called St. John's Wort may help, but if it has gone past the mild stage, that won't be able to touch it. Keep exercising, even if it doesn't seem to be helping as much as you'd like, and if you are not currently going for counseling, find someone to go to. Good luck!
T.

I find that when I drink more water it helps my mood but also my energy levels. I don't know if you take a multi vitamin or not but this has also helped me. the thing with the vitamins though is I have to go to the health food store and get some, because the ones that you would normally pick up at the pharmacy were not helping, my dad suggested changing where I shop b/c the ones form the pharmacy actually have some things that are not so good for you in them too. After changing I felt a great difference! The last piece of advice that I have for you is to find something for your self that you can look forward too. Being a mom is a lot of fun and work and all too often we get in the grove of things and life just becomes too predictable. There is no longer anything challenging the mind you just seem to be repeating the steps. Take on a dance class, take an online class from a local college of something that just sounds interesting to you, and so on.... I hope that this helps! Best of luck and God bless
~A.

I am actually on Zoloft and kind of feel every mom should be on something. But, at the age of 39, and I am really starting to believe it's what we eat. I exercise and I am still tired. You do it more than I do, so I would wonder how your diet is. Sugar and sugary food/caffeine actually puts me to sleep. Have you looked into that? Getting off of anything w/ high fructose corn syrup and/or partially hydrogenated stuff. Also look into eating organic only.

Good luck!!

I have dealt with depression before and been on meds for it at one time. Recently I have been feeling like you said, a mild depression. I didn't want to go on medication again, either. No particular reason, just wanted to try something instead of medicine if I could. I saw a commercial for Sam-E and decided I would try it. I have been taking it for a little over 2 weeks now and I can definatly tell a difference in my attitude and mood. I got the Sam-E made by Nature Made. I hope this helps you! Good luck and God bless!
M.

I wish I did.I was going through the same thing and kept avoiding going to the doctor.Then it just kept getting worse.I saw it neglecting my children(Ex: I was any kind of mother when I sometimes coouldn't leave the couch.) I was on zoloft and am now currently on Cymbala.Although I have not been on this one very long I don't notice any bad side affects.I feel I owe it to my children and Husband and my friends and husband say they notice a big difference when I take my meds.I was embaressed and felt less of a person at first but then I realize lots of Women suffer this,probably especially SAHM.One thing that will help some is making sure you get out and get plenty of Adult interaction.And time for yourself even if it's just soaking in the tub,getting your nails done,etc...And it's nothing we did or didn't do.When I get really depressed I don't want to leave the house or talk to other people.Make sure you fight that if you ever feel that way,it will just get worse.

Hi A.: Talk to your OBgyn about depression and what kind of birth control you are using? I used Depo-Provera and make me feel cranky and depress too. I don't have the problem anymore my husband got the Vasectomy done. Good Luck

Hi A.,

I went through alot of depression after my first son! We realized that it was the birth control that I was on. Once it finally got out of my system, I was much better! With my 2nd son, I started taking herbal supplements recomended by my herbalist and I was renewed. All of my friends that went on meds were much worse off then what they were to begin with. You are not the only one! I hope that you can have some relief soon!!

I have battled depression most of my life, and the only time I went on meds was with PPD....One thing I found that helped was at least 30 min of sunshine everyday. But the BEST thing I found that helps is having a "Cause" outside the home.....Mostly I do volunteer work (which gets a little difficult sometimes because I have 6 kids) with Head Start.....

I use a toxic free and natural products in my home so that has helped my depression.

livefamilydreams.com

D.

There are some natural remedies available for mild depression. You can get a compound also at health food store(s). L-Phenalanine, L-Tyrosine, 5 HTP, SAM-e are just a few of the natural resources available. There is a NOW vitamin product called True Focus which has L-Phen and L-Ty . . . and some other ingredients but it is more for focus. Vitamin Research Products also has some very good products for depression (all natural and high grade)--www.vrp.com. It would be better if you can stay off the meds, but if nothing else works, it's not the end of the world either. Good luck. PS: You can also try hypnosis. I am a certified hypnotist and have helped a number of people this way.

It might help to try something new in your exercise routine. Maybe walking/running or dancing?

I am trying to treat cronic fatigue with out any medications and am learning a bit on herbal remedies. After having my son almost 4 years ago, I started feeling really tired and had been tested for a hundred things. Anemia was what they kept claiming, which I do have, but anemia is a symptom of something else. Long story, I have rheumatoid arthritis at 31. I didn't start out with any pain. Just a depression like, always tired feeling. Working out seemed to make it worse for me. Have your doctor run an ANA test, just to make sure. If not, I'll be making up some kind of herbal tea....lol, we'll have to have energy tea and have teacher talk...I'm retired...lol!

A., I too felt the same way you did about taking anti-depressants. I don't know your reasons but mine were embarrament, thinking I'm stronger than that and I can do this on my own and so forth. Also, I am an exercise freak, training for a marathon. So I thought that too would help me overcome these feelings However, I began to get so deeply depressed that my doctor thought I would get to the point where the depression would be hard to just snap out of. As she told me, you take an aspirin when you have a headache, cough medicine for a cold, and put a band-aide over a cut. Taking anti-depressants is no different. So, I gave in and she prescribed a low dosage Zoloft. I will admit, after about 3-4 weeks, I was feeling myself again. I was laughing, sleeping normally and just enjoying life. No, it's not addictive or mind altering. It just help me get back my coping mechanisms. After six months on the drugs, I've weaned myself and I'm the old "me" again. So, please consider taking the meds, it's more normal in today's society than you think. Good luck to you.

You may want to have your thyroid checked. It may not be depression,but really your thyroid that is behind the always being tired. Sounds like you are taking care of yourself--don't let this go. Best of luck!

More than meds, I found that going to a psycologist help a lot. It was great to get to the root of the depressioin and work it out. She also taught me stress coping skills and relaxation.