What can I take long term for depression and anxiety?

[Ave Maria]

Hi everyone. I am looking for some natural remedies for depression and anxiety that I can take long term. What do you suggest?

 

[StarryEyes]

A change in diet by adding lots more raw fruits and veggies, and berries made my depression/anxiety worse for awhile but it's better now.. Sometimes things get worse before they get better but it's actually a good thing I also heard that taking omega 3's (fish oil) helps but it takes time.

Hope this helps! Those issues are really, really rough

 

[DaisyDay]

Exercise and sunshine.

Most everything else, you'd want a doctor to monitor your liver.

Also, do the things you used to enjoy even if you don't feel like it. Quite often the pleasure will kick in once you get started.

 

[Lindley]

Eat lots of bananas. If you're looking for a medicine - Serotonin is really good, although you need a prescription for it.

 

[Peppermint Orange]

I second fish oil. I personally take 2000mgs of the active ingredients EPA/DHA each day. Plus adding vitamin D3 should help also I imagine. D3 really boosted my mood a few months after I began taking it.

If in an experimenting mood, you might try removing wheat from the diet also as the protein found in wheat, called gluten, has been found to be problematic for some.

 

[PrayerInProgress]

Some very good advice here. Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Briannaa]

I have been having trouble with anxiety and depression ever since I stopped smoking marijuana. I smoked regularly for about 3 years just as something to do, then it became more of a self-medicating process. Towards the last half of that 3 year span I started having weird perceptions of reality and felt confused and sort of paranoid about everything.

I have been dealing with this for about a year now and have been really depressed. I drank at college and it seems like everytime I drank the symptoms would get worse and I would have really bad anxiety attacks the rest of the night.

 

[The Valkyrie]

I think exercise is the best medicine. I've heard that it can have effects comparable to depression drugs when it comes to treating depression. Plus, it keeps you healthy.

Then, eating a diet low in processed foods is good too. Fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains.

 

[GodbetheGlory]

St. Johns Wort, Ashwaghanda, Oat Straw
These three herbs are safe to take long term and should help a bit. They also have many other benefits.

 

[joshuverixen]

Hi, I have read this post. yoga is the best for our health. I have done my yoga teacher training course. schedule is very important, when we are doing any type of workout and yoga also.
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[puregrl]

I have had this problem myself for quite a while and have recently been taking St. Johns Wart for it. I have felt much better since i started it. That along with sunshine and regular exercise are what id recommend

 

[Susie~Q]

My main doctor is a Naturopath, and for depression she has recommended liquid vitamin D3, a good, food grade B vitamin, the electrolyte minerals such as magnesium, calcium, and zinc. Also, exercise is great, it naturally releases endorphins which are the mood elevators of our body.

There are a lot of amino acids that help as well such as L-Tyrosine, L-Phenylalanine, and HTP5.

Hope this helps.
Hugs

 

[Tielec]

Exercise definitely helps alot, results are comparable to medication. It helps in two ways - 1) through the release of endorphins, 2) the loss of weight.

Folate is easily obtained through leafy vegetables, beans or eggs and has been shown to mediate the effects of some anti-depressants. Low folate levels can mimick feelings of depression that should abate once the deficiency is rectified. It is worth a try, though it will not work unless you have a deficiency of the nutrient. If not it will have no appreciable effect (on depressive symptoms in any case).

There is some very weak evidence that fish oils might lessen the severity of depressive episodes, or even stimulate production of body chemicals which produce happiness (dopamine, serotonin). If you are a vegetarian the specific fatty acids to to look for in a supplement are docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid.

Further nutrients which MAY help - Vitamin B12, Iron, Zinc and Selenium. You should be able to find a multi-vitamin which contains all of the above (except exercise).

However, I would reccomend that you do not take these nutrients indiscriminately. Keep a journal a week before you start, and record your feelings and levels of depression/anxiety. Start taking the multivitamin, and continue to record your journal. After a month review the journal, if your symptoms have not abated then don't continue to needlessly waste money on nutrient supplements. There is not much evidence that long term use of supplements impacts health in any serious way.

If I could give you advice, stay in contact with friends, keep doing the things that you enjoy, even if you feel that they will not be enjoyable anymore, and if things get worse go see a psychologist. There are well established non-pharmaceutical treatments for depression and anxiety, and if you have had bad experience with one particular style of therapy there are others that might give results.

Good luck!

 

[OldWiseGuy]

I recommend rest, complete rest. Set aside at least one full day to begin with. Don't tell anyone about it as they will only discourage you. Most Americans are not only overtired but sleep deprived as well. This leads to all sorts of problems, notably depression and anxiety. The advice from others here is well intentioned but aimed at 'forcing' your body into the desired condition instead of 'allowing' it to attain greater health naturally. I suggest beginning your day of rest around noon and continuing until late morning or noon of the following day. You may 'nibble' to quell hunger but no large meals. Limit fluids to water only and only if you are thirsty. Too much food and drink just places an unneeded burden on you. Stay in bed even if you don't sleep. Being in the horizontal position improves total body fluid circulation and allows the heart to function more easily as well giving it needed rest. No reading, television, or stereo; your mind needs the rest as well as your body. However, reading articles on the benefits of rest and sleep beforehand can inspire you and aid in the committment. Pay attention to how you feel during your day's rest as you may actually feel worse. This is good as it tells you that indeed your body needs to cease all other activities and tend to it's real needs. You may feel anxious about this commitment as well, leading you to think it's mistake. This too is natural. It's mind over matter now. Good luck to you.

 

[Dairy]

I just posted her link in another thread! Diet wise you might take a look at Emily Dean's sight on Psychology Today. She is a practicing psychiatrist that specializes in using diet for treating depression.

Evolutionary Psychiatry | Psychology Today

Saw on Dr. Davis's sight the other day about vitamin D3 helping with depression also.

"You could take vitamin D or . . ."
You could take vitamin D or . . . | The Heart Scan Blog

snippet:

You could take vitamin D and achieve a desirable blood level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (I aim for 60-70 ng/ml), or you could:

–Take Actos to mimic the enhanced insulin sensitivity generated by vitamin D
–Take lisinopril to mimic the angiotensin-converting enzyme blocking, antihypertensive effect of vitamin D
–Take Fosamax or Boniva to mimic the bone density-increasing effect of vitamin D
–Take Celexa or other SSRI antidepressants to mimic the mood-elevating and winter “blues”-relieving effect of vitamin D
—Take Niaspan to mimic the HDL-increasing, small LDL-reducing effect of vitamin D
–Take naproxen to mimic the pain-relieving effect of vitamin D

Good luck!

 

[serenedi]

Look up 5-HTP! It is suppose to be very good for depression and anxiety.

 

[Illuminaughty]

Kava Kava can work wonders but you have to find the supplements that have a high percentage of Kalvacatones. Most of the stuff at the drug store is so weak you wont get much out of it. You can find some very potent capsules online if you look.

 

[Aijalon]

Hi everyone. I am looking for some natural remedies for depression and anxiety that I can take long term. What do you suggest?

5-L Hydroxy Tryptophan (5-HTP)
Natural vitamin supplement. Helps with sleep and depression.
This is a percursor the body uses to make serotonin. Works in many people as effectively as Prozac, which causes serotonin (the amount you have left) to stick to your cells artificially.

L-Tyrosine
An amino acid used in your body's neurotransmitters

L-dopa (ie. dopamine)
a natural supplement from the seed of a plant that from what I understand is a compound that your body can use to help create the neurotransmitter dopamine. It supposedly can be useful in helping make other neurotransmitters/hormones as well. It helps with sleep.

Fish Oil (Omega 6's)
helpful for your brain.

For 3 weeks try to following diet of pure foods:
Refrain from Dairy and cheese, it slows down your digestive system. Do not eat refined flour, eat beef or red meat, fish and fresh fruits and vegetables.

Refrain from eating highly refined foods, especially highly refined vegetable oils such as Canola Oil or hyrdogenated oils. Canola and other refined foods have thier nutrients cooked and filtered out, leaving only a single type of oil, which in high quantities polutes your body with malfunctioning cells. Your cell walls in all your cells are made of fat molecules and cholesterol. Hydrogenated oils ruin the flexibility and functionality of your cell walls, in time, your cells being to work less efficiently.

Also refrain from highly processed foods (so no long ingredient lists)

and Yes, excercise is an excellent remedy, as is sunshine. Sit outside and soak up some sun and fresh air.

I would be happy to answer any particular questions you have.....

Cheers

A

 

[Illuminaughty]

L-dopa (ie. dopamine)
a natural supplement from the seed of a plant that from what I understand is a compound that your body can use to help created the neurotransmitter dopamine. It supposedly can be useful in helping make other neurotransmitters/hormones as well. It helps with sleep.

That is a good one.

Phenibut is nice for anxiety too.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenibut

 

[Grooms Day Prepper]

Try some Royal Jelly - packed with B vitamins. Yes, D3 especially during winter. Stay away from sugar and white flour.