posted
I'm going through a very difficult time in my life including lyme. Having financial troubles, going through a nasty divorce, 1 of my two children has lyme, and self employed with my business not doing great.
Next week I see my PCP and thought about asking her for an anti depressent. I tend to be more on the natural side and wanted to know if any of you knew if I can take an anti depressent while taking herbs and which one has the least amount of side effects?
Is there anything on the alternative side that might help? I've heard 5HTP is good for stress and right now I have way to much of that.
Posts: 911 | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Ive been taking 5htp for years now and it really helps with neuro stuff and sleep and anxiety.Since it helps so much i figured I would try zoloft instead of 5htp to see if it would be more of a consistent help,5 htp wears off fast.I tried zoloft for 5 days and that was more than enough for me,zombied out.I went back to the 5htp,feel like myself,the 5htp just calms things down.Ive tried a couple of 5htps and by far the best one is from douglass labs,the brand called NOW stinks.I take anywheres from 50mg to 150mg and you can feel it within 15 minutes,wears off in a few hours.I take it sparingly as needed but every night to help sleep.
Posts: 308 | From new bedford,Ma. | Registered: Dec 2004
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posted
Naw, try Cymbalta. Its a much more complete antidepressant, and it could help with nueropathtic pain as well.
It treats nueroapathy from diabetes as well due to its effect on the nuerotransmitter norepinephrine. In theory, I don't see why it wouldn't help nueropathy from Lyme as well.
We are all hoping things get better. Happy 4th!
Posts: 559 | From Cary, NC | Registered: May 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Breaking this up to make it easier reading...
quote:Originally posted by chainsaw joseph:
I've been taking 5htp for years now and it really helps with neuro stuff and sleep and anxiety.
Since it helps so much i figured I would try zoloft instead of 5htp to see if it would be more of a consistent help,5 htp wears off fast.
I tried zoloft for 5 days and that was more than enough for me, zombied out.
I went back to the 5htp, feel like myself, the 5htp just calms things down.
Ive tried a couple of 5htps and by far the best one is from douglass labs, the brand called NOW stinks.
I take anywheres from 50mg to 150mg and you can feel it within 15 minutes, wears off in a few hours. I take it sparingly as needed but every night to help sleep.
I'm not on herbs, but I take zoloft which helps my quick temper!
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posted
fwiw, the late carlton fredricks once quoted a study on vitamin E quieting the anxiety impulse that travels from teh diencephalon to the cortex.
since he made this statement decades ago, i don't recall if he was talking about mixed tocopherols--meaning that this included the tocortrienols, as well-- or a specific tocopherol.
if he meant a specific tocopherol, then, in all probability, he meant supplemental d-alpha-tocopherol with a minimal amount of the mixed tocopherols.
Posts: 2708 | Registered: Feb 2005
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kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
Cymbalta is good stuff.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I've found Cymbalta to be a good one, too, for pain -- I can't speak to the antidepressant effects as I wasn't depressed when I started it -- ( I was on effexor first, but found Cymbalta better for pain.) Beware, though -- it can be difficult and painful to get off it for a lot of folks.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
I would try SamE and Rhodiola Rosea. I would stay away from all SSRI's unless you just can't function at all. They put another load on your liver, and they can interfere with abx and make it difficult to interpret Tx progress. See this post:
posted
So Sam-e is the best natural way of combating Anxiety-Depression? Is it a herb? Do I need a prespcription?
Posts: 170 | From Vancouver | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
SamE is a supplement, Rhodiola is an herb (adaptogen like Ginseng). There was a Dr that was on the Philadelphia DVD Conference that uses them together. You can do a search on the net for a lot more info on each.
-------------------- You're only a failure when you stop trying. Posts: 945 | From U.S | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
can use use SAM-E while using mepron? I know there are a few you need to keep away for while on this fun yellow liquid.
Posts: 208 | From Santa Fe | Registered: May 2006
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Marnie
Frequent Contributor (5K+ posts)
Member # 773
posted
Likely your body *as a defensive move* is overproducing melatonin. Getting out in the sun for a few minutes = melatonin converts to serotonin.
Without enough melatonin converting back to serotonin = SAD...seasonal affective disorder. This happens also to people who live in cloudy areas. They don't get enough sun exposure to convert melatonin.
Serotonin comes from the NUTRIENTS in 5HTP and then we add 2 enzymes to produce melatonin. When we awake and are exposed to sunlight, melatonin converts back to serotonin...or it is supposed to.
Lyme patients have a lot of imbalances, but they all stem from a Mg-Ca imbalance...right from the onset. Off the bat there is a "significant" (!) drop in Mg, for PROTECTIVE reasons.
Cortisol (stress, mental or physical) also causes calcium to increase, making a bad situation worse. Mentally, try to "de-stress".
Even IF this is a terrible time in your life right now, always remember that good times are ahead. Us "older folk" have lived thru many stressful/bad times and knowing that good times always follow, helps us to survive the bad times. It is our faith in ourselves, in others, but especially our faith in God that gets us thru the bad times.
God Bless and may you find your path to health and happiness. It DOES exist.
Posts: 9424 | From Sunshine State | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
If you ask your PCP for an anti-depressant, that's what you're going to get. Easy for her to write the prescription, or give you a free sample that some drug company rep just pushed into her office. But there are many ways to treat depression we don't hear about because big pharma money is not behind them.
Buhner suggests weekly Swedish massage in his Lyme book as being the most effective treatment for depression he's used in 20 years.
Posts: 204 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
I also prefer natural meds when possible (you'd never know it with the arsenal of RX meds in my cupboard right now!). I was nervous about an RX anti-depressant, and my Dr. recommended SAM-e.
I take 400 mg./day. I do notice a difference, and am feeling more cheerful. I use Jarrow brand and buy it online.
With Cymbalta, you have to watch out for mood swings. My husband was given Cymbalta for back pain and depression recently. Within a day he didn't even look like himself, his facial expression was gone, he felt draggy and was not acting like himself. Needless to say, he stopped ASAP.
Posts: 873 | From WA | Registered: Dec 2005
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Aniek
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5374
posted
I tried multiple anti-depressants to reduce pain when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. For me, they never worked. I had no depression issues, I only tried it for pain relief.
The good part is that if you do have an imbalance in neurotransmitters, an anti-depressant can actually reduce your pain.
But if you do try them, be aware of the potential side effects. I had increased fatigue, hot flashes and uncontrolled movements that all developed while on the anti-depressants.
-------------------- "When there is pain, there are no words." - Toni Morrison Posts: 4711 | From Washington, DC | Registered: Mar 2004
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posted
With any of the SSRI/SNRI meds, the first few weeks can be really weird. It takes at least a month for most folks to feel the therapeutic effects of the drug, and for them to even out --- and of course, not every med works for every person, so it is sometimes necessary to try a few and see what works for you.
I'm all in favor of natural meds, don't get me wrong -- and if they do the trick, so much the better!
However, Paxil literally saved my life when I was terribly depressed about 11 years ago -- it was the thing that pulled me out of the hole of desperation -- so I have a real appreciation for the value of RX psych meds when needed.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Do any of you know if I can take Sam-e at the same time as my trazodone? I'd like to wean myself off the trazodone. Trying to go more natural these days.
Thanks!
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96222 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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posted
Thank you everyone. I'd like to take the natural approach and taking Sam E sounds like what I need to do. I'll give that a try first and if that doesn't help, I'll go the medical route.
Posts: 911 | Registered: Mar 2005
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