What helps, what doesn't? Managing supplements, herbs, vitamins, amino acids, etc.

[starburst]

After I had a 'crash' back in April of 2015 I went to see a naturopath who specialised in iridology. I was desperate. She told me that I had way too much cortisol in my body that was causing the depression. Like I say, I was desperate and ready to accept any help. She put me on a number of supplements. I spent over $400. One of them was Saffron in capsule form. I had to take two capsules per day. I continued with these until I ran out in September. I never replaced them because I wanted to see how I felt without them. There were not many studies on saffron but the one that I did read seemed to suggest it was beneficial for depression and actually in a double blind study participants said it was just as effective as the antidepressant it was up against. I will look for the link to that study and add it when I find it later on. I'm thinking of going back on it because to be honest I haven't felt as good as I did whilst I was taking it. But for me there is probably a big placebo factor in place. If I believe something is going to help me I seem to respond positively. For all I know I could have been taking a sugar pill. 

 

 

 

http://www.nature4science.com/zaffronel/Affron_Crocus-Sativus_vs_fluoxetine-Prozac.pdf

 

The only other things that I take that I think help are fish oil and magnesium. Magnesium definitely has a calming effect on me within a few minutes of consuming it. 

[oskcajga]

After I had a 'crash' back in April of 2015 I went to see a naturopath who specialised in iridology. I was desperate. She told me that I had way too much cortisol in my body that was causing the depression. Like I say, I was desperate and ready to accept any help. She put me on a number of supplements. I spent over $400. One of them was Saffron in capsule form. I had to take two capsules per day. I continued with these until I ran out in September. I never replaced them because I wanted to see how I felt without them. There were not many studies on saffron but the one that I did read seemed to suggest it was beneficial for depression and actually in a double blind study participants said it was just as effective as the antidepressant it was up against. I will look for the link to that study and add it when I find it later on. I'm thinking of going back on it because to be honest I haven't felt as good as I did whilst I was taking it. But for me there is probably a big placebo factor in place. If I believe something is going to help me I seem to respond positively. For all I know I could have been taking a sugar pill. 

 

 

 

http://www.nature4science.com/zaffronel/Affron_Crocus-Sativus_vs_fluoxetine-Prozac.pdf

 

The only other things that I take that I think help are fish oil and magnesium. Magnesium definitely has a calming effect on me within a few minutes of consuming it. 

 

Thank you for posting that study - it's interesting.  I posted elsewhere that a large dose of saffron gave me a really terrible reaction, but that was like 5X the normal dose - at least.  I had no problems with small amounts of saffron found in Persian food, for example. 

 

Saffron is one of those spices that has been around since the dawn of civilization (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_saffron ) and certain cultures have been using it medicinally since that time - so there may be some merit to attempting a small dose to see if it helps.

 

May I ask how expensive the saffron supplement was? 

[starburst]

Hi, in Australia a two months supply cost $39.

[Petunia]

Hey Starburst,

Supplements are ridiculously expensive here, I get mine shipped from iHerb.com. I checked the prices of saffron and you can get 2 months supply for the cost of one here. Shipping is reasonable, depending on how fast you want it. Shipping is actually free with Aust Post if you order a certain amount.

[starburst]

Hey Starburst,

Supplements are ridiculously expensive here, I get mine shipped from iHerb.com. I checked the prices of saffron and you can get 2 months supply for the cost of one here. Shipping is reasonable, depending on how fast you want it. Shipping is actually free with Aust Post if you order a certain amount.

 

Thank You Petunia. I didn't even think to look on Iherb. That is good because if I go back to my naturopath she will probably try to sell me even more stuff!

 

Here is a link to the one that I was on http://shop.bodyconcepts.com.au/products/saffron-ultra actually it is more expensive than I realised because 60 tablets is only one months supply as you need two tablets per day. 

[oskcajga]

Hi Oskcajga,

 

oh, I didn't know the proteins just get deactivated in your stomach. That would really be a complete waste of money then.

 

I just wanted to update on my experience:

I took both Acetyl-l-Carnitine and Alpha-lipoic acid along with Vitamin C, Primerose oil, Vitamin D for about a week or so. Later I also added B12 and B6, that's when I really started improving a lot. 

 

I didn't feel any immediate difference when adding Acetyl-l-Carnitine and Alpha-lipoic acid. The chest pain I had disappeared a couple of days after starting it, but that could be coincidence or natural progress.

 

I think I'll continue taking them for now, just on the off chance that they do promote nerve healing.

 

Cheers,

 

Laura

 

I've since changed my opinion on supplements - they do seem to have a beneficial effect to some degree.   Out of desperation I started taking some supplements.  I was really really pessimistic in some of my earlier posts.  For me, pessimism is relative to the extent of my misery.

 

Could you tell us what brands you were using?  I literally CANNOT figure out which brand of supplements to use, it's mind boggling and impossible for me to figure out. 

[bluebalu86]

I'm researching supplements right now. Thank you for the information about that website. They are very expensive here and also not very good quality, but I buy them from here because I can't deal with going to the customs to pick up my packages if they come from outside the EU. 

[EarthFireWaterAir]

Just a quick warning re: chamomile. It's an effective mild sedative/relaxant for many, but if you're allergic to ragweed, you may also be allergic to chamomile, or be at risk of developing an allergy to it.

[scot]

Hi,

I found some articles that may help people with withdrawal symptoms and mental issues or both.

 

If You Do Ecstasy (MDMA) Consider Ginger (Maybe same issues with SSRIs?)

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/if-you-do-ecstasy-mdma-consider-ginger

 

Virgin Coconut Oil More Effective than Drugs in Combating Stress and Depression

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/virgin-coconut-oil-more-effective-drugs-combating-stress-and-depression

 

Feel Anxious and on Edge? Get More of These Flavonoid-Rich Foods! 

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/feel-anxious-and-edge-get-more-these-flavonoid-rich-foods

 

Better Than Zoloft For Depression: Rhodiola

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/better-zoloft-depression-rhodiola

 

Beet Juice Boosts Cognitive Function In One Dose

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/beet-juice-boosts-cognitive-function-one-dose

 

Mindfulness Therapy Better Than Antidepressants

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/mindfulness-therapy-better-antidepressants

 

Probiotics Reduce Negative Thinking

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/probiotics-reduce-negative-thinking

 

Can Wild Oregano Oil Provide Relief From Engineered Diseases? (Withdrawal symptoms are engineered diseases,aren't they?)

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/can-wild-oregano-oil-provide-relief-engineered-diseases

 

Black Seed Oil: Protection In A Toxic World? (SSRIs again?)

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/black-seed-oil-protection-toxic-world

 

Sunshine Vitamin Regenerates and Detoxifies Your Hormones (Hormones issues due to SSRIs)

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/sunshine-vitamin-regenerates-and-detoxifies-your-hormones

 

Turmeric Compounds Alleviate Chemical Weapons Injury (Again SSRIs?)

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/turmeric-compounds-alleviate-chemical-weapons-injury

 

How WHOLE Turmeric Heals The Damaged Brain

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-whole-turmeric-heals-damaged-brain-1

 

Maybe some of them are out of target of this forum.Admins can remove any of them.

thanks

[Petunia]

Similar topics merged.

 

Thanks scot,

 

If anyone decides to try one of these products, please remember that any substance can cause unexpected results in a nervous system sensitized by withdrawal, so start with a very small amount, much less than the recommended dose.

 

Please report any results here or in the topic specific to the product you tried, we already have discussion topics on many of these supplements.

 

~~~~~

 

When you have a question or comment about a specific symptom, supplement or treatment, please search to see if we already have a related topic, we usually do.  Then you can benefit from previously collected information and add to the discussion.  This keeps the site organized with all available knowledge in one thread, easily accessible through searches.

 

The search function on this site doesn't work very well.  The best way to search this site for specific information  is to use Google. Type in survivingantidepressants.org then the symptom or information you wish to search for.

 

If after searching, you can't find what you're looking for, please start a new topic.

[ZombieMode]

Hi All,

 

I have done extensive research on supplements to improve and maintain a good state of health whilst on Antipsychotic drugs, including meetings with numerous specialists/GPs and numerous emails to those who specialise in the field.

 

Whilst not strong enough to push through the effects of the drugs, I am certainly feeling less sick, and less lifeless on the weeks that I do take the supplements. They are aimed at healing the nervous system/liver/brain health/gut health.

 

* Virgin Coconut Oil - several times daily, gradual increase up to 5x a day with food.
* P5P & Zinc supplementation
* B Complex, B3 (3 x 500mg), B5 (3x 250mg)
* 1/2 Teaspoon Taurine & N-Acetyl-carnite - breakfast and lunch
* Water - 4L per day - 1/2 tsp sodium bicarbonate before meals
 

Just wanted to share, like I say, I feel better when taking these and hopefully someone else can get some benefit out of this post someday

 

-Zombie

[KarenB]

Hi Zombie, thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with these.

 

I hope you don't mind me sharing the links for

B-Vitamins

Zinc

Taurine

Coconut Oil

 

so people can get more details if they want too.  (Just in case a particular one is too activating for somebody).  Coconut oil is good for so many things - I love to see it mentioned here too.  

 

Best wishes,

KarenB 

[HarleyW]

How much coconut oil per Serving?

[HarleyW]

I have tried so many things but not the aminos and coconut oil.

[HarleyW]

I have to get my life back and soon. 15 months of waves and Windows and brutal panic attacks.

[ZombieMode]

How much coconut oil per Serving?

I've been taking 1 teaspoon, with a gradual increase up to 5x a day with food

[siran]

gyes im planing to take some supply ments give me some ideas ,,.. can it possible to take 3 ,4 supplement at a time ?

[Laa]

I wouldnt take anything. Maybe it's better to let the brain heal on its own. I just took this stuff maca powder and I felt good for about a week and then it started making me crazy. Now I feel like it made me worse, when I should've been patient. So hard though. It's been three years. And sometimes I have feeling inside. But now it's numb again. And the pain during sex doesn't help. I'm ju at crying right now. And hoping in another year or two it will be completely gone. I'm going to exercize and take fish oil

[Bam]

Do you have any supplements in mind or looking for advice on what to take?

 

Personally I agree with Laa sometimes supplements can make things worse it did for me anyway.

 

What I had more success with was looking at my diet and eating more fresh and healthy foods it was suprising the difference this made overall to me

 

I am not saying supplements are a waste of time though, far from it, as a qualified fitness instructor I know only to well they can be a very useful addition in aiding in recovery.

 

The advice I would give you is introduce any supplement one at a time and monitor your reaction over a few weeks before introducing anything else.

 

Withdrawal can make us hypersensitive to vitamins, oils, aminos etc so a slow and monitored approach is advisable

[siran]

sir i have thought to get omega three,, 5htp and valarien and fashion flower..... as im on sertaline will it effect?are there any interaction with these?

[Bam]

I would definitely NOT take valerian, passion flower 5htp or any herbal alternatives whilst still taking steraline there is a high possibility of interactions between them.

 

Omega 3 made me highly anxious although I was in withdrawal at the time I know others do rate it highly but as to wether this would be ok to take with steraline I couldn't honesty say.

 

Personally I would ask a pharmacist or gp about any possible interactions between supplements and steraline they can give you much better informed answer.

[kup0]

very good advice, thanks for sharing, I think they are aimed at improving the dopaminergic system, but I think it would be important to add antioxidants. But hey, I'll try.

[siran]

after the with drawal of sertaline completly can we take those suppliments together?

[Altostrata]

4 liters of water per day is excessive.

 

Nutrient supplementation may or may help you, depending on the quality of your diet. I don't see any reason why this would be appropriate specifically for those taking antipsychotics.

[downtongirl]

Do antioxidants affect the level of antidepressants in our body?

[Fresh]

I don't think so DG. The only thing that effects the level of AD in our body is how much we swallow.

 

The thing is that ad's cause inflammation , which damages the brain membranes , the mitochondria and

our DNA.

Taking anti-oxidant supplements may assist the brain as it re-grows.

 

HOWEVER . . . it is not adviseable to start any new supplements a few days into reinstating an ssri. You need to wait until you're stable in case you have an adverse reaction.

[downtongirl]

Gotcha I had started the antioxidant a few days before reinstatement

[Fresh]

Has anyone had any success with magnesium and taurine supplements , I am currently not taking any supplements , but I have been reading a book by Patrick Holborn and he says that these to supplements in conjunction can help ease meds withdrawals , just curious

This is our thread on supplements Terry.

 

Please read the specific threads for recommended dosages etc.

King of Omega 3's , fish oil http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/36-king-of-supplements-omega-3-fatty-acids-fish-oil/

Taurine http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/5759-taurine-for-heart-arrhythmia/?hl=taurine

 

To do a search , use google and search for "surviving antidepressants Taurine" etc.

 

.

[Fresh]

From Faultandfracture:

 

"Posted 12 January 2016 - 08:30 AM

Terry,

 

Yes, I have had success with these supplements along with several others.

Magnesium is said to be "nature's calcium channel blocker." This refers more to its anti-hypertensive properties, which strays from the relevance of your topic, but I think it'll send you in the right direction.

Magnesium is a smooth muscle relaxant and helps calm muscle tension, improve heart performance, and may help alleviate depression.

 

https://www.psycholo...inal-chill-pill

 

 

Magnesium also helps to alkalize body pH.

 

Taurine is said to help relax skeletal muscle, but I think you might also benefit from a couple other supplements that deal with inflammation.

 

1.) Fish oil @ 1g/day <------American Heart Association recommendation

2.) Turmeric (curcumin) with piperine

 

I have noticed a considerable lift in mood with these!

 

What withdrawals are you dealing with and with what meds (if you don't mind me asking)?

[GiaK]

What about supplements and the highly-sensitive body http://wp.me/p5nnb-cRK

 

Hi folks, I've not posted here in a long time but I thought this might be helpful to folks who are new to all this stuff.

 

this article was first posted on Beyond Meds

Below is a response I wrote to someone about supplements for the highly sensitive body. I’ve made some additional comments for this post as well. Many of us who come off of psychiatric drugs develop hyper-sensitivities to many substances and foods. Many of us are highly sensitive to begin with as well. We don’t all do very well with supplements and there is a big push to be on them from most alternative medicine practitioners and among the general population. Supplements are by no means always appropriate. We need to learn to trust our bodies in a big way when we encounter professionals of all stripes and know that it’s okay to say no. 

 

The response I made:

 

I don’t mean that supplements are as hard on the body as pharma. You’re right they are generally less neurotoxic. They are however marketed in a way that doesn’t much care about the individual. The forces of capitalism would have you believe every product is just right for you (and those selling them often believe this is true it seems). A lot of alternative practitioners don’t really know how to go a more whole food direction and simply trust the marketing of these products much like MDs trust pharma’s marketing. Also many practitioners of all stripes have not encountered folks who are highly sensitive.

 

Supplements are often highly synthesized substances and the body quite often doesn’t like them when we are highly sensitive. (this is a generalization…supplements exist on a spectrum and can be completely unprocessed whole foods on one end of the spectrum while completely synthesized and essentially pharmaceutical-like at the other end) On either end of the spectrum, however, when we are sensitive after coming off psych drugs even the relatively unprocessed supplements are often too much. I didn’t tolerate most medicinal herbs for several years, though they’ve now become wonderful healing allies. Whole herbs are often encapsulated and then they are called supplements.

 

When we are dealing with harm reduction and healing  — supplements of all kinds are sometimes just the right thing, no doubt. I’m not anti-drug nor anti-supplement. I’m do-what-you-need to do to get to the next step. That is what I do and being non-dependent on non-food substances is my goal. It may be an elusive one but it suits me well. The path for me has involved both drugs and supplements at various times and that continues to be the case. (I rarely use any pharmaceuticals of any kind, but I never say never. In the last 3 years all I’ve used is a tylenol a few times because, oddly enough, tylenol lowers cortisol quite efficiently…tylenol is actually a highly toxic pharmaceutical so I do try to avoid them).  We must develop our own discernment and in this society and culture that can be a challenging practice. Still I’ve found it’s possible to build and learn.

 

At this point I prefer whole herbs…plants…that I make into teas most often. I consider herbs as part of the food kingdom. That they can be phenomenally medicinal is no different from quite a lot of very healthy foods in general. This again, is a preference — not a hard and fast rule.

 

The dysregulated state of my autonomic nervous system has also required being prepared to change how I support my body daily…even hourly. I think this is probably the case with many of us who are dysregulated. The thing is we’re conditioned to believe that medicine and/or supplements or even good food should be taken daily when healing when in fact our bodies demand much finer tuning. My only “protocol” is listening to my body. What I need can change daily and even hourly. Getting attached to any sort one supplement or drug doesn’t work. And then if I don’t attach I can see that a “reaction” to a substance as simply my body saying “no, not now.” It doesn’t mean no, not ever again. As I heal I find many things come in and out of being therapeutic for my body/mind/spirit.

So, I have used and continue to use supplements in ways that are critically supportive of my process…I just don’t tend to use them the way they’re marketed. I might use something that is supposed to be used three times daily once a week for example…or once in a blue moon, as needed. Still that dose can be critically important because everything matters, but I’ve learned to listen to my body for directions.

 

At the end of the day it really doesn’t matter what I do…we’re all different. I share this not so that it might be copied exactly by others but instead to show that I’m not copying anyone else. This is my trip. I learned from others who were brave enough to forge ahead on their own, but the actual details of exactly what we do always differs. We all have to find out what works for us individually. That for me is the most important thing I’ve learned during this journey. We really do need to find our own ways…as hard as that is sometimes — the journey has been an adventure for me as well.

• Food as medicine. Food sensitivities, too.
• Food sensitivities, histamine and mast cell activation syndrome
• Emotional “dysregulation” is plasticity
• Herbs heal the nervous system (and soul) in profound ways
• My growing herb list: healing with plants
• Multiple drug sensitivity (the outcome of grossly over-prescribed medications)

Edited January 19, 2016 by Petunia
Topic merged and title added

[InvisibleUnless]

if i were to state everything i agreed with in this (re)post, i would have to just summarize each paragraph you wrote.  these thoughts resound strongly and have all proven true for myself in my withdrawal process.

[Trichotomous]

I can't say what works, because I'm a hot mess, just trying to put myself back together. All I can say is what I've messed with and the results I've seen thus far.

 

I'm male and almost 50. I started Paroxetine in 1998. I stopped last summer, but didn't actually taper.

 

I had the summer off, and was largely OK. Lots of energy. Lost weight. Felt smarter. Could think faster.

 

Then the school year started again. Without boring you with the details, it's a tough time to be a teacher in the state of Indiana.

 

Now, I've taken fish oil, C, B-complex, and D for years.

 

When school began, I got hit with anxiety I could not believe. I would wake up terrified about my job. I couldn't stand to be alone. I needed to talk to someone all the time, just to keep from losing my mind. I became desperate to find anything that could help, thinking a chemical imbalance of some sort could be to blame for my present state and was perhaps always to blame for my depression. But who knows.

 

Now, the anxiety is more of a new thing. When I was younger, I wouldn't get anxious so much as angry. So there was less emotional pain. For me, anyway. Probably not for my family.

 

So, I'm anxious all the time. Need constant soothing just to get through the day. Afraid to be alone. And I can't sleep. I can fall asleep easy, but I only stay asleep for about four hours. Then I wake up scared and get to toss & turn the rest of the night. It's exhausting. I'd give anything to go to bed and not awake until the alarm sounds.

 

There's my background.

 

I started with iodine in kelp tablets. At first, it has an incredible calming effect. After a few days, that effect sort of turns on itself and I get more nervous. It also KILLS appetite, making it fantastic for losing weight. If I stay on it for more than four or five days, I can only eat about half as much (or less) than normal. So, it works well for a few days, then I'm just a mess. I take selenium with it. And magnesium. And zinc. It's definitely not something that will make me OK long term. I try not to take iodine for more than a week; I'm surprised it has this affect on me, because this is such a low dosage (250 mcg).

 

I take a ton of biotin, too. I have no idea if it's doing anything for my head. But my hair feels thicker. Nails continue to split, though.

 

DHEA definitely does good things for me. It makes me feel more masculine, more confident, more assertive, less afraid. There are physical benefits: muscles heal faster, joints hurt less. But if I stay on it more than a week, I get constipated. So I go one week on, one week off. Oh, I was taking about 12.5 mg; this week I'm taking 25 mg. Experimenting.

 

None of this helps me sleep. Again, I'm lucky if I get 6 hours. I usually get 4. And it's messing me up. The lack of sleep started BEFORE taking the the extra supplements, when I returned to school.

 

I'm almost ready to look for another antidepressant. I'm tired of trying to treat this haphazardly with OTC supplements and no medical background.

[Rockingchaircat]

What's worked for me best? Lightbox. 

http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/248-light-therapy-for-sleep-problems/

My depression has evaporated.

[oskcajga]

The only supplements that didn't seem to hurt me were multivitamins, vitamin D, fish oil, coq10, baby aspirin, and y b tabs.  Melatonin I'm extremely sensitive to sometimes so it actually keeps me up if I don't take an exceedingly small dose.  I had some luck with benadryl, but then it stopped working and made me feel awful.  So there's a tremendous amount of inconsistency with most of the supplements I've taken - so I just do fish oil, vit d, co10, and multivitamins now.

 

I've severely exacerbated my condition with supplements, and my last experiment with betafthiamine, acetyl l carnatine, and lipoelic acid actually set me back and I haven't fully recovered from that setback yet.  I think it's been like 2 months since then, and I'm still not as good as I was before.

 

So try various supplements at your own risk.  I knew the risks going in, but I'm frustrated that I wasn't able to stop it before damage had taken place - but I knew the risks and so I just sort of accepted the situation as it is.

 

Sensitive nervous systems truly are horrendous.

[Seeker53]

I thought I'd share a short lived experience here.

A couple of nights ago, I made a delicious Thai dish for dinner. It had coriander in it. Boy did I have a reaction to that! Hardly slept all night, and when I did doze off, I had horrible dreams! Felt strange and rather unsettled. I have never noticed a reaction to coriander before, but my CNS is now very sensitive. I won't be adding coriander to meals anymore!

I thought I'd mention it here in case anyone wants to avoid an unpleasant reaction.

[apace41]

I thought I'd share a short lived experience here.

A couple of nights ago, I made a delicious Thai dish for dinner. It had coriander in it. Boy did I have a reaction to that! Hardly slept all night, and when I did doze off, I had horrible dreams! Felt strange and rather unsettled. I have never noticed a reaction to coriander before, but my CNS is now very sensitive. I won't be adding coriander to meals anymore!

I thought I'd mention it here in case anyone wants to avoid an unpleasant reaction.

 

 

Surprisingly, Coriander is apparently a very strong chelating agent so it's effects on the body and CNS are not surprising (now that I know this)!

 

http://www.growyouthful.com/remedy/coriander.php

 

Thanks for raising.

 

Andy