[MomToBe]

My fiance' has depression, and anxiety. they say he has post traumatic stress but i dont buy it. He also has very high energy and cant sleep at night, his doctor has tried most of the anti-depressants and depokote..also another one i cant think of right now but nothing is working. and he wont take the pills that make him drowsy. Hes doctor is not very good and i was wondering if anyone has had good results with any meds for these conditions/symptoms.
Thanks!

[Cats Meow]

I think AD's are way over prescribed, have too many side effects, and they don't work over 50% of the time. Wellbutrin (Bupropion) has probably the fewest side effects, and if he smokes it'll help curb it, it's one you might want to look into.

[Daigaisai_Taren]

I dunno...it's often hard to pin down what's going on, because people will go from medication to medication for years without taking breaks to see if they still need them. To me those symptoms sound like either mixed state bipolar, or TFMP which doens't exactly exist, and I think I'm the only one who refers to it as such but affects a lot of people anyway (TFMP stands for Too F**king Many Pills).

[karmayogi]

Herbs such as St. John's wort and sage or supplements such as 5-HTP are known to be effective in treating depressive disorders. Moreover, they do not have any side effects and are categorized as good scientific evidence by Natural Standards. Please refer to rvita.com for more details.

[laustin4]

I know when I went on anti-depressants, the Dr told me it would get worse before it gets better. I used an anti-anxiety with Effexor Xr for the first 30 days as needed and that help me through the jittery parts. After 30 days i did not need the Xanaz or Clonazapam.... Depression and anxiety go hand in hand is what I was told...not always but sometimes! Good luck!

[cess06]

These can help without taking anti-deprssant:
Many women with mild to moderate depression don’t feel they have the energy to make dietary or other changes in their health habits. They’re discouraged and tired. I tell them to just give it two weeks: you can do that for yourself. And the lift you’ll feel in your energy will be remarkable. You’ll have the strength to keep going with other changes. Here’s how to get started:

* Limit consumption of carbohydrates, especially simple carbohydrates, including alcohol. (Don’t eliminate all complex carbohydrates, however. Too few carbohydrates will cause serotonin levels to plummet because the brain is not being fed properly.)


* Eat a balanced diet and take a rich nutritional supplement. Many factors that contribute to low serotonin production are created by nutritional deficiencies. Similarly, if you suffer from digestive problems, find an alternative practitioner to help you. (You may also want to consider digestive testing.) We put all our patients on a pharmaceutical–grade nutritional supplement, like those we offer in our Personal Program, to help cover any gaps in their diets. (Click here to read more about Essential Nutrients.)


* Reduce stimulant use and known physical stressors to help balance out serotonin levels. See our article on reducing caffeine, as well as our full-length article on healing stress for guidance.)


* Exercise is a good way to reduce stress and enhance mood. It releases endorphins — which create a natural euphoria — and reduces cortisol levels. You don’t have to join a gym, even a daily walk to the mailbox is a good place to start. Experts recommend beginning slowly, working up to 30 minutes, six times a week. Or just start with burst training — one minute four times a day, three times weekly. Combining some weight-bearing exercise with aerobic activity (like walking or biking) provides the most relief.


* Get moderate sun or full-spectrum light exposure year-round. A real connection exists between vitamin D deficiency and depression. It’s commonly known that full-spectrum light exposure, especially natural sunlight (which stimulates vitamin D production), is a very effective treatment for SAD. Same with supplements of vitamin D. Future research will tell us more about this link (as well as low vitamin E levels). I am now testing my patients regularly for vitamin D deficiency. For people with symptoms of depression, this is one of the first places I look. Even if you decide not to undergo testing, supplementing your diet with 2000 IU vitamin D daily is an easy, safe, inexpensive, and extremely beneficial measure.