Posted by bmwfan07 on December 12, 2010, at 16:39:43
In reply to Re: Best starting med for atypical depression?, posted by bleauberry on December 10, 2010, at 17:59:55
> Best place to start? Well in my opinion, not at the doctors office. That is unless you are nonfunctional or suicidal, in which time I feel medical intervention is mandatory.
I am both, at times. I haven't actively planned or attempted suicide, but when it gets severe (particularly at night), I tend to ruminate somewhat obsessively about suicide. I'm typically able to distract myself sufficiently to cease this rumination, but during those times, it's almost always at the back of my mind, like a pesky fly.I am not really functional, but that might also be because I'm unemployed, which likely only exacerbates the situation. Looking for jobs when one is anergic, apathetic, exhausted and totally numb and listless is rather akin to doing endless favors for an old, thankless curmudgeon. It's very hard.
>
> Is it a low serotonin problem? Easy to find out. Play with doses of 5htp and then tryptophan.
>
> Is it a norepinephrine problem? Play with doses of DLPA and then tyrosine.
>
> Same for dopamine.
>
> Is GABA involved? Play with doses of GABA and glycine.As of yesterday, I started taking Perika, a formulation of St. John's wort--one of the highest rated and the standard in clinical trials. I also am taking 500mg of l-tyrosine per day, but I'm not sure if that's enough (also, would DLPA be beneficial over l-tyrosine?). I'm not sure if I've noticed a difference. I thought I did yesterday, but it was likely just placebo combined with the mood reactivity inherent to atypical depression. I was anticipating, and then participating in, a friend's housewarming party and my depression seemed to lift about 70%. Now, if only good things could happen every day!
>
> For all of them, or meds, a high quality B complex should be at the heart of whatever you do. By high quality, I mean it needs at least two versions of B12 in it (methylcobabaline mandatory and another), two versions of B6 (p5p mandatory and regular B6), two or three version of niacin (niacin, niacinamide). This strategy covers a lot of bases....the stuff that makes things work, and the methyl groups to help bridge any genetic defects.I took a Trader Joe's B-complex today with my second SJW, although I'm not sure it had methylcobaline in it. But should it be taken with a meal/fat?
>
> Also at the heart of any treatment you try should be magnesium. Long story short, its functions in the brain are too numerous to count, and it is woefully deficient in the american food chain. Ones to try include MgMalate, MgGlycinate, MgTaurate, MgCitrate...in that order.
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> St Johns Wort.
> Rhodiola Rosea.
> SAMe.
>
I've heard about magnesium, too; I've just been overwhelmed with all the different possibilities. How much magnesium do you recommend?> Food can also make a significant difference. Through home experiments about a week each, you can determine whether you are a high protein person or a high carb person...one or the other will help your symptoms somewhat, while the other makes them worse.
>That's interesting. I'm not sure I possess the willpower when depressed to avoid the carbs that I sometimes crave, but perhaps this would be beneficial.
> I would not recommend to anyone a medication to start with until they first went through all the above. Even supposing all the above fail, which is no more likely than a medication to fail, at least along the way you would have discovered some interesting clues that help to choose appropriate medications. At this point in time it is a pure guess.
That is true!
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> Follow your doctor's advice on medication suggestions, follow the advice of others here for medication suggestions, or take control of your own treatment first by finding out what it is your body wants/needs that it doesn't have. I personally prefer to pose med suggestions after someone has already been engulfed in the medication circle and it isn't easy to get out. You aren't there and hopefully by trying some things never will be.
>
>I definitely understand the concern about engulfment in mainstream medicine. I guess I'm just somewhat desperate at this point to feel better, and it's tough to exact much self-discipline as far as trying natural or behavioral remedies of less perceived scientific rigor. At least, that's what modern medicine wants us to believe. :)
Thanks for your help!
poster:bmwfan07
thread:972935
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101203/msgs/973308.html