Alternative Options to Medicating Anxiety/Depression?

Question

So i just got diagnosed with anxiety issues, and a possiblity of mild depression. I've been doing some research on the medications offered, and was wondering what some other options might be. I've heard of accupuncture, or message therepy, or natural supplements? Have any of you tried these? Did it work?

Answer 1

I don't know about the anxiety disorder, but I do know about the depression. No one thing helped me completely. I had to have a combination of a few treatments. I take medication which helps tremendously but does not completely resolve the depression. Massage therapy is helping a lot as are some natural supplements. The combination is doing well. Acupuncture and counseling are out of my price range right now, but I have investigated both and if you get the right people to treat it, I have "heard" it is a tremendous help.

Good luck to you. If you have a good, understanding doctor, do not be afraid of the medications though. He or she will closely monitor you to make sure you are safely on the right medication.

Answer 2

There are a lot of alternatives. But none of them proved clinically significant. Zinc 25mg per day seems to have antidepressant effect. Omega 3 fatty acids, especially the EPA in it, have some mood stablizing effects. You have to take 2 - 4 gms of EPA to have this effect and it may upset your stomach. A supplementation of these with Folic acid, Selenium, Vitamin C & E may boost the effect of Antidepressant medications.

Accupuncture is a pseudo science and some natural supplements contain high levels of heavy metals.

Start a first line antidepressants. It takes 3 months for a full effect. After 3 months you can try psychotherapy and supplementation. If things are going well you can taper off the drug. Bupropion XL will be an excellent choice if your problems are only anxiety and depression. Bupropion has no sexual side effects or weight gain.

Answer 3

st. john's wort has been found to have the same and better effect than current depression medications in a study that i dont recall.

also the depression might be caused by a serotonin defeciency try the supplement called 5-http

for anxiety try Lobelia + skullcap + Linden/Tilio as a capsule and as a tea.

try to resolve the social cause if any. here is a chinese document about it http://www.echinaherbs.com/2004/english.asp?aid=1866
it says
1) Checking Grief with Joy
2) Checking Anger with Grief
3) Checking Anxiety with Anger
4) Checking Fear with Overthinking
5) Checking Joy with Fear

if it's not a social cause then it might be physical, if so try fasting on water for 24 hours, if it doesnt clear even momentarily then it might be more serious have a complete checkup especially the liver. or try juice fasting see curezone.com

consider regular exercise and/or yoga and chi kung.

you could also try the reverse count meditation: count from 100 to 0 the first thing when you wake up. keep concentrating on the counting and visualize the numbers. if your mind strays count faster , if you feel relaxed count slower. increase the number to 300 or 500 if it gets easy. you can say it aloud or do it by mind only.

Answer 4

i have had severe anxiety/depression for over 7 years. i have been on and off medications, zoloft and lexapro, and they have only made it worse.
i suggest excercising more, such as taking a brisk walk daily or swimming, as well as eating a healthier diet, keeping a journal, and making sure you have some time out to yourself every day to unwind. anxiety is a social and stress issue, most of the time you don't need to medicate to help it--you need to relax. depression can be a serious illness, but if yours is only mild i suggest getting out more and expiriencing life.
i have quit my medications recently, and have been working on "cleaning" my body and mind, with suggestions like the ones i gave you, and it has been so much more helpful than any drug.
also, don't drink caffeine. it is a big aggravator and contributer to anxiety/depression. believe me..i used to be a heavy coffee drinker! :-)

Answer 5

try meditation..it can do wonders for your depression.

I am convinced that meditation can be very helpful for depression, whether the depression is situational (caused by external events) or organic (caused by chemical imbalances in the brain). I am not a mental health professional, and make no claims for any expertise in the field of mental health in general, or with depression in particular. However, I know meditators who have struggled with depression, and they have found their practice to be a great support.

There may be some kinds of meditation which are not of benefit to those who have a tendency to experience depression, and I will mention those in this section. The Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana practices however, are certainly useful for anyone to practice. In fact the Metta Bhavana practice is highly recommended for those who experience depression. There may also be times when it's best for those who are depressed not to meditate -- for example when experiencing an extreme bout of depression it is probably not a good idea to try to meditate.

Answer 6

breath deeply try to do it always.
you can do yoga for 20 minutes or walking any thing to produce oxytocin(feel good)
eat lot of fresh fruits &vegetables and drink water .try to sip for every 30 minutes .if u have anxiety try to press between both eyebrows with ur thumb.just try to take dance or music class if possible.remember u are not alone every person has his own anxieties .u can not win in every situation.just try to do ur best &leave the rest to god.try to be with ur loved once who will love and care about u