depression?

Question

can anyone recommend a herbel remedy to relieve the effects of depresion, I have prescribbed anti depresants but refuse to take them due to the severe side effects that I encountered in the past,I do enjoy small amounts of cannabis and find it useful! but I an aware of the long term effects of that

Answer 1

st johns wort.
but b prepared 4 it 2 take time 2 get in2 u.
the link below may help 2.

cannabis can affect ur mental health, bet u already know that?
it shouldn't react with st johns wort.

Answer 2

There is a good site for natural remedies for depression:
http://www.depressionremedy.com/
They do sell products there, but they also explain other ways to combat the symptoms. I, too, have suffered from depression as long as I can remember and agree that the side effects from the anti-depressants are sometimes worse than the disease.
I use a lot of ginger in my cooking and drink tea (green tea with chamomile and ginger). It seems to help. Caffeine is the worst, (but I'm still a coffee-holic) so I combat the effects of caffeine with the chamomile tea.
Try different remedies as not all are the same and not all have the same effects on all people.
Good luck!

Answer 3

As the others say St John's Wort.

You could always see your doctor about different anti depressants. They have a wide range of them which may not be as bad as those you have taken in the past and could be worth a try if they help.

I believe the big thing at the moment is taking low dosage anti depressants and following a structured plan which the psychiatrist works out with you to keep you occupied most days. It includes work shops, counselling etc

Answer 4

Why not visit a chinese herbal clinic - they have a good range of treatments for depression generally.

Regarding your medication - it could be that the side effects of one class of prescribed drugs are different from another.

For example there are some drugs from the 'old' range of anti depressants that you take at night before you go to bed. They help you sleep and of course the side effects are pretty much unfelt as you are asleep anyway.

The newer classes of prescribed drugs have several variants - have you tried CYMBALTA ?

These work very well and have fewer side effects, why not ask your GP to try them.

Bear in mind that side effects vary from person to person anyway, but could be worth a go.


Warmest wishes with the herbal stuff, you never know they may have some good ideas too - worth a shot.

Answer 5

I'm sure you already have been told, but exercise is actually recommended as a natural remedy as it releases Serotonin chemicals.

And depression is (scientifically) related to the unbalance of chemicals in the brain that is why SSRi's are prescribed as all they really do is increase the amount of serotonin in the brain that helps send messages.

I know that when your depressed it is extremely hard to find motivation to do anything new or outside your comfort zone. But if you could get other people helping you i think it will be a really effective remedy and will mean you get healthier in general!

Also drinking lots of water helps. Cutting out caffine and tabacco, also 'recreational drugs' lol Making sure you don't get too much or too little sleep.

Connected to that idea is a change of environment or routine, even little things.

One that has different effects on different people (but proven best out of herbal remedies) is St.John's Wort - it works best on mild to moderate depression.

The drawback is that the remedy interacts with other drugs causing them to metabolise through the body too quickly.
This is obviously very significant for people on the contraceptive pill or the blood-thinning drug warfarin, who are at risk of a stroke.

I'm using ssri's as well as using natural idea's like rountine change, exercise and diet change. These are really working for me quickly as the lifestyle changes and diet changes are sorting out some of the underlying issues that possibly caused the depression in the first place.
I was worrid about using them at first, i had very few affects and don't feel i rely on them. (infact i often forget them)

But the biggest step of all is having the motivation and will power to make changes without drugs or herbal, as they will help psychologically.

have a look at this link http://www.mind.org.uk/Information/Booklets/Understanding/Understanding+depression.htm

Hope this helps! :)

Answer 6

Go to www.askapatient.com and type in the name of the drug the drug the doctor prescibed you. You will get real honest reviews of the side effects. You are self medicating. I understand though, I did the same thing for a while. I heard SAM E and St John's wort might work , but then I'm very leary of herbs too. They also must have side effects. Good luck

Answer 7

As above St John's Wart.

You do realise that Cannabis can have a severe effect on your mental health . Quick fix may be ok but it can be potentially extremely dangerous with underlying mental illnesses. Have you approached your GP about different kinds of anti depressants or tried everything . My sister went through several before she got the right ones

Answer 8

St. Johnsworth is an excellent herbal remedy. I tried it and it worked. As in all cases where a problem such as yours exists, professional help should be sought. Tablets or other such remedies only help in the short term. Getting to the root of the problem and taking it from there is the real solution.

Answer 9

The best way to help with depression is exercise. It releases natural chemicals that allow you to combat depression. Also, if you do not want to take the antidepressants, look into seeing a therapist (I recommend psychologists since they can't prescribe medicines and will focus more on cognitive behavioural therapy). A therapist can help you examine yourself, the toughts that cause you to feel worthless, and assist you in developing tools to handle these thoughts.

Answer 10

St. John's Wort is the most popular depression remedy.

I hope you are getting counselling as well, because the majority of depression cases are caused by environmental factors, poor coping, and other non-biological factors. Many people who get therapy for a qualified clinical psychologist or counselor come out of their depression and don't need to take medication for it.

Good luck to you.