Does anyone know of a herbal/natural pick me up for depression?

Question

My dad died in December and my mum is alone after 50 years of marriage. She is being very strong but obviously she is sad and lonely. I know she has considered ending it all but gave herself a mental kick up the backside because of myself and my two brothers and two sisters.

Whilst we do what we can, I live miles away, I have a sister in Yorkshire, and the others are pretty far too (most of them.)

Either way, it can never make her loss any better (I say her loss as we are all married with kids so it's easier to cope I guess)

She asked the doctor and he prescibed prosac but she looked them up and it said they can give suicidal tendencies.

She ripped up the prescription as, she feels if the thoughts have been there, they may subconciously still be and the medication could push her over the edge.

Is there anything herbal or natural, does anyone know, please?

Great answers thanks. Tom K, thanks for that, appreciate the help. I call every morning if I can usually every day, my sisters both call every day too at some point (unlike my brothers.)

She also goes out with her sister and her husband every other week or so, actually gets about more than before (to keep active and occupied I think)

I work full time and have 3 kids (age 5, 4 & 3) so not so easy to get to her but I try.

She trys hard to be upbeat but I guess it gets to her somethimes more than others.

Answer 1

Treatments for depression that are used to regulate seratonin all have the ability to make symptoms worse in the short term. This includes Prozac as well as the other SSRI's. St. John's Wort is a mild regulator of seratonin, tho because it is herbal, it's potency can't be assured. Any SSRI will be safer than for her to self medicate with herbal remedies as the dose will be accurate in the prescribed medicine.
Chocolate and exercise will only raise endogenous endorphins which will give a rise in mood for < 2 hours. Omega 3 and Omega 6 fish oils will do nothing since the apparent cause of her depressed mood isn't genetic.
Marijuana won't work since it is a depressant; it will however destroy short term memory, but I don't recommend that as the treatment.

Answer 2

Lots of medicines come from herbs. As they give only temporary relief try other ways which are effective too, in the long run. Here are some suggestions for a healthier state of mind::

1. A parent is happiest when she knows that her children and
grand-children care. So why not pay her regular - if not
weekly, then fortnightly or monthly visits. Great time also
for siblings and others to bond

2. Bring her for a holiday to new, exotic destinations.Will
again be ecstatic if it's all paid for and she hasn't taken
one in a long while

3...You ppl , including her grand-children should call her
on the phone regularly so that u don't worry
unnecessarily and she won't get lonely

4.. Get her physically active in some way, either doing volunteer work or helping out some neighbours, relatives or
close friends. Her confidence to participate and enjoy life will
soar and she prob won't have time to entertain sad thoughts!

5. Be GENEROUS with your time, energy, and $$$. Pooling
of resources, done with some thought is easier.

6. The laughter, cute talking, antics, etc of her young grand children
will spur her on to reflect only on positive aspects of living.

It will take some effort to implement some of the above steps but the rewards are definitely worth it. Failure to do so may only bring greater regrets to all concerned. I wish your mum and u well, in all respects!

Answer 3

Different methods and remedies work for some and not for others. I always had a problem talking to people about my depression, but found many ways to help me feel happier.
I used to walk or cycle to the shops. It really helped with exercising the bad out and feeling good about yourself.

You don't need to be there on a daily basis for her. I phone my parents on a designated day each week. It gives me something to look forward too and also one week gives you enough to talk about for a decent amount of time.

If one form of drug doesn't work for your mum, she can always go back (if she wants to), explain that it doesn't suit her needs and the doctor can recommend something else or another route to help her feel better. St. John's Wort (like most others have recommended) is good as it's unlikely it'll be addictive compared to come prescription drugs, and it's natural.

I would also suggest to her to eat fresh fruit and vegetables. She could work that into walking/cycling to the shops also. Baking cakes and such can also help her feel a sense of achievement.

Take it step by step, not everything will work, and even though her husband has past away, she will never be alone, she has all these people typing on here to help her feel better.

I wish your whole family luck with your mum's slow but progressive recovery.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

It is actually quite rare for Prozac to make one suicidal. But it can happen. Wellbutrin (another prescription drug) is also effective and seemingly less likely to have the side effects that can be associated the Prozac/Zoloft/etc.

As most others have already mentioned, I, too, have had good results from St. John's Wort so long as the depression isn't too severe. A nice cup of Chamomile tea can also be very calming and help with anxiety.

Of course, what your Mom really needs is just more time. Time to grieve. And time to adjust to the new reality of living her life on her own. Remain supportive of her, call or write frequently to remind her that she isn't entirely alone now, and encourage her to get out with friends both old and new.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Personally I never found any of the herbal things work. But there IS really really strong evidence between essential fatty acids, Omega 3 and depression.

But in this case it seems to me that the depression is a "natural" reaction to bereavement.

Have you contacts "Cruse" and looked into bereavement counselling? THAT would be a much better, long term solution. Any pills will just be masking symptoms, when the problem is coping with bereavement and grief.

You could try asking the GP to refer to the CMHT for bereavement counselling... but you're better off looking into it yourself using the "voluntary" organisations.

Answer 7

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Does anyone know of a herbal/natural pick me up for depression?
My dad died in December and my mum is alone after 50 years of marriage. She is being very strong but obviously she is sad and lonely. I know she has considered ending it all but gave herself a mental kick up the backside because of myself and my two brothers and two sisters.

Whilst we do what we...

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Answer 10

chocolate, exercise, saint johns wort, omega 3 fish oils. Tell her not to keep looking things up they all have side effects but are very good if at anytime she starts to feel worse she needs to go back to see the doctor. She has been through a very hard time with losing your father and sometimes its best not to take meds but I do feel that if things are so bad she should at least give them a go. I have been on lots of different anti-depressants through the years and they are very good. good luck take care by the way I live in the UK as well.