can i go from antidepressants to herbal remedies or both together?

4 Comments

1. Lisa L says:

   July 21, 2010 at 8:07 am

   DO NOT do this without the help of your psychiatrist. Trust me, from experience, this may be a long, difficult process, but it is well worth the time and effort to ween yourself off of the anti-depressants VERY SLOWLY. If you come off of them too fast, you may just create new problems for yourself.

   I hear that St. John’s Wort (an herbal supplement) is a good natural alternative to anti-depressants, with none of the dependency.

   But again, make sure you discuss this all with your psychiatrist. It might take a few months to ween yourself off of your anti-depressants, but doing it right is better than backstepping the progress you’ve made while taking them.

   Best of luck!
2. shaneris says:

   July 24, 2010 at 12:47 am

   It’s inadvisable to use both at the same time, particularly St. John’s wort, with antidepressants. Omega 3 is OK, with either. See insomnia treatments, in section 3, at *ezy-build, below. Use one of the relaxation methods, in bed, after lights out, on pages 2, 11, 2.c, or 2.i, but they can take some time to learn, (progressive muscular relaxation excepted) so learn and become proficient in their use during the day; an alternative is to use the EFT, in section 53, and pages 2.q, and 2.o, saying to yourself: “Even though I currently have a sleep disorder, I deeply and completely accept myself.” (or choose your own wording) while you use the acupressure tapping. Find out which works best for you, in the daylight hours, so you will be prepared, come bedtime. For many people, a good idea is to develop a set “wind down” routine for the last hour before bedtime, so your unconscious mind learns that it is time to put thinking aside, and prepare for mindfulness, (awareness, without cogitation/purposeful thought) or the EFT, in preparation for sleep, but the idea with mindfulness is to not even think about sleeping: just drift off, naturally, during exercising those techniques. * DEPRESSION: My standard post follows, but, if you are young, antidepressants are unsuitable for young people. See depression treatments, at ezy-build *(below) in section 2, and consult a doctor, to eliminate thyroid problems, etc. as possible contributing factors: also seek a referral to a therapist using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy. It is your decision, and yours alone, as to whether to take any antidepressants offered, but, before you do, read section 1, and check medications out at so you will be on the lookout for side effects, like sexual dysfunction. My strong recommendation, however, is to follow the advice of my doctor, his associate, and also Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP, and Dr. Mercola, at and many others: avoid antidepressants (pages 2V, and 2Z refer, & antidepressant websites: page 2). The reasons why we all share the same view on this are explained in full, as you will find, if you read the whole section. All of their advice, (except prayer, because many people are not religious) I have incorporated into the “core treatments”, including occupational therapy, relaxation techniques, and exercise, with others as options, such as the supplements: Inositol, or SAMe, or herbal remedies, like St. John’s wort. If you are diagnosed with clinical (major) depression, antidepressants may be necessary for a while, which will give the treatments time to become effective. The antidepressants themselves need at least several days, or even weeks to begin becoming effective. It’s a good idea to taper off them slowly, with medical advice, after several months, say, to a couple of years, at most, because they are only effective in the long term for about 30% of people. Because of this, you would be well advised to begin the treatments immediately, and maintain them. I’d just thank your mental health care provider, and pocket the prescription, trying the treatments for a few months, to see if they are sufficient for you, before considering filling it (unless clinically depressed, and having great difficulty functioning, or suicidal, in which case I’d take them). If the amount of daylight you have been exposed to recently has reduced, perhaps due to the change of seasons, see Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.) in section 2, at * and, instead of taking 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily; replace 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements for the winter months only! (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste). Consider having your doctor test your vitamin D levels, using the 25 HYDROXYVITAMIN D test. Optimal levels are 50 – 55 ng/ml (115 – 125 nmol/l. It should be above 32 ng/ml. Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won’t need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult, to achieve.
3. emi_sausage says:

   July 27, 2010 at 2:36 am

   Talk to a doctor about it. You have to wean yourself off anti-depressants.
   Some herbal stuff is dangerous and unhealthy to take with the anti-depressants (such as St. John’s Wart), but once you’re off one the other is usually OK.
4. J F says:

   July 30, 2010 at 2:25 pm

   It’s very dangerous to just stop taking antidepressants. I can’t stress that enough. If you want to ween yourself off of them, go talk with your doctor. He/she can give you guidance about how to go about that. Don’t be taking sleeping pills. Sheesh!

   There are a few herbal remedies that help with mild depression, but they are not effective with more severe cases. Exercise is another way to regulate your mood – even the foods you eat. If your doctor isn’t knowledgeable about homeopathic remedies, consult one who is. Don’t just try things out willy nilly.