Is it possible to successfully manage depression without medication? I would love to hear people's stories and I need lots of advice and support.

[TigerFeet]

I was on escitalopram for years until just recently. I trundled along on them reasonably well but whenever I tried to come off them I got horrible withdrawal (SSRI withdrawal is a recognised syndrome I now understand) as well as a return of my depressive symptoms.

My GP left the practise and my new GP recommended a stronger AD so that I would actually get better and be able to come off AD's all together. I was prescribed mirtazipine and I have spend almost every waking moment since trying not to fall asleep. Obviously this isn't feasable when I have a job and a preschooler so I gradually lowered the dose and am now not taking any AD's at all. Thankfully mirtazipine isn't an SSRI so no horrid withdrawal symptoms.

I went back to the GP today and she agreed that the mirtazipine wasn't suitable and has prescribed paroxetine. Now, paroxetine is an SSRI which means that when the time comes to stop taking them I will suffer horribly.

I don't want to take them. I am tired of taking medication that leaves me with unmanageable side effects. I may not be so depressed when taking them, but I still feel like shit, pretty much all the time, because of the side effects.

Is it possible to do this myself? I am terribly unhealthy, I eat far too much, don't exercise and am very overweight. If I start taking steps to sorting out those problems will they help? I struggle to maintain my weight, never mind lose any but I know it's not impossible.

What about St. Johns Wort? TBH I am so desperate that if someone gave me a big pill that said "Placebo - no active ingredients" but told me that it would work then my mindset is such that it would probably work!

Any other ideas?

I am going to cut my hours at work (if they will let me, which I think they will) which will give me the time to exercise and cook healthily.

Apols for ramble. My mind is very rambly today.

im not a very good advert at the mo

but i dont take medication as i have found it disastrous for one reason or another that i wont detail

i think you have identified some of the things which m,ight help lifestyle wise

have you tried to change your lifestyle at all over a reasonable period like 3 months minimum to see if it helps

i think it certainly will

i lost lots of weight and regardless of anything else that is a good place to work from

i really don't know anymore. I used to be strongly anti-ADs but SJW just wasn't doing anything for me. I think it only works for mild depression. I do like to think that the appropriate AD in combination with cBT, healthy lifestlye may be the best way forward. I think you can only manage yr way out of it alone if it's not too severe or maybe if you have a great support work around you. Good luck, it's not easy either way, is it?

With paroxetine now you know it's an SSRI so you wouldn't withdraw them abruptly and thus avoid the side-effects at withdrawal. They may give you that energy boost to start making other lifestyle changes. I think once you can get into a regular exercise routine that in itself can help. I use Weight Watchers for losing weight and hope to get at a good enough weight to be able to start exercising properly (w/o getting out of breath after 3 minutes would be a good start for me).

Regarding the placebo effect, wasn't there some study recently (a couple of months ago) saying that many ADs are not much better than placebo in many cases?

Good luck, it's not easy. Check out the SJW, some herbals may interfere with ADs.

here

you could also explore tryptophan which is cheddar turkey mangoes and various other things..bananas

omega three

check iron levels

exercise is good

thingsa are tied together

one advantage of self manegemnet is that you are more in control

it doesnt mean you wont get depressed..of course the mediacl background to your depression is pertinent..but using your own resources to tackle it is itself a good tool

which is in

What are the withdrawal effects that get you down Tiger? Are they physical ones or a return of depression?

I diecded finally to give up on ADs a while ago. Have been on a range of SSRIs. So long as I come off gradually I don't have problems.

I think that exercise is the best medication for me. I don't mean the self-esteem boost that comes from losing weight, meeting pysical challenges, etc. I mean the simple physical effect of a hard workout, which is tranquilising and mood-enhancing. But I know it isn't the same for everyone.

I'm watching with interest as I need to kick start exercise healthier eating too in order to beat what I am 99% certain is pnd. Self medicating with alcohol has not helped and am currently worrying and self punishing myself.
I need resolve doc recommends citalipram but cannot take that step either.

i was like you, piffle. Prescribed it first a while ago but not taken until yesterday as things at breaking point and feel I've exhausted other possibilities. I tried self-managing for yrs but tbh it meant, for me, that I didn't really deal with my issues or permanently boost my mood. I've decided this time to trust in my GP's recommendation (despite recent research as mentioned in the press) and give ADs time to kick in. At least I'll know whether they work for me or not. If not, i'm back to suqare one

YES YES YES
I refused medication and did not drink alcohol or take "recreational" drugs although friends offered them (not people I see now).
I took up exercise including some yoga once a week.
Got home exercise videos and changed my diet to more veg and fruit, very little meat or dairy, ate more nuts and seeds. The local health food shop recommend the Flower Essenses, which I used, and they also work on my cat (?!).
I also had regular massage to take away muscular tensions which were giving me sciatica.
Instituted family swimming and exercise, including walks in the country, and I started bird watching!
I also took up meditation which eased the deep depressions.
I also read "the Tibetan book of living and dying" which helped. You do not have to be a Buddhist to do this (I am not one) but I found their approach to mastering the emotions and not giving in to dark thoughts very helpful.
I still have to try hard to not get in a downward negative spiral, but I have awareness now and that is 90% of the battle.
I also started doing puzzle books and crosswords as they exercised my brain an stopped me thinking about anything else during the time I was trying to solve them!

cod liver oil with omega whatsit is very good for people who suffer with bipolar.
but really its lifestyle isnt it, healthy diet low in red meat and dairy-plenty of nuts and seed and lots of exercise.
Dark dark chocolate is good to as it stimulates serotonin release.

My DH is currently managing his depression without meds (was on prozac for a year). What has helped him:

St Johns Wort
Exercise - he runs and cycles and if he does early in the am it makes a real difference
Cutting down on alcohol
Lots of time outside - we are doing loads of gardening, growing veg and walks etc with kids
Lots of sex
different job that he really likes and supportive colleagues.
Finding disractions/ keeping active when he feels his mood deteriorating

he still has down days but is managing them atm. His up days are better for not being experienced through the fug of medication.

Good luck with it.

no idea if this is any good
www.thebigpeace.com?

Some people have found st. johns wort does the trick and might be worth a try.

I am prone to depression and have never gone on medication, (though I would be prepared to if neccesary)

I slip into depression unawares every so often and I usually start to come out of it once I realise I'm in it and decide I'm not staying in it. So I make appointments with the dr and admit to friends and family that I'm depressed, force myself to walk and eat well and so far these actions have been what it takes for me to recover before needing any pills.

I did vaguely try st. johns wort in the past and vaguely think it maybe helped.

I really hope you manage to find a way!

no idea if this is any good
www.thebigpeace.com

Hi I think I roughly agree with what Misschief has said. I think a combination of exercise, healthy eating and CBT works for me, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

I was briefly on Seroxat but came off it as I didn't feel it was making a difference. I went to a counsellor for a couple of years and that helped to a certain extent (although the first one I went to see, at my doctor's surgery, was awful and it's very important to find one with an approach that suits). Then when I recognised my depression coming back, I went to see a psychologist who used CBT and that really helped. I had to pay for it myself as my GP at the time refused to acknowledge i was depressed even though I had a history of depression . But it was worth it. I agree with zippitippitoes that the self-management really makes a difference and the CBT helped me to get to that stage - not only was I recognising that I was getting depressed but I also had lots of tools to deal with the depression myself.

When I have a good workout I also get the effect that Threadwworm describes. It helps me to have scheduled exercise, especially something that other people are going to, so I have less of an excuse for missing it. I used to regularly go to aerobics classes, and swimming, with people I was working with.

In retrospect I also think my diet was pretty bad around the time that I first got depressed (too much wheat, dairy, caffeine, alcohol, not enough fresh fruit and veg) In the intervening years I've read a whole lot about the links between food and mood and I'm happy to say my diet is pretty good now.

But it's not like I did all these things immediately and got immediate results. It sounds like you are already on the right track by wanting to do more exercise and get healthier. Just don't try to do too much all in one go, because I know i often aim to achieve too much and set myself up for failure and then end up feeling worse. A little at a time is more manageable and probably more likely to be successful.

The trickiest bit for me is the support group thing. I know I withdraw into myself when I'm depressed so I have less contact with people and it all becomes a vicious circle. Again, it helped to schedule regular meet-ups or even just phone calls with people I really trusted. At one point my mum used to call me up every morning. And even when I was having problems getting into work, I used to meet up with my best friend for lunch roughly every fortnight. But of course it took a huge effort to come to this arrangement.

anyway hope this helps a bit

have you tried any therapy?

I think exercise is hugely underrated. Even if you start off slow with regular walks and then build it into something else. I can FEEL myself getting happier when i regularly exercise (if only I can make the bloody time for it ).

Just be careful. I think it must be possible because people do it but I imagine it takes a bit of effort. Have you done any reading on the topic? There's a book called Mind Over Mood which is a very interesting look into why people get into negative thought patterns etc.

i agree with everything on this thread i think

self medicating with alcohol is unequivocally a bad thing

i do it too

or rather i find i drink coffee when i am stressed or whatever and then in the eveing i drink alcohol

that is what has happened this last week and i havent had tiome for exercise

Nothing much to add to this - exercise is good, eating healthily and trying not to put yourself under too much stress and getting the shut eye!! Hard with a littley and a job...

The other thing to have is some mentor or carer who is honest and committed and will keep an eye on you and be able to be there when you want to talk, rant or just need a hug.

i think being depressed or any mental illness is hard work to manage
but then so is losing weight

and in fact life in general

relationships

they all need work and constant management or they go pear shaped/slip into a rut/arent as good as they should be

the one thing you need to tackle them is energy and probably teamwork

so if you can find ways of generating energy and support then that will help

I do, personally, believe that there are some mental illnesses that do require medication and some people who can't manage depression/bipolar without it. But that's purely my point of view.

It's worth giving it a go if you want to and can put in the effort and it may be worth discussing this with your GP?

sorry not to come back sooner... DH turned up

self medicating with alcohol - YES YES YES but I have been much better of late, partly because alchohol + mirtazipine was a big fat stripy mess

SSRI withdrawal - I come of them very slowly but still have problems. I seem to react more strongly than most for some reason. from what I have Googled () the withdrawal can be worse for paroxetine than for other SSRI's.

I remember a thread about tryptophan and thought it made very interesting reading - and then failed to act on them 10/10 insider joke - how funny that mangoes are a source of tryptophan !

Gardening - I love pottering in the garden. The upturn in the weather will be good for me anyway I think. THe lawn is sprouting well and needs a mow... a good job for later on this evening methinks

Well dh came home just after I posted and we had a very long and very overdue discussion and he has apologised unreservedly and unconditionally for being a twat recently (which he has been but there again I doubt I have been particularly easy to live with either) and has suggested we go out and buy bikes at the weekend and get out on the roads, also that he is fully behind my going part time even if it means we struggle financially and one or two other things that needed sorting out. TBH that conversation in itself has given me a boost and he agrees that it is well worth trying to sort out my lifestyle in order to fix my depression instead of trying to do it with pills alone. Hurrah.

sounds good tigerfeet

his support is excellent

bikes sound fun

i think it could be helpful to prioritise your depression
ie think of it as an illness which requires attention and monitoring

so it isnt an option to not do the things which may alleviate the sympotms

i think that is the problem with self management it is tempting to neglect it and think oh i havent done the right things today or even worse just forget about tackling it and that is why self management doesnt work