Are there any 'lite' ADs that aren't addictive and don't have side effects?

[Enigmatica]

Or am I asking for too much?

I have made an appointment to see my GP as I can't go on like this. But I don't want to be prescribed something which is going to cause me other problems.

Not sure but watching with interest!

There are herbal things you can take like St John's Wort. No personal experience. I take 'Relora' (someone on MN recommended it) which helps my anxiety/panic attacks.

try st johns wort, do some research first as to dose and make. you could also check out a book called 'the way up from down' by Pricilla Slagle MD

I'm not a medical expert, but I understand that all drugs can have possible side-effects. I've taken two different ADs at different times and never got addicted to them. Side effects were a bit annoying at first (for me it was insomnia) but they settled down after a few weeks and the pills really helped me. In any case, you might not get any of the side-effects. If you need to take them, please don't delay (I did and regret it now). You'll be feeling better soon.

It isn't clear from your post exactly what the problem is or how bad you are feeling. sometimes with emotional distress (which is another name for anxiety/depression) it is more helpful to talk to an experienced counsellor/psychologist. However if you are feeling really grim I would not be put off the thought of ADs for a short time. I think there are some very effective drugs at the moment which treat the symptoms of anxiety and depression and sometimes it is helpful to take these for a while and then seek counselling when some the of symptoms have lifted.

I have a friend who swears by St. Johns Wort which is available from Holland and Barret but I think people's anxiety/depression is so variable and has many different causes, so it isn't easy to give good advice.

Hope you get a sympathetic GP and let us know how you get on, with maybe more detail?

St John's Wort has reported side-effects too.

www.patient.co.uk/health/Antidepressants-St-John%27s-Wort.htm

I'm not saying you shouldn't take St John's Wort. I'm just suggesting that you shouldn't dismiss prescribed drugs out of hand for fear of side-effects, as more often than not, the side effects are short lasting and manageable.

sjw does have some drug interactions that you need to be aware of but side effects tend to be very mild compared to AD. check out the book, some of it is available online. it is a natural way to beat depression using supplements, makes alot of sense and seems to be working for me

thanks everyone.
i am starting councelling next week hopefully.

i have taken Valerian in the past but need something stronger.

I cant go into detail on here as i dont want to be recognised but the problems which are causing my depression/anxiety are long term relationship ones but things have come to a head recently and everything seems to be falling down around me. Added to which i now have financial problems too...

thanks for your advice

i think anything strong enough to work will have some side effects. normally the side effects wear off after a few weeks. ditto coming off them.

agree st john's wort will have side effects it is a drug like any other.

SJW has side effects and it's addicting to feel better.

Talk to your GP. The medications and all the fears you have, whatever they are, might be worth it.

There are no antidepressants which are addictive.

Valarian is like a natural sedative used for stress and to help sleep I think, I don't think it would have any effect on depression.
Most AD will have some side effects, it's a question of trial and error to find one that suits you.
SJW is very gentle compared to prescription drugs and is prescribed in Germany all the time for mild / moderate depression. The only side effect I have noticed is that it helps me sleep better!
When is your GP apt?
Let us know how you get on.

none of the antidepressants are 'addictive', some have discontinuation issues but are not addictive in the sense that nicotine or alcohol or narcotics are

Posters are saying that anti-depressants aren't addictive, but taken over a long time they can certainly cause dependence, which is not disimilar from addiction. The difference is that with addiction you crave more and more of whatever it is, and with dependence, you don't crave more, but you cannot function without them.

I had a severe depression 15 years ago following a berevement and was in psychiatric hospital for 3 months. I stayed on ADs for 14 years because GPs told me I needed to stay on them for life and I believed them. Each time I tried to reduce the dose myself I suffered what I thought were the return of the depression symptoms and GPs agreed with this and told me to go back on the full dose.

It wasn't until I began seeing a psychologist with an expertise in mental health that I understood that what I had been experiencing when I tried to reducwe the dose was withdrawal symptoms because of my dependence on the drugs. She showed me how to come off them safely and I managed to do this 1 year ago.

I am not saying that this dependence occurs with people who are on ADs for a reasonable time but I know that it happened for me and GPs did NOT know that I was getting withdrawal symptoms and told me the depression had returned because I had reduced the dose which was not the case. In my view most GPs knowledge about mental health is limited, as it is something that is not given a great deal of attention in their training.

SO I think it is important to bear in mind these things when taking these sort of drugs.
I think the thing is is to not stay on them for too long as I am sure that this is what caused the problem for me. Once I knew how to come off them safely it was fine and I did it very slowly over a 10 month period. also the GPs had no idea how to help me come off them safely and told me to reduce far too quickly which caused withdrawal symptoms again.

If anyone wants advice on how to come off the safely I will be happy to share with you what the psychologist told me to do - it was very simple but effective.

I agree Nana, GP's don't understand alot sometimes it is better to do your own research and then go to them and tell them what you want them to do for you.
Your experiences are very interesting.
I have found that in my area it seems that access to a propper psychologist has become more accessable recently.
Personally i think any one with depression severe enough to be put on AD should be assessed by a specialist.