Depression - St John's Wort - Experience
So, a few weeks ago, something happened that made me realise that I was depressed. Of course, things have been worse because of what has just happened, however looking back, I scarily cannot remember when I was last genuinely and truly happy.
I feel as though I have simply been going through the motions of life like you're supposed to, but everything I do, I do because I feel as though it's something that I should do, rather than something that I actually want to do. I can recognise when events should be good or bad, but haven't really felt anything for probably about a decade.
That's not to say that I've got severe depression. I don't feel particularly sad either, I don't cry, I don't get suicidal thoughts. It's more of a very thin curtain separating my experience of life from what the experience should be. I have been diagnosed with dysthymia - a mild but ever present depression, which is accompanied with a small amount of anxiety.
One thing that I suffer from the most is irritability. I feel sorry for my boyfriend at times because he just CAN'T do anything right. There are things he does that other people would just be able to shrug off, but all this time I've thought he has major flaws - but as it turns out, I'm the one with the problem (that's not to say he's perfect, obviously).
So, I was discussing medication with my doctor. She started talking about counselling, which I don't think will help because NOTHING has happened to make me feel depressed. If I'm wrong, and things don't get better, I will consider it. I feel as though I have probably got a serotonin deficiency, and my doctor agrees that if this were addressed, I should find that I am able to enjoy my life again, and experience some relief from the irritability.
We were talking about anti-depressants, however the side effects put me off completely. I thought to myself that I don't feel so bad that these side effects would be worth it (although my doctor suggests that when my depression lifts, I will be shocked at how low I'd become without realising it because it was so gradual and happened over such a long period of time - beginning during my teenage years, where low mood is accepted to some extent).
She mentioned in passing that there are some herbal remedies that are known to be effective for many people, two of which include St John's Wort and 5-HTP supplements. I asked her to give me some time to research my options, and then I would come back to her. After looking online, I found that there are lots of stories about these supplements that are incredibly positive, most of which include a lack of side effects, which makes them a preferable option against ADs, unless you have SEVERE depression which, as I stated, I don't. I've never, ever been unable to function or get out of bed or anything like that.
I found a supplement by a company called Nutriodol on Amazon, that has good reviews. It's a mixture of St John's Wort and 5-HTP (relatively low doses of each, as you can't mix the two at a higher dose) and you only have to take one a day, which sounded good to me, because other supplements stated that you had to take 3 tablets 3 times a day, and I wouldn't remember to stick to that.
I have done SO much research about success stories, read through about 60 pages of Google results to get the good and bad points about it. It seemed to have mostly positive reviews from people who actually used it and I figured that, as I'm not at a crisis point or anything, I owed it to myself to try this.
Back to the doctor, she agreed, so I have taken the first dose today.
I thought I would keep a sort of blog here, to let people know of my experiences. One of the things that I noticed whilst doing my research was that people updated to an extent, but as soon as they felt better, there was no reason for them to be on a depression forum anymore, so the updates stopped - at exactly the point I was most interested in! I don't just want to hear that they felt the depression lifting after a few weeks/months or whatever - I wanted to hear about how, four years down the line, they were living a normal, functional and (dare I hope) happy life, and whether they are now free of taking anything at all.
So I will provide that here, my journey, when I remember. I have no idea how quickly this will work. Most people say that it takes a few weeks to feel the full effects, but because the 5-HTP part of it works quite quickly, there have been reports of people feeling a tiny lift within the first day or so. Well I would very much like to be in the latter category but I'm more than happy to wait a while if needed.
If anyone has any kind of experience with this, feel free to post.
I do NOT need to hear "LOL IT'S A PLACEBO" from people who have never tried it, either. Remember, this is my mental health and the mental health of millions of others that's being discussed - I feel as though I'm taking a positive step, and if it doesn't work then I'll find that out for myself, thanks.
I feel as though I have simply been going through the motions of life like you're supposed to, but everything I do, I do because I feel as though it's something that I should do, rather than something that I actually want to do. I can recognise when events should be good or bad, but haven't really felt anything for probably about a decade.
That's not to say that I've got severe depression. I don't feel particularly sad either, I don't cry, I don't get suicidal thoughts. It's more of a very thin curtain separating my experience of life from what the experience should be. I have been diagnosed with dysthymia - a mild but ever present depression, which is accompanied with a small amount of anxiety.
One thing that I suffer from the most is irritability. I feel sorry for my boyfriend at times because he just CAN'T do anything right. There are things he does that other people would just be able to shrug off, but all this time I've thought he has major flaws - but as it turns out, I'm the one with the problem (that's not to say he's perfect, obviously).
So, I was discussing medication with my doctor. She started talking about counselling, which I don't think will help because NOTHING has happened to make me feel depressed. If I'm wrong, and things don't get better, I will consider it. I feel as though I have probably got a serotonin deficiency, and my doctor agrees that if this were addressed, I should find that I am able to enjoy my life again, and experience some relief from the irritability.
We were talking about anti-depressants, however the side effects put me off completely. I thought to myself that I don't feel so bad that these side effects would be worth it (although my doctor suggests that when my depression lifts, I will be shocked at how low I'd become without realising it because it was so gradual and happened over such a long period of time - beginning during my teenage years, where low mood is accepted to some extent).
She mentioned in passing that there are some herbal remedies that are known to be effective for many people, two of which include St John's Wort and 5-HTP supplements. I asked her to give me some time to research my options, and then I would come back to her. After looking online, I found that there are lots of stories about these supplements that are incredibly positive, most of which include a lack of side effects, which makes them a preferable option against ADs, unless you have SEVERE depression which, as I stated, I don't. I've never, ever been unable to function or get out of bed or anything like that.
I found a supplement by a company called Nutriodol on Amazon, that has good reviews. It's a mixture of St John's Wort and 5-HTP (relatively low doses of each, as you can't mix the two at a higher dose) and you only have to take one a day, which sounded good to me, because other supplements stated that you had to take 3 tablets 3 times a day, and I wouldn't remember to stick to that.
I have done SO much research about success stories, read through about 60 pages of Google results to get the good and bad points about it. It seemed to have mostly positive reviews from people who actually used it and I figured that, as I'm not at a crisis point or anything, I owed it to myself to try this.
Back to the doctor, she agreed, so I have taken the first dose today.
I thought I would keep a sort of blog here, to let people know of my experiences. One of the things that I noticed whilst doing my research was that people updated to an extent, but as soon as they felt better, there was no reason for them to be on a depression forum anymore, so the updates stopped - at exactly the point I was most interested in! I don't just want to hear that they felt the depression lifting after a few weeks/months or whatever - I wanted to hear about how, four years down the line, they were living a normal, functional and (dare I hope) happy life, and whether they are now free of taking anything at all.
So I will provide that here, my journey, when I remember. I have no idea how quickly this will work. Most people say that it takes a few weeks to feel the full effects, but because the 5-HTP part of it works quite quickly, there have been reports of people feeling a tiny lift within the first day or so. Well I would very much like to be in the latter category but I'm more than happy to wait a while if needed.
If anyone has any kind of experience with this, feel free to post.
I do NOT need to hear "LOL IT'S A PLACEBO" from people who have never tried it, either. Remember, this is my mental health and the mental health of millions of others that's being discussed - I feel as though I'm taking a positive step, and if it doesn't work then I'll find that out for myself, thanks.
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This has only just been approved and, because you can't edit anon posts, I felt I should update here:
St John's Wort has MAJOR problems with drug interactions, most notably with ADs as serotonin levels can reach dangerously high levels. In addition, it can prevent the CONTRACEPTIVE PILL from being effective.
I am doing this after months of research, both scientific journals and personal stories from other people. If you choose to try it, please do not do so lightly. Don't assume that herbal = safe. It is still a medication with an active ingredient.
----
4 hours after taking it and I feel.. nothing. Which I suppose is good, because some people report severe headaches and other side effects within an hour of taking it.
I haven't experienced the "miracle 90 minute lift" that lots of people also experience haha although I wasn't really expecting it. Would have been nice to just solve the problem immediately of course
but never mind, as I said, I was more than prepared that it would be weeks because that's what all of the literature says. The drug needs to build up over time to get a good effect (if, of course, it works for me at all).
----
Hopefully I'll be able to write a little about my depression as well, what you can look out for when you're depressed, how to get help etc etc. And if this drug doesn't work, I will also document my journey through wherever I have to go next.
St John's Wort has MAJOR problems with drug interactions, most notably with ADs as serotonin levels can reach dangerously high levels. In addition, it can prevent the CONTRACEPTIVE PILL from being effective.
I am doing this after months of research, both scientific journals and personal stories from other people. If you choose to try it, please do not do so lightly. Don't assume that herbal = safe. It is still a medication with an active ingredient.
----
4 hours after taking it and I feel.. nothing. Which I suppose is good, because some people report severe headaches and other side effects within an hour of taking it.
I haven't experienced the "miracle 90 minute lift" that lots of people also experience haha although I wasn't really expecting it. Would have been nice to just solve the problem immediately of course
but never mind, as I said, I was more than prepared that it would be weeks because that's what all of the literature says. The drug needs to build up over time to get a good effect (if, of course, it works for me at all).----
Hopefully I'll be able to write a little about my depression as well, what you can look out for when you're depressed, how to get help etc etc. And if this drug doesn't work, I will also document my journey through wherever I have to go next.
Probably (definitely) won't be updating this every day. I'm only using it for my own rambling musings on the situation anyway.
I was thinking about the differences between the St John's Wort and the 5-HTP before. I know that the 5-HTP is supposed to be fast acting, and is out of your system completely in a few hours. So in theory, it should give you a small boost before leaving the body. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't feel that boost yesterday, because it is something that I'd read about in the reviews of the tablets.
However, thinking about it further, perhaps it will only become apparent when the St John's Wort itself is working. Obviously there's A LOT of confusion about how it works, but they tend to think it works like an SSRI. So maybe it doesn't matter how much serotonin is in my brain; if the SSRI aspect of it isn't yet working, it won't be able to have much of an effect anyway. So that's my own personal explanation of why I didn't feel anything. It makes sense in my mind.
Because of the long half life of SJW it can take around 6 weeks for the amount in your system to level out. So day by day until then, the amount should slowly rise.
----
Now, of course I don't believe that anything can have happened yet. However two things have happened that have surprised me. Last night, my boyfriend asked me whether I fancied going for a walk round the Christmas markets in Manchester when they arrive in November. Usually I would say no, without even thinking about it, but yesterday I said yes, researched the trains needed, and put a date in my diary.
Also, this morning, I didn't wake up with anxiety, for the first time in about a month.
This confuses me. Of course, the obvious solution is that it is a placebo effect, but would you get a placebo effect if you're looking so carefully for one? I'm a psychology grad so am very interested in that type of thing, and for that reason I wouldn't have thought I'd feel anything without it actually being there.
On the other hand, I didn't wake up with anxiety. I planned to go somewhere and, up to now, I'm not regretting it. So really, it doesn't matter whether it's a placebo or not. I need to get my life back on track, and whether the SJW/5-HTP is genuinely helping with serotonin levels, or whether it's all in my imagination, as long as it has the same result, who cares really!
----
Sorry for the musings, I will carry on writing. I don't really expect replies, but I do hope that perhaps my experiences will help people and encourage them.
With regards to dosage, the pills I'm taking say to take 1-2 pills per day. I have started on one pill, and will give it the six weeks to see what happens and how I feel. If I see no effect, or too small an effect, after this time, I will try the extra pill for a further six weeks to see what that does. My next plan is to try the SJW/5-HTP on its own, and if that fails, THEN I go back to the doctor and think of a "Plan D". But I do feel positive because of the fact that there are so many different options out there.
I am still looking forward to positive results, because as I say I have read plenty of other stories about it, but I am keeping open minded about the future (and, in fact, I don't think I would have done that a few days ago lol, so that's a bit weird).
I was thinking about the differences between the St John's Wort and the 5-HTP before. I know that the 5-HTP is supposed to be fast acting, and is out of your system completely in a few hours. So in theory, it should give you a small boost before leaving the body. I was a bit disappointed that I didn't feel that boost yesterday, because it is something that I'd read about in the reviews of the tablets.
However, thinking about it further, perhaps it will only become apparent when the St John's Wort itself is working. Obviously there's A LOT of confusion about how it works, but they tend to think it works like an SSRI. So maybe it doesn't matter how much serotonin is in my brain; if the SSRI aspect of it isn't yet working, it won't be able to have much of an effect anyway. So that's my own personal explanation of why I didn't feel anything. It makes sense in my mind.
Because of the long half life of SJW it can take around 6 weeks for the amount in your system to level out. So day by day until then, the amount should slowly rise.
----
Now, of course I don't believe that anything can have happened yet. However two things have happened that have surprised me. Last night, my boyfriend asked me whether I fancied going for a walk round the Christmas markets in Manchester when they arrive in November. Usually I would say no, without even thinking about it, but yesterday I said yes, researched the trains needed, and put a date in my diary.
Also, this morning, I didn't wake up with anxiety, for the first time in about a month.
This confuses me. Of course, the obvious solution is that it is a placebo effect, but would you get a placebo effect if you're looking so carefully for one? I'm a psychology grad so am very interested in that type of thing, and for that reason I wouldn't have thought I'd feel anything without it actually being there.
On the other hand, I didn't wake up with anxiety. I planned to go somewhere and, up to now, I'm not regretting it. So really, it doesn't matter whether it's a placebo or not. I need to get my life back on track, and whether the SJW/5-HTP is genuinely helping with serotonin levels, or whether it's all in my imagination, as long as it has the same result, who cares really!
----
Sorry for the musings, I will carry on writing. I don't really expect replies, but I do hope that perhaps my experiences will help people and encourage them.
With regards to dosage, the pills I'm taking say to take 1-2 pills per day. I have started on one pill, and will give it the six weeks to see what happens and how I feel. If I see no effect, or too small an effect, after this time, I will try the extra pill for a further six weeks to see what that does. My next plan is to try the SJW/5-HTP on its own, and if that fails, THEN I go back to the doctor and think of a "Plan D". But I do feel positive because of the fact that there are so many different options out there.
I am still looking forward to positive results, because as I say I have read plenty of other stories about it, but I am keeping open minded about the future (and, in fact, I don't think I would have done that a few days ago lol, so that's a bit weird).
As a random note, I have just realised that because of the time of the month, my depression/anxiety is going to be worse - so as far as experiments go, I've chosen a bit of a silly start time.
I'll have a better idea of how I'm feeling in a few days when those specific symptoms are gone.
I'll have a better idea of how I'm feeling in a few days when those specific symptoms are gone.
Day 3: Third dose today. No change in mood, but as I say it's way too early yet.
I do, however, feel as though I've slept better the last two nights. I've woken up tired, but not completely exhausting like I have been doing recently. May be a coincidence. Don't have much to say about it today, hopefully I will be able to soon.
I do, however, feel as though I've slept better the last two nights. I've woken up tired, but not completely exhausting like I have been doing recently. May be a coincidence. Don't have much to say about it today, hopefully I will be able to soon.
I'm only on here quickly so didn't read the whole thing (although I'll try and come back and read everything), but I saw you said you didn't want counseling because you feel it is due to a serotonin thing. I just wanted to say that therapy can help depression even if it is a chemical thing, especially therapies such as CBT. CBT has helped me so much with my problems and I really urge you to try it - It's much more of a long term solution than drugs are.
Also during the beginning stages of my depression I found that St. John's wort did significantly help, although it eventually got to the point that it was not enough.
I hope you have a good experience
Also during the beginning stages of my depression I found that St. John's wort did significantly help, although it eventually got to the point that it was not enough.
I hope you have a good experience
Original post by Squaresquirrel
I'm only on here quickly so didn't read the whole thing (although I'll try and come back and read everything), but I saw you said you didn't want counseling because you feel it is due to a serotonin thing. I just wanted to say that therapy can help depression even if it is a chemical thing, especially therapies such as CBT. CBT has helped me so much with my problems and I really urge you to try it - It's much more of a long term solution than drugs are.
Also during the beginning stages of my depression I found that St. John's wort did significantly help, although it eventually got to the point that it was not enough.
I hope you have a good experience
Also during the beginning stages of my depression I found that St. John's wort did significantly help, although it eventually got to the point that it was not enough.
I hope you have a good experience
Thank you
I am open to trying it in the future but am just so unsure what I'd talk about. Nothing's ever happened that's bad really. But yeah I am pretty much going along with what my doc is advising and if she thinks I should after a month or so on these I will take her advice.----
Before the current negative situation occurred, although I still had dysthymia, I would sing all the time. Music was always something that could help lift my mood, if only briefly and not to 'happy' as such, just 'not low'.
Today I have found that I constantly have songs in my head & have been singing some of them at points. I also got one of my musical instruments out for a practice which I haven't been able to do for the last month.
The situation I'm in hasn't changed, and it's still horrible, but for some reason I've been able to let music in again even if it is only a little thing.
----
Lots of the things I comment on may be total coincidence but I want to write them down. I may also take this to my doc appointment to show her what's been going on & try to get her thoughts on it.
Tomorrow is day 4!
Day 4.
I've signed up to MoodGym which is an online CBT thingy. I've read a bit about it, and there are people who say it has decent results, so I thought I'd try it alongside the SJW to see if I could find any kind of benefits from it.
I am literally the most impatient person ever, by the way. Thinking about it, when I first started I was kind of hoping to feel a difference within approximately 30 seconds of taking the first pill, lol.
I have read soooo many reviews, some say they've felt something after 90mins (although I'm fairly sure people in that group MUST be experiencing a placebo effect), others after one or two days, lots say within a week, and then some say it took the full 5-6 weeks, which is what it says on the packaging.
I have to be patient. Must be patient. Lol.
Yesterday, I booked a two day trip Christmas shopping with my partner. I would never have bothered doing anything like that in the past, and I don't know whether the SJW has helped to improve things ever so slightly (I don't think I can notice yet, though) or whether it's more my mind set of knowing that I want to improve things for myself. Either way I suppose it doesn't matter. I've booked it for the end of next month, and I'm not dreading it. It's not somewhere I've been before either, though he has, which helps. But I've always very much wanted to stay within my comfort zone, and this feels as though it's a huge step forward.
By the time I go, I will have been on the SJW for 5 weeks, so in theory it should be working by then, if it's going to.
As I say, there's always the option of doubling my current dosage as well, which I won't rule out. It says 1-2 tabs and I'm taking 1 at the moment.
I've signed up to MoodGym which is an online CBT thingy. I've read a bit about it, and there are people who say it has decent results, so I thought I'd try it alongside the SJW to see if I could find any kind of benefits from it.
I am literally the most impatient person ever, by the way. Thinking about it, when I first started I was kind of hoping to feel a difference within approximately 30 seconds of taking the first pill, lol.
I have read soooo many reviews, some say they've felt something after 90mins (although I'm fairly sure people in that group MUST be experiencing a placebo effect), others after one or two days, lots say within a week, and then some say it took the full 5-6 weeks, which is what it says on the packaging.
I have to be patient. Must be patient. Lol.
Yesterday, I booked a two day trip Christmas shopping with my partner. I would never have bothered doing anything like that in the past, and I don't know whether the SJW has helped to improve things ever so slightly (I don't think I can notice yet, though) or whether it's more my mind set of knowing that I want to improve things for myself. Either way I suppose it doesn't matter. I've booked it for the end of next month, and I'm not dreading it. It's not somewhere I've been before either, though he has, which helps. But I've always very much wanted to stay within my comfort zone, and this feels as though it's a huge step forward.
By the time I go, I will have been on the SJW for 5 weeks, so in theory it should be working by then, if it's going to.
As I say, there's always the option of doubling my current dosage as well, which I won't rule out. It says 1-2 tabs and I'm taking 1 at the moment.
The only side effect I've noticed so far is a dry mouth. But, actually, I think that will turn out to be a fairly positive thing, because it's making me increase my water intake, which can only be good, right? And it's a side effect that I can put up with at least.
I've noticed that this afternoon, I've been really chatty. I have actually made one or two jokes as well.
It's like, I don't feel as though I'm happy (yet) or that anything has changed, but I do think I have been a bit more able to have positive interactions with other people, hold conversations, have a bit of a laugh etc.
Also just had a takeaway and really appreciated the taste of the food.
Even tiny little changes like that make a huge difference in day to day life experience.
Unsure if it is a coincidence but it's rare for me to be as chatty as I've been today so fingers crossed.
It's like, I don't feel as though I'm happy (yet) or that anything has changed, but I do think I have been a bit more able to have positive interactions with other people, hold conversations, have a bit of a laugh etc.
Also just had a takeaway and really appreciated the taste of the food.
Even tiny little changes like that make a huge difference in day to day life experience.
Unsure if it is a coincidence but it's rare for me to be as chatty as I've been today so fingers crossed.
Original post by Anonymous
So, a few weeks ago, something happened that made me realise that I was depressed. Of course, things have been worse because of what has just happened, however looking back, I scarily cannot remember when I was last genuinely and truly happy.
I feel as though I have simply been going through the motions of life like you're supposed to, but everything I do, I do because I feel as though it's something that I should do, rather than something that I actually want to do. I can recognise when events should be good or bad, but haven't really felt anything for probably about a decade.
That's not to say that I've got severe depression. I don't feel particularly sad either, I don't cry, I don't get suicidal thoughts. It's more of a very thin curtain separating my experience of life from what the experience should be. I have been diagnosed with dysthymia - a mild but ever present depression, which is accompanied with a small amount of anxiety.
One thing that I suffer from the most is irritability. I feel sorry for my boyfriend at times because he just CAN'T do anything right. There are things he does that other people would just be able to shrug off, but all this time I've thought he has major flaws - but as it turns out, I'm the one with the problem (that's not to say he's perfect, obviously).
So, I was discussing medication with my doctor. She started talking about counselling, which I don't think will help because NOTHING has happened to make me feel depressed. If I'm wrong, and things don't get better, I will consider it. I feel as though I have probably got a serotonin deficiency, and my doctor agrees that if this were addressed, I should find that I am able to enjoy my life again, and experience some relief from the irritability.
We were talking about anti-depressants, however the side effects put me off completely. I thought to myself that I don't feel so bad that these side effects would be worth it (although my doctor suggests that when my depression lifts, I will be shocked at how low I'd become without realising it because it was so gradual and happened over such a long period of time - beginning during my teenage years, where low mood is accepted to some extent).
She mentioned in passing that there are some herbal remedies that are known to be effective for many people, two of which include St John's Wort and 5-HTP supplements. I asked her to give me some time to research my options, and then I would come back to her. After looking online, I found that there are lots of stories about these supplements that are incredibly positive, most of which include a lack of side effects, which makes them a preferable option against ADs, unless you have SEVERE depression which, as I stated, I don't. I've never, ever been unable to function or get out of bed or anything like that.
I found a supplement by a company called Nutriodol on Amazon, that has good reviews. It's a mixture of St John's Wort and 5-HTP (relatively low doses of each, as you can't mix the two at a higher dose) and you only have to take one a day, which sounded good to me, because other supplements stated that you had to take 3 tablets 3 times a day, and I wouldn't remember to stick to that.
I have done SO much research about success stories, read through about 60 pages of Google results to get the good and bad points about it. It seemed to have mostly positive reviews from people who actually used it and I figured that, as I'm not at a crisis point or anything, I owed it to myself to try this.
Back to the doctor, she agreed, so I have taken the first dose today.
I thought I would keep a sort of blog here, to let people know of my experiences. One of the things that I noticed whilst doing my research was that people updated to an extent, but as soon as they felt better, there was no reason for them to be on a depression forum anymore, so the updates stopped - at exactly the point I was most interested in! I don't just want to hear that they felt the depression lifting after a few weeks/months or whatever - I wanted to hear about how, four years down the line, they were living a normal, functional and (dare I hope) happy life, and whether they are now free of taking anything at all.
So I will provide that here, my journey, when I remember. I have no idea how quickly this will work. Most people say that it takes a few weeks to feel the full effects, but because the 5-HTP part of it works quite quickly, there have been reports of people feeling a tiny lift within the first day or so. Well I would very much like to be in the latter category but I'm more than happy to wait a while if needed.
If anyone has any kind of experience with this, feel free to post.
I do NOT need to hear "LOL IT'S A PLACEBO" from people who have never tried it, either. Remember, this is my mental health and the mental health of millions of others that's being discussed - I feel as though I'm taking a positive step, and if it doesn't work then I'll find that out for myself, thanks.
I feel as though I have simply been going through the motions of life like you're supposed to, but everything I do, I do because I feel as though it's something that I should do, rather than something that I actually want to do. I can recognise when events should be good or bad, but haven't really felt anything for probably about a decade.
That's not to say that I've got severe depression. I don't feel particularly sad either, I don't cry, I don't get suicidal thoughts. It's more of a very thin curtain separating my experience of life from what the experience should be. I have been diagnosed with dysthymia - a mild but ever present depression, which is accompanied with a small amount of anxiety.
One thing that I suffer from the most is irritability. I feel sorry for my boyfriend at times because he just CAN'T do anything right. There are things he does that other people would just be able to shrug off, but all this time I've thought he has major flaws - but as it turns out, I'm the one with the problem (that's not to say he's perfect, obviously).
So, I was discussing medication with my doctor. She started talking about counselling, which I don't think will help because NOTHING has happened to make me feel depressed. If I'm wrong, and things don't get better, I will consider it. I feel as though I have probably got a serotonin deficiency, and my doctor agrees that if this were addressed, I should find that I am able to enjoy my life again, and experience some relief from the irritability.
We were talking about anti-depressants, however the side effects put me off completely. I thought to myself that I don't feel so bad that these side effects would be worth it (although my doctor suggests that when my depression lifts, I will be shocked at how low I'd become without realising it because it was so gradual and happened over such a long period of time - beginning during my teenage years, where low mood is accepted to some extent).
She mentioned in passing that there are some herbal remedies that are known to be effective for many people, two of which include St John's Wort and 5-HTP supplements. I asked her to give me some time to research my options, and then I would come back to her. After looking online, I found that there are lots of stories about these supplements that are incredibly positive, most of which include a lack of side effects, which makes them a preferable option against ADs, unless you have SEVERE depression which, as I stated, I don't. I've never, ever been unable to function or get out of bed or anything like that.
I found a supplement by a company called Nutriodol on Amazon, that has good reviews. It's a mixture of St John's Wort and 5-HTP (relatively low doses of each, as you can't mix the two at a higher dose) and you only have to take one a day, which sounded good to me, because other supplements stated that you had to take 3 tablets 3 times a day, and I wouldn't remember to stick to that.
I have done SO much research about success stories, read through about 60 pages of Google results to get the good and bad points about it. It seemed to have mostly positive reviews from people who actually used it and I figured that, as I'm not at a crisis point or anything, I owed it to myself to try this.
Back to the doctor, she agreed, so I have taken the first dose today.
I thought I would keep a sort of blog here, to let people know of my experiences. One of the things that I noticed whilst doing my research was that people updated to an extent, but as soon as they felt better, there was no reason for them to be on a depression forum anymore, so the updates stopped - at exactly the point I was most interested in! I don't just want to hear that they felt the depression lifting after a few weeks/months or whatever - I wanted to hear about how, four years down the line, they were living a normal, functional and (dare I hope) happy life, and whether they are now free of taking anything at all.
So I will provide that here, my journey, when I remember. I have no idea how quickly this will work. Most people say that it takes a few weeks to feel the full effects, but because the 5-HTP part of it works quite quickly, there have been reports of people feeling a tiny lift within the first day or so. Well I would very much like to be in the latter category but I'm more than happy to wait a while if needed.
If anyone has any kind of experience with this, feel free to post.
I do NOT need to hear "LOL IT'S A PLACEBO" from people who have never tried it, either. Remember, this is my mental health and the mental health of millions of others that's being discussed - I feel as though I'm taking a positive step, and if it doesn't work then I'll find that out for myself, thanks.
i tried St John's Wort several times. it worked OK for a few weeks then the effect wore off.
Oooooh. I took that for a few years. I can't say if it ever helped, but I did like the feeling that I was taking SOMETHING that could make me happy. If that makes sense. 
think about Mindfulness - there's a book called the Happiness Trap - read the first few chapters, til you get annoyed wiht it - put it away, let it process, pick it up, carry on reading, give it a go xxx
Original post by Maid Marian
Oooooh. I took that for a few years. I can't say if it ever helped, but I did like the feeling that I was taking SOMETHING that could make me happy. If that makes sense.
I know what you mean; I think just the thought that I'm doing something to help myself is making things a little better. Whatever is making a difference, I'll take it!
Original post by cheshiremum
think about Mindfulness - there's a book called the Happiness Trap - read the first few chapters, til you get annoyed wiht it - put it away, let it process, pick it up, carry on reading, give it a go xxx
Thank you, I'll check that out! Willing to give most things a go at the moment, apart from hardcore ADs, though of course I'll turn to those eventually if I need to
.The MoodGym that I'm trying is kind of annoying me.
I KNOW that the way I think about things is wrong. And I KNOW that if I could change my thoughts, things would be better.
But if you have thoughts, and feelings, HOW can you change them? I can think "I am okay" a million times, but it might not make me believe it.. if that makes sense.
Anyway, perhaps that will be tackled later in the programme; I am continuing with it because as I say I'm willing to try.
Wondering whether to up my dose of SJW now rather than waiting. But I'm probably just being WAY too impatient. Not a helpful mindset, lol.
I KNOW that the way I think about things is wrong. And I KNOW that if I could change my thoughts, things would be better.
But if you have thoughts, and feelings, HOW can you change them? I can think "I am okay" a million times, but it might not make me believe it.. if that makes sense.
Anyway, perhaps that will be tackled later in the programme; I am continuing with it because as I say I'm willing to try.
Wondering whether to up my dose of SJW now rather than waiting. But I'm probably just being WAY too impatient. Not a helpful mindset, lol.
Day 6.
Feeling a little irritable this morning. It's annoying in a way, because I have things going on in my life at the moment which are making my mood worse, so even if these tablets ARE working, I probably wouldn't notice because they may just be helping me cope better, but I wouldn't know how badly I'd be coping with them.. if that makes ANY sense at all, lol. Just snapped at my dad without meaning to but obviously these things only address the serotonin imbalance; they can't take away things that are going on, and it's natural that I'll still have a reaction to them. They're not like ADs and they don't mask all emotion. The way I view them is that they should, in theory, help me to start responding in an appropriate way to situations, without seeing ALL situations as negative. So when I'm in a situation that is GENUINELY negative and difficult, I will still find it difficult. I suppose that's good, as I don't believe there's much to be gained progress wise from the types of ADs that stop you feeling these things. I don't want to be a blank slate, I just want to be able to react properly to things, and be able to have a sense of perspective, and enjoy things that I should be enjoying.
So maybe there's a chance that I will start to improve a little more when my home life situation calms itself down a little bit. I suppose I'm functioning, I'm not having a breakdown, so maybe these things are helping.
My dreams seem more vivid, but they aren't annoying me anymore, because they seem to be more positive. My dreams in the past would have reminded me about things I wanted to forget about, but for the past couple of nights that hasn't happened. I can't remember exactly what I dreamed to be honest, but I haven't woken up in a panic, or feeling sad, so they can't have been that bad.
Tomorrow I will have completed a week. I hope hope hope hope that the absence of side effects other than a dry mouth means that I won't be having any. I may consider raising the dose to the next suggested one, but I don't know whether to try one before I go to bed, or whether to have two in the morning. I think I'd rather take them separately to make levels more constant. Hopefully that means that the 5HTP would still be in my system when I woke up, too, so that would get rid of my morning anxiety (which, incidentally, I've literally just realised I didn't have this morning, on what 'should' be a very stressful day).
Anyway I've said enough.
Feeling a little irritable this morning. It's annoying in a way, because I have things going on in my life at the moment which are making my mood worse, so even if these tablets ARE working, I probably wouldn't notice because they may just be helping me cope better, but I wouldn't know how badly I'd be coping with them.. if that makes ANY sense at all, lol. Just snapped at my dad without meaning to but obviously these things only address the serotonin imbalance; they can't take away things that are going on, and it's natural that I'll still have a reaction to them. They're not like ADs and they don't mask all emotion. The way I view them is that they should, in theory, help me to start responding in an appropriate way to situations, without seeing ALL situations as negative. So when I'm in a situation that is GENUINELY negative and difficult, I will still find it difficult. I suppose that's good, as I don't believe there's much to be gained progress wise from the types of ADs that stop you feeling these things. I don't want to be a blank slate, I just want to be able to react properly to things, and be able to have a sense of perspective, and enjoy things that I should be enjoying.
So maybe there's a chance that I will start to improve a little more when my home life situation calms itself down a little bit. I suppose I'm functioning, I'm not having a breakdown, so maybe these things are helping.
My dreams seem more vivid, but they aren't annoying me anymore, because they seem to be more positive. My dreams in the past would have reminded me about things I wanted to forget about, but for the past couple of nights that hasn't happened. I can't remember exactly what I dreamed to be honest, but I haven't woken up in a panic, or feeling sad, so they can't have been that bad.
Tomorrow I will have completed a week. I hope hope hope hope that the absence of side effects other than a dry mouth means that I won't be having any. I may consider raising the dose to the next suggested one, but I don't know whether to try one before I go to bed, or whether to have two in the morning. I think I'd rather take them separately to make levels more constant. Hopefully that means that the 5HTP would still be in my system when I woke up, too, so that would get rid of my morning anxiety (which, incidentally, I've literally just realised I didn't have this morning, on what 'should' be a very stressful day).
Anyway I've said enough.
Subscribing to this. Would you mind if i updated this very periodically with my experiences of SJW, maybe that way readers have two people's experiences to read about and compare?
Starting taking today, Boots Max Strength St Johns Wort 425mg. One tablet a day. I have been on anti depressants before but they didn't make me feel any better and the side effects weren't much fun.
Obviously feeling nothing yet, i would say after two weeks i will hope to feel some positive improvement.
Starting taking today, Boots Max Strength St Johns Wort 425mg. One tablet a day. I have been on anti depressants before but they didn't make me feel any better and the side effects weren't much fun.
Obviously feeling nothing yet, i would say after two weeks i will hope to feel some positive improvement.
Original post by james1211
Subscribing to this. Would you mind if i updated this very periodically with my experiences of SJW, maybe that way readers have two people's experiences to read about and compare?
Starting taking today, Boots Max Strength St Johns Wort 425mg. One tablet a day. I have been on anti depressants before but they didn't make me feel any better and the side effects weren't much fun.
Obviously feeling nothing yet, i would say after two weeks i will hope to feel some positive improvement.
Starting taking today, Boots Max Strength St Johns Wort 425mg. One tablet a day. I have been on anti depressants before but they didn't make me feel any better and the side effects weren't much fun.
Obviously feeling nothing yet, i would say after two weeks i will hope to feel some positive improvement.
Hi,
Yes absolutely go for it! It's important for everyone to understand that people react differently so my experience won't be what others find!
Looking forward to hearing about it & hope you find it a good experience!
Original post by Anonymous
Hi,
Yes absolutely go for it! It's important for everyone to understand that people react differently so my experience won't be what others find!
Looking forward to hearing about it & hope you find it a good experience!
Yes absolutely go for it! It's important for everyone to understand that people react differently so my experience won't be what others find!
Looking forward to hearing about it & hope you find it a good experience!
Okay! Cheers!
Posted from TSR Mobile
Day 7, and I honestly believe that although I can't see a difference in my mood, I am sleeping better. I've been fully awake for an hour, which is unusual for me to be honest. I've never been the type of person to lie in all day, even when I was a teenager I couldn't manage until past about half 11, and I hate sleeping past 9am now. But 7.30 is a good time for me to wake up and feel genuinely awake, so that's good.
One thing that is annoying me - and I'm sorry about this - is that my period is currently 4 days late. Not pregnant don't worry, and I know it's just the stress of the situation at home, but I've had the symptoms of PMT for longer than normal such as the irritability and bad skin, it's like it's ALMOST here, but can't quite make it. I know that my mood will improve once it arrives, as it always does and always has, so perhaps then I will see some benefit from the pills.
Having said that I haven't been snapping at people. In fact I saw my boyfriend yesterday (briefly, like ships in the night lol) for 20 minutes and I didn't have a go at him or snap at him during that time. And yes, it sounds bad, but that's unusual for me.
Today I am getting the bus into town, POSSIBLY, if a delivery arrives on time. This is something I wouldn't have wanted to do before. I would have asked my boyfriend to pick me up and drive me. As I say, I can go to places, but didn't like getting public transport. Now I don't mind the thought of it, so I'll go.
The delivery is an iPad. I figured that sometimes, particularly in the evening, when I'm not working, it gives me chance to panic and go into negative thoughts a little bit. So I thought that I could use it as a distraction, get some games on it that I need to really think about, which I enjoy anyway, so that should help. And that's the package that I need to arrive before about 11 so that I can go out!!
One thing that is annoying me - and I'm sorry about this - is that my period is currently 4 days late. Not pregnant don't worry, and I know it's just the stress of the situation at home, but I've had the symptoms of PMT for longer than normal such as the irritability and bad skin, it's like it's ALMOST here, but can't quite make it. I know that my mood will improve once it arrives, as it always does and always has, so perhaps then I will see some benefit from the pills.
Having said that I haven't been snapping at people. In fact I saw my boyfriend yesterday (briefly, like ships in the night lol) for 20 minutes and I didn't have a go at him or snap at him during that time. And yes, it sounds bad, but that's unusual for me.
Today I am getting the bus into town, POSSIBLY, if a delivery arrives on time. This is something I wouldn't have wanted to do before. I would have asked my boyfriend to pick me up and drive me. As I say, I can go to places, but didn't like getting public transport. Now I don't mind the thought of it, so I'll go.
The delivery is an iPad
. I figured that sometimes, particularly in the evening, when I'm not working, it gives me chance to panic and go into negative thoughts a little bit. So I thought that I could use it as a distraction, get some games on it that I need to really think about, which I enjoy anyway, so that should help. And that's the package that I need to arrive before about 11 so that I can go out!!Quick Reply
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