Which anti-depressant?

[MS]

"OCD is caused by a chemical imbalance of serotonin"

OCD is caused by a society where this kind of thought process is no longer considered normal or acceptable. There is splendid evidence that our hunter/hunted forebearers benefitted (from a survival point of view) from mild to moderate OCD and anxiety, only then it wasn't called OCD and anxiety disorders. Anyway, that doesn't help FitFossil or anyone else trying to 'fit in' in todays world.

In other words, if our ancestors had run around in a serotonergic state of relative bliss they almost certainly would not have been the lean, mean hunting and surviving machines that could successfully pass on their genes. Remember it's dopamine/noradrenaline that keeps us alert, motivated, lean and sexually fit. The liberal prescribing of SSRIs is, IMHO, a little too much like trying to keep the masses fat and docile.

I know of no other topic that can get people more riled up. But anti-depressants have the highest placebo response, and lowest real response of any drug that's prescribed. Add to this the fact that it is precribed to folks that aren't even clinically depressed, or who suffer only mild depressive symptoms, and you have one of the biggest scams around. Obviously these drugs help some people, but the vast majority of people who take them do not get any benefit (above placebo), but everyone gets side effects! And the long term use of drugs that moderate neurochemical balance leads to long term changes in the brain that make it very hard for a lot of people to ever get permanently off the drugs. SSRIs should not be the most commonly prescribed drugs on the planet. Wine, play time, exercise, sunshine and good friendships with a healthy diet should should be all that most folks need prescribing for mental health. But it's TOO HARD. I was not being facetious or nasty or picking on anyone. I am just being a realist that knows the majority of people will not be compliant with my prescription! Most of us are stuck, one way or another, in a rat-race that we can't see our way clear of

 

[wilson6]

If you have hard wiring problems that began at age 4, then that is one thing. Not using meds to fix an intrinsic neurotransmitter problem is like telling a guy that has very low test or is a diabetic to see a shrink and take prozac to make him fell better rather than giving him test or insulin to solve the underlying problem. However, there are too many people that just need to learn to deal with life. When I hear someone say I wish I didn't have to work, or I wish I was rich, or I can't deal with my boss, significant other or parents, whine, whine, whine and go on to say how they need prozac to solve their woes, then there's a problem. Likewise, there are those that take on way too much in life, then need meds to fix their central burnout. That's what I'm talking about here. Just seems to me like a lot of folks are on meds to make them happier, just makes me wonder considering the meds in some cases just cause additional problems.

W6

 

[wilson6]

Along those same lines, I also wonder what role diet plays here. Getting back to that old question of what are good fats and bad fats?

There is mounting evidence that an imbalance in the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio may be involved with major depression and the increased production of inflammatory cytokines and eicosanoids found in that illness. There is also some suggestion that this may play a role in ADD. External stressors, even mental ones can increase the production of IL-6, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma; and serum PUFA levels predict the response of proinflammatory cytokines to psychological stress.

Given the bizarre diets I read about on this board, I also wonder about the role of diet, heavy training, constant worrying about workouts, bodyfat, etc. and how that plays into many of the psych issues people talk about.

Many things to consider.

W6

 

[MS]

Agreed, there is mounting evidence that an imbalance of EFAs causes a lot of psychiatric (and somatic!!) disease. It's often hard to blame just one component of lifestyle though. Insulin and leptin resistance, wacky hormones from obesity and lack of exercise and possibly mineral imbalances can all lead to an organism that is less 'robust' or less capable of dealing with stress. Those same inflammatory cytokines that are elevated from external stress are also intimately tied up with diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Lifestyle changes sure could fix or prevent a lot of problems all at once!

 

[wilson6]

Yup. The depression-heart disease and/or depression-lupus seem to go hand in hand and are all linked to an inflammatory response.

W6

 

[sexymeli]

Hi... well i have been on every medication there is out there... paxil, celexa, zoloft, xanax, trileptal and wellburtin and remoron.. i would definitly suggest taking remoron... its not a sedative.. and will help you with your sleeping too at night... and plus it makes you feel more alive when you wake up... i would definitly reccomend it.. its an anti depressant and sleep aid... you will love it.. and if not... try wellbutrin.. its an anti depressant and a mood stabalizer... so it will also help you with your high and lows...

 

[takniteasy]

I was originally prescribed Effexor because my regular physician dx me as moderately depressed. I felt there was a hormone issue, as I had other "symptoms " of perimenopause. However, he was stubborn and not open to the possibility of me experiencing early menopause (I am only 38). Anyways, I chose to trust his medical judgement which was a mistake. Sure there were times when I felt "normal" as in not moody but for the most part the medication was useless and as I said before, I now have a problem with dizziness which I attribute to the chemical imbalance caused by the Effexor .I do agree with W6 and MS that anti-d's are prescribed way too often and for the wrong reasons. Too many people want an easy way out instead of dealing with everyday life, and too many doctors are not willing to investigate further as to the actual cause of a person's depression, anxiety, emotional disorder, etc.

 

[MS]

Or how about some good old fashioned high protein/high DHA/EPA fish?? Everyday!

 

[FitFossil]

I use Udo's oil - would fish oil be better? Can anyone recommend a brand that won't give me fish burps?

 

[wilson6]

Alright FF,

Time for some student directed learning here as this has been discussed before.

Udo's oil contains a mix of omega-3 (alpha-linolenic) and omega-6 (linoleic).

If it is EPA and DHA (fish oil) that you need, why could Udo's be a problem. Hint: think delta-6 desaturase.

Do a web search and see if you can come up with a basic answer.

W6