Posted by A. on March 28, 2000, at 21:30:42
In reply to NO MORE DRUGS, posted by Joy on March 23, 2000, at 21:16:08
> Thanks Cam.
> I am thinking about therapy (doc. wants me to go).
> But the drugs are o-u-t.
>
> In fact tomorrow I'll make an appt.
> This is just too scary..side effects,withdrawl,...
> I feel like a guinie pig.
> I feel like my life isn't my own.
> That the drug is in control..not me.Joy - I just wanted to say if you are going to be off AD completely and try out therapy, and are worried about negative effects of not being on medication, that you might want to try 5-HTP. 5-HTP is the precursor to serotonin (5-HT) and can be bought in a health food place like GNC. It is a nice natural alternative to modern medicine. You might just want to take a small 5-HTP suppliment when beginning therapy to help ease the transition period b/w drug dependency for mood elevation and therapy. Taking 5-HTP while on any SSRI is generally a bad idea, however, as it can create high levels of serotonin in the brain (and serotonin syndrome), so it would be best to take 5-HTP when not taking anything else, generally 100mg 5-HTP per day is enough to really boost your mood. And also take vitamin B-6, as B-6 is a catalyst for the conversion b/w 5-HTP and serotonin.
I hope this helps, as I used to be on prozac for depression and had always worried about having to have drugs for the rest of my life. This turned out not to be true, as I stopped the prozac and was able to maintain a healthy mood in general ever since. Good luck.
poster:A.
thread:20862
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000321/msgs/28354.html