fighting depression without drugs?

I have just found this thread, and just reading it has given me some comfort and help. I have depression, anxiety, panic attacks, fybromyalgia, IBS. and Menieres disease, and I have to live with my abusive and depressed son. I am floundering, and have pains in my head, along with frequent headaches and migraine.I have found the comments have given me food for thought. I have had diagnosed depression since I was 13, and have tried the different treatments for depression and anxiety that have evolved over the decades. I have been through the different medications that have also evolved over the years too. I rattle!

I managed to stop taking Diazapam which I was on for a long time after my husband passed away. It wasn't easy but for me easier than giving up smoking which I'm still struggling with. When I get depressed, or for me it's more like extreme anxiety I go on line and buy myself something, nothing major, just a top or something, phone a friend, go to the supermarket and have a coffee, usually meet someone I know or see what's happening on Gransnet or Fb. I've dealt with the elderly person in a Care Home situation, it was my mum and it can be depressing visiting these places, but your dad will be safe there and will settle in. Mum ended up quite liking it and the feeling of being safe. for you eddiecat. You are doing well.

There may be a physical or "chemical" reason for depression - and other illnesses

This often includes lack of Omega-3, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and exercise

I would like to suggest a course of action that you can take together with your partner - in the kitchen and outside in the open air

Omega-3
Eat an average of 2 grams of Omega-3 every day. For the first 3 months this can be up to 5 grams a day. Omega-3 comes from oily fish like salmon or mackerel, chia and flax seeds and a little from walnuts.

3 times a week I take 2 pieces of fresh salmon from the supermarket and squeeze a little lemon juice on top, plus a little salt and pepper. I microwave these for 1 minute for each piece. You will be amazed how soft and "buttery" this tastes, with broccoli, tomatoes and beetroot.

You could take a natural fish oil supplement. Try and avoid the tiny amounts from supplements made in a chemical factory, as you may need to take 20 capsules to total 2 grams and it is not as effective as natural fish oil. You have to read the label and calculate how much omega-3 you are taking. Go to a health food store and ask their advice about "natural fish oil" and how to take 2 grams a day. I like the "SanOmega" natural fish oil from Amazon

Here are some articles that may be of interest:
draxe.com/omega-3-foods/
www.greenvits.eu/blogs/news/88500611-what-to-do-about-depression
www.expertomega3.com/omega-3-studies
www.fatsoflife.com/

Vitamin D
There are many studies that show how depression is associated with low vitamin D. More importantly, there are studies that show how boosting vitamin D helps to treat depression.

You could ask you doctor to test your vitamin D and advise or prescribe supplements, or you could go to your local health food store and buy high strength vitamin D supplements.

Between October and March in the UK we cannot get ANY vitamin D from the sun, so we have to get it from food or supplements. Search online for "foods highest in vitamin D", but remember that milk in the UK is NOT fortified.

The European Food Safety Agency says that any adult can take 100 micrograms (4,000 IU) of vitamin D3 each day without advice from a doctor. Vitamin D lasts in your body for 30 days, so you could take a large amount once a week. Ask your doctor for capsules with 500 micrograms (20,000 IU) to take 1 a week as an equivalent to about 70 micrograms (3,000IU) a day. You can adjust the adjust the number you take - for example you could buy capsules of 5,000IU and take 4 a week. Ask your doctor about a "loading dose" to start things off.

There is a "Call-To-Action" from some eminent scientists that say vitamin D blood level is more important than how much you take. Download this document and show it to your doctor.

Learn more here:
www.vitamindwiki.com/Depression
vitaminduk.com/2015/01/24/depressed-and-sad/
grassrootshealth.net/
www.grassrootshealth.net/media/download/scientists_call_to_daction_020113.pdf
www.vitamindcouncil.org/healthconditions
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/01/22/depression-causes.aspx

Vitamin B12
Increasing vitamin B12 can help overcome depression. This can come from foods like liver, sardines, tuna and cheese, or you can take a supplement.

Liver is a great source of Vitamin B12 and many other health-giving nutrients. As long as you are not vegetarians, try grilling a small piece of liver. I like it soft and rare, so I squeeze lemon on top with a little salt and pepper and grill it for 1 minute each side - delicious. Try this once a week ?

Learn more here:
draxe.com/top-10-vitamin-b12-foods/
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/12/17/vitamin-b12-depression.aspx

Exercise
There is no doubt that modest exercise can help depression. That does not mean that you have to go to the gym. Lead your partner by the hand and take them for a brisk walk for 30-60 minutes and you will both come back refreshed

So here are some simple changes to diet and lifestyle that can make a tremendous difference to you and your partner

Let us all know what works for you
.

Mumsy , you are so right !!
I have suffered depression on and off over most of my life,. And in reading your post I realised that a lot of these episodes,are after an extremely busy period !
Normally I like being busy ..organised , yet happy go lucky, but it is those times when your not sure and dither...no help from nearest and dearest, apart from saying negative put downs!
Everything spirals into deep despair and a real need for loving affection also perhaps gratitude ? Hugs are really needed !!!

It can cause side effects if stopped suddenly and think usual advice is to withdraw slowly.

I am amazed a Dr would tell anyone to stop taking amitryptiline immediately. I took it for a year to relieve agonising stress- induced headaches and had to 'wean' myself off it slowly. GP told me it is rarely prescribed for depression these days ,incidentally.

My hubby is going through depression at the moment. He has taken up Tai Chi which improves his mood and he writes down that good things that has happened to him and this is very helpful. In the beginning he also wrote down all the bad things that had happened then burnt it. This didn't help so much. Take a little time very day to be thankful for what is right in your life and they to divert yourself if you feel a bad spell coming on. (I do a lot of crafting to distract me from the mundaneness of life)

try some guided meditation ,I found it really helpful ,my daughter goes to Yoga classes too and they seem to work well

Thanks everyone - just knowing that people have taken the time to reply has given me a boost. You`ve given me lots to think about. I think "one day at a time" is probably the best piece of advice.
Onwards and upwards.

Flaxseed capsules and Vitamin D3 are brilliant for depression.

Nobody has mentioned an ergometer that is an exercise bike. No need to get undressed or walk miles to feel better. If you are completely unfit then you start on your bike and pedal for 2 minutes then 1 mminute rest and then another 2 minutes.
Thats 5 minutes. Take a days rest and next day do 6 muinutes and so on. Your breathing quickens as does your pulse and you feel better.
keep awaay from all websites giving advice as they assume you can do a half hour stint. No need! Start where you are and feel comfortable and your muscles dn hurt.
Like ervything else you don't want to do it but if you overcome the resistance and put in a good five or ten minutes then you definitely feel better.
Alot of people try to do too much and get frustrated and so there are a lot of these bikes selling second hand. When you have yours remember start with 1 or 2 minutes and then every time increase a minute. I now do 15 minutes and watch Last Dance in Halifax over and over.....

Good advice on here, hope you find a way through it eddiecat

I'm never sure what 'be kind to yourself' means in practice though. For some, it could be taken as permission to over-eat, over-drink or just slob about in front of the tv.

We don't always know what's good for us...

Caramac - 'chemical imbalance ...treated with medication'.
My Mum's eldest sister, and an elderly male friend of ours, were put on antidepressants by their doctors, in their old age.
It seems that what they were suffering from can be due to chemical changes too.

Sorry to read you are going through a particularly tough time, what is positive is that you recognise your difficulties and sound like you want to meet them head on and deal with them.
There is a lot of good advice here, you will know what could work for you - or be surprised by some that do.
I agree with pretty much everything that has been suggested and would reiterate that any chemical inbalance might well be treated by medication. Who bats an eyelid at insulin for example?
Exercise and getting out when possible are hugely beneficial. I like running for my headspace but walking whatever pace or distance suits you is really good.
Positive thinking is another good suggestion too
I love the Be Kind To Yourself idea too, it works and you deserve it. Yes you do
Sending positive vibes

Depression is usually linked to low serotonin levels. Modern medication can work wonders but it is not instant. It works by slowing down the rate that the body excretes serotonin so the level of your own serotonin builds up to normal levels. You are not using mind altering drugs, just correcting your serotonin levels. It worked wonders for me after my husband's passing (took 4-5 weeks to build up) and allowed me to enjoy life again. In time I was able to come off it gradually but I would not hesitate to take it again if needed.
Do discuss with your doctor how medication could help you, it gave me back my life.
Best wishes.

Sounds very trite, but when I feel myself slipping down the slope, I start a diary of things that happened that were good. I try and find at least one thing a day that lifted my spirits, even if only for a moment, and write it down; then it's possible to look back and see that times are never as black as you think.
I would suggest that if you've reached the point where this seems pointless, you should probably ask for help from the GP.

I agree with Lucky Girl 10Dec 11.39.49 plus the post on a walk a day. With all the current stress and a wedding in the offing, you need to take all the help you can get. Good luck.

Amytriptaline is an old tricyclic antidepressant. It is still used in a very small dose for chronic pain or for people with mental health problems to treat agitation. However, it is rarely used now to treat Clinical Depression. There are many much 'cleaner' modern drugs now that carry much fewer side effects once the first three-week adjustment period is passed. If you find that you are really struggling, I'd say see your GP and discuss the modern treatments. He/she won't insist you take them, but the conversation will allow you to be more informed in your decision making.

And have you been retested?

littlefierce - about vitamin D - don't bank on it, I was tested last year and had an extremely low level (nearly 0!). I have been on supplements for exactly a year now and noticed no difference I am sad to say. Hope you have more luck. X

Have you tried one of those daylight mimicking lights, they are programmed to illuminate slowly in the morning, like the sun rising and are meant to help with your circadian rhythm. Walking is great, you can pat yourself on the back for going once you get back too - another positive. I try to do something along the lines of setting myself a small task to do every day even if I don't want to, then I feel I have achieved a goal. Some days I can achieve more than one small task and give myself a big thumbs up.

Good luck

Try living one day at a time. Just stay in the one day and when it's gone it's gone. Tomorrow doesn't matter because it's not here yet. Simplify your life as much as possible

Sorry you feel like this. Please don't underestimate side-effects of drugs and weaning off them. Speak to your GP. Wedding is now felt as yet more stress which is why you not looking forward. Please, please write down a long list of all you feel you have to do and in front of you. Gradually cross them off. BE KIND TO YOURSELF. That means you are human and can only do what you can. Let the care home look after your father. I don't mean that you don't, but that you and husband can prioritise time together for a walk at least. Visit your father, lunch with your daughter. Care for you and then you can have a relationship with your father that you don't feel is demanding and enjoy the wedding.

Lucky girl. Those who have a gp who will listen to your feelings and not laugh at or ridicule your ideas for an alternative to traditional medicine are extremely fortunate.i discovered from the internet (who doesn't turn to the internet these days)and came across what is refered to as tissue salts.I will say no more other than finding this alternative has been valuable to me in terms of my health.Yes I have taken quick fix antibiotics and had to take certain other items ie to prevent dvt following my hip replacement but the surgeon who did my op congratulated me on my general health and when I told him of my alternative methods said he knew of them and yes to carry on with them.These salts are not herbs and can be used alongside traditional.

GPs can offer CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) which is a talking therapy that helps you deal with your current problems, rather than delving into the past and causes. Suggest you see the GP and ask for it.

Also can daughter help with Dad? Or perhaps now you know he is in a safe and good place maybe cut down your visits so he is less dependant on you? you say you go every day could you try missing a day say you need to be elsewhere and see how he is? Maybe Daughter could visit once a week maybe your wonderful husband could visit once a week on his own to give you a break? You and your welfare are important too. You will not do yourself or anyone else any favours if you let this get on top of you. Your Dad would probably feel badly if you made yourself ill over your care of him. I doubt he will wean off your visits and you may have to take the initiative in any case.

Best wishes and hope you feel better soon xx