Antidepressants or Natural Remedies for Depression

[SMH13]

Am currently on Mirtazapine and am having some side effects ( dream like state, tiredness).I have terrible sleep aswell. My neighbour keeps saying get off them and take Magnolia & Rhodiola and then I watched grow your own drugs on BBC2 last night and he mentioned Valerian.
Any thoughts?

[Pigletion]

The problem with drugs for things like depression is that they take a little while to work and often it takes a while to find the right ones for you and the right dose. So on that front I would tell your doctor you're overly happy at how they make you feel and ask if there is an alternative.

For yourself, you could also look at natural helpers. Exercise and getting out in the fresh air has been shown to help, also exercise is more likely to help you sleep (which also seems to be a problem). Obviously getting a good nights sleep is very important, so you could try relaxation techniques, bath before bed, lavender, actually going to sleep when you feel tired rather than waiting until your allotted bed time.

The remedies mentioned above may also help, but you need to discuss them with your doctor as just because they are natural does not mean they won't interfere with your other meds.

I'm sure you will find something that helps, just unfortunately it is not always the first thing you try. Keep persevering and don't be afraid to tell the doctor that what they have prescribed is not working (and why, the more info you give them, the more info they have to make an informed decision about your drugs) and you would like to try an alternative.

Good luck

[beejaybee]

I would discuss these side effects with your gp. It would not be a good idea for you to just stop taking the meds your own. There are several natural remedies that may help. It would be advisable to have a chat with someone at your local health shop as they could suggest what may be best for you. The cause of your depression could be addressed. Different remedies work for different things. The remedy that your neighbour takes may not be any good for you.

[Connemmara]

I bought valerian - God they smell so much and hard to swallow and I am a pretty good swallower. I would not waste the money on them

[SMH13]

Thanks for your answers - they all helped.

Have found getting exercise helps and even though I dread getting out of bed, once I do and am up and about I feel better for it!

Am back at the gp's next week so will see what he says. I always forget most the things I want to ask, so I am going to write them down! I must be feeling better, I am actually thinking logically for once !

Must get some lavender.

[chazza]

I used to take valerian to make me sleep. As mentioned above it stinks but it did make me sleep! Don't konw if it works for depression though.

5-htp and st john's wort are the most common natural depression remedies