Treating Depression with Pheromones

[jcarter]

Does anyone have any direct experience with using pheromones to effect positive change in clinically depressed subjects?

A female friend at work is exhibiting many of the signs of depression following a protracted illness of unspecified origin. She has a history of depression following another episode of acute illness in the past. In addition, she periodically suffers from anxiety attacks.

She has mentioned holistic therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) because of her fear of medications. She has a history of GI problems, including low motility, and does not tolerate oral drugs well.

Possibly exposure to a pheromone/s might ease some of her symptoms enough for her to relax and begin a healing process? Just a thought...

[MadDoctor]

She might benefit from some androsterone, and perhaps a bit of androstadienone from time to time.

I kind of hope she does more than that, though. If she won\'t take pharmaceutical antidepressants, she might at least consider St. John\'s Wort and 5-HTP before bed...? They aren\'t very strong, but they\'re better than nothing, if she can swallow them and keep them down (neither is hard on the stomach for most people).

[seadove]

<<<Possibly exposure to a pheromone/s might ease some of her symptoms enough for her to relax and begin a healing process?>>>

Nope.

[jcarter]

seadove, that\'s a cryptic response... would you elaborate please?

MadDoc, thanks for the St. John\'s Wort suggestion. Could be a possiblity. However, I\'m not familiar with 5-HTP? Thanks!

[seadove]

jcarter, I\'m sorry to sound so abbreviative but I think that depression is not an illness that you can locally handle at home, especially when the illness is prolonged as you described.IMHO this illness should be taken care of professionally by an MD.

[frenchie]

I agree with Seadove... a depression needs to be cured
with a good MD or psychiatrist. Pheros will be useless - they\'re not meant for that.
Good luck !

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I vote with the majority, having struggled with major depression all my life. It is a life threatening illness and should not be taken lightly. She needs to see a doctor. There are medications to counter side effects. Pheromones are not any answer for that situation.

[nonscents]

Definitely get professional treatment. In addition, if she\'s into EMDR she might be interested in trying
<a target=\"_blank\" href=http://emofree.com/>http://emofree.com/</a>

[MadDoctor]

If you remeber l-tryptophan from the 1980s, 5-htp (5-hydroxy-l-tryptophan) is roughly the same, it\'s just not subject to the sort of contamination (from slipshod refinement) that l-tryptophan was. It\'s an isolated amino acid which helps sleep and may level out seratonin levels in a comfortable place.

I agree with the others about the seriousness of depression, and the desirability of getting formal treatment for it. Psychiatric drugs have come a LONG way over the last 20 or 30 years, and the current generation of antidepressants are as different from the old tricyclics (and worse) as Abilify is different from Thorazine. Many of them don\'t even have any perceptible side-effects. I have seen them completely change peoples lives, and I suspect save some of them as well. I know how hard it can be to persuade some people about such things, but I think that\'s far and away your best chance. Things like pheromones and herbs are good bandaids, but no more than that in cases of serious depression.

[SonnyBlack]

in my opinion Inositol in powder form is waaaay superior to 5htp in fighting depression and ovel anxieties and obsessive compulsive disorders. You need ate least 5 grams a day so buy the powder form and not the pills or caps. I believe in it so much that I did my thesis paper for my Abnormal Psychology course on it...

[MadDoctor]

Taking a quick glance at recent research, I think you\'re very correct that inositol is worth considering! It even seems to be effective in manic depression.

OK, add inositol to the list, if pharmaceuticals are out. Maybe even if they aren\'t.

[jcarter]

First of all, I want to express my gratitude to ALL of you who so graciously took the time to respond to my inquiry. Thanks!

NEVER would I suggest that depression can be taken lightly! I myself am a health care professional as is the women I work with. Therein lies a part of the problem. Healthcare people will give YOU there objective best every day. When it comes to there own health problems, however, they can be blind and stubborn! My friend is so terrified of the possible negative affects of prescription drugs, that she wants to find a physician who will recommend a holistic approach. So, we have a tendency to network and choose a provider that will give us the answers we think we want! She did in fact see a doctor about her depression and anxiety. He gave her some samples of Lexapro (Escitalopram oxalate) and also suggested a local practitioner of EMDR.

Given her exteme reluctance to take precription meds, I had wondered if one or more pheros might make enough of a difference in her feelings as to help her think a bit more clearly. In no way did I EVER conceive of pheros as any kind of cure!

I am trying my very best to be as supportive and nonjudgemental as I possible can. I think that she desperately needs the acceptance of those close to her. In particular, I\'m of the opinion that she has just tried to \"tough it out\" on her own for a long time. Unfortunately, her husband is of the old school and considers most of these feelings as som much mumbo-jumbo! An absolutely inexplicable reaction coming from another fellow healthcare professional!

I see that I\'ve gotten rather carried away with my response, but I just wish to again thank those who cared enough to reply!

BTW, what in the world is a Bodhi Satva ?!

[**DONOTDELETE**]

A Bodhisattva, in Tibetan Buddhism, is anyone who is motivated by compassion for all living things, and has taken a vow to dedicate his life to bringing enlightenment and eradicating suffering in all sentient beings, forsaking his own eternal release (Nirvana) until the last of the last being has been freed of suffering and has achieved enlightenment. It is also a compliment I do not deserve from a forum administrator who must have been looking in the mirror when he mistakenly wrote it by my name instead of his own. Rone has a very calming and emotionally stabilizing effect on me - you might try her on some SOE. You could try A1. 5-HTP works as well for anxiety and panic attacks as Xanax - you could add a little valerian - there are capsules with both, plus other calming herbs. The only problem with it is that it inhibits orgasm. But she may not be feeling very sexual right now anyway. Have you experimented at all with aroma therapy? Some scents are very uplifting, depending on the causes of the depression and how it exhibits in her, aromatherapy could help a little. There are several people quite knowledgeable about aromatherapy here who I\'m sure would be glad to help if you think that would be of any use. The pheromones/aromatherapy could only produce very slight changes, but I suppose every little bit helps, and if you\'re putting together a package, yes, then, why not include them. I think people, not knowing you had a medical background, sent you straight to the doctor because we get so many posts from folks who think that pheromones will turn them instantly into something they\'re not, that they can perform miracles. Of course they can\'t, but maybe they could help a tiny bit.

[MadDoctor]

/ubbthreads/images/icons/shocked.gifOm FTR tu FTR ture svaha!/ubbthreads/images/icons/shocked.gif

(Sorry, an inside Mahayana Buddhist joke)

[Bruce]

No, I think you are a better candidate for the job. I would be more likely to go for the Nirvana and check out. Think of it more as an inner calling than a current status.
Bruce

[Phantom]

I meant to post this last night, but here it goes....

Just try to urge her to try the meds and if she gets any undesirable side-effects she can just stop taking them. One of my best friends (female) has been taking Effexor XR and she\'s alot more outgoing than before, there\'s also a noticeable change in her mood for the better.

The only side-effects she\'s had (she tells me everything) are vivid dreams (she enjoys them though) dry mouth and she gets really horny and hyper for a few days when her doc increases her dose.

I have another friend though that swears by a combo of DMAE, 5-HTP, St Johns wort, SamE and Valverian.

Or she can try a Herbal SSRI thats is like Zoloft, Prozac, Celaxa...ect, it\'s called Sceletium tortuosum and it\'s available here ( http://www.sceletium.com/ (\"http://www.sceletium.com/\") )

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Mantra of Tara? /ubbthreads/images/icons/laugh.gif

&lt;smooch&gt; MadDoc and &lt;smooch&gt; again

[jcarter]

Thanks, FTR &amp; Phantom! I sure appreciate the suggestions. Now, I\'ll have to gently work on getting her to consider these alternatives.

I\'ve got a little SOE left, so that\'s a possibility! Not sure if I can explain to her that it\'s a pheromone?! Might be too risky; maybe just tout it as an aromatherapy type of oil. Hmm...

Phantom, you\'re right about Effexor. It\'s made a HUGE difference for my wife. Only thing is, she\'s sleepy most of the time, but that could be the anti-seizure medication she\'s on.

Well, now that you all have shared with me, I\'m off to locate some of these items and implement a persuasive stategy. Thanks again!

[Thanatos]

One possibilty you may want to keep in mind...
My girlfriend has also had problems with depression and anxiety. 6 months ago she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This is a biological illness that causes symptoms such as anxiety and depression and can be a very dangerous illness due to the suicide rate involved. She should be encouraged to find a steady therapist so she can get an accurate diagnosis. Getting past the denial stage is the toughest part. Hopefully she doesnt have this illness, but if she does the sooner it is diagnosed the better.
You can find some good info at the following link to see if the symptoms appear to coincide with her behavior. http://psychguides.com/bphe.html (\"http://psychguides.com/bphe.html\")

[Phantom]

Yea someone with bipolar disorder can actually get worse if they take an anti-depressant (they go into a manic states (highs and lows) and can cause them to end they\'re life) mood stablelizers or benzodiazepines like xanax, valium..ect are given instead, depression is a serious illness not a guessing game that should be dealt with by a professional.

[Phantom]

I have been taking 900mg of Siberian Ginseng for 3 weeks and I have seen an enormous increase of my mood. I bought the stuff to increase my energy but I never new it would have this effect. It was like $10 for 250caps (Sundown Vitamins) it\'s a great deal. I recommend this for anyone who\'s feeling depressed or is suffering from anxiety, it\'s a miracle in a bottle /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif.