Anxiety/Lethargy/Depression

[Genome335]

Anyone know anything that I can take that will help me with this problem? I\'ve been feeling sluggish and depressed for a few months now. I can\'t get help from a MD because my mother has a stigma with anything thats not natural, especially anti-depressants.(she keeps saying it\'ll go away, its nothing ect.. and the last time I told her I was depressed she made my brother spend more time with me, It\'s a F*kng chemical inbalance interacting with people is not going to cure it).

Things I\'ve tried:

St Johns Wort (I was alergic) and 5-htp (raised my anxiety and gave me insomnia).

I found out that i\'m alergic to practicaly all supplements with herbs in them (I get a severe rash). I\'ve been taking Ephedrine (Hydrocloride), not the herb (epherdra) since thats the only thing thats helped with my lethargy/depression . But the bad thing is that it makes my anxiety go through the roof. Since i\'m 16 I don\'t have that much money to spend, Any suggestions?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Exercise. It helps almost everything. Of course, that\'s really hard to do, get up and exercise, when you\'re depressed. But if you can, it will help.

Bach flower remedies??

Would your mother let you see a homeopath?

[Whitehall]

Try l-phenylalanine or tyrosine. These are natural amino acids that convert to the stimulating neurotransmitters in the brain. They are cheap and have few side effects. Start with 500 mg on an empty stomach and don\'t eat for an hour.

Bright sunlight first thing in the morning might help too if there is a seasonal component. Melatoin at night might also help restore chemical balance.

Odd that you thought that 5-HTP caused anxiety and insomnia - that doesn\'t fit theory but it could happen I guess.

The Ephedrine is a mild speed like methamphetamine and can most certainly cause anxiety and insomnia.

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Exercise. It helps almost everything. Of course, that\'s really hard to do, get up and exercise, when you\'re depressed. But if you can, it will help.

Bach flower remedies??

Would your mother let you see a homeopath?

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\"> Probably not, she does\'nt have the time to take me. I work out everyday but it does\'nt seem to help much, anxiety is still there (espsecially when talking to other people).

[CptKipling]

I would recommend ZMA, i know its not exactly intended for this but it will help your sleep and the boosted Test levels will make you feel good.

BTW ZMA is just zinc and magnesium, and sometimes B6.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Yeah, I\'m having the same thoughts about the 5-HTP. Were you taking anything else while you were taking the 5-HTP?

Valerian is good for anxiety, but 5-HTP is usually as good as prescription drugs.

I second the recommendation re melatonin.

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
I would recommend ZMA, i know its not exactly intended for this but it will help your sleep and the boosted Test levels will make you feel good.

BTW ZMA is just zinc and magnesium, and sometimes B6.

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\"> I take 2 zinc lonzages and 1 scoop of whey protein (this one http://www.gncproperformance.com/goods/product/default.asp?id=350418&amp;c=6 ) before I work out.

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Yeah, I\'m having the same thoughts about the 5-HTP. Were you taking anything else while you were taking the 5-HTP?

Valerian is good for anxiety, but 5-HTP is usually as good as prescription drugs.

I second the recommendation re melatonin.



<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\"> I don\'t remember that was a while ago, I tried Valerian but was alergic.

[Whitehall]

All these allergies combined with anxious depression are serious signs. It\'s one thing to be \"under the weather\" too much; it\'s another when your immune system is interacting with your mental system. That looks like a bigger problem then we can advise here.

You do need to see a doctor. Is there a public health clinic or a school nurse you can see?

[belgareth]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Anyone know anything that I can take that will help me with this problem? I\'ve been feeling sluggish and depressed for a few months now. I can\'t get help from a MD because my mother has a stigma with anything thats not natural, especially anti-depressants.(she keeps saying it\'ll go away, its nothing ect.. and the last time I told her I was depressed she made my brother spend more time with me, It\'s a F*kng chemical inbalance interacting with people is not going to cure it).

Things I\'ve tried:

St Johns Wort (I was alergic) and 5-htp (raised my anxiety and gave me insomnia).

I found out that i\'m alergic to practicaly all supplements with herbs in them (I get a severe rash). I\'ve been taking Ephedrine (Hydrocloride), not the herb (epherdra) since thats the only thing thats helped with my lethargy/depression . But the bad thing is that it makes my anxiety go through the roof. Since i\'m 16 I don\'t have that much money to spend, Any suggestions?

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">

Look at the studies on the web regarding Inositol. It seems to do a good job at doses above 5 grams per day.

[DrSmellThis]

Get a therapist. The therapist will bring your mom in and talk sense to her.

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Get a therapist. The therapist will bring your mom in and talk sense to her.

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\"> I think thats the most sensible solution, i\'ve been speaking with a school counselor for a while now but I have\'nt been honest to her about my problems. Last time things got this bad I was hospitalized because I did\'nt goto school for 3 months because of my panic attacks. When I was there my mom refused them the right to give me medication. The only good thing that came out of it was that I used to weigh around 200 pounds (I used to eat when I was nervous) and I lost around 50 since the problems at school went away. They discharged me and put me back in a normal school (I was at the hospital 6 months) i\'ve been doing pretty good but my depression is coming back and I don\'t want to go through this again. I\'m going to talk her (my counselor) the first chance I get.............. funny that I did\'nt think of this before.

[Enticing]

Surprised no one has mentioned Sam-E, http://www.mdsg.org/same.html A friend of mine buys it in bulk at Costco because it is cheaper that way, swears by it!

[img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[nbnbtc]

Have you tried Kava? I found that it helped with anxiety quite a bit... www.kavaking.com

Also, something that might be of interest to you is the device mentioned in this thread... http://www.server2.love-scent.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&amp;Board=UBB5&amp;Number=70811& amp;Forum=All_Forums&amp;Words=nbnbtc&amp;Match=Us ername&amp;Searchpage=0&amp;Limit=25&amp;Old=allpo sts&amp;Main=70804&amp;Search=true#Post70811

I sware by both of these and my once severe anxiety and depression has never been easier to manage.

[nonscents]

www.emofree.com

[Hungry]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Surprised no one has mentioned Sam-E

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">

Yeah, SAM-e is really good apparently. But it\'s also really expensive, here anyway (~$50-$100 per month, depending on dose). The homeopathic varieties are much cheaper, but I wouldn\'t have a clue how effective they are, sorry.

Here are some different suggestions:

1) Omega-3 fatty acids. Apparently people who eat loads of fish have 1/10 the depression rates of everyone else, and researchers think it\'s due to the omega-3\'s. You need to take about 10 grams a day, which is around 30 1g fish oils capsules per day, in divided doses with meals. That\'s a lot of stinky fish oil, and you\'ll probably burp the taste up all day. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] Still, it\'s safe, actually very health-promoting, and you can take it practically forever. Worth a shot?

2) Acupunture. I\'m a big fan of acupunture, although I still hate the needles. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] Each visit will probably be a little pricey, but you\'ll hopefully only need a couple, and the effects are usually very long-lasting.

3) Flower essences, like FTR said. I\'m always amazed at how effective these things are for emotional issues. The only ones I\'ve had experience with are Australian Bush Essences

http://www.ausflowers.com.au/intro.html

but they have distributers in many countries. These ones are just outstanding, IMHO.

Best of luck.


Hungry

[Genome335]

Update:

To make a long story short, my counselor was\'nt able to convince my mom to take me to a therapist (we got into a argument and she made me tell the counselor that I was feeling better and did\'nt need treatment anymore). But the good news is, I was able to score 90 tabs of 150MG Wellbutrin SR for $20 from one of my friends, I took my first one this mourning and I can\'t wait until it kicks in [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img].

[Whitehall]

Sure hope you\'re not mixing amphetamines with Wellbutrin!!!!

That\'s not a good idea - at all. One of the negative side effects of Wellbutrin is seizures - I suspect that amphetamine would increase taht risk. Wellbutrin was withdrawn from the market in the US for a few years because of the seizure risk.

Dude, you\'re playing with some strong stuff here!

http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_wellbutrinSR.pdf

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Sure hope you\'re not mixing amphetamines with Wellbutrin!!!!

That\'s not a good idea - at all. One of the negative side effects of Wellbutrin is seizures - I suspect that amphetamine would increase taht risk. Wellbutrin was withdrawn from the market in the US for a few years because of the seizure risk.

Dude, you\'re playing with some strong stuff here!

http://us.gsk.com/products/assets/us_wellbutrinSR.pdf

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">I did\'nt take my ephedrine when with the wellbutrin sr this mourning since I heard it boosts your energy levels itself anyways. I\'m only taking 150mg in the mouring so I don\'t think the seizure risk is that high (also alcohol increases that risk and I don\'t drink), I never knew it was withdrawn from the US markets, i\'ll be careful but if it works, it\'s alot better than being depressed.

[Hungry]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
To make a long story short, my counselor was\'nt able to convince my mom to take me to a therapist (we got into a argument and she made me tell the counselor that I was feeling better and did\'nt need treatment anymore).

<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\">

I don\'t know how accurately you\'ve explained the situation with your mother, but maybe you should speak to someone else with some authority?

Also, self-dosing with stuff like Wellbutrin to treat your depression is *never* a good idea.


Hungry

[Shoe]

Try borage oil, esp. for the anxiety and depression. It will help keep blood sugar from dropping to low also, helping with the energy if that\'s the problem. You\'ll know it it\'s working or not within an hour [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Probably not a good idea to cross mom. She\'s not going to agree to anything that makes her look bad, and having a depressed son makes her look like maybe she\'s not such a great mom. She\'s got the power, so at this point, he\'s not in a position to thwart her. If he can keep himself alive one way and another \'till he gets out of the house, he\'ll be all right then. He\'s only taking half the prescribed dosage for depression anyway so it\'s doubtful it\'ll hurt him and it might help. At least he\'s strong willed enough to do what he has to do for himself, by hook or by crook. THAT\'s good. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] As long as he\'s handling his business, he\'s not tooo depressed.

Hang in there, Genome, you\'ll be out from under before you know it.

How many more years, and what are you doing to get yourself ready to be independent?

[Hungry]

Yeah, and what are your plans after you\'re independent?

I recommend travelling! I didn\'t travel, and look how I turned out! Damn ignorant, that\'s how! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]


Hungry

[EXIT63]

Stop stretching out the forum. dammit!

[Genome335]

</font><blockquote><font class=\"small\">Quote:</font><hr />
Yeah, and what are your plans after you\'re independent?

I recommend travelling! I didn\'t travel, and look how I turned out! Damn ignorant, that\'s how! [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img]


Hungry


<hr /></blockquote><font class=\"post\"> I\'m 16 and in 10th grade going to 11th so I still have 2 years to go [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]. After highschool i\'m going to move out, get a apartment, a part time job and go strait to college.

[Whitehall]

If you\'ve got realistic goals (and your\'s sound perfect), then you\'re not so bad off. A sign of severe depression is lack of goals.

Now you have something to work for, your plans will need to be developed as you go. A person who can forego today\'s pleasures for a better future is a person of good character and that is essential for winning in the world and living the good life.

[Hungry]

Post deleted by Hungry

[**DONOTDELETE**]

I think he meant making the line of text go too far wide so it doesn\'t all fit on the screen and you have to scroll over to read the end of a sentence.

[Hungry]

Ah, ok.

Deleted my post.


Hungry

[metroman]

This just speaks volumes about the hypocrisy &amp; double standards that exist in our society! If it were the other way around; a father doing this to his daughter there would be a holy hell uproar about abuse, opression, sexism &amp; this that &amp; the other thing. The poor young guy is crying out for help &amp; you just tell him to grin &amp; bear it. A good idea is to Cross your mom. I know its alot easier for me to sit here &amp; tell you to do it than it is for you to actually do it. If your mothers ego is so insecure and weak that she cant recognize when her son needs some help, as we all do ocassionally, then her authority needs to be usurped.

You\'re asking this poor young guy to grin and bear it during a couple of the more important developmental years in this young mans life.

Listen: Your mother isn\'t God. I suspect that there is some kind of issue your mother has with the fact of your growing up to be an independent autonomous adult human being. Good for you. But what does it mean for her? What role is her life supposed to take post child rearing &amp; preparing you for adult hood? These aren\'t your problems they\'re hers but shes making them yours &amp; I find this to be a terrible situation.

I\'m generally against outside institutional intervention in the child parent relationship. You have the right idea. Rebellion. I think alot of young people that are labeled as rebels are actually doing the right thing.