Does anyone know of anything natural for anxiety/depression?

[mojogal]

Hi, I had mentioned before that I get depressed and I have anxiety due to my current living situation. I was wondering if anyone has tried anything natural for depression or anxiety? I don't really want to take meds for it with the Lyme and I believe that once I am with my fiancee again most of those feelings will end but until then I was looking for a temporary natural assist. I am not going to my LLMD for another 3 weeks. thanks in advance.

[mojogal]

Thanks at this point, I will try anything.

[JackieCalifornia]

PS, I've been under a ton of stress lately and a friend recommended ginseng tea, if I haven't already mentioned it.  It really is helping me, but I'm not going through Herxing or Lyme currently, so strictly fwiw.  I have tried two different brands, and one is more soothing than the other, takes away the jitters.  Just a different variety of ginseng, I guess.

[mojogal]

Thanks for this, I will run it by my LLMD when I see her Monday,

[Valkyrie568]

You might try checking into taking 5 HTP. It is the precursor to Serotonin and I think it is the most helpful thing I've tried either Rx or supplemental. I have pasted a link to the best information available in one place, but the same information contained in two of my textbooks. You can buy it anywhere including Amazon. If you try it though, I would suggest the 50mg. capsules so you can add to your dosage until you get it right rather than jumping right in to a 200mg. capsule. St. John's Wort is also helpful, but not like this stuff.

http://www.vrp.com/stress/5-htp-5-hydroxytryptophan-vs-prozac-ssris

[mojogal]

I found it interesting that when I was in the hospital they found I had a really low mag level and they gave me supplements, I am taking some now by Dr Perlmutter, my LLMD likes his stuff and so far so good. For now, I will just take those until I see my LLMD in a few weeks and ask about the epsom salts bath.
Thanks for the info.

[JackieCalifornia]

Back in the olden days, epsom salts were used as a laxative, and it sounds like you took enough for it to have that effect on you.  As in:  too much for your particular body and situation.  (And more recently, I remember my grandparents using Milk of ***Magnesia*** as a laxative ... same concept to produce the results you experienced.)

The brand of Mg supplements that has "CAO" (three types in one) was made by a separate company till recently and marketed by a company online called vitacost.  then recently vitacost bought that company and changed the name of the product to vitacost .... but you might still find some under the other name, which I can't recall at the moment.  

Just search 'magnesium cao' online and you'll find it.  

Start small and work up in dose, but I am a lightweight and take 1 capsule (=400mg) twice a day, with no problems.

I recently ran out of the CAO and bought some Magnesium Asporotate by Solaray from the local vitamin store ... it works fine, I just like the CAO.

(Note:  I have NO financial or other relationship with any vitamin/supp company or seller, except as a customer!)  

[Ricobord]

I tried taking the epsom salts orally and I just got the runs.  Now I stick with epsom salt baths and oral supplements.

Jackie - do you mind sharing the name of the one you use?

[JackieCalifornia]

and PS, I've read that the most absorbable kind of Mg is any variety that ends in "-ate" such as Mg malate, or orotate, or asporotate (sp?), etc.

Some of the junkier brands are made out of other stuff that is not as available to the body to use.  I like a kind that includes three "-ates":  called Magnesium CAO -- the online blurb says it

"...is a combination of three different types of magnesium: magnesium citrate (a magnesium salt of citric acid), magnesium aspartate (an amino acid chelate of magnesium and aspartic acid) and magnesium orotate (magnesium bound to orotic acid)."

I don't know why those types are beneficial or easier to absorb, but I've tried several different 'blends' (or single types) over the last few years, and this one works best for me in subtle ways.  I ran out of it recently and bought a different variety in a local store, and it just doesn't give me the same feeling.  Yeah, maybe it's my imagination.  Whatever!

But I am learning slowly that some of the supplements sold out there are not very high quality ... the trick is figuring out what's good.  Still working on that.

[mojogal]

Thanks for the tip, never used them before.

[JackieCalifornia]

Epsom salts *are* magnesium, so taking Epsom salt baths and magnesium pills together could be too much.  The minimum daily requirement of magnesium was enough for me -- and I still take 400mg twice a day, total 800mg per day.

[mojogal]

I take B12 for a shortage but will try the B3. Hope your sister is ok and she is right, each works differently for all people. thanks

[mojogal]

I take the mag but will try the epsom salts. Thanks Jackie.

[youvegottobekidding]

I have bartonella too and sometimes get depressed.

I found one of the things that makes a difference to me is B vitamins. Deficiency in B3 in particular can make people very depressed, and I think B vitamin deficiencies are common for Lymies because they are also all used for detoxing and energy production.

My sister has suffered severe depresion most of her life (doesn't have Lyme) adn has tried every prescription drug and natural remedy she has ever heard of. She says most of the strong ones(herbs as well as presription drugs)  make you actually get MORE depressed
over the long term, and she thinks one of the safest and most effective is Bach flower remedies...they're gentle and the effect is milder, but there is no downside/side effects.

The other thing she said - probably the most important thing- is that all treatments for depression are different for different people, so while you can take all kinds of advice, you just have to try them for yourself.

[JackieCalifornia]

Try magnesium supplements for the anxiety/depression/miserable feelings.

Lyme bacteria use up magnesium (Mg), and it's hard for your doc to test for it, bec. most Mg is held inside your cells and not floating in the bloodstream where a blood test would show the levels.

Mg gives a nice feeling of calmness and well-being.  Don't take more than the bottle says, tho, because it will give you diarrhea as the intermediate stop before kidney damage or something.  I have been taking it for several years and the effect is good, and tho I'm very sensitive to EVERY thing, I've never had a problem with the Mg.

Or, put epsom salts (=Mg in a non-edible form) in a hot/warm bath ... the Mg is absorbed through the skin and no chance of taking too much that way.  But anyway, Mg works.  Good stuff.

[mojogal]

i will ask my LLMD about that test, thanks

[mojogal]

i actually got my IGenx co-infection results this afternoon which came out positive for Bartonella and I think I have every symptom you can have. I posted pre-results but now I know why I am having those symptoms. I had a bad reaction from Xanax and I am also sensitive to meds so hate the thoughts of having to take some other pill but thanks for the info on the antibiotics. I might switch too.

[Sdm777]

There are all sorts of natural approaches to anxiety...I have been on some for 4 years..different for everyone, I would ask for an adrenal saliva test to determine which will be affective for you... Good luck

[Ricobord]

I can't remember if you have said this before, but do you have Bartonella?  My only symptoms of Bartonella were a preponderance of neuro and gut symptoms along with anxiety.  If I hadn't tested positive for it, it might have taken a while to figure out. My anxiety pretty much disappeared after I switched from Rifampin to Levaquin (no tendon problems so far).

I would sometimes take 1/2 of a .5g dose of XanaX at night. A couple times I took one during the day (like the time my husband walked up to me and handed me one, saying authoritively, "Here. Take this."). I do feel it helped. It wasn't a big enough dose to make me feel weird.  (It is pretty clear that 'drug sensitivity' is also on my list.)

I haven't tried any natural treatments for it, but I would imagine that chamomile and others would be helpful. Sorry I am not much help?

[mojogal]

Thanks, I will check it out.

[dolfnlvr]

Don't know if you are at all into this sort of stuff, but there is a site with decent hypnosis downloads called (get this) www (dot) hypnosisdownloads (dot) com

They have a large library--and they aren't that expensive.  The site was recommended to me as a resource by a counselor years ago.  I've used it for a few things.  Not sure I'd put stock in the "big stuff" but for smaller things like mood boosting and power napping and the like, it seems to be worth a few dollars.

Just an idea...
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