Natural replacement

[Justaskinghere]

Need to know what will substitute for Prozac an abilify

[lindahand]

Subsitute for prozac would be St. John's wort, it is regulated and used as a first line treatment in Germany and other places in the world. One of the more studied herbal medicines. HOWEVER. It raises seretonin which makes it a bad choice for people with bipolar. As does most herbals and things like HTP. Unfortunately there isn't really a subsitute for abilify which is what is keeping the SSRI from causing mania.

And herbals have side effects. I am taking something called NAC (N'actyl L Cysteine) as an add on to combat depression (with the approval of the psychiatrist). It upsets my stomach just like Abilify did, and makes me a bit more tired. And St.John's Wort decreases the effectiveness of the birthcontrol pill.

Herbal does not mean safe, and in many cases I believe pharmaceuticals are safer. They are at least more tested. I think they could do a whole lot better. More longitudinal studies for example. But at least you know the dose you are getting, side effect profile, and that it has been shown to work better than a placebo.

Also be a bit careful of Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines as they have been shown to be high in heavy metals. The Chinese ones due to factory contamination, and Ayurvedic medicines some of them are meant to contain them. There have been deaths from the Ayurvedic medicines.

[Boddahfly]

There is no real evidence as to the efficacy of natural remedies, like st Johns wort. If it is an issue with side affects you can try another SSRI or another class of med like a TCA or an MAOI. As far as abillify I have seen no natural alternative to this medication.