What pharmaceutical companies don't want you to know about depression. Plus how I helped a friend..

Back Story: About a year ago I was trying to help a good friend loose weight. A few times she had mentioned that before going on depression medication she had no real weight gain problems. I know she was eating clean and exercising but kept hitting a wall after the first 30-40 pounds. Around the same time my mom was given some Vitamin D supplements outside the US for depression instead of any of the big pharma stuff. The more I read into in the more it seemed like depression meds were not a good idea. Plus my friend get really hard to deal with if she ever missed a dose of Effexor.

She talked to her doctor about getting off Effexor, who at first was not supportive but did make a plan for her. I read that a lot of people were going to compound pharmacies to get off depression medication and failing to get off Effexor.

This is the point I started searching for supplements that could help with withdrawals. What I found was astounding; there is a whole side of the medical community that does not like depression medications. A lot of these medications have mechanisms that are not completely understood. Add to this the concept of evergreening(changing around the molecule ever so slightly to maintain patents). Countless stories of how peoples lives had been destroyed on depression medication.

The first study of interest I found was how micro nutrients are linked to depression. The reason (that I could see was preservation of profits) to not test for deficiencies is astounding. Most doctors know nothing significant about nutrition and their knowledge of biochemistry is limited. The whole system is meant on making customers instead of curing.

Nutritional biochemistry is not a subject with which most psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychopharmacologists are familiar. A stream of recent epidemiological studies and clinical trials, however, indicates that understanding of nutritional biochemistry is soon going to be essential for anyone working with mentally ill patients

journals.cambridge.org...

Clinical deficiencies of several vitamins and minerals result in depression. Nutrients that have received particular attention with relation to depression include omega-3 fatty acids, folate, cobalamin, and zinc. Antioxidant nutrients are other potentially beneficial dietary factors that should be investigated. Body weight issues may be related to depression and anxiety in very complex ways. Dietary strategies to prevent and treat depression are inexpensive and low risk and therefore warrant consideration in future research and clinical applications.

ajl.sagepub.com...

There are people with genes that do not regulate vitamin B, fatty acid, micro nutrient absorption correctly. These are testable and no doctor tests for them. Theoretically supplementation of such nutrients plus a correction in diet combined with support/ therapy(for life changing circumstances) should cure most depression.

Diet- The American phenomenon of adding sugar instead of fat. You could be short of the fatty acids needed for your brain to function. Add to that the uncertainty of GM food (could not find any studies on this; nothing of this sort; linking GM -> depression would ever get funded). Even being constipated could cause depression.

Here is a list of changes we made-
1) Water- We added filters where ever possible. Trying to avoid fluoride.
2) Diet- Limited the oils to Organic olive oil and grapeseed oil. She did a juice fast for a little while. Complete avoidance of MSG, food coloring, processed food. Increased water intake. More fresh fruits and vegetables. Limit intake of meat/ poultry/ fish to 10% of the diet.
3) Exercise - 3 to 4 times a week with cardio.
3) Supplements- Throwing the whole kitchen sink.
Whole food multivitamin - This uses chelates(better absorption)
Omega 3 fatty acids
journals.psychiatryonline.org...
Methionine (not SAM-e)
www.livestrong.com...
Tryphophan
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...
5-HTP
Not any more but when coming off the effexor in small doses
Probiotics
articles.mercola.com...

Other things we looked at - Saffron, ashwagandha (adaptogens)
She also takes - Coq-10, Turmeric

Warning: Please talk to your doctor before making any changes.

If a persons copper levels are too high, they can get depression. Copper enzymes break down some of the brain chemicals. Taking turmeric helps because it inhibits the breakdown of the MAOs Taking molybdenum supplements for a couple of weeks lowers copper levels in the liver. Or you could add more tyramines to the diet which include aged food including beer and booze Choose your medicine

Just go out and eat Chinese and you will get all the tyramines you need to restore your happiness. or just eat some rice with kikkomens soy sauce at home. Some people have a problem taking apart tryptothan. This could lead to a niacin deficiency also.

Other Mineral and vitamin deficiencies can play a role in this also. Most people are deficient in magnesium which can break down sugars. Molybdenum is an important mineral but doesn't work alone.

Other related problems can be cured with coffee and some with one of the chemicals that nicotine breaks down to.

Watch the ads for depression medicine and check the "depression hurts" symptoms. They are symptoms of dehydation (aching muscles, dry mouth, etc). Sites like Watercure.com and Watercure2.com claim that depression itself is a symptom of dehydration. In many cases, drinking enough water daily may cure or at least lessen depression. The ads don't lie (hahahahahaha), the side-effects of depression medicine are what happens when you try to keep what little water most people drink inside the body, and the side-effects also attempt to make you drink more water.

reply to post by rickymouse


Thanks for the insight. My friend feels much better on tryphtophan than off it. She does supplement with B-vitamins. The reason for tryphtophan is because it is precursor to seretonin and lets the body decide how much is optimal instead of 5-htp which does not let the body regulate it.

Serotonin (a neurotransmitter), synthesized via tryptophan hydroxylase.[8][9] Serotonin, in turn, can be converted to melatonin (a neurohormone), via N-acetyltransferase and 5-hydroxyindole-O-methyltransferase activities.[10]
Niacin is synthesized from tryptophan via kynurenine and quinolinic acids as key biosynthetic intermediates.[11]
Auxin (a phytohormone) when sieve tube elements undergo apoptosis tryptophan is converted to auxins.[12]

en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by an0nThinker


If you look up tyramines, they are one step closer to making the chemical. Fermented foods work well if a person lacks the enzymes or doesn't support the microbes well to take apart tryptophan. If tryptophan works, that is so much better. Tyramines are either bound or free glutamates, a small amount of free are needed and most should be bound.

reply to post by rickymouse


Wow! Good information. I will look around and read some more. My friend has no depression and I really don't want to rock the boat but the dietary changes a possibility

reply to post by Aleister


I agree that dehydration can be a major contributor to depression. Sodas, coffee etc. do not really help with hydration.

Just to add to a conspiracy involving depression and why depression medications doesn't work.

This recent grounbraking research went unnoticed, wonder why?, goes to describe how we all got it wrong what we knew about depression and what the cause is.

MedicalXpress

Thank you for all the good information by everyone in this thread so far. As someone who has dealt with chronic depression for many years in my life it will be most useful.

Some years ago I was on effexor and decided to get off as it was only marginally helpful. My dr. said just cut down for about 5 days and I should be fine. Having done research, I knew better. I had some left over imipramine an older antidepresent that worked wonders for me many years ago) and devised a schedule where I gradually decreased the effexor while increasing the imipramine over 6 weeks. I then took it to a pharmacist and was told the plan looked good but I should extend it to 2-3 months, which I did. I had one day of depression then was fine.

I have refused to take meds for a few years now.

Personally, any doc who prescribes effexor or any other ssri should be strung up by their toenails.

reply to post by liveandlearn


Getting a test you micro nutrients could help with trying to figure out what is going wrong. They are about 200$ a piece my friend did not get one. My mom did and she got a couple of injections for vitamin d. Helped her out a lot.
Saffron at 30mg can also help... There are other things in my original post that might be worth researching. Good luck. You can send me a personal message and I'll try to help out.

reply to post by an0nThinker


Thank you. As to the vitamin D I have been taking 5000 units daily for the past year or so and recently changed to a liquid version. Earlier today I noticed something different...don't recall what it was in response to but I wondered if it was the change to the liquid form of vit D.

I will check out saffron. Never heard of this link before.

Your friend is fortunate to have you.

Transdermal magnesium therapy and vitamin D3, not D2 the prescription type.

Lot's of information for both of these and depression, they work together.

reply to post by liveandlearn


Read this-
www.livestrong.com...
The article has the references that call for saffron.

Look here as well.
www.livestrong.com...

Look at niacin as well. Remember not to take the extended release. Look for known drug interactions when adding anything. Add stuff slowly..

Naturally, your diet is the most important thing to keep you healthy. You are literally what you eat. So many people fail to accept that. With fast food and all the processed foods now a days many people are either mislead about what is really healthy for them or they don't even take it into consideration. But hey, big Pharma don't mind, right? As long as they keep their pockets heavy.
I'm a firm believer that mother nature has provided us with everything we need for all facets of our every day lives. Of course there are exceptions to the rule but that is a given.

Good thread OP. S&F

reply to post by an0nThinker


I don't understand why people are still trying to overcome depression using meds, reminds me of that 'make everything ok' magic button.

Of course nutrition is also a vital part of getting out of depression, but what worries me the most is the lack of attention to the actual root cause of depression. Every depression begins with a single thought, we are told we have got to be happy even though the whole doctrination of our modern society is for misery in the first place. There are many reasons to be unhappy. Being stuck in a #ty job, a #ty relationship, having all your money and rights taken away for the sake of failed institutions like banks, being poisoned by your own government, living in an emerging police state or a new world order, but why would you be unhappy? Oh... it must be the meds you haven't taken. That means that if you're unhappy then it must be the chemical reactions in your central nervous system, so if you'll excite the levels of serotonin in your brain than you'll be alright again. Excuse me for raising the BS flag.


I studied Psychology and only after going through that pathetic doctrination I finally realized how little they know about people, and it's not their fault anyway but they have been brought to the age of ignorance so they pass their "knowledge" to others. Psychology today is almost like a fairy tale, where people believe that all these stories are true, and if someone has a degree or two in Psychology then it means he know something about people.

Truth is that knowledge is highly overrated, and I do not wish to speak for all the psychologists out there, but for many of them it's a disgrace for humanity to call for aid for the human spirit, and in exchange being sent to the psychiatrist office to get meds for their "problems", instead of facing them and overcome them with true human spirit.

Depression is not only trying to be cured by ignorant people whom lost touch with their own spirit, but is caused by ignorance of people who've lost touch with their own spirit.

If only people reconnect to their soul and listen not to the wants of the ego (which wants a new car or more money or a new relationship) and listen to the burn of their inner core Self, they will be alright again. If you do as you feel to regardless of what society thinks whether it's right or wrong, or what the people whom are close to you may criticize your acts, doesn't matter. If someone does as he/she really feel to then there's no reason on Earth why someone should be unhappy, let alone depressed.

I was depressed once, I refused to take any meds even though my psychologist tried to make me believe I won't be able to overcome the depression fully without using meds. I knew even then that it was sheer nonsense, and gladly I didn't modified or interrupted the very delicate balance that co-exists within myself.

The very root cause of depression is thoughts. All emotions, mental states, feelings are derived from thoughts. Pay attention to the thoughts, do not work to change them or else you'll suffer, do not try to force your mind to 'think positive' or else you'll suffer, just pay attention to them. Observe them with the light of consciousness which is the seer of all things, including all phenomena which is occurring within you. Pay attention to the thoughts without going against them, without criticizing them, without being their slave by following wherever they go. You have no control over your thoughts, even the Buddha couldn't control his own thoughts. Pay attention to this noise, it is not who you really are. You are not your thoughts, this noise will go on rumbling but this has nothing to do with the real you, which is beyond thoughts. The mind is a machine, a receiver of the senses, through the senses it mixes with the ego which is another false identity and forms the thought patterns. Only pay attention, the more you pay attention to this mechanism the lesser you are depressed since then Realization comes, and realization burns everything. All which is untrue, false, fraud. That includes depression. The more you pay attention, the more you realize, the lesser you'll be depressed now and in the future because you have finally understood how your own Self works. No meds required.

Just my 0.02$ on depression, I hope this wasn't off topic.

Man 5-htp gives me a killer headache ey.

I've stopped taking that.

reply to post by Aleister

All in on the water part. Cell wall permeability is the key to shedding toxins from the body. If the bodies cells are hydrated then the cell wall membrane can exchange nutrients and toxins. Like taking out the garbage. If the cell is dehydrated the garbage builds up until the next time more liquids come along. Staying hydrated all the time is the key to the bodies natural processes working efficiently. Food is metabolized with it and toxic waste is eliminated by it.

Drink lots of the purest water (distilled) you can. Then concern yourself with diet and exercise.

reply to post by an0nThinker


an0nThinker,

Thank you so much for your post. My husband has suffered depression in the past and hates the pharma-drugs doctors throw at him. I have long suspected this was a deficiency which could be corrected with diet (first) and supplements (second) as needed based on his body does or does not process what it is given with food. The only thing I have ever been able to do is give him D and B vitamins, water, and a general multivitamin. Your thread is VERY much appreciated. Your research is beyond my capabilities, I think, no matter how much I studied this I doubt I would have reached the scope of understanding that you have. So THANK YOU.

And a question. I am a migraine sufferer and have long suspected it is for a similar reason, lack of some vitamin/mineral/hormone, or lack of my body processing it correctly. I have kept the most detailed food diaries for 13 years and not gotten anywhere with that. Is there ANYTHING you can say, based on the research you have done, which I might be able to try? I have already tried C, B, D, feverfew, magnesium, 5 HTP, Fish Oil, Omega 3, 6, and 9, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a few. I think the way the brain works (in this way) is beyond my understanding and that's why I can't find a solution. I need someone to explain it to me, and US doctors don't work like that. They give you pharmas and shove you out the door.

Welcoming any suggestions, and thanks again for the info in the OP. I have printed it out, believe it or not!

I have battled clinical depression off and on for 26 or more years. I tried the "natural" way with a few doctors and never got a consistant, positive outcome. Although I wish I would not have to take them, antidepressants have saved my life and I am satisfied with the results.

I believe nutrition plays HUGE role in most disease of today. I've been reading the posts and most replied its a deficiency in certain vitamins and minerals.

But what causes the deficiencies begin with? Could it be a certain food your eating removes vitamins and minerals from your body? Like the phytate content in our Healthy Whole Grains and certain vegetables??? Look into wheat and mental illnesses or wheat and neurological disorders. There are over 60 years of research in that field alone.