Posted by Hombre on December 6, 2010, at 20:55:33
In reply to Re: Do antidepressants induce chronicity?, posted by europerep on December 6, 2010, at 6:32:33
Not that anyone can explain how ADs affect the body fully, but taking them everyday will exert an influence on the body that will have effects over time. Some ADs cause sexual dysfunction, decreased libido and drive, urinary problems, insomnia, agitation, apathy, constipation - I've experienced all of these symptoms.
At first when I started my AD, I felt a gush of energy and a little anxiety, probably due to NE reuptake being inhibited. And that felt great. But I found that the energy was unstable, and it wasn't necessarily easy to concentrate on things.
Due to probably having what they call Bipolar II, I tend to have insomnia and get wound up at night. So I take an atypical antipsychotic for that. And this medication exerts another constant affect on my body, mostly a slowing of the metabolism, and a bit of mental dullness. I'd rather err on the side of sleeping well at night and not being agitated.
These medications help with my primary symptoms of depression and anxiety, but they are also pushing the balance of my body to a point where I get these unwanted side effects. That's probably due to certain constitutional weaknesses I brought with me before I even started taking medication.
So I have to exert counter pressure on a daily basis using supplements and herbs.
I feel like I need relatively large quantities of vitamins B and C, magnesium and zinc. Zinc on a daily basis seems to help with mental sharpness. I believe these vitamins help with neurotransmitter production and energy metabolism.
The magnesium seems key for overall energy and anxiety, and it is also involved in sex hormone production, which will affect drive, libido, sexual function, and even (fat burning) metabolism. Those are areas affected by the meds. It also helps with constipation; I will tend to feel bad if I am "backed up". Having regular BMs is also key to feeling well.
In order to target the specific side effects of the meds, which could lead me to feel depressed again, since my definition of depressed includes being too apathetic to initiate activity or not being able to focus enough to read, write, and think out complex problems, I need more specific measures.
I studied up on Chinese herbal medicine and compared my symptoms to the known patterns of imbalance in Chinese medicine. Chinese medicine doesn't focus on specific diseases as much as patterns of imbalance. It recognizes that there are so many different factors that could cause imbalance, either external or internal. So instead of trying to find a disease label, you try to tie your symptoms together in order to get an idea of the root cause.
The apathy, lack of libido/drive, urinary problems, and sexual dysfunction are classic symptoms of kidney deficiency. The kidneys in Chinese medicine represent adrenal and sex hormone function, along with the usual function of removing waste from the blood. This is of course an oversimplification, but it's good enough for the sake of discussion.
Based on this pattern, I chose a formula that has been used for hundreds of years and has a known effect. After a month or so, I definitely noticed a difference. You can't fake relief from the urinary or sexual side effects. You may be able to fake libido and drive, but in my case it was clear that the herbs exerted enough counterpressure to bring me back to a point of balance that I deemed acceptable.
These kidney herbs also help prevent apathy. One can look at this as finding a good balance between parasympathetic and sympathetic dominance. Apathy indicates being too relaxed, too Yin, as they say in chinese philosophy. So the kidney formula I take tonifies kidney Yang, and somehow this helps with drive and focus. I don't feel I need to understand things at a molecular level, because I can feel the difference.
As for the slowing of metabolism and possible weight gain from the atypical antipsychotic I take, I take another formula that enhances digestion and improves energy. As long as I eat well and get some exercise, I can maintain a good weight.
Looking back to about 3 years ago, before I ever took any medications, I was bloated, tired, and I had a pot belly. These could be indications of digestive weakness, so taking the herbs for digestion seems a good fit. I don't really have the pot belly, I have good physical energy to do exercise, and I am no longer bloated and puffy.
I have to take these herbs pretty much every day, because I am taking medication every day. They both seem to counter each other, so I can enjoy a higher quality of living. If I stop the herbs, after only a few days the old side effects start to come back, so now I know that I need to take the herbs daily as well.
But if someone were to experience such side-effects and not do something to counter them, I can imagine that over time, if that person's constitution was already vulnerable to certain weaknesses, the chronic use of medication could push things further out of balance. So the meds exert a positive influence in some ways, but they are also causing imbalances in other ways. That could lead to chronicity.
It's also possible that one's depression could be partially due to these constitutional imbalances in the first place. Poor digestion/absorption of nutrients, a nervous system that either over or under reacts to stress, and hormonal imbalances.
Doctor's really tend to overlook side-effects and consider them to be minor. I consider them to be important signs that should not be ignored. By addressing them, I inadvertently discovered that I could improve my overall feeling of wellness beyond what meds could give me. I feel that if I am to take strong medications on a daily basis, I should also be taking something else to counter their ill effects. Instead of piling on more medications with side effects, I choose to take herbs that have very little to no side effects, are safe to take on a daily basis, and are relatively inexpensive, at least in my POV. I'll gladly pay an extra $1 a day if it gives me quality of life and allows me to function at close to 100%.
> > I think there are a few mechanisms by which antidepressants could induce chronicicty.
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> Feel free to explain. I mean, how could ADs prevent homeostasis that leads to natural remission, if they don't "do the job", thereby making homeostasis obsolete? And if they "do the job", well then by definition they are effective.
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poster:Hombre
thread:972394
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101203/msgs/972758.html