Posted by Tomatheus on September 10, 2012, at 14:28:04
In reply to Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 8:46:58
Hi Agomelatinehope,
I too tend to seek out supplements that promote "activation" and "motivation" considering that two of my main depressive symptoms are diminished energy and psychomotor retardation, although I also tend to look for supplements that combat hypersomnia instead of those that promote "better" sleep. So, what have I found in my trials with supplements? Prior to taking aminoguanidine, I did best with SAM-e. I took it with tranylcypromine, which I would not recommend because SAM-e is officially contraindicated with the aforementioned medication, but I noticed that my diminished energy, psychomotor retardation, difficulty concentrating, and anhedonia were all somewhat less severe than usual while I was on the combo. Now, however, SAM-e tablets seem to do absolutely nothing for me, and taking the liquid SAM-e produces benefits that seem to last for about 2-3 weeks.
I now take a combination of supplements that includes folic acid (mainly for anxiety that emerged around the time I took aminoguanidine), coenzyme q10, Korean ginseng, and liquid vitamin B12, but the supplements that I take do so little that I would hardly recommend them. I'm also taking liquid SAM-e and a supplement called Sytrinol, but I will probably be discontinuing both supplements before too long, as I don't think that their effects will last much longer. I've experienced temporary relief from more supplements than I'd probably be able to name here, but unfortunately so many of the supplements that have helped me in the short run have gone on to completely lose their effectiveness in the long run. Rhodiola rosea (the Jarrow Formulas brand) would be on my list of supplements that helped quite a bit in the short run (actually only a day) without helping in the long run. GABA no longer does much for me, and when I took maca, I felt quite disconnected from things and did not notice any difference in my levels of energy or mood.
Of course, the ways in which I've responded to supplements are probably not reflective of the way that most people respond to supplements and may not predict very well how well you might respond to supplements. Rhodiola rosea tends to get good reviews, but for a reason that I wish I knew, my response to "good" Rhodiola (which for me was the Jarrow Formulas brand) only lasted a day. But I do think that Rhodiola rosea would be a good herb to start with if you're looking for activation, motivation, and pro-social behavior. I don't think that I would start taking both Rhodiola rosea and maca at the same time because if you start to notice something, either positive or negative, you won't know which herb is doing what. Between Rhodiola rosea and maca, I think that Rhodiola tends to get the better reviews as far as mood is concerned, so that's why I would recommend starting with Rhodiola, seeing how you respond, and then moving on from there.
Well, that sums up my thoughts on the questions that you asked. Feel free to let me know if you have any questions on anything that I've written here.
Tomatheus
Dx: schizoaffective disorder
Treatments: Abilify, 6 supplements, & counseling
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