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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 10 of 10. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 8:46:58
Hi, I've just found out the great amount of natural remedies out there for treating these conditions. I've also read a lot of opinions and well, I'd like to give it a try.
I've just ordered:
-"Rhodiola Rosea" (To enhance mood)
-"Maca" (To enhance mood)
-"GABA" (To sleep at night)I hope you can give me some advices or just make me know if any of you had any success with this kind of treatment.
The effects I'm looking for are:
-Activation
-Motivation
-Sexual Desire
-Pro-social behavior
-Better quality sleepThank you very much
Posted by Phillipa on September 9, 2012, at 10:19:35
In reply to Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 8:46:58
Are you also on medications? I truly would like to know how you do on these. And how you go off any existing meds unless you are adding them? Phillipa
Posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 10:56:59
In reply to Re: Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia » Agomelatinehope, posted by Phillipa on September 9, 2012, at 10:19:35
> Are you also on medications? I truly would like to know how you do on these. And how you go off any existing meds unless you are adding them? Phillipa
I'm currently on Duloxetine 30mg (morning) and Lorazepam 1mg (night).
I'm going to try to withdraw from both of them since they're not helping.
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on September 9, 2012, at 20:00:19
In reply to Re: Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 10:56:59
I think you'll get more help from traditional western medicine.
Duloxetine has been a disapointment for depression, even though its a potent SNRI
Could I suggest that you try sertraline 50mg (SRI) and nortriptyline 75mg (NARI) at night for the depression - this often gives a robust response where Cymbalta or Effexor have failed. The nortriptyline will also help sleep wehn combined with your Ativan.
Have a talk with your doctor.
Posted by Phillipa on September 9, 2012, at 21:23:13
In reply to Re: Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by jono_in_adelaide on September 9, 2012, at 20:00:19
When cymbalta was newly released did okay with 60mg and benzos. Unfortunately I went off after three months. Phillipa
Posted by jono_in_adelaide on September 9, 2012, at 22:57:47
In reply to Re: Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Phillipa on September 9, 2012, at 21:23:13
Why did you stop it Phillipa?
It is by no means useless, but when it was released, it war promoted as a wonder drug, when it reality, it doesnt seem to offer much more than an SSRI
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
Posted by bleauberry on September 11, 2012, at 13:39:24
In reply to Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 8:46:58
Cool. Hey, I know these real well.
Rhodiola, probably one of the best plants on earth for medicinal value over a long list of symptoms and conditions. It is tricky though....the size of the dose changes its mechanism and changes the feeling. Generally it is more activating at lower doses, more calming at higher doses, but can do the opposite as well. Anyone I know who starts rhodiola, I tell them to take half of the smallest dose for a few days to start with. Ignore whatever it says on the bottle. This herb is very personal to each body, so it takes a personal approach not a blanket approach, to find the right dose. At the right dose for you, it should help with every symptom you listed. And even though it is sometimes categorized as a stimulant, you should feel some greatly improved sleep within a few days without even any of the other herbs. Overstimulation, nervousness, butterflies in the stomach, disturbed sleep....these happen commonly on rhodiola during the first few days regardless of the dose size, so expect that and if it happens do not let it discourage you.
Maca....be careful. I know, I know, the internet makes it look like a magic plant, and indians supposedly eat it like potatoes. I'm telling you, this is one friggin powerful bizarre plant. It somehow interacts with the pituitary gland, which sends out all the signals to all the other glands....adrenal, thyroid, etc. So the outcome can be all over the map with no predictability. While one person may find it to be tame and sexual, another might find it induces a severe reaction of some kind. Me, it immediately helps my mood on the first day, followed by an almost as immediate plunge into one of the darkest depressions I've ever known. Real scary. Another elderly lady, past menopause, began uncontrollable bleeding on maca and all the menopause symptoms came back full force. Just know, this is a very unpredictable herb, and mileage varies. Could be good, could be bad, I doubt it will be just neutral. Even tiny amounts, like literally dust on the end of knife, caused me bad mood problems.
Gaba might be helpful. They say it doesn't cross the bloodbrain barrier, but I don't know, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. All I know is that yes it can calm things down. However, there are some herbs I think do a better job. They would include Skullcap, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Valerian, usually a combo of 2 or 3 of them. With rhodiola however, you might find you don't need any sleep assistance. If you do, my experience points to the herbs being more helpful than gaba.
Another suggestion. Even though it is not specific for any of the symptoms you mentioned, I highly support the use of resveratrol. It just covers a lot of bases, stuff we can't see and don't know, and lays a good base for anything else we do to work better. It is a miracle chemical, one of the few true ones, with so many benefits to improving any illness, entire books can't even cover everything it does. It must be, however, derived from polygonum cupsidatum (japanese knotweed) not derived from grapes (more common). Good brands are Source Naturals, my favorite is Paradise Herbs brand. It also has as one of its mechanisms some built in nervous system calming, which I've never really felt that from it, but could be helpful for sleep. Everything else it does should help just about every symptom listed.
Since you mentioned an interest in sexual desire, the one herb I found did a great job at that was Cordyceps. I was taking it for energy, endurance and mood. It did not help my energy or mood, but yes definitely gave me more endurance and yes my sexual desire got very strong. A nice unexpected discovery.
> Hi, I've just found out the great amount of natural remedies out there for treating these conditions. I've also read a lot of opinions and well, I'd like to give it a try.
>
> I've just ordered:
>
> -"Rhodiola Rosea" (To enhance mood)
> -"Maca" (To enhance mood)
> -"GABA" (To sleep at night)
>
> I hope you can give me some advices or just make me know if any of you had any success with this kind of treatment.
>
> The effects I'm looking for are:
>
> -Activation
> -Motivation
> -Sexual Desire
> -Pro-social behavior
> -Better quality sleep
>
> Thank you very much
>
Posted by Agomelatinehope on September 11, 2012, at 18:03:58
In reply to Re: Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by bleauberry on September 11, 2012, at 13:39:24
> Cool. Hey, I know these real well.
>
> Rhodiola, probably one of the best plants on earth for medicinal value over a long list of symptoms and conditions. It is tricky though....the size of the dose changes its mechanism and changes the feeling. Generally it is more activating at lower doses, more calming at higher doses, but can do the opposite as well. Anyone I know who starts rhodiola, I tell them to take half of the smallest dose for a few days to start with. Ignore whatever it says on the bottle. This herb is very personal to each body, so it takes a personal approach not a blanket approach, to find the right dose. At the right dose for you, it should help with every symptom you listed. And even though it is sometimes categorized as a stimulant, you should feel some greatly improved sleep within a few days without even any of the other herbs. Overstimulation, nervousness, butterflies in the stomach, disturbed sleep....these happen commonly on rhodiola during the first few days regardless of the dose size, so expect that and if it happens do not let it discourage you.
>
> Maca....be careful. I know, I know, the internet makes it look like a magic plant, and indians supposedly eat it like potatoes. I'm telling you, this is one friggin powerful bizarre plant. It somehow interacts with the pituitary gland, which sends out all the signals to all the other glands....adrenal, thyroid, etc. So the outcome can be all over the map with no predictability. While one person may find it to be tame and sexual, another might find it induces a severe reaction of some kind. Me, it immediately helps my mood on the first day, followed by an almost as immediate plunge into one of the darkest depressions I've ever known. Real scary. Another elderly lady, past menopause, began uncontrollable bleeding on maca and all the menopause symptoms came back full force. Just know, this is a very unpredictable herb, and mileage varies. Could be good, could be bad, I doubt it will be just neutral. Even tiny amounts, like literally dust on the end of knife, caused me bad mood problems.
>
> Gaba might be helpful. They say it doesn't cross the bloodbrain barrier, but I don't know, maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. All I know is that yes it can calm things down. However, there are some herbs I think do a better job. They would include Skullcap, Lemon Balm, Passionflower, Valerian, usually a combo of 2 or 3 of them. With rhodiola however, you might find you don't need any sleep assistance. If you do, my experience points to the herbs being more helpful than gaba.
>
> Another suggestion. Even though it is not specific for any of the symptoms you mentioned, I highly support the use of resveratrol. It just covers a lot of bases, stuff we can't see and don't know, and lays a good base for anything else we do to work better. It is a miracle chemical, one of the few true ones, with so many benefits to improving any illness, entire books can't even cover everything it does. It must be, however, derived from polygonum cupsidatum (japanese knotweed) not derived from grapes (more common). Good brands are Source Naturals, my favorite is Paradise Herbs brand. It also has as one of its mechanisms some built in nervous system calming, which I've never really felt that from it, but could be helpful for sleep. Everything else it does should help just about every symptom listed.
>
> Since you mentioned an interest in sexual desire, the one herb I found did a great job at that was Cordyceps. I was taking it for energy, endurance and mood. It did not help my energy or mood, but yes definitely gave me more endurance and yes my sexual desire got very strong. A nice unexpected discovery.
Very helpful reply. Thank you so much :)
Posted by Agomelatinehope on September 13, 2012, at 6:01:46
In reply to Natural pills to treat depression and insomnia, posted by Agomelatinehope on September 9, 2012, at 8:46:58
I've read that Rhodiola tends to poop out quite quickly. Being that the case, what kind of cycling do you recommend? Maybe taking it Monday-Friday and rest the weekend?
Thanks
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