Depression

[SattahipBri]

Sawan Chan 7, you can always try some natural forms of anti depressants. They are more gentle on your body but can help greatly with depression, anxiety, insomnia etc. Google Camu Camu, Mucuna, Noni, Acai Berry and Cordyceps. Also look at your diet, our stomach is our other brain and if you don't feed it right, it doesn't make the right things we need and it doesn't send the right signals to our brain. It can affect our whole body and our moods etc....I have some depression and insomnia, well I did until I got some supplements from Good Karma Thailand, now I feel great and have lots of energy and sleep if greatly improved. It makes life so much better.

Hi Breecher,

Good information...Thanks.

Which of the natural supplements you mention above would you consider is the best for insomnia?

Thanks

[DogNo1]

It is not my intention to discourage the OP from getting off of Diazepam but the articles cited by micmichd speak for themselves. I believe that people should make fully informed decisions.

[cheeryble]

The OP has not expressed a desire to remain on benzos for life and had become addicted to them, suggesting that he is not among those who are able to safely use them long term.

he is not being treated with an SSRI. He is being treated with a tricyclic. To me it sounds like his doctors know exactly what they are doing.

I'm with you Sheryl.

The great advantage of a tricyclic (which I was prescribed specifically for protracted lorazepam withdrawal by my pretty aware GP) is it eases the ride and specially that it gives good sleep which can't be overrated it would normally be very difficult indeed. At the same time they, tricyclics, seem easy to taper off and stop when the time comes.

To the OP:

Whilst there are unfortunates who have a real predisposition to depression, many or most sufferers seem to have it triggered by causes which boil back to one thing: our unhealthy thinking habits.

Unfortunately once triggered it seems to become biochemical and not got rid of in five minutes......may take time.....but we need to start by addressing the way we think.

Our thinking digs us into the hole.

This is exactly what CBT aims to re-align.

Suggest as a start you read Feeling Good (Burns) an early and excellent book about this.......just reading and applying to yourself can institute change fast there has in fact been a study comparing this bibliotherapy to personal treatment very favourably.

Three Minute Therapy also good it goes straight for the Musts Oughts and Shoulds we impose on ourselves which affect us so badly. Away with "musty" thinking!

For now stick with your doctor and don't be drawn every direction.

Edited June 5, 2015 by cheeryble

[Sawan Chan 7]

I had another visit with the shrink and he gave me a drug called Cetavol, which contains Nortriptyline and Fluphenazine. He said I will be able to come off the diazepam.

I'm a bit concerned though as Fluphenazine is used to treat schitzophrenia. I'd have thought that this would be addictive too. His plan is to give me this then come off it later.

Does anyone know if this is hard to come off or dangerous to stay on?

[Sheryl]

Fluphenazine is not physically addictive, and in combination with nortriptylline it has a number of uses unrelated to psychosis, including treatment of neurogenic pain and mixed anxiety/depressive states. The latter is probably why selected for you - while your current problem is depression you likely have an underlying anxiety disorder; most people who become addicted to benzos do.

While Cetavol is not physically addictive, you may have difficuklty with depression and/or anxiety if you stop taking it. Once you are off diazepam you would benefit from some short term therapy to deal with the underlying mood disorder that likely set all this in motion.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/795608

http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1185/03007997209111142