Meds - help!

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I finally got off Prozac and got suicidal so I got back on Prozac - I like Prozac just fine, but the doctor and pharmacy are driving me nuts. They could find their *!* with their ... um, however that phrase goes. And it gets me victimized, with things going wrong and me paying for meds that are filled wrong and a doc I can't reach -

Yes, an old story for lotsa folks, I know. Here's my question:

Is there a substitute for Prozac, something natural?

I tried St John's Wort and it affects me badly. Not side effects, just so depressed I can't move.

Has anybody tried anything else and please tell me about it?

Tryptophan is illegal here. but there's 5HTP (sp?) that I could get.

Any advice, please?

Hiya, yea I can empathise! My ADHD got mistaken for manic depression and I was at one point offered Lithium!! Uggg.

So after numerous courses on Prozac, Cipramil, Venlafaxin, Seroxat etc etc......I discovered Phosphatidyl Serine a non essential amino acid that my son was found to be deficient in.......I researched it and found it was natural and very safe, derived from soya beans but Serine is a vital for our brains!

So I tried it and bingo 20mins later....calm, no panic, no anxiety and I felt chilled out. Now ALL my kids use it, none of us are on any prescriptive medications apart from one of my sons who has epilepsy too. I couldn't believe it when we first tried it, it is simply a miracle in a pot!

Tons of academic research on it so just google it. If you need any more advice or info on it just yell I SWEAR BY IT. And it works just the same as Ritalin, kicks into the system within 30mins and then needs topping up every 4-6hrs!

Here is where we get it from and the one we use ALL the time!
Good luck
http://www.vitacost.com/Source-Naturals ... ne-Complex

Thanks very much! I'll order some as soon as I can, probably this week.
It's funny, with all that medical wrangling, I think I'm the only person in the country that never tried Ritalin. What's it like?

Haha, I'm not in your country so I guess I don't count, but I have neve rused Ritalin either.

As for the meds thing, why are the doctor and pharmacist telling you to go off prozac? Are you having bad side effects? As for 5HTP, I haven't used it but know people who have and they say it works quite well. Can you see a natural doc for a consult, or is it too expensive? I for one wouldn't experiment with supplements without consulting a doc, since just because it's natural doesnt'mean it's safe.

Yes I take your point about consultng a doc. However, my problem is that the doc says one thing, prescribes another, and the pharmacy sends me meds addressed to somebody else entirely. I don't trust any of them.

So I thought, wouldn't it be neat if I could just walk into a store, pick it out myself, and buy it? And not be at the mercy of some awfully disorganized professionals?

Hiya......Mmmm Ritalin is mainly only used for ADHD.....it is a fast acting stimulant that normally crosses the blood brain barrier in 20mins. A lot of folk think it will transform a 'naughty' 'unruly' child into a well behaved angel like magic! Actually it doesn't!
Don't get me wrong I am all for using Ritalin for short periods. It really does help with focusing and concentrating. That is why it is better to use it in an enviroment that demands concentrations...like school, work etc. Ritalin does NOT affect behaviour, it merely increases the time we can focus on something. Ritalin often has the effect though of supressing appetites and even having awful rebound effects as it wears off. My son and I got dreadful headaches too and needed to go onto Resperidone to counter those rebounds. So one drug sometimes turns into another if you know what I mean.
Many kids with ADHD are known to have epileptiform activity in their brains, check the stats, you may be shocked. Indeed my youngest is diagnosed Epilepsy. I chose to use Phosphatidyl Serine in place of Ritalin as on him it worked exactly the same despite being NATURAL! Yes I was as shocked as I guess many of you will be when you read this.
I am a nurse, I am au fait with 'drug's and medicines!! I don't do natural/Bio much so I was a bit of a sceptic and when we saw the results on my son we were staggered! Couldn't believe that such an easy safe solution was out there and noone was talking about it!

For children on other parts of the spectrum there is no real medication and ADHD is normally the only one to be offered presciptive medication. HOWEVER my sons (2 of them) diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome found that PS really helped them too. Not on a regular basis but just when they felt anxious or worried about something.....one capsule and GONE! It is soooo subtle that you don't even notice the improvement!

My friend has Chronic ME and hadn't been out in the garden on her own for 5yrs....I left her with a PS and she promised to take it (but she thought I was nuts!)...it was only when I got a call 3hrs later from her, she was screaming down the phone.....I AM IN THE GARDEN DOING THE WEEDING!! She couldn't believe it and had wandered out there not even thinking...she only came to as it where when she banged her knee on the garden gate!

Anyway anything is worth a try as long as it is safe and for US IT IS PHOSPHATIDYL SERINE all the way. Together with at nightime Melatonin for a great nights sleep. All soooo gentle and kind!

Yes I am rambling, sorry, but then I am autistic! I am sure by now you get the message! Good luck

SHOULD HAVE ADDED. Due to the lack of demand for PS, it is not often available in health shops, so ordering on line is the best way...if you need to know anything just shout!

Tryptophan is illegal? What'd they do, outlaw turkey and milk??

Sorry, it's not illegal, it's just prescription only. And for me, prescription only means not at all. I'm trying to get away from doctors and pharmacies.

Yes, I saw the list of foods that contain it, and no, they're not illegal (or prescription).

Progress report: I got the phosphatidyl serine, and it's not for me. I did feel an immediate good reaction, it's hard to define. But whatever it was helping with (and there *was* something) it didn't help with my main problem, being hair-trigger rage. So, it's back to the big P, more's the pity.

Hiya well done for trying. Glad to see it had an immediate good reaction. The hair trigger rage is to do with many volcanic layers of emotions building up in the Amigdyla.....sadly we on the spectrum don't have very effective pre=frontal cortex........and due to fewer 'mini columns' there we explode with this 'hair trigger rage'.

There has been some very interesting research done recently, the genuis behind it is Dr. Manuel Casanova, at the University of Louisville, check it out on google.

Sadly there is no instant miraculous medication that will take this all away, I wish I had a magic wand....BUT Serine WILL help if taken very regularly .......don't let the dose run out.....and be aware of the TRIGGERS that set you off. It is all Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and it will help I promise....I was the same.

Do keep in contact and let us know how you get along or if you find something more effective....then we can all give it a go! Good luck

Just want to warn everyone who goes off or on meds to not do it suddenly. That can cause problems with some medicines. Some need to be increased or decreased gradually.

Good luck in finding your answers.

Hey, wait a minute, this isn't right! If the medication works and it's the doctors that are the problem, why in the world are you trying to change the medication? You should be changing doctors!

Even a minor should be able to tell their parents, "This doctor doesn't respect me, treats me like crap and doesn't seem to know much about my diagnosis. I need a different doctor."

Seriously. If Prozac is working for you, why in the world would you mess around with it?

A great warning and it can't be said too often. I learned the hard way, years ago - taper on or off meds - medical supervision would be good too.

Fortunately the time I took myself off medicine (anti-seizure) without supervision I was ok even though I did it wrong. It's not something I would repeat, especially with my current (currant?) medicine for seizures.

Oh I *have* changed doctors. Several times over the years. I'm not a minor I'm 59yo. I'm okay with the doc I have now - I was very lucky to find her. She knows what I'm doing and I follow her guidance. It's really pharmacies that I'm trying to get rid of. If I must have meds, I'd like them to be across the counter, or maybe from a health store or something.



Because I want to get rid of the "psycho" label. I want to be able to say (to the dentist, for example) "Meds? Oh, just a little blood pressure pill." Also I've been on prozac ten years or so and I thought maybe it was time ... anyway, I'm back on.

"Vanity is my favourite sin!"

Al Pacino, Devil's Advocate