Has anyone used herbs/supplements they found successful?

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Hello! I am new here! I have an almost 16 year old son with AS. He is not on any medication. I feel he suffers from seasonal affect, anxiety, some mood swings and possibly slight depression. I don't want to put him on prescription drugs, but I feel it may be time to try something. His main teacher feels his anxiety gets in the way of his learning. Has anyone tried St. John's Wort with any success?? Or any other herb/supplement/vitamin with any success for depression/anxiety?? I already have him on a multi-vitamin, fish oil, and Vitamin D. I was also looking into Seredyn for anxiety and Amoryn for mood. Has anyone ever tried those? I would love to get any advice on this as I really do not want to put him on prescription drugs with their side effects, but I would love take the edge off of some of those symptoms. I greatly appreciate any feedback!! Thank you!! ! Tom's Mom

I recommend that you look into trying Vitamin B-12. My psychiatrist suggested that I start taking it for my irritability and mood swings. I was skeptical at first, but I must say that it really works! I am much less irritable and slower to anger than I was before, and my mood swings are so mild that I can't even remember when the last time I had one was! The great thing about it is that I started noticing improvements within the first 3 days that I started taking it.

Regardless of whether or not you decide to try Vitamin B-12, I wish you well on your search for supplements for your son!

I tried a supplement that contained St. John's Wort, but it gave me violent mood swings. I had tried the other ingredients before without any problem, so it was either the St. John's Wort or some kind of interaction. I stopped taking it after a few days and returned to normal (for me, that is).

I've had some success with fish oil, but it was high doses of pharmaceutical grade fish oil, usually 6-8 grams/day, over 2-3 months. It wasn't a dramatic improvement, but I did notice improvement with regard to my moods. I would like to keep up this regimen, but I can't afford it; good quality pharmaceutical grade fish oil isn't cheap. I only take 2 grams/day now. If you like I can PM you the specific product I use.

Have you tried adjusting your son's diet? I found that being on a predominantly vegetarian diet made me feel better overall. Unfortunately, I can't afford that either. He doesn't necessarily have to become a vegetarian, but it's possible making adjustments can help. I can't offer any specific advice, but you might be able to research how diet affects moods and see if there's anything worth trying.

I told my neurologist, "I used to have short, violent seizure-like episodes before falling to sleep, preceded by a distinctive aura and occasionally hearing music in random noise. On the amantadine, that doesn't happen anymore, but instead I have weird dreams in the middle of the night and then wake up twitching. I am briefly unable to move on my own and have a sensation that I am 'ringing like a bell.'"

He told me, I should take melatonin for it.

Well, the melatonin sort of cleared that up, but it also seems to help me sleep.

He also has me on fish oil, which I strongly recommend for a variety of reasons.

Try Brahmi. I love that stuff.

Idaho Rose...how much B12 did you take daily? I will definitely try this! And I will look up Brahmi as well. Thank you all so much for your advice - I really appreciate it!! !! !

I occasionally take extract of Kava Kava root for anxiety. I use it as something of a spot-treatment for times of heightened anxiety when I am not able to keep it together, but I really need to.
B-vitamins are helpful for general mood support.
I also have some digestive issues that exacerbate anxiety and concentration problems, so I take a enzyme supplement for that and it has made a big difference.

There are many others out there, as I'm sure you'll discover here.

I have used many things. I find that what works best for me is to take a B 50 complex and omega 3 fish oil before going to sleep. These usually allow me to wake up with a clearer head. The B 50 complex ensures that your brain has all the necessary co-enzymes and metabolites to synthesize neurotransmitters.

The DHA in fish oil helps with neuronal signaling. Also I recommend drinking a blueberry/strawberry smoothie without any added dairy or soy. The blueberry/strawberry combination contains many anti-inflammatory compounds. There have been a handful of studies showing that people on the spectrum have a higher rate of neuronal inflammation than NTs.

I also want to start taking Vitamin B-12.

Thank you for all the great advice! I went to Vitamin Shoppe and I bought "Posivite Thoughts" By Source Naturals. It's a St. John's Wort formula with other herbs/supplements in it to help with anxiety etc. I also got B12 lozenges and Nordic Naturals, high quality fish oil. Today is day 3 or regimen. I hope we see an improvement! I myself bought Relora to try. I started it yesterday. I want to see if it will help with my own mood and food cravings. Has anyone here ever tried Relora?? Thanks!!

St John's Worth did not help me at all. I noticed no effects or side effects even though it was a prescription strength medicine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adaptogen

Any of these are usually helpful