Confused, Thank you for sharing this information with us! Just a gentle reminder to all members to consult your pharmacist or physician before beginning any herbal supplement. Although they can provide great therapeutic benefits, they have also been shown to interact with some medication and aggravate certain conditions. Danielle ______________________ The DC Support Team

Hi Flower Medication doesn't seem to work for me either. I've seen a couple of GPs and a psychiatrist, and they all think it's just a matter of finding the right one, but I've tried Zoloft, Paxil, Effexor and Wellbutrin now and I'm losing faith. And I hate the woozy feeling of coming on and off these drugs! I worked for awhile with a nutritionist when I was in between drugs, and I'm happy to share with you the important things I learned: - a good multi-vitamin, multi-mineral, high in the B vitamins, daily - salmon oil (or the like) for Essential Fatty Acids daily - avoid, as much as possible, simple carbohydrates (sugar, white bread, etc) and caffeine as they tend to give a rush of energy and then drop you into a pit. Too much time on this kind of roller coaster can interfere with sleep patterns as well. - protein-rich foods are important for stable energy levels, as are complex carbohydrates (whole grains, high-fibre fruit and vegetables, etc), but most important is a well-balanced diet - a deficiency in magnesium can be a contributer to depression. While I don't know how common magnesium deficiency is, the best way to boost magnesium levels is by taking a long, hot bath in magnesium sulphate (otherwise known as epsom salts, a component in many bath salts). As I'm much better at beating myself up than treating myself, I like to tell myself that I have a magnesium deficiency that needs regular treatment! - lots of water, as even mild dehydration can make you feel flat and tired. - regular exercise, even just a leisurely walk for 20 minutes a day, boosts energy and feel-good hormones. There's a ton of different advice on diet and depression, and it can take a lot of time and money to weed through it all. The vitamin stuff can be a minefield as well, because taking supplements of some vitamins can throw levels of other vitamins out of whack and it gets far too complicated for me to keep track of! There's very little hard evidence, either, so I like to keep things simple and supplement a balanced diet with the few things that most experts agree upon. Now if I could just follow my own advice, stay away from chocolate and motivate myself to exercise...! Hope this was helpful.

Hi flower, Welcome to the site! Thanks for sharing your introduction here with us. Members here truly understand what it is like to experience depression. Please feel free to roam the site at your own pace. The Depression Center offers personalized, interactive tools that have helped thousands of people challenge and overcome their depression. The core of the Depression Center is our Depression Program which is an interactive, 16-session cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)course. When using cognitive behavioral therapy, each person has unique goals in their treatment. Whatever your motivation, cognitive behavioral therapy is a very effective treatment for depression. You can use the tools whether or not you are taking medication, and whether or not you are currently seeing a therapist or mental health professional. Casey ___________________________________ The Depression Center Support Team

hi, joined yesterday and was so nervous about the tecnical stuff i didnt tell you about me. Im 30 3 kids a supportive husband but i cant seem to beat this. Ive had depression for years tried countless medication which seemed to make things worse, had counciling which did help but i found that when i stopped things got bad again. I had pnd with two of my kids the first time it was severe and i was hospitalized then went to a therapy unit as an out patient the second time its not as bad but im still struggling. Im the kind of person who blames myself for everything bad that happens but shrug it off when i do anything good. I found this site and i really hope it can help me to see things in a more positive light so when something small happens it dosent turn in to the end of the world. im trying to help myself by my diet now rather than medication so if anyone has any tips it would be a great help ive set myself a couple of months and if things dont improve i will go back to docs and try medication again but it hasnt helped before so i just want to try a new approach this time. I dont think its ever going to go away so i think it would be best if i just accept it as a part of me and do what i can to deal with the really bad times when they come around.