Topic Title: Giving SJW another shot: recommendations???
| |  "Giving SJW another shot: recommendations???"
, Mon 7 Nov 22:50
Hi,
I have tried so many things for my depression. Long story short - I had a sudden "crash" 5 years ago...and depression has lingered and made huge dents in my life ever since. It is amazing to think about how different, and positive I used to be.
Here is my treatment history:
I first saw a psych. who put me immediately on prozac, nortriptilene and klonopin. These meds might have saved my life...or at least lessened the suffering fast enough to keep me with it enough to return to work and life. I was totally debilitated and could not successfully interact with anyone. A conversation was torture (sorry...I know you all know what that is like...but kind of laying it out here)
I have taken other meds over the years - Zoloft, Effexor, Topamax, Lamictal, Wellbutrin, Provigil.
The best meds that really helped me feel "normal again" were Provigil, Wellbutrin..combined with a small dose of klonopin.
MY SJW EXPERIENCE:
2 years ago I was so sick of meds. I have a trial of SJW. I guess I sensed I needed more than the typical dose (all meds i have had to push to higher than average doses to get a response). I took Kira 1200mg per day. After a week I suddenly felt like some haze was being removed from my eyes. It was a Wonderful feeling!!! I had a few days of bliss, then really crashed again. A week later I felt horrible and felt like i was going rapidly downhill. This was SO frustrating.
FAST FORWARD TO PRESENT:
I am giving Kira a chance again. i started taking 1200mg 5 days ago. hoping it will help. maybe I didn't give it a long enough trial previously????
QUESTIONS:
How common is it to start on 1200mg?? I just find I get no response from low doses of things. I am not a big guy. 5'8'' 155 pounds. I get tons of exercise. My diet is immaculate...i really is I don't know what I could do better with Diet. I get plenty of B vitamins and Omega 3s in diet, and for 5 years have kept up with those supplements. I can't tell if they help...but know they can't hurt.
Any way I can augment St Johns with anything else to increase the chance it works??? I have tried 5htp, and didn't feel good on it.
Sorry I know this is a verbose, vague post. I got frustrated when SJW seemed to "work" then crater on me before. There seems to be so much research that it works...I have always been a "wierd one" according to my psychiatrist....who doesn't respond like one might expect to meds. I always tend to get side effects that nobody else gets..and dont get the standard ones..lol
any suggestions for me as i continue here would be great!!! For now starting with 1200mg per day. Perhaps I am one who needs more later??? To get a response???
Peace
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Mon 7 Nov 2005 22:31 |
| |
| | "Side effects hitting...how many other folks??" , Wed 9 Nov 23:39
Hey Everyone,
Update here. It has been 7 days now on SJW. I went down from 1200 to 900mg per day. I guess I figure I might as well go with the standard dose first for a while.
I am taking the Kira brand. One thing that is really bugging me right now is the emergence of this "fuzzy" feeling in my head. My head just has this weird "heavy" feeling and my memory feels really messed up..like I am living in 10 minute time increments and I have trouble recalling things and staying on task, and I feel like I have less energy than normal. I don't remember this when I tried SJW before, but who knows that was a long time ago.
One thing I can say for SSRIs is that I always felt like my energy levels never were obliterated like this. Anyone else feel really really drowsy and totally out of it on SJW???? This sucks! I have a demanding job...and I am worried about staying on top of things since I feel so drugged and out of it. Interestingly I can be depressed and keep up with it...but this druggy feeling is no fun. I guess anyone who says SJW has no side effects and SSRIs "always" have these horrible effects is totally smoking crack..lol. Sorry if this sounds like a rant...just frustrated...I want to avoid drugs again if I can manage.
I don't want to continue this Kira SJW if this is going to last any longer than a few weeks max. How many folks experienced a "heavy" almost drugged feeling, headaches, and a feeling that memory and clarify of thought is compromised?????
Thanks for any help!
Mark
Posts: 2 | | Registered: Mon 7 Nov 2005 22:31 |
| | | "Re(1):Side effects hitting...how many other f" , Sat 3 Dec 09:44
Hi,
I highly recommend you the book "Seven types of Anxiety and Depression" (something like that), by Dr Amen, where you will find the best natural supplement for your type of depression. For mine for example, here I discovered that the best for me was not SJW but l-tyrosine or l-phenylalanine (aminoacids), and I have to say that I am now a different person (the one i was before) taking this.
Really very recommended for anyone with depression,
Hope this help,
Regards from Spain.
Posts: 4 | | Registered: Sat 5 Nov 2005 5:24 |
| | | "Re(1):Side effects hitting...how many other f" , Thu 10 Nov 17:17
Hey Mark..
I'm new here also..I wish I could answer your question but I'm only on my 2nd day of Perika and I feel pretty spaced out, like, out of body..This morning, after my first dose, I felt somewhat tired then after my lunch, I took the 2nd one and felt a little manic!..Now it's evening and I'm not sure how I feel!..Hoping to get some decent sleep tonight as I never sleep well..So your not the only one having side effects..I hope this works for both of us..I've been very depressed for a long time..
Mallai
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Thu 10 Nov 2005 17:8 |
| | | "Re(2):Side effects hitting...how many other f" , Mon 14 Nov 17:40
Thanks for the reply!!
Well, the really annoying spacey and memory kind of issues seem to be subsiding somewhat...thank goodness. Not gone all the way, so I guess I will reserve judgement, but it was very disturbing and has taken a chunk out of my work. Anyway, looks like the side-effects are subiding a bit. I have been trying to deal with the crappy feeling by getting tons of exercise
Lets see....it has been close to 2 weeks on Kira SJW...can't tell if I have any benefit yet.
Thinking of throwing in SAM-e on top of SJW to see how that works. I have done plenty of research on both...anyway...hope you start to feel better. If you do feel manic I hope it becomes the euphoric kind..and not the high anxiety kind :-)
cheers
Posts: 3 | | Registered: Mon 7 Nov 2005 22:31 |
| | | "Re(3):Side effects hitting...how many other f" , Mon 14 Nov 18:28
Hey, RealizationX have you ever tried taking omega-3 fatty acids with or without uridine? I have heard that it helps, and I wish to try it myself. Uridine is very expensive though, so I plan on getting it from sugar beets.
And another question - how much exercise do you get per day? I think exercise is an important part of getting better, and I try to swim two miles every day - about one hour of exercise per day. It's a very hard routine to keep up though, especially when you are depressed.
Posts: 0 | | Registered: Mon 14 Nov 2005 18:20 |
|
|
Home
email/admin 
SJW home 
forum index
