Guest guest Posted February 24, 2010 Report Share Posted February 24, 2010 My mom is struggling with severe anxiety and depression, and is being treated with a number of medications right now: Wellbutrin SR 200 mg, Xanax, Seroquel, Haldol, and Temazepam (for sleep). She does not seem to be improving although prior to being put on these medications she was suicidal. How does one transition safely off these medications onto more natural methods of treating anxiety/depression? Is there anything she can use WHILE being on them? I know there are several herbs that conflict with these medications. Any advice appreciated. Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2010 Report Share Posted March 4, 2010 Hi Joy, First off - do NOT put her on 5-HTP with the medications she is on... contraindications are listed below. Secondly - How much research have you done on your mother's medications? You say she is suffering from anxiety and depression, yet a couple of her medications are antipsychotics (schizophrenia etc). Who has diagnosed her and why is she on such a wide variety of very strong medications? I'm no doctor, but I would have thought if she " only " had depression, she would only be given an antidepressant. If it were me, I would challenge her doctor about all these medications and what the diagnosis is and then get a second or third opinion. Looks like someone is just taking a shot-gun approach to treating her. But again I am only a lay person and this is only what I would do. Thirdly, if I were you I would also read up on work done by Dr. Carl C. Pfeiffer (Mental and Elemental Nutrients) and Dr. Abram Hoffer. Then contact these people http://www.hriptc.org/index.php. They specialise in treating mental illnesses with an orthomolecular nutrition approach and it sounds like your mother needs professional help coming off medications and getting healthy. And lastly... here is just some information I found about your mother's medications on a couple of medical databases which shows what types of medication these are and contraindications: 1. Wellbutrin SR - Antidepressants Contraindication: Combining serotonergic antidepressants with 5-HTP (L-Tryptophan) might increase the risk of serotonergic side effects including serotonin syndrome and cerebral vasoconstrictive disorders such as Call-Fleming syndrome (Singhal et al). These drugs include the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and others; and tricyclic and atypical antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil), and others. Singhal AB, Caviness VS, Begleiter AF, et al. Cerebral vasoconstriction and stroke after use of serotonergic drugs. Neurology 2002;58:130-3. 2. Xanax - Benzodiazepines - to treat anxiety and panic attacks Contraindication: 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan contraindicated because of added sedation effect. 3. Seroquel - Atypical Antipsychotics - an antipsychotic. It is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression. 4. Haldol - to treat schizophrenia 5. Temazepam - to help you to fall asleep and sleep through the night. (Note: L-Tryptophan is the precursor to 5-HTP which is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin) And whatever you do don't have her just stop medication, she could end up feeling worse not better - antidepressants for sure need to be tapered off of very gradually, so I wouldn't be surprised if the other meds were the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 9, 2010 Report Share Posted March 9, 2010 So you know, sometimes the depression is so bad that the doctors cannot get it under control with just antidepressants and that is why they add the stronger stuff as a mood stabilizer to give the antidepressants a chance. This doctor may not be going overboard at all. If the depression is that bad...and I know that feeling...it can take a lot to get up far enough above that funk. , " whirlwind9999 " <sharonstrahan wrote: > > > > > > > > > Hi Joy, > > First off - do NOT put her on 5-HTP with the medications she is on... contraindications are listed below. > > Secondly - How much research have you done on your mother's medications? > > You say she is suffering from anxiety and depression, yet a couple of her medications are antipsychotics (schizophrenia etc). Who has diagnosed her and why is she on such a wide variety of very strong medications? I'm no doctor, but I would have thought if she " only " had depression, she would only be given an antidepressant. If it were me, I would challenge her doctor about all these medications and what the diagnosis is and then get a second or third opinion. Looks like someone is just taking a shot-gun approach to treating her. But again I am only a lay person and this is only what I would do. > > Thirdly, if I were you I would also read up on work done by Dr. Carl C. Pfeiffer (Mental and Elemental Nutrients) and Dr. Abram Hoffer. Then contact these people http://www.hriptc.org/index.php. They specialise in treating mental illnesses with an orthomolecular nutrition approach and it sounds like your mother needs professional help coming off medications and getting healthy. > > And lastly... here is just some information I found about your mother's medications on a couple of medical databases which shows what types of medication these are and contraindications: > > 1. Wellbutrin SR - Antidepressants > > Contraindication: Combining serotonergic antidepressants with 5-HTP (L-Tryptophan) might increase the risk of serotonergic side effects including serotonin syndrome and cerebral vasoconstrictive disorders such as Call-Fleming syndrome (Singhal et al). These drugs include the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such as fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), and others; and tricyclic and atypical antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil), and others. > > Singhal AB, Caviness VS, Begleiter AF, et al. Cerebral vasoconstriction and stroke after use of serotonergic drugs. Neurology 2002;58:130-3. > > > 2. Xanax - Benzodiazepines - to treat anxiety and panic attacks > > Contraindication: 5-HTP and L-Tryptophan contraindicated because of added sedation effect. > > 3. Seroquel - Atypical Antipsychotics - an antipsychotic. It is used to treat schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depression. > > 4. Haldol - to treat schizophrenia > > 5. Temazepam - to help you to fall asleep and sleep through the night. > > > (Note: L-Tryptophan is the precursor to 5-HTP which is the precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin) > > > And whatever you do don't have her just stop medication, she could end up feeling worse not better - antidepressants for sure need to be tapered off of very gradually, so I wouldn't be surprised if the other meds were the same. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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