Supplements

[Ariella]

In this section we'll discuss how different supplements can help you on your Paxil and/or Paxil withdrawal journey.

First, a few warnings:

1. Always consult with a doctor or pharmacist and dietician if possible to investigate any potential for conflicts or interactions between your current prescriptions and the supplements you're interested in taking.
   
   
2. DO NOT take Saint John's Wort while on an MAIO, Tricyclic or SSRI type antidepressant. There is too high a risk for interactions. Some of our members have reported feeling extremely agitated, "high", restless and dizzy when they had SJW while taking a drug like Paxil. We recommend a 4 to 8 week holiday from any serotonin/dopamine affecting drugs if you can't get professional counsel. We don't really know if 4 weeks is a long enough holiday, so it's best you don't use SJW for any reason until a medical professional can counsel you. Our experience is that doctors say 2-4 weeks is a good interval of time to wait before trying SJW.
   
   In the absence of any other prescriptions, SJW can cause agitation and dizziness on its own. Be sure to try the smallest amount possible to see how you'll react, regardless of what the label says. Recommended doses are often too high.
   
   
3. Valerian Root can be used as a daily relaxant and/or sleeping aid, but you shouldn't use it for more than a couple weeks before giving yourself a holiday from it. You want to avoid creating any new behavioral dependencies and Valerian is a mild depressant, which for the depressed, can stunt progress. Members have also frequently reported getting headaches from Valerian. If you feel frustrated the day after having used Valerian, it may be relaxing you too much. You do need to vent, you're human.
   
   
4. Kava Kava is hard on your liver. Beware.
   
   
5. Ginko can focus your thoughts. Do not use Ginko if you are ruminating persistently on thoughts involving self harm or anxious what-ifs. You don't want to be made to think even clearer on such things!
   
   
6. Vitamin Bs can make you feel agitated and dizzy if taken in too large a quantity for your physical makeup. For the sensitive, the recommended dose indicated on labels is often way too high and can lead to discomfort. It's best that you try a low dose of Vitamin Bs in the morning, so the effects can wear off long before your bed time, just in case. Be mindful that some vegetarian meat substitutes are high in Vitamin Bs.

It's always a better idea to try using the smallest amount possible of a supplement regardless of what the label says, until you know how you will react. Also keep in mind that most supplements affect the body as a whole or are too gradual, and may not seem to do anything for several weeks.

[Ariella]

Frequently.

People with anxiety have frequently sought help by using a sedative/hypnotic medications like Lorazepam^TM, Clonazepam^TM, Flurazepam^TM, Temezapam^TM or Alprazolam^TM (generic Xanax^TM) to just take the edge off. Valerian Root is an herbal supplement that seems to be much safer and less intrusive.

Valerian Root is available in different delivery methods and concentrations. This herb works as an anxiety or insomnia reliever which means you could take some of it before, during anxious moments or before bed. You can even have some throughout the day to feel a continued general sense of relaxation. You'll have to experiment a little to find what works best for you, but always choose to take the smallest dose possible for a few days to see how it affects you.

When it works (doesn't for everyone), Valerian Root feels like a gentle calming wind where thoughts don't necessarily slow down but take on a duller quality so that one's reaction is subdued, resulting in a predisposed frame for relaxation. Of course, substituting daily Paxil doses for Valerian daily doses is not the intention here. Do try to keep it occasional and situational.

Since Valerian Root has a sedative or depressive quality to it, we don't recommended it for people experiencing solely depressive moods. Also, for some it has an opposite effect and can increase anxiety symptoms or create headaches. You'll have to do some exploring and see how it will affect you.

[Ariella]

Frequently.

In Europe, it's prescribed by doctors to alleviate depression. Only when this natural solution fails, or the severity is too great, do doctors consider the less safe human-made molecules. But, people being as diverse as they are, have discovered it doesn't help everyone.

There are some misconceptions about it too:

Myth #1: You may believe SJW is good for all mood challenges. No way. SJW feels very stimulating and can aggravate anxiety conditions. If you’re very anxious and have problems relaxing, SJW is not for you.

Myth #2: You believe you can just go out and buy some, try it, and be completely clear when you say it does or doesn’t work. Not exactly. There are many herb manufacturers out there, and many of them go about extracting ingredients or designing their delivery methods very differently. They even haven’t completely standardized doses from one brand to another. The packaging or delivery differs in that some SJW products are in pills while others are tinctures. To complicate things further, some pills are hard compressed while others are dissolving capsules. Because dose/concentration levels vary from brand to brand, some brands may be too weak and you won’t notice anything while others are quite potent so that you feel over stimulated.

Myth #3: You take it and look for miracles the same day. It doesn’t usually work like that. Some circles agree that SJW must be taken daily for weeks before its full potential is realized (metabolized) in your system. Others have said that SJW should be used situationally since daily use can increase skin and retina sensitivity to UV rays in light if taken for long periods of time.

Myth #4: SJW helps restore a chemical imbalance, just like Paxil does. Not likely. Our society is trained to think that medications and herbs work through a process of identifying a lack in your health that medication/herb fills. But, some naturopaths may tell you that herbs don’t do anything except provide the ingredients for what your body was going to do on its own anyway, if it had the raw materials available. We can’t end this debate for you until the Paxil debate is also ended. However, taking SJW does tend to feel good.

[Ariella]

Frequently. Omega 3 fatty acids in Fish Oil (Not Cod liver oil) have been shown to have dramatic effects on depression. The incidence of major depression is nearly 60 times as great in New Zealand, where the average consumption of seafood per person is about 40 pounds a year, as it is in Japan, where the average person eats nearly 150 pounds of seafood a year.

Omega-3 seems to be critical to the growth and maintenance of brain cells, especially cell membranes. That is where all-important neurotransmitters bounce between cells, communicating all sorts of messages, including those related to feelings of well-being.

A noted psychiatrist suggests that people supplement their diets with from one to three grams a day of fish oil labeled to show it contains the omega-3 components eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

While widely thought that only cold water fish contain high levels of Omega 3, it actually occurs in most fish including shallow water fish and farm raised salmon.

Many people complain of "Fishie Burps". How do i combat that?
Fish oil can go rancid fairly easily. If you keep it in the refrigerator, it will stay fresh! It helps to take fish oil supplements before you eat. We find that reduces the eructation.

[Ariella]

Frequently. Studies show that approximately 80 to 90% of Americans are deficient of Magnesium. Magnesium is used in hundreds of bodily function including proper function of the nervous system. Use of SSRIs, stress, withdrawal, caffeine, alcohol, and many other things cause depletion of this vital element.

Magnesium often comes in supplements combined with Calcium but this generally only provides enough magnesium for you to be able to absorb the calcium. That is one of the functions of magnesium. When the body is heavily depleted, it usually takes more magnesium to get the body back up to what it needs.

Its also important to get supplements in forms that the body can easily use. Magnesium Oxide is inexpensive and comes in most supplements, however it is nearly impossible for the body to absorb. A "chelated" form is a better choice as are Magnesium Glycinate, Magnesium Gluconate, Magnesium Taurate. Magnesium should be taken just below bowel tolerance. (if you get diarrhea, you are taking too much)

Magnesium will help to rebuild the nervous system during withdrawal or while you are on SSRIs and it eases anxiety.