5 Things You Need to Know Before Taking Prescription Anti-Depressants

Source: Thomas Hawk

Anti-depressant drugs are prescribed at an alarming and perpetually rising rate, despite their negative, and all too common side effects.

Most people have at least heard about how dangerous these drugs and their side effects can be. The information regarding the harmful, often poisonous ingredients isn't a secret. Just a single Internet search on depression pulls up sources warning of the harms involved with these drugs.

But doctors don't seem to be any less eager to dole out prescriptions to their patients. 

And we, the patients, don't seem to be any less eager to take them.

Of course, the information on the possible dangers should be made more available, and I agree wholeheartedly that prescribing doctors should practice ethics and be up front about the dangers before they prescribe.

But that isn't happening, and people are hardly getting any less depressed, despite having a rainbow assortment of anti-depressants to choose from.

It's up to us to get informed, to do the research, to ask the questions. And the best time to start is before you start taking the drugs prescribed by some doctor who may not even be fully aware herself/himself of what it may do to you. More importantly, you should know what steps you can take that might help improve your chances of better mental health.

For starters, did you know that not every person who's depressed requires anti-depressant medications? In fact, there's an increasing amount of evidence that suggests that some cases of depression can be attributed to something as simple as a vitamin deficiency.

Note: Depression is nothing to make light of and no doubt, the prescription drugs available have and do help many people. The purpose of this article is not to tell you that anti-depressants are wrong. My intention is to simply share information with the hope that it may help increase your odds when fighting this life-stealing battle known as depression.

Before you blindly take anti-depressant drugs, let's go over five common contributing factors that may be playing a major role in your depression.

Are You Deficient in Vitamin D?

Don't discredit the sunshine vitamin's importance for overall health. It does more than you think, including playing a role in depression. Inadequate vitamin D levels can cause Seasonal Affective Disorder or "SAD," one of the most common types of depression. 

 

Hormonal imbalances are another frequent cause of depression. Vitamin D regulates hormones, so making sure you're getting enough could mean the difference between depression and wellness. *Read my next article in this series "Top Best and Worst Foods for Post-Menopausal Depression) to learn more about the foods that can cause depression and those that will help, particularly in depression cases that are related to hormonal imbalances.

Magnesium Deficiency Causes Depression

Multiple types of depression were seen in magnesium deficient people. Not only that, but there have been studies confirming the use of magnesium to help manage depression and anxiety.

The thing to keep in mind when it comes to magnesium is that many supplements are not able to reach the brain. However, the macromineral magnesium supplement, Magnesium L-Threonate, may break the blood-brain barrier to reach the brain and is highly absorbable, making it ideal for those of us who can't mess around with non-working magnesium. 

A Healthy Digestive System Could Mean Less Depression

This may be the most shocking one yet, but poor digestive health impacts more than your gut. A properly balanced digestive system, with enough healthy bacteria (think probiotics and prebiotics) is attributed to healthier mental states. In fact, your digestive health affects your entire health, so tending to it may be just what you need to focus on.

It does make sense. How many of you suffer from digestive system ailments and depression, too?  Don't worry, I'm in your boat, too.

When I first read that digestive problems like IBS (ahem, that's me) are linked to depression and anxiety, I remember wondering how I never made that connection myself being that I have struggled with each of them, all occurring around the same time.

Healthy Cholesterol Levels Can Decrease Depression

Surprise! Low cholesterol has also been linked to depression. Perhaps people suffering from depression as a result of having low cholesterol could benefit immensely from maintaining healthier levels.

Your Other Medications May be to Blame

Did you know that depression is a side effect of some blood pressure medications? Some birth control have depression listed as a common side effect, and the list goes on.

 A lot of people expect their doctors to tell them up front if depression is a possible side effect of a medication they're taking, but this is rarely the case. So it's important that you check the medication's black box to see the full list of side effects and if you suspect a medication is causing depression, don't hesitate to tell your doctor. They often have alternatives that you can switch to. There are often options available to help counteract this side effect as well. And when options are limited (if there isn't an alternative medication available or if they don't work for you), some doctors will recommend other, non-prescription methods of managing the depressive side effects. I highly recommend that anybody suffering from depression ask their doctor what options are available to help them manage depression. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), for example, is becoming more and more common in mainstream medicine. It's basically a self-therapy that anyone can do, but even doctors are starting to attest to the benefits, so don't ever believe that your only option is permanent suffering.

This is not a comprehensive list of depression's causes. But it is a good place to start if you or your child is displaying symptoms of depression. It's a good idea to get all the facts and make sure that you're getting enough nutrients to avoid deficiency-related depression. The next step is to start looking at your lifestyle and see if there could be anything there contributing to depression that you can change or improve upon.

Want to know what foods cause depression in post-menopausal women and which ones can help? Click here to read the article.

For more information about improving the symptoms of depression and prevention please subscribe and stay tuned for my upcoming series to learn what vitamins, minerals, and foods are necessary to kick depression's butt. 

Sources: 1. Possible contributions of skin pigmentation and vitamin D in a polyfactorial
model of seasonal affective disorder. Medical Hypotheses, 2014; 83 (5): 517 DOI: 10.1016/j.mehy.2014.09.010 Alan E. Stewart, Susan Tanner, Kathryn A. Roecklein, Michael G. Kimlin.

2. Magnesium in depression. Chair and Department of Applied Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland. Pharmacol Rep. 2013;65(3):547-54. Serefko A, Szopa A, Wlaź P.

3.  Gut Bacteria May Exacerbate Depression  Published in Scientific American; 2013.

Relax Already - Magnificent Herbal Sleep Aid from Earth Turns

I've had the lovely opportunity to try a few products that are available at Earth Turns, who happen to be a very friendly company that carries a variety of really amazing quality products like supplements and natural or herbal products, and even a beauty department. All of the products Earth Turns carry are manufactured under Current Good Manufacturing Process Standards and are natural, safe and effective. I've recently been trying samples of an herbal sleep aid they carry called "Relax Already." 

Before I get into the review for the Relax Already supplement (which I'm loving, by the way), I wanted to take a second to include that Earth Turns has an A+ BBB rating, and at the moment, they're doing free shipping for  US orders! You really can't beat free shipping these days.

Relax Already is a dietary supplement manufactured in America, by StoneAge Wellness and designed to not only help you sleep, but also to relax your muscles and relieve stress. If you've never used a natural or herbal based sleep product, then you'll be in for a big surprise because ingredients like Valerian root, passion flower and lemon balm are highly impressive sleep and relaxation aids. These ingredients also help relieve stress wonderfully and relax tense muscles.  What I love most about Relax Already is that I can take them and sleep amazingly well, but they don't leave me feeling out of my head or sluggish.  Also that they're so safe, natural and without negative side effects is a main reason I like them. Store-bought sleep aids have always left me feeling really out of it, and the effects leave me sluggish and irritable the next day. With such clean ingredients and effective herbs, Relax Already never leaves me feeling off or sluggish. In fact, I've woken up feeling better than I typically do. And you just can't beat the deep, relaxed sleep that comes about 40 minutes after taking it.

Taking only once capsule of Relax Already put me to sleep gently for about 6 hours before I ever woke up. After waking and having a snack, I went back to bed and read for a few minutes before falling back to sleep for another 4 hours. Waking up was easy and I felt wide awake once I'd slept off Relax Already's awesome effects. I didn't even remember dreaming for those first 6 hours. 

What Makes Relax Already so Effective:
Relax Already contains 100 milligrams of magnesium per serving. Magnesium itself is helpful for getting sleep since it relaxes the muscles.

A serving of Relax Already contains 1150 milligrams of ValFlora, StoneAge Wellness' proprietary blend of Valerian Root, Passion Flower, Lemon Balm, Chamomile & Cramp Bark.  This kind of blend is sure to relax and promote sleep due to Valerian Root being an anti-anxiety herb as well as a centuries old sleep remedy.

Lemon Balm also has anti-anxiety properties and reduces stress, improves appetite, eases pain and discomfort, promotes sleep, eases bloating, gas and indigestion. When combined with herbs like Chamomile and Valerian (just like in the Relax Already supplement), Lemon Balm is soothing, calming and promotes relaxation.  Lemon Balm also has antibacterial properties. It also may improve cognitive function and help with Alzheimer's symptoms.

Passion Flower has a calming effect and has been used as an aid for insomnia and anxiety.

Chamomile, with its mild sedative like effects have also been used for centuries to promote calming, help sleep and reduce anxiety, promote relaxation and reduce stress.

Cramp Bark  is a muscle relaxant and anti-spasmodic Cramp Bark, interestingly enough, also relieves uterine cramping.

Note: Many of the herbs in this product are helpful for digestive pains and discomforts, too.

The rest of the ingredients:
Vegetable cellulose (capsules), rice flour, vegetable stearate.

What I Love About Relax Already:

• No artificial ingredients.
• Safe and impressively effective.
• Vegetarian, and the capsules are made of vegetable cellulose.
• Free of wheat, dairy, soy, corn, sugar and yeast.

•  Earth Turns' Price for the product. It's rare to see a supplement with these ingredients for such a decent price. At the moment, a bottle of 60 capsules is available on Earth Turns for only $11.49. That's coming from me, a big tight-wad.

• The manufacturer of Relax Already, StoneAge Wellness uses tested ingredients for purity and ingredient potency.

•  Relax Already is manufactured to cGMP (current Good Manufacturing) standards. You can read more about what that means here.

How to use Relax Already:

The packet says to take 2 capsules about 30 minutes before bedtime. I find that I only need one capsule to get the job done.

 Disclaimer: I am not a specialist, expert, professional or doctor of any kind. Content on this blog is not intended to be taken as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment or advice of any sort. I'm simply sharing information about my own experiences and results from use of a product or activity in hopes of providing useful information to readers, not to be taken as a patient/medical adviser relationship. I am not responsible for what readers choose to do after viewing the content here. Furthermore, I do not hold an "exceptional" or other special relationship with any company mentioned on this site. I'm simply a consumer who worked with the company on a review that is in compliance with FTC's guidelines. That means, everything you read here is my own words, not anything of the company's. I was not provided with monetary compensation for my review. All information posted has been done so with complete honesty. No action should be taken based solely on the content of this publication ( I'm not responsible.) Readers who rely on the information in this blog to replace the advise of an appropriate health care provider assume all risks of such behavior.