Anyone get help with non-prescription meds?

My job requires me to disclose every dr visit I make and an admission of depression or anxiety renders me medically disqualified for duty. I like my job and quite frankly it is the only thing that gets me out of bed--there is no way I want to jeopardize it. I've recently had something of a breakdown--life seems bleak and not worth living. I've never felt like this before--it is completely painful and the thoughts i'm having really frighten me. It is especially bad in the morning--I cant sleep past 6:30 and I lay awake thinking about terrible things. I've been taking a ton of supplements to try to maybe help replenish serotonin. I've also been seeing this nutritionist who I'm growing wary of--he seems only interested in selling me body building powders. Has anyone had success with any of these supplements: Piracetam, Theanine, SAM-E, Picamillon, L-Dopa, Tyrosine, 5-HTP, Rhodiola. Does anyone know of anything else I can try before I throw in the towel and start seeing a dr. (I'll have to lie about it and will risk my job and pension).

Hello & Welcome, Bjorker! You're in a sticky situation; once upon a time I found myself in roughly similar circumstances, but not quite as threatening as what you're facing.

I have little experience with non-prescription drugs. Melatonin did not help my sleep problems. Try searching through the Drug Questions and Sleep Issues & Dream Interpretation forums. Also, depending on the severity of your sleep problems, you may be able to obtain significant relief without any medications through the practice of "sleep hygiene" techniques.

You have a lot at stake. I really wish you the best.

I don't know what job you have, but it sounds very stressfull (=anxiety). If it is what gets you up in the morning, that is your good mental health goal I think.

You aren't really believing your nutritionist, I'd find a new one if I were you. I don't know if you live in a large city or not, but there are many good ones. The family practice doctor I used to work for did a test for some of her patients who wanted to do things without medicine. She would order a specific (many) number of blood tests to check the nuitrients that patient was lacking. Then they supplimented them. She dealt with a lot of patients with fibromyaligia at the time, so many of them didn't sleep well and getting the proper vitimans and minerals was so important. Also that group of patients had other specific shortages.

anyway, my point is that proper nuitrition is very important to well being. Insurance didn't pay for this group of tests, but it may be worth will for you to pay out of pocket, and tell the doctor you see the need to keep it from the employer due to job security. they will work with you (if they want to get paid). The doctor I worked for was an osteopathic doctor. If you like, I could try to find out what tests she used to order.
Let us know how you are doing if you like. We are all here to help each other. If you are more comfortable send me an private message.

Melatonin did not help me with my sleep either. I am definately not the poster child for good sleeping, I am having terrible issues.
But sometimes I find that Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra Tea with Valerian is helpful for relaxing and getting to sleep. You can find it in the grocery store.
Also, kava-kava tea is supposed to be helpful for sleeping and depression. I found it at an herbal-remedies, incense-type of store.
I'm not sure if it's the ingredients or just the time I take to make tea, sit down and drink to relax that can help. It doesn't help all the time, but it sure doesn't hurt.

It sounds like your nutritionist is out to make a buck.

I'm surprised you're not taking Hypericum (commonly known as St. John's Wort). This is like the number 1 herbal supplement to help with depression (atleast I thought it was.)

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/st-...nt-stjohnswort

That site describes a little bit about the supplement. Hope this helps!

Thanks for your help. My nutritionist has indeed ordered this battery of blood, urine and saliva tests. Havent gotten the results from the last two but the blood tests are completely normal. The saliva and urine tests are manufactured by this company, "Neuroscience" I think, which makes herbal medications--so I will probably question these results when they come in. I just wish there was a way to properly vet "nutriceuticals."

"nutriceuticals" Yes, I know what you mean about vetting them. One good source is the German. In Germany the doctors use herbs etc or nutriceuticals all the time and they have done the most testing on them. I wish I could recall the name of the Ph. D. that used to write articles in 'Prevention' magazine about 15 years ago who quoted from German resources.

One of the things I remember that the DO I worked for used to take a lot was a combinaton of zinc and copper to help her with her depression. Along with physical activity and natural sun light. For the anxiety and sleep problems, hum????

I'll do a search and see if I can find the name of the doctor and the actual name of the German resource for you.

Good luck.

Here is what I was thinking of: sorry if copy and paste is rude, but this is also the man I was thinking of, Varro Tyler. Hope this is in some way helpful.

The German Commission E Monographs are a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine . There is an English translation[1] by the American Botanical Council, with 380 monographs evaluating the safety and efficacy of herbs for licensed medical prescribing in Germany. The commission itself was formed in 1978, and no longer exists.
The Commission E Monographs were imported into the United States with considerable fanfare in 1998 by The American Botanical Council. They were unequivocally endorsed in a foreword by the late Varro Tyler, a well-known professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University. Tyler states in his foreword that "...safety data were reviewed by the Commissioners according to a "doctrine of absolute proof" and efficacy according to a "doctrine of reasonable certainty."

"Certainly worth studying, the Commission E monographs detail which herbs are approved or disapproved, along with their uses, dosages, contraindications, adverse effects, drug interactions, and pharmacologic actions. The therapeutic, taxonomic, and chemical indexes are helpful, as is the glossary." -- Journal of the American Medical Association, 1999[2]

[edit] Criticism

The 1998 book mentioned 10 but omitted 11 possible fatal reactions to the medicines described.[2]
"All [of the monographs] lack literature references. . .."[2]
The best known critic of Commission E is Jonathan Treasure, MNIMH, a UK licensed medical herbalist [3] and author of numerous herbalism monographs[1]
Treasure's lengthy review[4] (31K) offers detailed evidence that the book is not a work of science, medicine, or vitalist herbalism. Rather it is a book of German legal-medical regulations, since "In Germany, only those herbs with Commission E Approved status are (or will eventually become) legally available."
[edit] References

1. ^ The Complete German Commission E Monographs, Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines, 1st ed. 1998, Integrative Medicine Communications, pub; Bk&CD-Rom edition, 1999.
2. ^ a b c Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999;281:1852-1853.
3. ^ Jonathan Treasure - Author's biography by Herbal Educational Services.
4. ^ Making Sense of Commission E, review by Jonathan Treasure, 1999-2000.

Wow--thanks for all your help, Beholden. Really appreciate it!

Oh you must work for the CIA. <--- Joke. Okay, I didn't say it was a funny joke, just a joke. I remember when my dad was going to be in the Pentagon for a bit and called me and said oh hey by the way the FBI is going to be checking you out and I am like WHAT?!?

Sorry. Sometimes I enter idiot mode spontaneously.

The problem you describe is anxiety. Not sure if anything else is going on. For anxiety some non-pharmaceutical choices might be relaxation exercises This One Or This One in PDF. Having trouble finding what I'm looking for at the moment. Awhile back when I was working as a critical care nurse the hospital gave us a six session class and a workbook but heck if I know where it is now.

Music works well for me. But basically you need to identify the underlying cause of the stress if you can and work on that.

Many people find Yoga helpful. Personally I have never tried it.

What I have been doing that is working for me is studying the teachings of Buddha. It isn't a religion so much but more a way of thinking. Being Mindful helps me feel at peace. If you are interested PM me and I can suggest a book I prefer.

I wish you the best.

You said you wake up early. Are you also having difficulty falling asleep?

I was discussing tea with somebody else this evening and got to looking at my tea catalog and it says tea "has a calming effect. An amino acid found in tea, l-theanine, is widely recommended for sleep and relaxation".

Also tasty.

I suggest Davidson's organic teas. http://www.davidsonstea.com/

When I was working as a massage therapist I did 'progressive relaxion' exercises with some of my anxious clients. Also have practiced that myself when I'm really stressed out.

Do you have trouble shutting off your mind and that is what keeps you awake or disturbs your quality of sleep?

Hi Bjorker and welcome to Psych Central, I understand the frustration of finding it hard to fall asleep as I am an insomniac myself and have been for a number of years and for various other health issues, and I therefore have enormous empathy for you.May I suggest a remedy that my late mother would always refer to as far as getting lets say desirable amount of sleep and she would recommend Valerian Root tea widely sold in various health stores. Believe it or not from my experience of sleep deprivation at one stage(before other complex issues for me arose) I found it to be quite effective.It has a real poignant odour to it whuch discourages a lot of people from using it...But effective possibly diluted and sweetened with a dollop of honey, makes it more easier to drink it.Another alternative which some claim to be beneficiary for nite cap is a banana and a glass of warm milk before one retires to bed ,as apparently banans a renknown to have some constituent in form of a natural sedative. All the best with your issues and wish you the ultimate success in overcoming your issues.Take Care.

Thanks for this thread!

There are nights when I'll be awake until morning without a wink of sleep. And I take Klonopin!(A benzodiazapine= anti-anxiety agent.) Not even prescription Ambien worked for me. The only thing that did was Benadryl, but my dr made me stop taking it b/c it's very bad for the liver. As I've mentioned, I take Klonopin which doesn't even work, anymore, & I am reluctant to take more chemicals. I am desperate for sleep but want to try a natural supplement. I've tried melatonin; sometimes it worked for one night but then lost it's effectiveness, while other times it didn't work at all. I've seen expensive sleep aids (with amino acids, etc.) at Whole Foods. I'm VERY POOR but would pay if the product actually worked.

Also, I suffer from severe depression & anxiety. My experience with meds wasn't good; either I had no response at all, or if I did, I couldn't tolerate the side effects. So, as of the new year, I've incorporated certain things into my daily routine: exercise, eating healthfully, taking a multi-vitamin & Omega-3 fish oil supplements, avoiding coffee & alcohol, & working on breathing techniques.

The above are helping with both of my problems (& I hope it helps all of you, too), but if anyone knows of any proven natural remedies, I'd really appreciate your advice as well. Thanks!