Is it reasonable to try to treat severe depression/anxiety with supplements & no med?

Hi..I wanted the Glycinate because that one is supposed to help with sleep but I would have had to order it online because the local pharmacy didn't have that kind..and I didn't feel like "loading" my credit card..since I have no credit I use a prepaid....but yea....

The Melatonin...I don't care if I have to take it forever..it helps me..I like the way it makes me feel too...I wish I could take it during the day!

I suffered with anxiety for years. About a year ago a new doctor recognized on his own a digestive issue. Long story short, I did about 10 months of research and tried adding a quality b vitamin and I started taking 100 milligrams of additional b3 (niacin). My anxiety is gone. My brain is quiet, my digestive tract works better.
I think it is possible that deficiencies can cause health problems. Mental too. Palegra is a good example of that.

Are you taking niacin that causes a flush, or another form like niacinamide?

I have had some traumas and have high cortisol levels in the morning which can make me feel stress and anxious.
I take a B complex, vit d, fish oil and as well evening primrose for PMS symptoms, and I feel way better. I added to that some probiotics that I do myself and biotin, msm for hair growth.
I try to not take too many supplements but these have definitely helped me this winter,
I still think that I need to join some support groups, connect more with my friends and some family and above all find a Therapist.
Its crazy how bad experiences and traumas can have a huge impact on our life.

Ananada: I am really interested by your routine as it is exactly the side effects I wish. Can you share what kind of amino acids you are using?

If you guys have questions or feedbacks do not hesitate to participate.

*Magnesium citrate with gylcinate and malate: bedtime
*Omega 3 fish oil
*Multivitamin with D
*Melatonin: few days a month: bedtime

*Aromatherapy humidifier diffuser: Lavender, bergamot and rosemary oil
*Chamomile & green tea *Exercise 6 days a week
*Eating healthy
*Stop watching depressing shows
*Praying and reading my Psalms daily

To each his own... I only do talk therapy once a week. I had the worst panic attack last spring after taking anxiety meds.

Thank you all so much for the replies and info! I'd nearly forgotten I'd made this thread, and just saw it again.

Weird some of you have mentioned niacin. I was buying some supplements online yesterday, purely for hair loss because I've been having problems with it from meds. I was planning on selenium and zinc, then decided to do one last quick google just to see if anything else stuck out. I saw niacin mentioned a lot, and remembered hearing about it also being used for anxiety and depression in the past. Kinda just threw it in last minute, but I'm sort of hopeful that maybe it'll actually help mood-wise, too, fingers crossed.

I'm worried about the flushing. Just from skimming it sounded like the flush is supposed to be a one time thing for 20 minutes or so each time, then be done? I could deal with that, but being hot worsens my anxiety a lot, especially if I'm in public and it's noticeable in any way. Does it still happen throughout the day?

For me the flushing lasted 20-30 minutes once i reached a sufficiently hi dose. It happened each time tho was somewhat variable. It's supposed to stop happening once u get dosing right or reach saturation but i never got far enuf.

I found the flushing, heat, itchiness, red face moderately unpleasant.

You can use the niacinamide form, which does not cause flushing, but might not have same benefits.

According to a book i am reading niacin tends to be good for those with certain biochemical/methylation profile, less so for others, and has a history of some success with schizophrenics.

Hello, I just would like to advise anyone who wants to try a new supplement to be very careful and to do your research. I ordered L tryptophan but won't use it as it has some side effects that can be really dangerous. I will stick to healthy eating, exercise, and the "safe" supplements like vid d, magnesium and oily fish.

I swear the niacin seemed like it could've been doing something for my mood and had the potential to do more, but I've had to give it up after a couple weeks because it completely tore my stomach apart and made me feel kinda weird. :/
It seems like every natural thing that could help me gives me stomach issues, the same thing happened with SAM-e

Seems like it could definitely be helpful, though, for anyone with a less sensitive stomach.

SAMe has a powerful effect on methylation, a process which drives a lot of stuff. Some people are "overmethylated" and so SAMe would be problematic. Not sure if that is part of the issue. It's also typically enteric coated which means a lot of horrible additives. Not sure about the niacin and the gut problems. Take it with meals?