Natural meds

[Phoenix]

Has anyone tried natural medications for their mania/depression? I used to take 5HTP for a few years, and it did wonders for me until I felt I no longer needed it. I am not on medication right now, and I haven't been on any since May 25.
Is anyone on medicinal marijuana? I have been smoking it and documenting everything: what I eat, drink, my moods and thoughts prior to medicating and afterwards as well, and how much I eat/smoke at a time. I have been doing so since February. I am hoping to get a doctor to sign so I can have a license to have medicinal.
It is honestly the most effective treatment I have had to date. It doesn't matter if I am manic or depressed, smoking levels me out. I don't need much either. Just a few puffs, and I have the energy, patience, and confidence to carry on with my day. I had a mixed episode last Thursday, and it was one of the worst episodes I've had. My hubby was able to talk me out of cutting, and told me to go to the garage and have a time out. I sat and cried for a few minutes, had a few puffs, and within minutes my mood was much more level.
It not only helps my moods level out, but it helps me with pain management. I have chronic neck/shoulder pain from too many car accidents and getting whiplash. I have severe pain in my wrists, and it gets so debilitating that I cannot hold or grip anything. It's not carpal tunnel, I was already tested for that. Doc thinks it's early arthritis with some muscle damage.
I really do not want to go back on prescription meds. I can't keep putting my children and husband through hell because my dosage is wrong or I'm on the wrong meds. It kills me when one of the side effects is loss of *** drive. REALLY frustrating. Also the weight gain. I'm only 5'0" and I'm over 190lbs now. I was slim before I got pregnant with my daughter, and I even lost all of the baby weight soon after having her. I gained back all of the weight plus extra, and it wasn't from eating poorly and not exercising. It was from being on Effexor for 7 months and Divalproex for 5 months.

[astronaut]

Hi Phoenix,

In your other post I replied with some of my thoughts about naturalpaths so I won't repeat myself here.

I have tried many "natural remedies" for depression and none of them have helped. I've usually just continued to get worse. I take fish oil now and have noticed a difference in my mood since taking it; however, other things have been changed in my life too since then so I can't say if the fish oil has been the thing to have the biggest impact.

I have never tried smoking before and I hate the smell of marijuana so I wouldn't try it. It is good that you have been documenting its effects on you to see if it really does help.

As for prescription meds, it really sucks but if your bipolar is very severe and does not respond to any other treatment, meds may be the trick to stabilize chemical imbalances in the brain. There are tons of different meds and med combinations out there so it is not uncommon for people to search for years before finding a combination/med(s)/dosage that works. Yeah, some of the side effects aren't worth the med, but depending on the med and the side effect, sometimes the side effects are worth the improvements we see in our mood and cognitive functioning. The med that I am on right now causes periods of time where I have a lot of symptoms of hyperthyroidism but I can manage having hot flashes, dizzy spells, and shaky hands if I am feeling content in my life mood-wise. There are some drugs out there that may not cause the rapid weight gain or loss of *** drive but we need to be in consult with a pdoc to figure out what those drugs are (unfortunately, those are common side effects for many anti-psychotics used to treat bipolar symptoms). Sometimes we need to be on drugs with shitty side effects for a few years to get "under control" and then we can taper off of them.

The battle isn't easy. Now that you are off of the meds, are you able to lose any of the weight?

take care,
astronaut

[BipolarAlt]

I have been on Divalproex for almost 7 years now, I was diagnosed back in 2005 just after I had my daughter. I really want to have more children but of course with being on Divalproex, the birth defects and issues are huge! I want to get off of the meds and onto a more natural method or natural medications. I was originally on 1500mg, 3 years ago dropped down to 1000mg and most recently cut back to 750mg on my own. A ton has changed in my life since I was diagnosed back in 2005 and I have way less stress and worries. Good paying job, supportive S.O., amazing daughter who understands and helps out when she can. We want to start trying for a child in about 2/3 years time so that gives me lots of time to try different things. I just don't know where to go or what to do to get me off the horrendous drugs and onto something that won't harm a fetus! Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[AJ]

I don't have any suggestions for you as far as natural things or meds you could use as an alternative but I did want to welcome you to the forum.

[BipolarAlt]

Thanks AJ! It's nice to finally be a part of something like this. Didn't know these things were out there.

[AJ]

You'll find this to be a very supportive and caring group of people.

[paul m]

Hello and welcome BipolarAlt. You might try a website called Mother Risk. It's part of Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. They list a variety of medications that a person can take or cannot take while expecting and while breast feeding. They also help a help line. http://www.motherisk.org/women/drugs.jsp

A word of caution on the so called natural medications. Many, like St Johns Wort which is used to treat depresssion and is available OTC, can have adverse side effects and cause as many problems for some people as a prescription drug does. Any natural products that you should decide to take, should always be carefully researched first. As well you should ask your pharmacist if there are any possible interactions with other meds that you might be taking. For example taking St Johns Wort for depression can render the birth control pill less effective.

I have nothing against natural medications,in fact I believe and use some of them, but I always remember that the companies that manufacteur them are often as large and as ruthless as any of the pharmaceutical companies may be. Take Care. paul m

[AJ]

Paul has given you some good information. I think herbal products have their place but one of the challenges in determining whether they are safe in certain situations such as pregnancy, is that they often have multiple ingredients. It is also difficult to find good reliable information about many of the products out there.