Dealing with Depression Naturally

I took it for a year in the 90's. I would say get down slowly to the lowest dose and then take it every other day and then every third day untll you are off the stuff. Your neck and shoulders can start to tense as your emotions return.... Ice and heat and massage. Hand held vibration massager. Don't let them get damaged like mine did. I went off prozak too and my shoulder, neck , spine really got hit hard and I was on a low dose.... Walking is good and drink water to deal with detox. Don't try to diet at the same time, too much stress all at once. Love, JOY

The good news is, since you're taking a low dose and haven't been on it all that long, tapering off should be relatively easy for you.

The best advice is to go slow. The slower the better. Since you're taking the extended release version, the only lower dose is the 37.5mg capsules. (The immediate release goes as low as 25mgs and since they're tablets, they can be split into lower doses for a slower taper. The XR cap's don't go lower than 37.5mg.)

It's typically recommended to take the 37.5's for a week to ten days, then take a 37.5mg capsule every other day for a week to ten days, then you go off entirely.

I think you'll do well since your dose is low and you've only taken them for six months. All best!

I googled and read that some people go off Effexor by bridging with Prosac. I believe Prosac has fluoride in it so be aware of that.

Wishing YOU well!

I take several anti-depressants, but because of the weight gaining side effect of these drugs, I take Topamax. It is a thyroid medication which is also used off label as an antidepressant. The benefit of this drug is that it has good anti-depressant qualities and is definately weight neutral and seems to counter the side-effect of any other drugs which may cause weight gain. Doctors should understand that unwanted weight gain is a depressant in itself.

Have you tried natural remedies to replace the Topomax. Topomax has a lot of side effects associated with it.

Lou from Falmouth--Ginger contains an antidepressant ingredient. I sprinkle that and turmeric on just about all vegetables I eat. Sometimes I put a little in warm water to drink. I put it on my eggs (it kills salmonella). I add it to my oatmeal. At this time it is just too cold to sit here and provide all benefits of this wonderful spice.

Blue from Cape Cod

Let me tell you my own personal story in getting off anti-depressant meds. I started taking both an anxiety and depression medications last year. They were doing me basically no good. I decided I was going to take this into my own hands. I came up with a plan along with the kind help of Bill here on the boards.

This plan involved mainly magnesium & niacin. I added a couple of other things myself. Those things have been 5-HTP and GABA. Let me say straight up that this isn't a quick fix like any medication is supposed to provide. It takes a while for this protocol to start working. Especially if you've suffered from long-term depression.

I will also say that NIACIN(B3) has probably been the biggest help. I take 500mg of niacin 3X daily w/meals. I take magnesium 250mg 3X daily w/meals. I take the GABA at 750mg(one dose) daily on an empty stomach normally first thing in the morning.

I take the 5-THP(100mg) once during the day and once at night(also 100mg) about one hour before bed. 5-HTP can be taken with or without food. I take it most of the time with food. The brand names to use are not really that critical. However, try to avoid any supplement with magnesium stearate added as a filler or any other fillers for that matter.

I personally use Doctor's Best and NOW Foods for most of these recommended supplements. It took me over 1 month before I started seeing any major changes. Now, it's been almost 5 months now and NO MORE ANTI-DEDRESSANTS! I had to wean off them slowly. I just cut back gradually. I cut back about every 2 weeks in dosage. I'm no longer depressed but I do still have some anxiety at times.

I'm allowing zapping & parasite cleansing to help with all the other leftover health issues I have going on. Hope this helps you out! Depression is tough! However, adding prescription meds only makes it worse in most cases. I'm thankful to God that I'm now no longer taking them! God Bless!

Can you go into detail a bit more about this? Do you wiggle both feet or just one? How long should you wiggle for? I tried it and it seems to have lessened my depression and would like to know more about this method.