Replied by Lisa (Jax, Fl) on 08/14/2012

Replied by Cherie (Nashua, Nh, Usa) on 08/14/2012

Replied by Heather (San Diego, Ca) on 03/07/2013

I think the advice given by Cherie from Nashua, Nh was very, very good, and you should incorporate her advice. Counting your blessings is important. Laughing, even if it is a fake laugh - make like an actor and fake it. Also, if bad things have happened to you, it is a good idea to speak with a therapist.

However, the single most thing that helped me with my depression, insomnia and anxiety was 700 mg of magnesium citrate daily. It also helped the body pain and the insomnia. It is better to take it in 350 mg two times per day. If you are small (I am not), perhaps 600 mg per day would be enough.

I use the powder form. There's really only one company that sells powder form cheaply, it is in an plastic bottle, sold in 8 oz, with an orange label. You can search powdered magnesium citrate on Amazon.

Xanax is helpful in emergencies, I.E. for acute panic attacks.

Other things that helped were SAM-e (antidepressant) and taurine, but I'm not taking them anymore because of the expense. I am taking extra stress vitamins.

Sleep is the single most important thing you can do (other than laughing, smiling) to help your body heal. You must, even if it requires using prescription drugs, get 7-10 hours of sleep per night. I use melatonin (9 mgs), herbal teas, and sometimes half of a low dose trazadone and low dose xanax. It is best to mix (with your pharmacist's help) small amounts of herbal and prescription sleep remedies rather than taking a large dose of any one remedy so that you don't get hung over or further depressed by the lack of sleep medication.

You must become protective of your sleep, doing whatever it takes to get it, so that your body and mind can heal.

Depression and anxiety are tricky. Your description sounds a bit like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which occurs as a result of a bad experience. Look into that as well. The only known cure for that is cognitive behavioral therapy. PTSD can affect parts of your brain that are responsible for stress and fear. There's no supplement that will cure the trauma issues but magnesium will calm you down.

It takes a lot of work to get this kind of thing under control, but magnesium citrate (or gluconate), with or without added taurine and SAM-e, will make it possible to do this work as a first step. You should take a good quality multivitamin and other supplements like Vitamins C, D (1,000 mg- 2,000 mg per day, or none if you go outside and get sunshine every day. Or only in the winter if you get it in the summer but not the winter)

If you're seeing a doctor, tell her about the SAM-e in case it reacts with any other meds.

Improving your diet, eating simple, whole foods and not too many carbs also helps as does avoiding any liquid vegetable oils (except olive oil) because they become toxic in your system. Coconut oil and butter are best.

Walking in nature is very therapeutic.

These supplements and changes helped me tremendously.