Anyone have experience with natural alternatives for celexa or lexapro?

[HWPO]

I have a female friend who was prescribed celexa and it made her gain weight which made her more depressed. She weaned herself off and the withdrawal has had her allover the map emotionally. Her doctor wants her to try lexapro as he thinks it might not give her the weight gain celexa did. She is a former model and normally pretty fit for being 48, so I know the weight gain really messes with her head evendors more. I figured I'd ask people here that may have been in this situation and found natural or better alternatives? Thanks.

 

[jcc80]

Mixed thoughts here. I've been on a ssri for several years, and as much as I hate the idea, I have figured out that I just need to stay on low doses. Zoloft here. No weight gain.

I HAVE experienced weight gain on Celexa. I have used lexapro before and NOT had weight gain, for what it's worth.

That being said, have her look into St John's Wort. NOT a cheap brand; there is a difference. I'd have her poke around on a site called sjwinfo.org. Last time I checked it was not a very busy forum at all, but there's plenty of archived info. It also covers other alternatives besides SJW.

 

[jcc80]

Oh! I almost forgot. Tianeptine! Tons of info on reddit. I use it alongside my ssri. Great compound.

 

[HWPO]

Thanks for the reply. It's good to hear first hand experiences.
What made you switch from lexapro to zoloft?

 

[jcc80]

Lexapro has a tendency to make me a bit more 'dull' than zoloft. I think it would be great for a person struggling with anxiety along with their depression, but that person is not me.

 

[HWPO]

Thanks. She does have anxiety also, so kind of needs that two pronged approach.

 

[jcc80]

Don't forget about my tianeptine suggestion. It can be obtained from multiple places online.

It's a legit antidepressant that has a different mechanism than a ssri. It was marketed as Stablon by a French company, but never pursued by American companies.

 

[chemical engineer]

Lexapro is a good alternative to celexa! I gained weight and then lost it with lex. They are "cousins" so to speak. My dr told me lex. is less dangerous to the brain.
Have tried SJW before ssri. Was absolutely fantastic for 3 months. Had to discontinue because of extreme dull headaches.

 

[john161]

Look into MTHF at 800mg a day. Some research indicates it reduces depression in 80-90% of women. My clients love it.

As always, you can measure catecholamines thru Labcorp, and run the serum serotonin as well, to really determine which neurotransmitter is missing. MTHFR plays a huge role in weight gain, anxiety, depression, and is the mother chemical to these, as well as SAM-E.

Most shrinks won't even do these tests, so press your internist for them.

 

[Elvia1023]

The supplement 5-HTP is worth looking into. But research it extensively as it can create a few issues for some.

 

[Detroit Muscle]

Get a DNA test done on B9 velels in the brain. some people cannot get adequate levels metabolized to cross the Blood Brain Barrier.
This is the cause of depression in many Anti-depressant nonresponders according to my Doc. I was one of these ppl who just thought I should be getting more from Drugs like Lexapro, Celexa, Paxil, ect.
I was prescribed a drug/food supplement called DEPLIN to address this and my anxiety and depression have almost magically disapeared. It isnt cheap but makes all the difference in the world if you have this deficiency.
Google DEPLIN, then ask your Dr. about it.

 

[HWPO]

Thanks for all the information and help. Reading up on the suggestions given here definitely gave me good information for her to present to her doctor.

 

[jcc80]

Get a DNA test done on B9 velels in the brain. some people cannot get adequate levels metabolized to cross the Blood Brain Barrier.
This is the cause of depression in many Anti-depressant nonresponders according to my Doc. I was one of these ppl who just thought I should be getting more from Drugs like Lexapro, Celexa, Paxil, ect.
I was prescribed a drug/food supplement called DEPLIN to address this and my anxiety and depression have almost magically disapeared. It isnt cheap but makes all the difference in the world if you have this deficiency.
Google DEPLIN, then ask your Dr. about it.

I don't know how much deplin costs, but it is high-dose methylfolate. Methylfolate supplements are available otc in 400-800 mcg pills at a reasonable cost. So it would be quite easy to try it for yourself. Keep in mind, deplin dosage is 15 mg (not mcg) per pill, so keep that in mind.

 

[Detroit Muscle]

I don't know how much deplin costs, but it is high-dose methylfolate. Methylfolate supplements are available otc in 400-800 mcg pills at a reasonable cost. So it would be quite easy to try it for yourself. Keep in mind, deplin dosage is 15 mg (not mcg) per pill, so keep that in mind.

that would be like 40 400mcg pills, Ill stick to deplin, I believe the 15 mg caps were $129 for 4 months worth

 

[jcc80]

that would be like 40 400mcg pills, Ill stick to deplin, I believe the 15 mg caps were $129 for 4 months worth

Ahh, that's a reasonable price. And I am not really disagreeing with you... I'm just saying it's easy to find 800mcg tabs in the store... And it's not 'all or nothing', so someone could possibly run with 3-4mg per day to see if some benefit is noticed.

Just bringing it up because sometimes you can deal with a stubborn doctor that knows nothing about methylfolate, or perhaps the doctor can't be seen for a few weeks. Just throwing in an alternative, that's all.

 

[pupeye]

St johns wort is suppose to help with depression.

 

[Equalizer]

Different drugs affect each person differently. I gained weight on paxil, gained weight on Zoloft, my nephew gained weight on Lexapro then I lost a few pounds on Cymbalta but wasn't on it long due to the side effects.

Ive recently spent a lot of time reading up on the subject of anxiety and depression. What Ive discovered is Serotonin, the chemical in the brain that is credited for causing these problems, actually is in the intestinal tract in much higher levels then it is in the brain. One of other things that serotonin does is help regulate the appetite. When you start increasing the levels of the chemical in the body it can cause an increase in appetite especially for carbs.

Ive been experimenting with different vitamin, minerals, and amino acids that help the body produce both serotonin and GABA. Things like magnesium, B-complex, zinc, fish oil, glutamine, taurine, theanine, and Ashwagandha. And also using Picamilon and Phenibut occasionally but those 2 cant be used everyday due to tolerance isuues.

 

[x1xjcramair1x1]

I was on Celex 20mg daily 10 years ago and had no weight gain. As another poster had mentioned each SSRI can effect each individual(s) differently. I have heard great thing's about Lexapro, but I think again it come's down to each individual. As for an alternative...some good quality St. John's Wart.

 

[HWPO]

For those that have at some point weaned yourself off or transitioned to another drug, was it hard to do and what were the side affects, if any?

 

[john161]

WEANING OFF REQUIRES SLOW CUT BACKS OVER 2-3 WEEKS, WITH 500MG BID
L-THEONINE THE GABA DERVIVATIVE.