Antidepressant alternatives: Natural drug-free first aid kit for depression and anxiety

The loss of my mother-in-law recently prompted me to relook at depression and anxiety. Certainly there is a difference between temporary grief and chronic depression but the two can feel similar. I took antidepressant Paxil for years and my husband was on Lexapro and Wellbutrin. I gained 100 pounds during the time on the drug and also lost a stillborn child. So those were both obviously depressing but it was more than just that. Paxil (paroxetene) made me disoriented and lethargic.

So I searched out natural antidepressant alternatives. Here's my supplement and herbal first aid kit for depression. Using five simple "ingredients" my husband and I have been able to wean off antidepressants and treat anxiety. It's not a perfect solution but then nothing is--and it's certainly better than where we were. We're actually happier off the happy pill! Here's what you need:

magnesium (preferably powdered effervescent magnesium--we use Mellow Mag by True Goodness)
vitamin B complex with extra B-12
vitamin D
St. John's Wort
Kava Kava (found primarily at health food stores)

We also work to eat healthier and keep refined sugar and processed foods out of the diet. 

How quitting antidepressants healed depression which sparked my weight loss

I've never been what you'd call a confident person. I might give the impression of positive self-image, but it's a mask I where to keep people from seeing how really fragile I am emotionally. But one thing that has boosted my self-esteem is weight loss. I <---lost ----="" 100="" and="" confetti="" dance="" do="" joy="" of="" pause="" pounds="" that="" the="" throw="" to="">

I feel prettier now. Not beautiful--operative suffix pretty-ER. I have also noticed that I have become more self-aware as I gain confidence. I'm more mindful of how I speak and don't babble nervously as much as I used to. Even my writing has improved because I can think more clearly. That's partly due to quitting anti-depressants and switching to herbal, healthier mood management.

St. John's Wort, magnesium, kava kava and B-12 have eased depression so much more than Paxil ever did. And they don't cause weight gain--of which the medical community doesn't warn you--like Paxil and other SSRI. And let me tell you, that IS depressing. So quitting the antidepressant helped me get out of the drug-induced mind fog, see the weight gain clearly so I could lose weight which reduced anxiety, panic attacks and depression which helped me see everything more positively and think more clearly, which helped...you get the idea. It's been a

happy spiral up instead of a vicious cycle down. #winwinwin

'My 600-lb Life' patient blames obesity on poverty, weight loss fail on GoFundMe

As "My 600-lb Life" gears up to explore weight loss successes in season 6, one patient's fail may be just as enlightening and surprise Steven Assanti. It's LaGordis Pellegram who was accepted on "My 600-lb Life" and started a GoFundMe to pay for bariatric surgery costs. Many reality TV [VIDEO] patients like Chad Dean have successfully fundraised to pay for travel costs or skin removal plastic surgery. But this young mom didn't raise a dime. And the reason illustrates the difference between weight loss success and failure.   'My 600-lb Life' patient blames obesity on poverty, weight loss fail on GoFundMe

'My 600-lb Life': Dr. Now dishes up surprising gastric bypass weight-loss diet

Do you ever wonder how TLC's Dr. Younan Nowzaradan gets such dramatic weight-loss results from his gastric bypass patients on "My 600-lb Life"? Thanks to the good doctor, show participants like Chad Dean and Sean Milliken (to name recent ones) have shed hundreds of pounds. The reality television surgeon dished up his famous baratric surgery diet. And what's on the menu might surprise you!   'My 600-lb Life': Dr. Now dishes up surprising gastric bypass weight-loss diet