I’m 32 and have been on antidepressants for six years. I thought I would try something herbal, so I looked into kava kava. How much and when should I take it? Should I have my serotonin levels checked first? My mother’s side of the family suffers from nervous and anxiety disorders. I suffer from memories, mood swings, depression and insomnia. What would you recommend?
I can’t advocate that you discontinue your antidepressants on your own. You should at least communicate to your prescribing doctor that you have discontinued them, and be alert to the possibility that you may need to go back on them if you begin to experience a relapse. Also, you should try to find a naturopathic physician to help you for several months with some nutritional and herbal supplements that will hopefully aid you in discontinuing the antidepressants while avoiding a withdrawal and relapse of your depression.
If you are already off antidepressants, I can suggest a plan that helps about 70% of people who have mild to moderate depression. If you have severe depression, I would suggest help from licensed practitioners. The plan that I recommend for many patients is regular exercise (a proven antidepressant), counseling, a whole foods and natural foods diet (avoid sugars and alcohol especially), and the following supplements:
- folic acid — 800 mcg twice a day
- Vitamin B12 — 1000 mcg per day
- Vitamin B6 — 100 mg per day
- St. John’s Wort — .3% hypericin; 300 mg three times per day
No, you don’t need to get your serotonin levels checked before or after. But given that you mentioned problems with memories, I really hope that you seek out the services of a trained, skilled, compassionate counselor. Take care.