I rarely post but I need some advice. I've been following Q since the second week of posting. I used to have all the apps until they were cancelled to keep pinged with updates, OH those were the days. I've kept my father who's 75 and suffering from depression up to date, he has also helped me see the bigger picture by introducing Joe M, then the Luther Blissett - Q books and other research he's done, he's aware of the fight, the threat, the hypocrisy, the fraud and has an IQ that can't be registered with MENSA, it's off the scale. He's quite a character, mixed with all walks, seen some extraordinary things in his life and taught me well, I'll just leave it at that but without his insight I would never have had the moral compass I have. The problem is he's suffered from depression since childhood, I've some theories on why, but they aren't really relevent for this post. I think quite a lot of extreme high IQ individuals do have problems with depression. I'm unable to visit him because I'm unvaxed and we are seperated by countries. Anyway, back in early Jan 2020 he went to a cash machine located inside a bank and the man doing the servicing of the other machine was coughing badly, this is somewhere in Europe. He then went down with a serious illness that lasted four weeks, almost killed him, very edgy from what I gather. He's not been right ever since, crying, major depression and now is in hospital having a complete breakdown. Apparently he's been on Cipramil for twenty years, 20 didn't work, 30 did, 40 sent him mad again. Has anyone here got any advice on alternative meds, or ideas I can help my family with. Apparently he will not stop crying and I'm very worried indeed. If anyone here has some insight into possible remedies it would be much appreciated. Had it happened several months later, thanks to the Q movement I would have gone for zinc, vit D amoung other things and advised, he was taken out early and they also didn't inform me until later, it's his current depression I need insight into. Many thanks in advance. WWG1WGA
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For what it’s worth: Depression for me was a blessing. Nothing in this world could bring true satisfaction/joy that I longed for. Always felt as a “sojourner” here. Still do but turning to God, repenting and accepting His Son Jesus Christ brought a wholeness that cannot be equaled. We all are on our own journey, from creation to the cross. We get to choose. Surrendering was the greatest gift and depression led me back to the LORD. (I took celexa and other med). Interestingly, I had learned fluoride is a bad substance (calcifies the pineal gland) (which is in EVERYTHING) and one of the base organic molecule of SSRIs is fluoride. Of course! Meds mask the deeper/root issues. It’s tricky for someone that’s been heavily medicated though. Weaning etc probably necessary. I knew my problem could not be fixed with medicine. Blessings to you and your father. I pray Christ restore him and give you all New Direction!! Ephesians 3:19 And know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
God bless you fren. Your story is not in isolation as there are many here that have walked that same path. My saving grace was that I knew the medications were bad and therefore never allowed the prescriptions. I use supplements and lots of prayer. In fact, at my lowest point, I took my supplements three times a day with prayer and scriptures I had written out on 3x5 cards - that was my medicine. It allowed me to finally get up out of my bed and start living my life. I returned to college and earned a couple of degrees and a license. I have spent my time since trying to help others navigate those same minefields. Thanks for sharing.
Same for me. I was on medication for years. I wanted to get off because I realized that my dependency on meds was a weakness I needed to overcome. Getting off of my meds was very hard, and made me very depressed, but my depression lead me back to God.
It was not easy to overcome the pain, but surrendering and realizing that my meds just masked the pain, and I needed to suffer through the pain lead me to salvation.
Doctors are quick to diagnose pain as depression because they are trained to do so. Big Pharma needs their money. IMO it's not normal for the world to be medicated to feel at peace. It took a lonely, dark, depressing time in my life for me to realize the depression I was feeling was actually a longing for a spiritual connection to God.
Indeed! When we find Christ, we are One in Mind and Spirit! Glory be to God! He will rescue all who are lost!
Citalopram is an older SSRI - or selective seratonin reuptake inhibitor. It's got some serious side effects that should rule it out as a first line drug. I recommend that your dad find someone who uses more recent SSRIs that are not brand spanking new, but have a lower side effect profile. They'll be more tolerable to your dad, I'm sure. Sounds like his doc allows him to be very poorly managed, and it is unacceptable. No one should be in the throes of Major Depressive Disorder while under a doctor's care. Is he managed by a GP or a psychiatrist? It may be necessary to enter him for a short stay in a psychiatric facility of better quality for a med check/adjustment, so long as they don't demand he be jabbed to get in.
The OP's father has been on SSRI's for years, so if those aren't working, there are other meds to try. There are SNRIs which work on norepinephrine instead of serotonin (like Effexor). There's also bupropion, which isn't in the same class of meds and sometimes works better when combined with something like citalopram. There are options.
Problem is, of course, that antidepressents usually take a month or so to show effects, and then they usually need to be played with, and the OP is looking for something immediate.
OP, you mentioned your father just had a near-death experience, which is going to be traumatizing to anyone, let alone an elderly man who is now stuck in the hospital. It's unlikely that there is going to be an easy pill fix to that. I know what this board typically thinks of therapy, but this is exactly the sort of crisis that many therapists are trained to handle.
If you can't do that, try to get him doing activity as he is able. Depression feeds itself with inactivity and mental rumination, and even going on a short walk outside can have drastic effects on the mood of a depressed person. It might take time, but little by little, pushing him to stay active and social as he is able is likely going to help.
But above all, just support your father. Even if he doesn't know it, there's a part of him that wants to get better, and he might just need some help to function until that part of him can see daylight again.
Best of luck.
Thank you, very helpful indeed, thanks for responding. He's pretty well managed from what I can gather, he has though always attempted to cut his dossage but then had problems again over the years when reducing. He hates having to take drugs to keep him on an even keel, but they have worked for years and helped him function, so why change? They clearly aren't working anymore. Obviously I want to keep this anonymous as possible on such a visited forum but I know there are people here that think laterally rather than follow a carrot. He's just not been right apparantly after having covid and yes I think he's had it, or something else for sure, right on deaths door from what I'm told but distance has and several other factors meant that I'm only just getting the full story. He's constantly crying and shaking apparently and I'm concerned. I think certain meds for depression have changed over the last two decades, they will have to wean him off the Cipramil and try other remedies. Black Dog is a hard one to manage. Are there any natural remedies? Has anyone here had someone they know with depression suffer from long covid? Any insights on that?
Good advice from some of the other replies on this post - so I won't repeat. One thing is for sure, he is being poorly managed. I noted a reply from another fren on this post that is good. Celexa is an older drug with a nasty side effect profile. See if he can be switched to another antidepressant.
The problem with many people suffering from depression, as like with other chronic illness, is that there are often severe nutritional deficiencies that are either causative in nature, or act comitant to whatever the underlying causes are. At your father's age it may be nearly impossible to get at an underlying causation that can be corrected. It is like peeling back the layers of an onion so to speak.
Deficiencies are often exacerbated by prescription meds. Unless those deficiencies that are critical for proper brain and gut function are addressed, it makes no difference how much or what type of medication is thrown at the problem. Even though there may be some improvement in symptoms, those improvements are often short lived because the underlying problems are not addressed. In addition, those deficient states can require larger doses of medications to have an effect. Depression is a common problem among the geriatric population simply because of the higher incidence of polypharmacy. All of which continues to contribute to nutritionally deficient states. It is a vicious cycle.
The information I am passing along comes from a psychiatrist that worked with the street people in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. Her approach to treating patients with a wide diversity of mental and emotional maladies has been unique. She has been pretty much ignored by the mainstream in her field, but at the same time, she has been allowed to work unhindered among that high risk population because no one else will. She uses supplementation in conjunction with prescription drugs. I applied her principles myself and had good results. If she did not correct the conditions altogether, which speaks to the likelihood that the problems actually stemmed from a deficient state, she was at least able to control many conditions with the minimal amount of prescription drugs and dosages possible while using supplementation - thereby minimizing the side effect profiles that often accompany the drugs.
The simplest and easiest deficiency to address, and one that is rampant in populations like your father's, is Vitamin D deficiency. D is absolutely essential for proper brain function, along with almost every other metabolic function in the body. Most clinicians are ill-equipped to monitor D and often recommend levels that are far too low to be helpful - so just a head's up. Blood levels need to be at least 80 ng/ml. The only real caveat is in the case of renal impairment where levels of everything need to be very closely monitored. Most clinicians are happy with 30 ng/ml but that is far too low for someone with ongoing health challenges.
Good quality fish oil is also critical for brain function. However, it must be good fish oil and not made from farm raised fish which are often loaded with toxins. In addition it needs to be cold processed with no solvents. Nordic and Carlson are two brands I am familiar with. But I am sure there are others so do your homework. The brain needs fat to function. The old adage about fish being brain food is no joke. So, if someone calls you a fat head, they are actually paying you a complement.
Probiotics are a must in addition to regular intake of soluble fibers. Many of the neurotransmitters used in the brain are actually made in the gut. So, if the gut is not working properly, neither will the brain.
B vitamins are another area that is overlooked, especially in geriatric populations. B12 needs to be taken separately as either a sublingual or an injection. By age 80 the likelihood of the digestive tract being able to process B12 is slim to none - so it must be in a bioavailable form that the body can take up. It has actually been quite remarkable to watch patients improve with just taking some B vitamins.
Do some research on phosphatidyl serines/cholines and see if you think that might be helpful. Especially if your father may have been on statin therapy - which many geriatrics are. If that is the case, also consider CoQ10. Curcumin is also a good supplement to fight inflammation. It can cross the blood brain barrier and high amounts of turmeric are associated with lower levels of dementia.
I hope this has been helpful. These are some of the easiest things to do that can have some big payoffs - especially in someone that has possibly been deficient for years. These supplements are also not inclined to be contraindicated with many of the medications someone like your father is possibly taking. Don't be surprised however if you are met with resistance. Much of this is completely rejected by mainstream medicine and thought of as a useless waste of money. You will often find the same resistance as those today trying to get their loved ones treatment for Covid. Good luck fren. Thanks for reaching out. We are here to help each other.
Vitamin D is an anti-inflammatory
I have suffered from depression at different stages in my life so I only have experience in the research I personally did for myself. I have read depression can follow covid. I used St. John's Wort and Bach Flower Remedies (homeopathics) with great success in the past. Also, other homeopathics can be used that are not BFRemedies. My sister was schizophrenic and I was introduced to Orthomolecular Psychiatry when she used their protocol with great success in the 70's and the work of Abram Hoffer is fantastic for those who want to avoid the drug route or to research alternative medicine's approach to psychiatric issues. Europe (the German Commission) used to be a fantastic source of good treatment protocols and Edward Bach was English and Samuel Hahneman was German so there is a good European history using homeopathics. Good luck...depression sucks but there are great alternative cures.
I have suffered with depression for over 45 years. My mom had pretty severe mental illness until she passed with Dementia. The big difference between us was that I git treatment from a doctor with medication. It took many years and many different anti depressants to reach this point. Itried 8 docent ones until I found the one that works for me Lexapro.Your Dad needs to be evaluated by a professional. Then the Dr. can prescribe meds for his particular diagnoses. If they've already done this in the hospital then you need to speak to the Dr. and tell them to keep trying meds until they work. I can tell you that being on the proper meds doesn't make you feel "high" it actually helps you to react to situations in a "normal" way. Please be an advocate for your Dad since he cannot do it himself right now. The best of luck and many blessings to you and your Dad
Micro dose mushrooms
NO. He is probably low in a vitamin or mineral.
Other people here have offered some very good advice. As for myself, Vitamin D helped with depression amazingly well once I dumped the meds. I've had doctors who say we are all seriously deficient in Vitamin D.
D was the major factor in turning my depression around. Whenever I feel the dark clouds trying to move in, I know I have to up my amount. It seems to do the trick. I also use full spectrum lights. Light therapy is huge - look into it.
I'm on St. John's Wort and Methylene Blue.
Don't take them with SSRI or SNRIs.
Works well for me.
Sometimes I get sad but I am physically unable to cry. These two make it so you can control those emotional bursts and grab hold of them so they don't take you off your cadence.
One thing I would try is CBD oil. It might help calm him down substantially and make him way more relaxed.
The long-term solution would be for him to regain control over his mind. This is a strange concept for people in the West, but as the Buddhists say "the mind is a great servant, but a terrible master". It's the constant thinking mind that leads to unhappiness and since your father is so intelligent, his thinking mind must be really powerful.
To regain control over the mind lots of meditation is needed. The more he meditates and quiets the mind, the better he will feel. And when one becomes really good at quieting the mind, then eventually one can find God because it is within the silence that we can find God.
You might consider ashwaganda, it is an herb that is used for mood and stress. It is very popular now with those trying to steer clear of pharmaceuticals. It has varied use including inflammation, lowering blood sugar, mood/depression, etc. Do some research, it might be worth a try.
One piece of that puzzle can be a celebrate recovery program. Many people that suffer from drugs and alcohol are depressed. They have a " life issues " class. Talking to people that suffer from the same things make us realize we are not alone.
Get his vitamin and mineral status checked.
Could be low vitamin D, or low in one of the B vitamins.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23377209/
Look at this: The surprisingly dramatic role of nutrition in mental health | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dqXHHCc5lA
I can personally recommend: Zinc, B1 (Nutritional Yeast), Greens or dried green product.
Exercise, Intermittent fasting or anything that boosts BDNF (Brain Derived Nootropic Factor) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YccBeF1u_Ac
Things like SSRI are bad. They block re-uptake of serotonin and have bad side effects. Booze does a similar thing with GABA which is why you get more chatty. You need to transform your gut biome where ALL BRAIN neurochemicals get made. IE the brain gut connection.