14 replies to this topic

[stan08]

I've been taking Longvida curcumin to help with mood and inflammation.  However, I need to add something a little stronger to really help with depression.  Therefore, does anyone see any problems with combining Longvida curcumin (500 mg/day) with Sertraline/Zoloft (25-50 mg/day)?  My concern is mainly that the two would impact serotonin too much with curcumin maybe acting like a mild MAOI(?) and Sertraline being a SSRI.  If combining, I would probably take the Sertraline with breakfast (since many find it stimulating) and Longvida with my magnesium before bed (since I find it sedating).  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.  

[Boopy!]

I took zoloft and now take something else  (both have been unbelieveably USELESS yuck)  and I am so hating all of the medical profession BUT that doesn't answer your question,  now does it?   To answer your question I had no problem ever taking curcurmin with my zoloft and certainly wouldn't worry about serotonin syndrome  (I get the impression this is a bit of  a worry for you?)   I had to laugh since if that were the case,  all of the different things I took with zoloft,   I'd be dead by now.   But never liked it either.   All of that stuff has been a lie for me.   

plus i just noticed the dosage and I was on a way higher dosage of zoloft that I took with curcumin.  Also just noticed my misspelling above, sorry.

[AlexCanada]

curcumin can increase potency of other substances so just don't take them too close together. 

[stan08]

I took zoloft and now take something else (both have been unbelieveably USELESS yuck) and I am so hating all of the medical profession BUT that doesn't answer your question, now does it? To answer your question I had no problem ever taking curcurmin with my zoloft and certainly wouldn't worry about serotonin syndrome (I get the impression this is a bit of a worry for you?) I had to laugh since if that were the case, all of the different things I took with zoloft, I'd be dead by now. But never liked it either. All of that stuff has been a lie for me.

plus i just noticed the dosage and I was on a way higher dosage of zoloft that I took with curcumin. Also just noticed my misspelling above, sorry.

I decided to not start taking my prescription for zoloft and have instead started taking Silexan (lavender) and Longvida curcumin.

[OneScrewLoose]

I would have went with the Zoloft. It's not gonna hurt to try, just gonna take a few weeks out of your life. Not only are they safe together, but might synergistic. Most anti-depressants increase BDNF. It turns out Curcmmin does as well. BDNF helps modify the serotonin system and alters functionality of the hippocampus, which physically shrinks with depression and grows when climbing out.

[stan08]

I would have went with the Zoloft. It's not gonna hurt to try, just gonna take a few weeks out of your life. Not only are they safe together, but might synergistic. Most anti-depressants increase BDNF. It turns out Curcmmin does as well. BDNF helps modify the serotonin system and alters functionality of the hippocampus, which physically shrinks with depression and grows when climbing out.

 

I was a little leery of starting anything that could take a couple weeks before improving anxiety/mood as I'm going through some difficult marriage issues at the moment.  I didn't want to take anything that could negatively impact the current situation with initial side effects...even if it did mean a possible improvement two or three weeks later.  Silexan seemed like a mild alternative that might help without being too drastic of a change (I tend to react strongly to any supplements/medications...both positively and negatively).  

[OneScrewLoose]

I completely understand that if your are in a situation where you need change right now, and side-effects and uncertainty to whether it will work would definitely get in your way.

One thing that can help overnight is over the counter 5-HTP and EGCG, taken together at night. The EGCG makes sure the 5-HTP is converted to serotonin the brain instead of in the body, being a L-Amino-Acid-Decarboxylase Inhibitor like Carbidopa.

If you have a certain genetic defect in 5-MTHFR, a form of folate called methylfolate can help greatly. If you don't, it will do nothing, but it might be worth the $7 to try, especially if you have other symptoms related to the incorrect form of this gene, like easy fatigue and concentration problems that aren't quite as strong as ADHD. Google '5-MTHFR polymorphisms'. There are three, one that causes the gene to operate at 100%, the other two at 70% and 40%, so the extremity of this can very. There are no blood tests than can find this out, so you don't even need genetic testing.

As far as prescriptions are concerned, drugs like Wellbutrin , Selegiline and Mirtazapine can work in under a week. There are other quick actings ones too, and if you are interested I can post them when I remember them. Also sent you a PM.

Hope that helps.

[Boopy!]

This is why I still love sites like this one -- onescrewloose,  you know yr stuff it seems.   I just learned more from you than I ever did in all my years of visiting useless shrinks.   They just stare.   I have to say going on zoloft at low dosage is okay,  but getting off of it esp.   at higher dosages is a BITCH for some people.   Brain zaps,  tiredness,  extreme mood swings -- none of which I had ever had prior to Zoloft --  were the immediate situation for me and countless others.   I did titrate down too,  I was not warned about the brain zaps (I was calling them mini-strokes to myself and somewhat terrified)   during which it feels like everything in your head goes black.   Just black.  As if you passed out and came to in under a second.   

 

Thank you for the suggestion fo 5-MTHFR  (I am calling it 5-motherfucker to myself to remember it)  or methylfolate.   Now can this be taken with an SSRI like Effexor?   Sorry to bug you just would like to know.

 

Also,  nothing wrong with taking anything short term to get things somewhat under control,  I agree.   But long term SSRIs seem not as good -- what do you say?

[stan08]

I completely understand that if your are in a situation where you need change right now, and side-effects and uncertainty to whether it will work would definitely get in your way.

One thing that can help overnight is over the counter 5-HTP and EGCG, taken together at night. The EGCG makes sure the 5-HTP is converted to serotonin the brain instead of in the body, being a L-Amino-Acid-Decarboxylase Inhibitor like Carbidopa.

If you have a certain genetic defect in 5-MTHFR, a form of folate called methylfolate can help greatly. If you don't, it will do nothing, but it might be worth the $7 to try, especially if you have other symptoms related to the incorrect form of this gene, like easy fatigue and concentration problems that aren't quite as strong as ADHD. Google '5-MTHFR polymorphisms'. There are three, one that causes the gene to operate at 100%, the other two at 70% and 40%, so the extremity of this can very. There are no blood tests than can find this out, so you don't even need genetic testing.

As far as prescriptions are concerned, drugs like Wellbutrin , Selegiline and Mirtazapine can work in under a week. There are other quick actings ones too, and if you are interested I can post them when I remember them. Also sent you a PM.

Hope that helps.

 

Responded to your PM.  With regard to the rest:

 

It's been a while since I've tried 5-htp.  When I did (without EGCG), I didn't notice much except it making me very tired and improving my sleep a lot.

 

I've been taking a multivitamin with methylfolate (along with high amounts of all the other active b vitamins).  However, it only had 400 mcg.  So, maybe that wasn't enough. 

 

I tried wellbutrin a few months ago.  It worked great for depression but made my anxiety much worse.  I also developed an allergic reaction to it (tried two different generic brands) by the third or fourth day of being on it.  Eventually my doctor recommended I stop taking it since the hives were getting worse every day.  

[FunkOdyssey]

There were a couple reports on M&M of users with serotonin syndrome-like reactions to the combination of curcumin and SSRI's.  I would tread carefully, particularly with a highly bioavailable formulation of curcumin.

[OneScrewLoose]

This is why I still love sites like this one -- onescrewloose, you know yr stuff it seems. I just learned more from you than I ever did in all my years of visiting useless shrinks. They just stare. I have to say going on zoloft at low dosage is okay, but getting off of it esp. at higher dosages is a BITCH for some people. Brain zaps, tiredness, extreme mood swings -- none of which I had ever had prior to Zoloft -- were the immediate situation for me and countless others. I did titrate down too, I was not warned about the brain zaps (I was calling them mini-strokes to myself and somewhat terrified) during which it feels like everything in your head goes black. Just black. As if you passed out and came to in under a second.

Thank you for the suggestion fo 5-MTHFR (I am calling it 5-motherfucker to myself to remember it) or methylfolate. Now can this be taken with an SSRI like Effexor? Sorry to bug you just would like to know.

Also, nothing wrong with taking anything short term to get things somewhat under control, I agree. But long term SSRIs seem not as good -- what do you say?

Thanks! That was really flattering. SSRIs can be fantastic for some people, and people who have bad reactions to them, for someone reason, tend to think they are somehow bad for everyone. This is hardly the case. And SSRIs and one or two tricyclics are the only options for people with OCD, and they have to take high doses like 200mg of Zoloft or 80mg of Prozac. Without these, they can barely function of it's severe enough.

I think they're great long term if they work for you. The only problem is that they are known to poop-out after 4-6 years. Sometimes replacing them with another SSRI can work.

Methylfolate can be taken with an SSRI. If you have the normal gene, it doesn't do anything. If you don't then it only boosts you to you the functioning of those with 100% of gene, and people who have that normal, 100% are fine with SSRIs.

Effexor is an SNRI, which means its also a NET inhibitor/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor. How's that working for you?

Also, if you like what I have to say, you can check out my channel, linked in my profile. It's in its very early stages and it shows, but I'm hard at work at it. Any feedback is welcome.

Edited by OneScrewLoose, 05 May 2015 - 12:25 AM.

[Boopy!]

Good question as I go back and forth on if I still wish to keep taking it.   I have never had a night and day difference with ANY anti-depressant,  and I have tried a lot of them.  I still believe that time,  exercise,  good people,  healthy activities,  effort,  work far better than the correct medicine alone.  I have bad  OCD and pretty much typical depression and anxiety (used to be far worse after I was attacked many years ago.)   I have heard about the high doses helping OCD but I don't remember noticing that.   I have always had a bizarrely high tolerance to any medicine,  unlike the OP.  BUT as you might know already with Effexor,   it is almost like a completely different medicine and effect at the higher dosages.  This is why my dosage was upped to the higher one.   I was actually wanting to wean off of it at the time he upped it because I read about bone loss from LONG TERM DEPRESSION USAGE.   I am at moderate risk for osteopenia,   and the last thing I want is to be in pain when I get older.  I have seen people get hurt and it just escalates or rather devolves from there into extreme illness because they cannot exercise or live without pain.    What do you think of the risks of bone loss from long term usage?  People seem to think this is just one of many problems from antidepressants and if there are alternatives (healthy ones)  to SSRIS or SNRIs I would love to know about them,  and consider them.  But again let me reiterate that if you are having a rough time and know yourself well and want to deal with something,  I am by no means against a wonderful and qualified psychiatrist who knows his stuff prescribing the right thing.   Plus a great therapist  (never had one but am jealous of those who have.)

 

A pill is not the only or final answer,  but I am still not against them as so many seem to be.   Thanks and sorry if I hijacked yr post!

[Boopy!]

 

I took zoloft and now take something else (both have been unbelieveably USELESS yuck) and I am so hating all of the medical profession BUT that doesn't answer your question, now does it? To answer your question I had no problem ever taking curcurmin with my zoloft and certainly wouldn't worry about serotonin syndrome (I get the impression this is a bit of a worry for you?) I had to laugh since if that were the case, all of the different things I took with zoloft, I'd be dead by now. But never liked it either. All of that stuff has been a lie for me.

plus i just noticed the dosage and I was on a way higher dosage of zoloft that I took with curcumin. Also just noticed my misspelling above, sorry.

I decided to not start taking my prescription for zoloft and have instead started taking Silexan (lavender) and Longvida curcumin.

 

not to jump in but just wondering if you are titrating down with the zoloft.   I am pretty sure that if you just started with it and are on low dosage,  no big deal,  but many people had issues just stopping SSRIs.   Some people are fine, but some aren't.   Not just brain zaps but weird stomach upset,  mood swings,  etc. ,  especially if you are in a delicate place.  I am not trying to jinx you,  just if you cut in half and then go down to zero seems safest for most SSRIs (and most meds that have a longer half-life.)

[stan08]

I took zoloft and now take something else (both have been unbelieveably USELESS yuck) and I am so hating all of the medical profession BUT that doesn't answer your question, now does it? To answer your question I had no problem ever taking curcurmin with my zoloft and certainly wouldn't worry about serotonin syndrome (I get the impression this is a bit of a worry for you?) I had to laugh since if that were the case, all of the different things I took with zoloft, I'd be dead by now. But never liked it either. All of that stuff has been a lie for me.

plus i just noticed the dosage and I was on a way higher dosage of zoloft that I took with curcumin. Also just noticed my misspelling above, sorry.

I decided to not start taking my prescription for zoloft and have instead started taking Silexan (lavender) and Longvida curcumin.

not to jump in but just wondering if you are titrating down with the zoloft. I am pretty sure that if you just started with it and are on low dosage, no big deal, but many people had issues just stopping SSRIs. Some people are fine, but some aren't. Not just brain zaps but weird stomach upset, mood swings, etc. , especially if you are in a delicate place. I am not trying to jinx you, just if you cut in half and then go down to zero seems safest for most SSRIs (and most meds that have a longer half-life.)

I never actually started taking zoloft. Basically,since I first started this thread I've been trying to find something besides an ssri that would help my depression and anxiety as I've been leery of starting the ssri based on all the negative reviews and other personal issues. So far, not much luck with supplements/nootropics. Some things I've tried are bacopa, ashwagandha, curcumin, lavender, magnesium and l-theanine. All have helped to some degree but not enough.

[OneScrewLoose]

Good question as I go back and forth on if I still wish to keep taking it.   I have never had a night and day difference with ANY anti-depressant,  and I have tried a lot of them.  I still believe that time,  exercise,  good people,  healthy activities,  effort,  work far better than the correct medicine alone.  I have bad  OCD and pretty much typical depression and anxiety (used to be far worse after I was attacked many years ago.)   I have heard about the high doses helping OCD but I don't remember noticing that.   I have always had a bizarrely high tolerance to any medicine,  unlike the OP.  BUT as you might know already with Effexor,   it is almost like a completely different medicine and effect at the higher dosages.  This is why my dosage was upped to the higher one.   I was actually wanting to wean off of it at the time he upped it because I read about bone loss from LONG TERM DEPRESSION USAGE.   I am at moderate risk for osteopenia,   and the last thing I want is to be in pain when I get older.  I have seen people get hurt and it just escalates or rather devolves from there into extreme illness because they cannot exercise or live without pain.    What do you think of the risks of bone loss from long term usage?  People seem to think this is just one of many problems from antidepressants and if there are alternatives (healthy ones)  to SSRIS or SNRIs I would love to know about them,  and consider them.  But again let me reiterate that if you are having a rough time and know yourself well and want to deal with something,  I am by no means against a wonderful and qualified psychiatrist who knows his stuff prescribing the right thing.   Plus a great therapist  (never had one but am jealous of those who have.)

 

A pill is not the only or final answer,  but I am still not against them as so many seem to be.   Thanks and sorry if I hijacked yr post!

I've never seen a lick of evidence showing potential bone issues from Effexor. Do you have a study, from a journal, about this? Where did you get that info?
Every thought, feeling, and emotion you have results from a chemical state in your brain. But a lot of people take a dualistic approach and see the mind as something separate from the bran. Exercise, good people, effort and good time management, all change your brain chemistry. So does medicine. It's just another way of doing it, and another tool in the toolbox. But if you are stuck in dualistic thinking, then the tendency is to think it changes "who you are".

To reiterate my point, I have a friend who could induce hallucinogenic states from astral projective meditation. I don't think he believed that he was actually projecting, but he did the meditation. That's a powerful chemical change from an activity. Pharmacological substances is just another way to go about it.

 

How long were you on the high doses of SSRIs, how much and which ones?

 

 

 

 

I took zoloft and now take something else (both have been unbelieveably USELESS yuck) and I am so hating all of the medical profession BUT that doesn't answer your question, now does it? To answer your question I had no problem ever taking curcurmin with my zoloft and certainly wouldn't worry about serotonin syndrome (I get the impression this is a bit of a worry for you?) I had to laugh since if that were the case, all of the different things I took with zoloft, I'd be dead by now. But never liked it either. All of that stuff has been a lie for me.

plus i just noticed the dosage and I was on a way higher dosage of zoloft that I took with curcumin. Also just noticed my misspelling above, sorry.

I decided to not start taking my prescription for zoloft and have instead started taking Silexan (lavender) and Longvida curcumin.

not to jump in but just wondering if you are titrating down with the zoloft. I am pretty sure that if you just started with it and are on low dosage, no big deal, but many people had issues just stopping SSRIs. Some people are fine, but some aren't. Not just brain zaps but weird stomach upset, mood swings, etc. , especially if you are in a delicate place. I am not trying to jinx you, just if you cut in half and then go down to zero seems safest for most SSRIs (and most meds that have a longer half-life.)

I never actually started taking zoloft. Basically,since I first started this thread I've been trying to find something besides an ssri that would help my depression and anxiety as I've been leery of starting the ssri based on all the negative reviews and other personal issues. So far, not much luck with supplements/nootropics. Some things I've tried are bacopa, ashwagandha, curcumin, lavender, magnesium and l-theanine. All have helped to some degree but not enough.

 

I really like the pharmacological profile of the new, 'atypical' SSRIs, Viibryd and Brintellix. They are SSRIs, but not as potent as some, and agonize the 5HT1a receptor, which can help many with anxiety. Being that Brintellix is weaker as an SSRI and stronger at 5HT!a than Viibryd, I think it's more useful for those who have had bad luck with normal SSRIs. The Viibryd would be more for those who get some benefit from SSRIs. The 5HT1a agonism also seems to greatly reduce the libido effects of the SRI component.