I really need some help. I have the most treatment resistant depression possible, and I’m starting to think it may be hugely down to inflammation, or overactive inflammatory response. I’m wondering if there is anybody on here that knows much about inflammation and it’s connections to depression?
I'm sorry you're going through this shit, I feel for you. I have treatment-resistant depression, too, and years of fighting it. It's a fucking grind, I get it.
Regarding inflammation, what's your C-Reactive Protein (CRP)? This study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm...icles/27337107/ : appears to show association between depression and inflammation, but not direct causation. But I think your instincts are right to suspect inflammation suffered during and after the car accident as a contributing factor. CRP is easy and cheap to measure, it should be part of a doctor's tool kit during a routine checkup, although a doctor or insurance may resist ("CRP is too general to be useful..." blah blah..) I'd get it measured anyway. CRP could give you numbers (if elevated) to work to bring down -- more clues in the fight.
I’ve started to look into this possibility as I sustained a head injury 14 years ago in a car crash and was kept in a drug induced coma for a week to let the swelling on my brain go down. I always had a bit of depression and anxiety but it definitely got worse after the crash.
What drugs did the trauma doctors give you 14-years ago while in coma? If you don't know, can you check back through your medical records? It might be helpful to find out what worked back then and what side effects they may have caused.
I’ve tried everything, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, ADHD meds, and over the past couple of years I’ve trialled a sh*t load of different supplements in hope that they may help. But they all seem to just make me worse. To name a few with their results...
You're fighting the good fight, man, so props. I think one avenue maybe you've already tried (but didn't list here) are pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories? I think managing inflammation is an area where modern pharmaceuticals excell -- even OTC stuff like Ibuprofen, et al. -- beyond the supplements you listed. The trouble with pharmaceutical anti-inflammatories, of course, are sides. They may work better than supps to quell inflammation, but you'll have to figure out how to dose them effectively to both minimize the inflammation and the side effects. Doctors are a good resource for this line of action.
5-htp - Tired, emotional flatness, lack of motivation.
SAM-e - Depressed, strong anxiety.
Rhodiola - Depressed and extremely drowsy.
Inositol - Extremely drowsy, irritable.
CDP choline - Depressed.
CBD oil - Extremely Depressed
Methyl folate (I have MTHFR mutation) - Depressed, Extreme brain fog, Aggression, Confusion.
Zinc - Aggression
Probiotics - Extremely Depressed
Saffron - Anxiety
Ginkgo biloba - Anxiety
Tyrosine - Anxiety
Quercetin - Anxiety
Lithium - Emotional flatness
Siberian ginseng - Brain fog, drowsiness.
Curcumin - Brain fog, depression.
Of all you've tried, two stand out to me in my own battles against inflammation and depression: curcumin and CBD oil. Both of these "work" for me, but I've had to experiment with different brands to find the right keys to fit my own peculiar lock.
Have you tried washing out from taking all supplements, then reintroducing them one by one? Do this like an objective scientist researching someone else's body rather than your own -- give yourself only precisely-measured dosages of single compounds only, at precisely-timed intervals, then take careful notes of how each affected you. Take notes. It's painstaking and slow -- but you want a cure, if you keep flinging a multitude of supplements at the offending inflammation, you'll not know which works and which doesn't. Sorry to be ultra obvious.
This is not all I have tried, but you get the picture. I don’t have any particular reasons for trying them other than reading that they aid in lowering depression. Much to my despair, they have only made me worse.
Supplements I have benefited from are: Magnesium, Fish oil, Niacin, Vitamin D, Vitamin C, Biotin, Resveratrol, Manganese, Pregnenolone, TMG, Multi-vit, DLPA, active b12, coQ10. And especially Licorice root, although now it seems to make me too tired to notice any benefit, it really helped for a while.
I’m stuck, and I really need help everyone. Could my inflammation theory be correct? What can I do!?!? Feeling really desperate.
So this is my personal opinion, this is what I'd do if in your shoes, take it or leave it. First I'd check in with my doctor and give her all information about what happened, what I've tried, I'd be specific about everything, and then get her opinion about what avenue to pursue next. I'd do this both with my prinary care doctor, then any psychiatrist I might have, then a psychologist might be helpful, too -- you've tried these?
If because of the shitty state of the American medical establishment you're unable to afford mainstream doctors, I'd work beyond just pill-taking to attack the inflammation.
In addition to anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals, maybe combined with curcumin (I like Jarrow's Mervina) and CBD oil (I like Charlotte's Web Advanced, but it's pricy...) I'd follow the lifestyle practices that are shown to help. They aren't silver bullets by themselves, but combined and targeted, a healthy lifestyle is super important.
First is control stress. Whatever this means to you. For me it's yoga, meditation, learning how to breathe, avoiding people that trip me up, and working my body into a hot mess through vigorous exercise. It's important for me to get out of my head and into my body -- exercise really works. Hiking in the woods, off into the forest, or around town on my bike, these are great. Whatever it takes you.
Second, how is your habitual diet? I won't eat or drink anything, ever, under any circumstances, that's shown to increase inflammation in my body. I'm strict and disciplined about this, it's non negotiable: no fried foods, no soda, no white bread, no pastries, no margarine, no lard, no red meat, nothing processed, no junk food, ever. To the people who peer pressure me, they can fuck right off. Tell jokes instead.
A pristine perfect diet won't cure my depression and inflammation, but it won't hurt, either. So eat cleanly. There are a million miles of information roads out there indicating the benefits of eating anti-inflammatory foods like green leafy vegetables, olive oil, nuts like almonds, walnuts, fatty fish like sardines and salmon, eat berries of all types -- all of these foods at least don't promote inflammation and may help curb inflammation. To keep me disciplined and focused on diet, I use cronometer. It's free, and it's super helpful: I know what I ate, when I ate it, how much of it I ate, and where I stand wrt RDA. I highly recommend being self-disciplined in practical, sustainable ways over the long haul.
Good luck, I've offered here friendly advice; I'm on a similar path of fighting against intractable depression. Peace, man, I hope you'll check back in here to the thread you opened.
Edited by sthira, 11 March 2018 - 04:46 AM.
