Last resort medication treatments for depression

[QueensU_girl]

Try group therapy.

[fatality]

Originally Posted by PickMeUpRoadie

A last-ditch treatment? There is research being done right now on increasing a chemical in your brain called Brain Derived Neurotrophin Factor (BDNF). This has an amazing anti-depressant effect, very quickly.

They have achieved rather amazing results by dosing the patient with an NMDA antagonist. Typically this is done with a dissociative anesthetic like Ketamine.

There are other ways to achieve results along the same line as that. It is believed that most antidepressant meds give the same effect, but over an extremely long period of time. Exercise raises BDNF levels.

I'll list the rest here.
Caloric restriction (and intermittent fasting),
Intellectual stimulation,
curcumin (in some spices, but evidence is limited for this one),
Electroconvulsive Therapy,
Sleep deprivation.

Magnesium is an NMDA antagonist as well as having many other bodily roles. You could try that as well.

Sleep deprivation works amazing... It quickly wears off, or your brain reboots when you sleep though.

[fatality]

Originally Posted by fatality

Sleep deprivation works amazing... It quickly wears off, or your brain reboots when you sleep though.

haha wow, i can't believe i wrote that. if people are still reading this thread, I want you to know that depression is a emotion that the body gives us when things need to change. if there is something in your life that needs to change, change it. i thought pills could change it. did anything change no? I used change 6 times and I am never going to change... Except the amount of times I used the word change...

yes i am stoned.

[known_guy]

I had/have a very stubborn treatment-resistant depression. I endured weeks, months of intensive treatment (PHP/IOP), required a couple hospitalizations, and was unresponsive to antidepressant medications, what-have-you. I am in partial remission (I think) at the moment, but hey, I am on three antidepressants! Nuts. Some suggestions I have gotten for medication changes include Abilify, Cymbalta, and some others.

[sarahsweets]

Hey just wanted to share :I'm my husband had situational depression, has adhd and narcolepsy. He was using wellbutrin and Ritalin at first. After the narco dx (8 years avow) hes been on provigil. This has treated all 3the issues. I don't have the studies right now but there are clinical studies currently going on using provigil for treatment resistant depression and parkinsons. Just a thought.

[peripatetic]

if your depression is part of cycling from BP1, i have a lot of articles and comments. but several things i've read indicate unipolar depression responds differently, so if it's that, what i have might not be as useful. you can message me if that's preferred and you're interested.

best to you, regardless. refractory depression is a hell that i wish you well in navigating.

[cameron90]

Originally Posted by x6eze

Have you tried Electro Convulsive therapy?

It really isn't as dangerous as the dark ages of Psychiatry made it look, and it is most likely safer than a powerful mix of anti-psychotics.

My psych mentioned treating a patient in a similar situation to you, this patient went for the ECT and was free from depression for nearly *10 years*.

As usual: I am not a doctor so don't take my post for its word.

After an accident in which I sustain a major head trauma, I had depression with psychotic features. I was tried on almost every novel antidepressant, antipsychotic, etc. and was non-responsive or could not tolerate the side effects or problems with toxicity. ECT was deemed necessary in light of the fact that I was in a melancholic state, refusing to eat, drink, sleep, or respond to external stimuli. I received 9 treatments and yes, it is nothing like how it is portrayed in the movies, but it is not very long lasting in terms and require maintenance treatments every once in a while. Just not really pleasant, IMO.

To the OP, have you tried an antidepressant (usually an SSRI) supplemented with a low-dose atypical antipsychotic such as olanzapine as a mood stabilizer? That is what I was stable on for a good time after the ECT treatments.

[Darken]

This is a sensitive topic for me...as I, like many others have been through the med merry go round with little to no relief. The only medication that had any effect in a positive manner was Wellbutrin XL...it seemed to give me some energy where there was none before....Wellbutrin is a tough drug to take though...if its going to work it's going to give you two or three days of feeling the best you ever have....and then it goes away and your left with what it does...provides a boost in energy for me...it's not easy and can't be tough to stick it out..but if you do it certainly may be a benefit to you long term.

Recently I was prescribed Adderall and now Dexedrine and it has made a HUGE improvement on my ability to function in life. I can accomplish things both at work and at home...my mind isn't all over the place anymore...however I get no satisfaction from the med at all...It's basically a flat feeling but it's better then I was before. The depression is still there front and center...but it no longer blocks my ability to function properly in life.

I've decided that the current batch of AD meds are just not effective for all people....in particular my research shows me that if you suffer from purely depression (with no anxiety at all) your likelihood to reach remission is poor. Unfortunately, for any of us there is no quick cure on the horizon. I like what I am reading about Ketamine...and more so with the English company researching a med that has opiate like effects with no addiction.

My advice to the OP and anyone who is just not getting relief from 'conventional' treatments...Think outside the box. If you are not on an add med and have no motivation and can't stay on task...it's definitely worth a try. Do some research on drugs like Suboxone, Tramadol...etc....remember before the 50's opiates were used in the treatment of depression with a wide degree of success...granted everyone was nice and high....but times have changed...some of these newer meds that help addicts recover are perfect in small doses for some people to get out of their crippling depression.

Talk to your doctor and think outside the box....don't be afraid to ask...the worst they can say is no..

[cameron90]

Originally Posted by Darken

This is a sensitive topic for me...as I, like many others have been through the med merry go round with little to no relief. The only medication that had any effect in a positive manner was Wellbutrin XL...it seemed to give me some energy where there was none before....Wellbutrin is a tough drug to take though...if its going to work it's going to give you two or three days of feeling the best you ever have....and then it goes away and your left with what it does...provides a boost in energy for me...it's not easy and can't be tough to stick it out..but if you do it certainly may be a benefit to you long term.

Recently I was prescribed Adderall and now Dexedrine and it has made a HUGE improvement on my ability to function in life. I can accomplish things both at work and at home...my mind isn't all over the place anymore...however I get no satisfaction from the med at all...It's basically a flat feeling but it's better then I was before. The depression is still there front and center...but it no longer blocks my ability to function properly in life.

I've decided that the current batch of AD meds are just not effective for all people....in particular my research shows me that if you suffer from purely depression (with no anxiety at all) your likelihood to reach remission is poor. Unfortunately, for any of us there is no quick cure on the horizon. I like what I am reading about Ketamine...and more so with the English company researching a med that has opiate like effects with no addiction.

My advice to the OP and anyone who is just not getting relief from 'conventional' treatments...Think outside the box. If you are not on an add med and have no motivation and can't stay on task...it's definitely worth a try. Do some research on drugs like Suboxone, Tramadol...etc....remember before the 50's opiates were used in the treatment of depression with a wide degree of success...granted everyone was nice and high....but times have changed...some of these newer meds that help addicts recover are perfect in small doses for some people to get out of their crippling depression.

Talk to your doctor and think outside the box....don't be afraid to ask...the worst they can say is no..

Were you put on amphetamines purely for depression? I was prescribed dexedrine for about 4 years for TRD... worked very well, and now I know why: I have ADHD, and also severe MDD. I was also on an SSRI, or SNRI, or some kind of AD, along with an anti-psychotic, benzo and maybe an anticonvulsant as well...

[cameron90]

Originally Posted by Darken

My advice to the OP and anyone who is just not getting relief from 'conventional' treatments...Think outside the box. If you are not on an add med and have no motivation and can't stay on task...it's definitely worth a try. Do some research on drugs like Suboxone, Tramadol...etc....remember before the 50's opiates were used in the treatment of depression with a wide degree of success...granted everyone was nice and high....but times have changed...some of these newer meds that help addicts recover are perfect in small doses for some people to get out of their crippling depression.

I have read case reports of opiates used today still for depression in some countries, but it's very rare.

Talk to your doctor and think outside the box....don't be afraid to ask...the worst they can say is no..

Very true. If it's the last resort, you have to really get your doctor to try something different or unorthodox, because it's a life that can be saved or lost. Doctors do adhere rigidly to the legal system, but their first priority is the ethical treatment of the patient, in which they pledge to do no harm. Isn't not doing anything or trying something outside of the box that might help when there are no other options harm? Legally, maybe; but ethically, I think so.

I just realized that the OP is from a few months ago..

[Darken]

A few months yes...but still pertenant information for the masses.

As for me the amphetamines were prescribed to treat add which was largely ignored with the underlying depression. Its part of a more proactive treatment plan I'm seeking this year.