Acupuncture treatment and frequency for depression?

[Vegcat]

I’ve heard a lot of good things about acupuncture for depression and anxiety. So I’m scheduling my first appointment in hopes of treating my persistent depression (maybe dysthymia) and anxiety. I’ve tried a lot of different meds over the past 5 years, yet I’m still depressed. I’m so ready to start feeling good that I’m willing to try almost anything.

I’d like to hear about your experiences. How do you approach acupuncture as a treatment for depression and anxiety? How is it different than how you might use acupuncture to treat chronic pain?

In your experience, how often should one get treatments? I’m concerned about whether or not acupuncture is sustainable for me. I’m already paying out of pocket for therapy once a week and then for psychiatrist visits every 4-6 weeks. None of this is cheap. The cost for a single treatment at the local acupuncture center is affordable, but adding it as another weekly expense on top of everything else makes me very nervous. So I’m trying to figure out if acupuncture could actually be a reasonable option for me in my seemingly never ending and expensive quest for relief.

Thanks for sharing your experiences!

[mydogs]

I tried acupuncture last January I had 5 sessions and did not get any relief from either anxiety or depression only got pain in forehead from where needles where inserted I didn’t bother to have any more treatments but I hope you have more success and get relief.

[Vegcat in reply to mydogs]

Thanks, and I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. Even though that sucks, I need to hear stories like this to help me manage my expectations.