Trying something else

[TailWags]

Had anxiety and depression about 35 or 40 years now. Various meds and ups and downs. Last several weeks really bad. Therapist recommended an MD with homeopathic options. Named dr jacob mirman, in minnesota. He has a very narrow definition of homeopathic. Anyhow, he is suggesting i start with cannabis for anxiety. Then add supplements (amino acids) for the depression. It could take a month or 2 each to dial those in. May reduce my regular meds at the same time. He would want to work with my current dr on this. Those 2 options treat symptoms. The 3rd step would be homeopathy, which he says is curative. The whole process could cost a few hundred a month and hopefully take less than a year. Trying to make an appointment to discuss with my dr.

So, anyone have any experience, thoughts on this other than to be careful?

Thanks.

[Mountainlover57]

Same with me. I've had anxiety and then fell into depression off and on for the last 30 years. I've always been a worrier since I was a child. I have used homeopathic providers for the last 3 years. But since I have moved to another state they have put me on Zoloft. I will be on this a short while but like you, I would like to start using healthier alternatives for my anxiety. I'm actually thinking seriously about psilocybin therapy. I'm also thinking about going back to using THC with CBD. I also have heard about saffron pills that help elevate your serotonin levels in a natural way. Look up Brainmd that was started by Dr. Amen. He has several podcasts on YouTube. I was very interesting to listen and learn about the brain and how healing the brain with a healthier lifestyle can help improve our anxiety. I have actually looked into his suggestions on several of his supplements that help with healing the brain. I'm also looking at releasing a lot of trauma that's inside my body right now. Have you tried meditation using the breath to calm yourself down? There's also the Calm app that does help me. I'm sorry that this is so long, but I just wanted to reach out and let you know that I completely understand and I'm trying to get off the pharmaceuticals to go back into more homeopathic ways.

[TailWags in reply to Mountainlover57]

I am trying to find something that works. Yes, i have taken a mindfullness class and various meditation methods. I have not used Calm but i use Insight Timer. How effective have your alternative treatments been? Thank you.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to TailWags]

I've never heard of insight timer. That's pretty interesting. How does this work? The alternative treatments that I'm considering seriously since I would like to wean away from Zoloft in about 6 months. I'm seriously thinking about psilocybin therapy. It's working with microdosing with mushrooms. I have someone calling me sometime early next week to do an intake and to answer some of my questions. I've heard about a lot of good results from this method. I believe it's about a 80% success rate but it's worth a try. I've also started doing EMDR with my therapist. I eventually want to get off of pharmaceuticals and to try more natural alternatives. I heard great things about the saffron supplement and I'm going to ask my doctor today about it as well as other questions I have. I'm just getting to the point where I'm so sick and tired of having anxiety and depression that leads to insomnia. I want to get back to finding out who I am and wanting to feel a little bit more joy in my life.

[TailWags in reply to Mountainlover57]

I am so frustrated with feeling so bad so long and trying to get appointments and everything is weeks out. Trying the claire weekes book for anxiety. Heard wonderful things about it. Thought it was helping at first but now i am a mess. I keep trying to remember this will pass but it seems pretty stuborn now. Best wishes with your efforts. I would love to hear how it goes. Thank you.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to TailWags]

II know the feeling. It's frustrating isn't it? I want to be myself again and I'm trying. I was put on medication right away about a couple months ago, I have a therapist but as you know there are more people needing help than therapists. I only see her every 3 weeks and it's a zoom call since I moved to another state. I've also read books and have done my meditation at least two or three times a day. I know what you mean by sometimes you feel okay and you think you're making progress and then Bam, you are back again. I used to love, socializing and doing things and now I feel like I'm more of a homebody. I know that isolation is not good for me but with insomnia I don't feel like doing very much. I am pretty serious about the psilocybin phon therapy and have heard good things about it, so I'm hoping that it does work out, I want to do this as soon as possible because I don't want to stay stuck. I hope your day is well and remember to have patience and be gentle with yourself.

Also, excuse the long post but it's just some nice to be able to chat with somebody. 🌹

[TailWags in reply to Mountainlover57]

No problem. Good to hear from someone. Do you work? I have found it almost impossible to concentrate on work and feel guilty not being productive.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to TailWags]

I know it's very frustrating. I understand about feeling bad about not going to work. I have tried to work. I actually started a job in accounting a couple of weeks ago and had to tell them that I just could not keep up because of the sleep deprivation. I'm also feeling bad because I'm so used to being productive and making money. I wasn't accounting for 30 plus years. Now I'm doing caregiving. I figured this is probably going to be easy for me right now and I'm just doing it part-time. I live with my son so he told me not to worry about working but what am I supposed to do during the day. I've been told to get outside and to push myself to walk and exercise. I really do this when I have good days when I don't sleep well it's very hard to motivate myself. The funny thing is I was doing so well for a couple of years and I actually weaned myself off of my antidepressant early last year. I guess the move to another state was quite more of an adjustment than I thought. I thought I was going to be so excited but ended up really missing the people that I knew for so long.

Do you try to keep yourself busy during the day? Do you read?

[TailWags in reply to Mountainlover57]

I am supposed to be working. Plus i help take care of my mom which has become stressful. Plus 2 friends are sick. 1 has cancer and the other everything else. Plus my dog has something in his lungs, supposed to get it re xrayed.. taking care of 1 friends dog too. I am just having a tough time with all this. Sorry for whining. Just got a cancellation with my dr for an appt on the 11th. That helps. But also just found out one of my moms care givers was exposed to covid, her mom she lives with.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to TailWags]

Sounds like you have quite a handful. That must be quite exhausting. I'm going to start working as a caregiver but only part-time. I'm hoping I can get my sleep pattern under control. Go ahead and vent because that's just what this site is for. We need to get our feelings out and not suppress them. It's good to be open like this.So sorry to hear about your friends that are sick too. I hope they recover and heal.

Well, I am hoping that no one in your household was exposed to covid. I know that it is starting to show up more and more as the weather starts to drop. I usually do all of my shopping online, especially during this time. It's not so much covid but it's the long-term effects afterwards that I hear stories about.

It's going to take my nap now and hopefully start to feel better.

[TailWags in reply to Mountainlover57]

Thanks for the reply. Take care

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

You must be in Oregon. The psilocybin bill passed there in 2020. There's both legal medical and recreational usage. it was voted legal in 2022 in Colorado, but no medical use yet, I don't think. and 2024 in Missouri but I don't think they're in "business" yet.

What area and clinic in Oregon are you consulting with for intake and medical interview? I've been following this heavily and talking to another friend that lives in Oregon about the evolution. I'm curious about your opinion on the clinics.

I'm in a recreational medical marijuana state and use psychedelics on a regular basis. Having connections with the marijuana dispensary employees has benefits for finding sources that can supply psilocybin 🍄 when im in a microdosing cycle.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

Yes, I live in Eugene, Oregon. I found a clinic that helps with microdosing with professional supervision. It's a bit on the pricey side but I think if I can do this once with supervision and feel comfortable with it I will start using this regularly. I feel very comfortable with Eastern medicine, and anything that is homeopathic. I find that it works much better with helping anxiety and ridding of depression than pharmaceuticals with extremely harmful side effects for me. I will start leaning towards THC, CBD / CBN and many other herbs as medicine for me. I did a lot of research on psilocybin to fully believe that this is the route that I want to take. I also find that feeling my feelings instead of trying to run from it and escape from it, gives it less power and it starts to dissipate in time. I pay more attention to my body than my mind and what it feels. I almost befriend the feelings and try to accept it.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

I'm a TMS patient and I pay 100% out of pocket for my treatment as INS doesn't cover it. I'm 2.5 years into ongoing treatment and I've paid well over $15,000.

The clinic fees for Oregon are in the thousands and no insurance covers it. You cannot go in and buy psilocybin mushrooms like a dispensary. It must be taken under clinical supervision for the entire duration of the medicine to leave your body before they dismiss you.

I hope you find this helps... but it comes at a financial cost.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

Yes, I have checked into the financial obligation towards this treatment. I know somebody that is a psychiatrist that can get her certificate to do this and can help me with this. It is very sad how expected this is and the treatment is so helpful. It's a pity that our insurance industry is so broken not to do their research to understand that most of this kind of therapy is more beneficial than pharmaceuticals and standard therapy.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

oregon.gov/oha/ph/preventio...

I'm sure you've been through this webpage thoroughly, as educating ourselves is paramount in deciding which therapies are worth trying vs those that have no scientific foundation.

How much investigation into psychedelics in psychiatry have you done? Paul stammets on YouTube is the one of the foremost accredited and educated people in the world of mycology and has many talks and symposiums on YouTube about the efficacy of psilocybin 🍄...

Before you do anything, you should look him up and listen to his experience and expertise.

Your psychiatrist wouldn't be able to sell you magic mushrooms in her office, it would jeopardize her license.

Do some more research on the history of psychedelics in mental health. It's steeped in controversy and government red tape

This should have been studied and released to the public in the 1960s...but social demand and government oversight killed the research grants funding the scientific research initiative.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

I don't think my therapist actually wants to do this with psilocybin, she was warning me to make sure that the person that supervises me in Oregon would be certified and also to make sure that the clinic is valid. She was telling me that it would be easy just to get a certification to assist with the psilocybin therapy process. I will look into The podcast on YouTube with Paul Stammets. Thank you for this information. I do deep diving into research before I decide to participate so I appreciate all the help I can get.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

Psilocybin is not offered in a regular psychology/psychiatry setting, has to be in an accredited facility. I don't know if your psychiatrist is affiliated with a specialized clinic in Eugene.

There are stringent guidelines for this therapy. I've also done clinical ketamine infusions. It's the same protocol. You absolutely CANNOT do this type of treatment without Dr supervision and observation throughout the entire session from beginning to end. A practitioner should be monitoring your session, in the room, non-stop attention. A ketamine infusion takes 2-3 hrs. Psilocybin i believe is longer.

You sounded like you were all approved and ready to go with this therapy. I think you need to do more investigation. It isn't something to take lightly. For many, the financial burden outweighs the possibility in today's economy. And that's what is the biggest shame.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

Yes there are license therapist (I'll have to ask around and see if a physician is needed to supervise) at the facility in Eugene that I am looking into. I know how strict this is because society is just not able to accept better options for therapy. I have been taking almost every pharmaceutical imaginable that only works short-term or needs to be taken long-term and I'm more interested in something that has a better statistic rate. I'm still in the learning process but I just would like to find something instead of standard ho-hum way of doing things.

I haven't had my intake yet so I'm not approved just yet. I am still doing my research on it and I have done it for quite some time in fact for 2 years off and on. I'm not so skeptical and leary of psychedelics as I've done these in the past. There's just more positive information that I have received in the little bit of unacceptable attempts that I have read about. Yes it is very expensive but I know that there are funds available for those that need help. I feel that it is very worth the investment for my mental, emotional and physical health. I'm willing to put in the investment.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

I'm suggesting that you do your research thoroughly on new treatment options BEFORE you post about them in a way that could be misunderstood.

Mental health sufferers can be easily influenced by what we read due to mistrust of the medical community and decades of medication failures and ongoing pain. Desperation causes people to do things that are not usually in their nature.

I've advocated for TMS since I joined this group. I did hundreds of hours of research and was going through my first 36 round series of TMS BEFORE I attempted to post anything about it. Same with the ketamine infusions I did prior to that series.

Look at the Matthew Perry ketamine disaster. 5 people, 2 of them are Drs, have been arrested for his death a year after the fact.

Just be mindful of the power of influence. Ignorance or "I didn't know ____ would happen" is a moot point after the fact.

Namaste ☯️ 🙏🧘

[Dolphin14 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

Pitts

Your information is so valuable. We appreciate all the knowledge you share with us. I know you have studied this for ages

Hope things are going well

❤️🐬

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

I completely understand. I'm just explaining what I want to do as an alternative but not suggesting that anybody try it. I'm just curious to know if anybody has tried it to find out what they had experienced. I believe this is a site where there are many suggestions and options and pathways to recovery. I like digging into science to find out all the alternatives that are available for me.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

I just watched many of the Paul Stamets podcast and it was very informative. Thank you very much. I am very interested In the psilocybin therapy. I loved watching and listening to the scientific explanation of the neurotransmitters that were affected that would increase the neuroplasticity in the brain which offers many brain cells to communicate with each other on each side of the brain. The fact that it opens up more pathways than the typical antidepressant does is just amazing to me. Thank you for this information.

[Dolphin14 in reply to TailWags]

TailWags

I've been using Insight Timer for years

I think it's good that you are working together with the doctors.

I wish you the best

🐬

[Mountainlover57 in reply to Mountainlover57]

Yes there are license therapist at the facility in Eugene that I am looking into. I know how strict this is because society is just not able to accept better options for therapy. I have been taking almost every pharmaceutical imaginable that only works short-term or needs to be taken long-term and I'm more interested in something that has a better statistic rate. I'm still in the learning process but I just would like to find something instead of standard ho-hum way of doing things.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Mountainlover57]

You should cultivate your spirituality. We're heading into 🍂🍁 fall and all the seasonal festivities are coming. Halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas. Give yourself the gift only you can. The world won't do it for you, be your own lifeline.

Following your own voice instead of family, society or religion has helped me more than ANY other options. Buddhism is my personal calling. Start looking for what speaks to your Soul. Be your own person with your own thoughts and ideas. That's the way out. living in the past, projecting it onto the present and future will never fix your conditions until you do the inner work and ignore the rest of the world.

[Mountainlover57 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

Thank you. I am very grateful your post and the helpful suggestion that you have given me. I'm not real excited about the upcoming season because I have just moved to a new state and I do miss some family members. I have family however in the new state that I've moved in that I still have bonded with the members of my family that I have left. It made me kind of sad and hurts to think that I don't only get to see them a few times out of the year. Hopefully things will change in time.

[LifeIsThePitts]

lifemedical.us/staff/jacob-...

I'm from MN but live in NV since 1997. My and my husbands family are all in the twin cities. Very familiar with your neck of the woods 😁😉grew up there and miss the Midwest mentality.

Anyway, I looked up Dr mirman. I linked his page above for info. He graduated from the u of MN medical school. His credentials are from a highly regarded and reputable university. My Dad is a cardiac patient at the u of MN medical center.

I use medical marijuana daily. Psilocybin microdosing. Experience with clinical ketamine infusions and TMS.

Be your own best advocate and research EVERYTHING. Don't do anything until you're fully informed and comfortable with the protocol. You can leave any Drs office and refuse service if you're not comfortable.

Do the intake interview and see if you're comfortable moving forward. It's really All about your comfort zone. Do what's best for you