anti depressants (prozac&st.johns wort)I hope im in the right place fo and meditation

purplehaze901

I hope im in the right place for askin this question but recently i have had to make the decision between anti depressants or meditation at 22 its not a decision i want to make but is it possible to do the 2. Im not sure but u think you cant do the two or especially not with prozac.

so, thats why im asking does anyone know if its okay to do meditation while taking either prozac or st.johns wort? its not really traditional meditation where you sit for an hour thinkin of nothing, its listening to a track which does require a great deal of focus and it only lasts for 13 mins each time, and apparently it does create new neural pathways in the brain.... i have felt some immense states of being in the moment listening to this track but they dont last long.

so if someone could correct me or explain what meditation does to the brain on a biological level? as i believe it creates more dendrites, and the anti depressants create more serotonin.

see the part im reallly stuck on is if meditation creates more dendrites; and the anti depressants create more serotonin where does the serotonin travel through is it the dendrite or is the dendrite something within a neuron and the serotonin travels along something else and if so whats the problem with doing the 2 wouldnt it just speed up the process of alllieviating the depression. I have tried to find info from the interner but i cant and i dont want to ask psychiatrist/doctor because they can be quite short sometimes.

so any info would be great thanks in advance

Victor

I think this is something that you should discuss with your professionals. Be careful of mixing any 2 or more medications (even relatively simple things like over the counter medications) without professional advice. Do you have anyone to talk things over with - a counselor or psychiatric nurse perhaps.

purplehaze901 wrote: »

I hope im in the right place for askin this question but recently i have had to make the decision between anti depressants or meditation

Why can't you do both? Relying exclusively on one course of treatment is generally less effective than taking a balanced approach. Your doctor will likely say much the same, but I'd like to suggest you talk it over with him. Many people with depression are on medication, go to counselling and engage in some form of other therapy.

so, thats why im asking does anyone know if its okay to do meditation while taking either prozac or st.johns wort? its not really traditional meditation where you sit for an hour thinkin of nothing, its listening to a track which does require a great deal of focus and it only lasts for 13 mins each time, and apparently it does create new neural pathways in the brain....

This sounds like hocus-pocus, snake oil salesman talk, but I may be wrong. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_oil

i have felt some immense states of being in the moment listening to this track but they dont last long.

What do you mean by this?

so if someone could correct me or explain what meditation does to the brain on a biological level?

I'm not sure if it does anything really. However, some people do find mediation useful at relaxing them and as stress and depression are often linked, reducing the stress makes things more bearable.

see the part im reallly stuck on is if meditation creates more dendrites; and the anti depressants create more serotonin where does the serotonin travel through is it the dendrite or is the dendrite something within a neuron and the serotonin travels along something else and if so whats the problem with doing the 2 wouldnt it just speed up the process of alllieviating the depression. I have tried to find info from the interner but i cant

Be careful of the internet. It isn't regulated, and there are lots of quacks and crackpots out there.

and i dont want to ask psychiatrist/doctor because they can be quite short sometimes.

Perhaps you might ask them to recommend some suitable reading.

Miss Informed

"so if someone could correct me or explain what meditation does to the brain on a biological level?" My understanding of the field on this issue is that nobody can answer this question, so I advise you to be weary of anyone who claims that they can. The fact is that only a limited per centage of the brain is actually mapped and understood, and the links between the 'mind' and the body are still being studied, insofar as physiological or chemical reactions to certain states of mind are concerned.

"I have tried to find info from the interner but i cant and i dont want to ask psychiatrist/doctor because they can be quite short sometimes." I agree with Victor and advise you to be cautious of the 'facts' provided via the internet. Also, if you feel that you cannot openly discuss your concerns with your psychiatrist/doctor I would advise that you must request another psychiatrist or consider switching doctor. I know that medical staff are overworked and underpaid etc etc, but if you are in a position where you can't openly discuss your treatment with the professional you are dealing with, you are putting yourself at serious risk. If someone here advised you to combine meditation with medication (which I personally feel will do no damage) would you combine these two treatments without informing your doctor/psychiatrist? Taking your treatment into your own hands is risky business and not advisable by any means. If you feel anything less than 100% comfortable and confident in your psychiatrist & doctor, please seek help from another professional, this is so important.

I don't know much about prozac, meditation or st john's wort. Although, I hope that if you intend to take St John's wort, you must inform your doctors, it may be a herb but it is also a drug with side effects.

Finally, I have a few friends who were prescribed various anti depressants with the plan of taking them for a few months to 'help them off their feet' but who ended up stuck on them for years. This seems to be a common story. I've heard many people talk about how they've been stuck on anti depressants for up to ten years because no health professional is willing to take the risk of reducing the dosage. I am not saying that this is what will happen to you, but it's a familiar story to me. So I advise that you try your best to improve your lifestyle through the good old fashioned methods (exercise, social life, relaxation techniques, good food etc) before resorting to long term medication. On the topic of food, I have read recently that the protein tryptophan is primary in the production of seretonin. Perhaps you could ask your doctor about this? If you can't find any information, let me know and I'll dig up the book I was reading and type out a quoted body of text.

Feel better!