A Drug Question (Please Assist)

[Vigaku]

Ok, I've been feeling really sh*tty about life for a pretty good while and it's not even about hair anymore, but a bunch of other things. I'm thinking of taking a caffiene supplement (to help me stay awake+motivated for REALLY boring things I need to study to succeed in college) and an anti-depressant to help me feel better, which I imagine should also increase motivation.

I'm wondering if doing these two regimens at the same time will have an adverse effect? Would the adverse effects only be a combonation of the possible adverse effects of caffiene + antidepressants? Or will some new side effect pop up only as a result of taking both?

I just find it irrational to set up a Doctor. appointment just to get an answer to this...

My second question (which I'm guessing is easier) is that I was wondering if there was some supplement you can take that will give you the same MENTAL/EMOTIONAL effect of daily exercise, because honestly I just don't want to do it because it's tedious, boring, and wastes more of my time. I don't really care about the physical effect since I don't over-eat plus I eat healthy foods and a balanced diet all the time...which happens to be the only thing my body craves anyway.

Please help...very important.

 

[HughJass]

I wonder why you are finding exercise boring and tedious. If you're pushing yourself hard enough and there's nothing else in the way physically like an injury or unhealthy diet which is dragging you down then you should get enough of a buzz from it for it to become motivating and make you want to keep doing it.

What is your diet like? Are you avoiding the seed/nut/legume/grain oils (along with seeds and nuts of course)? They suppress thyroid function and you get increased anxiety when that happens. They do a bunch of other things which make you tired as well, like stopping cells from taking up glucose. Are you eating wheat? That stuff is pretty detrimental to physical and mental health.

As far as supplements go you could try b complex and experiment with the amino acids glutamine and glycine. Not tryptophan though like a lot of people recommend for depression. I think if you are eating a good diet (no wheat and make an effort to avoid polyunsaturated fat at all costs) then you should feel a lot better and have a lot more energy and strength which will make exercise seem less of a chore.

You might want to dabble in either of these as well

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vipassan%C4%81
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoga

They will help energy wise if you are prepared to stick at it.

 

[kc444]

Caffeine won't cause any serious reaction with antidepressants. However, it's a poor choice if you're feeling depressed because it tends to make things worse for me.

You should try getting on Wellbutrin. It has a stimulant effect as well as being an anti-depressant. It doesn't cause weight gain or sexual side effects either. I took it during college and I went from being a C student to an A student. You may not react in the same way, but it helped me a lot.

 

[Cassin]

It seems to me like you need to see a good Doctor to get you on the RIGHT anti depressant.

 

[Vigaku]

Well I have decided that I will exercise 3 times a week after all by jogging outside, until I decide otherwise for whatever reason.

By the way were you saying wheat and nuts was BAD for health? Or that it was bad missing out on them? I couldn't tell based on your posts to be honest. As for my diet, I eat all 5-6 kinds of foods from the food pyramid, nuts included. I do not know what about this is detrimental in any way.

After finding out antidepressants need a prescription for the most part, I am going to see a doctor, but in case he/she is stupid and decides not to prescribe it then I might buy Amoryn from Amazon and just stick with that and see what happens, and thanks for the recommendation to the one who became a better student - that's what I'm aiming for. Heck, if I'm a C or higher student then I'm pretty much ok seeing as it's getting a Bachelor's degree that's the most commonly asked requirement employers these days want.

Why is it a poor choice to take caffiene with it? I want to take caffiene to help me stay awake sometimes when doing assignments that are just too boring as sh** and put me to sleep otherwise. I'm just not seeing how this counteracts what antidepressants do...or are you saying it was a poor choice for you and you don't know how others will be like doing it?

 

[HughJass]

By the way were you saying wheat and nuts was BAD for health? Or that it was bad missing out on them? I couldn't tell based on your posts to be honest. As for my diet, I eat all 5-6 kinds of foods from the food pyramid, nuts included. I do not know what about this is detrimental in any way.

if you want to read about some of the research regarding wheat then check out:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/page/openin ... an-disease


and nuts are bad because they all contain large amounts of the toxic polyunsaturated fat. The only exception is macadamia nuts. You can read about the toxicity of the seed/nut/legume/grain oils here:

http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/un ... fats.shtml
http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/un ... oils.shtml
http://raypeat.com/articles/nutrition/o ... text.shtml
http://perfecthealthdiet.com/?cat=57


The food pyramid is basically just written by agriculture lobby groups. There's a reason why governments tell their people to eat bread and beans: they're cheap, store for a long time and keep a sector of the economy ticking over. It doesn't have anything to do with those things being good for us.

 

[Cassin]

Why is it a poor choice to take caffiene with it?

Its not a poor choice more than a word of caution when you're starting out.

Have you ever had too much coffee on an empty stomach and you get that weird buzz feeling? It can be like that when taking an anti-depressant with caffeine.

It can also make you feel a bit anxious later.

Everyone is different just slow down on the caffeine at first till you know.

You are obviously taking an active role in your depression and that means you're going to get this under control one way or another. Good on you.

And if you're a student doesn't your campus have a clinic?

 

[oni]

Take up exercise that involves being around other people......................

Not all exercise has to be boring. I took up Muay Thai many years ago for the same sort of reasons.

It does not have to involve fighting, just something that mixes up exercise with human interaction.

Also have you tried St John's wort and omega 3 supplement together, it might just take the edge off with some exercise.

Good luck

 

[kc444]

Caffeine is, in my experience, bad for depression. It worsens anxiety and makes me feel emotionally imbalanced. It's not terrible, but I would see how things work out with antidepressants first. They may give you more energy.

Your doctor will prescribe you an antidepressant if you ask. The doctor will probably want to put you on an SSRI though if you just ask to be put on an antidepressant. I'm not saying SSRI's are bad, but Wellbutrin works differently and will provide you with a stimulant effect in addition to it's action as an antidepressant. I went from being a 2.0 GPA student to 3.5, although those results may not be typical.

You may want to discuss it with your doctor and/or look it up before you go in. If you ever want your doctor to prescribe you something, just tell him that your friend started taking it and has improved a lot and you want to be on that drug too. Works every time.

 

[HughJass]

Not all exercise has to be boring.

Good point. Just look at these chaps, they're having a whale of a time: