So many people are ‘parked’ on SSRI’s and SNRI’s purely out of convenience.  That’s because the withdrawals are really challenging.  But why is that?  The brain has learned to function with it.  As opposed to what the title suggests, it’s not a life sentence, there’s hope!

Is mental health really something that can be fixed magically by a pill?  Sure, they help for a while. Most don’t want to take the medication forever for several reasons, the first being that they have side effects.  

These meds are not harmless.  Many report a creeping sense of unease, doubting their ability to cope with life.  

What do anti-depressants do anyway?  They flood the brain with a lot of the neurotransmitter called serotonin.  Serotonin is one of the chemical messengers (neurotransmitters) that carry signals between brain nerve cells (neurons). The brain tries to keep balanced and in reaction to the flood of serotonin, reduces the amount of receptors.  So even though you have more serotonin circulating in your system, your brain isn’t able to uptake it all.  Then people bump up the dose to try and feel good again, but you have less receptors!  

The good news is, your body can and will adjust over time if you end up weaning yourself off the medication. Yes! The receptors do come back!    

(It is also recommended to talk to your health care provider to reduce medication and go slowly.)  

What’s important to focus on are ways to support your brain to reach a better balance rather than overriding natural processes.  That manual override with something artificially stimulating a single neurotransmitter is not fixing the original problem that is to allow the brain to function as it normally would, coping with painful and stressful stimuli.  There’s tools to help teach our brain to cope with stressors better.  On a physical level, here are some ideas:

Exercise: Regular exercise helps ease depression and anxiety by releasing feel-good endorphins, natural cannabis-like brain chemicals (endogenous cannabinoids) and other natural brain chemicals that can enhance your sense of well-being.  Not to mention the better cognitive functions and self esteem on top of it!  Move even if you don’t feel like it!  You will not regret it.  

Cold shower/cold tub: A chilly zap from cold water signals to your brain to release endorphins, the feel-good hormone. Result: a decrease in depression symptoms and anxiety. Improvement in stress levels. Hard to do but worth it if you want to help your body heal!

You are what you eat they say…. the food you eat affects neurons, which are the major cells of the brain. In the brain, an unhealthy diet that is rich in fats and sugars causes inflammation of neurons and inhibits the formation of new neurons. This can affect the way the brain works and contribute to brain disorders like depression.

Foods to focus on?  Wholefoods, not processed, high in Omega 3 for brain health such as fish, fish oil, flax seed.  Avoid: sugar, artificial sweeteners, fast food and processed food as well as seed oils.  

Since we are on the food topic, let’s talk about fasting since it’s all the rage right now.  I laugh because when we were teenagers we called it starving yourself but IF sounds way better.  That being said, looks like science is evolving in that area and eating all your calories of the day in a smaller time window could be very beneficial! .There’s some evidence that eating in this way may help to improve some aspects of brain function as we age and reduce symptoms of mental health issues like anxiety and depression.  There is no harm is trying a 16-8 window (you eat during 8 and fast 16).

Essential oils: As you inhale the oil, scent molecules travel through your olfactory system (your nose and nasal passages) and affect the brain through the limbic system, also known as the “emotional brain” — the part of the brain involved with behavioral responses, including stress and hormone levels, memory, heart rate regulation, and more.

The most used to elevate mood and reduce anxious feelings: Lavender, Frankincense, Copaiba, Wild Orange, Bergamot, Tangerine, Jasmine, Magnolia, and blends like Adaptiv, Citrus Bloom and Citrus Bliss.  

Supplements: the goal is to eventually take control of proper balance of neurotransmitter without supplementation, but in a transition, they can be helpful.  

What’s really cool about all these tools is that they are not hard to access and you can tackle one area at a time.  You can also implement these new habits while taking medication to improve your brain health and mood, you do not have to wait! 

One step at a time, it can be done.  Sometimes we just need to know what’s possible and have the tools to accomplish what we want to make it happen.  You got this 😉

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8125361/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22833570/