Posted by linkadge on July 2, 2010, at 20:24:20
In reply to Re: The biology of depression » Dinah, posted by inanimate peanut on July 2, 2010, at 19:06:52
>That's interesting, because that would explain >why NOTHING causes switching in me anymore. I >used to be able to use sleep deprivation, >extreme stress, exercise, a new med, etc. to >switch out of severe depression. Now at the same >time we can't seem to find a med that works, the >other "jolts" don't work either. Maybe my brain >just doesn't have the potential to be jolted and >switched anymore, by meds or anything else. >That's just depressing.
Hmm. I think the brain has to feel legitimately threatened in order to get that jolt. For some people, its a near death experience like a car accident. With drugs, part of the problem they don't work for me is that I doubt their effectivenss. 10 years back I really believed they could do something, now I just think they are placebos.
The older you get, and the more you have seen, the harder it is to feel threatened. Plus, I think the brain becomes somewhat desensitized to novelty.
Some things I have done to try and restore the jolt:
1) Fasting / meal skipping
2) Extreme nutritional binges
3) Exercise
4) Cold showers
5) Stay up all night drinking coffee
6) Walk the whole day
7) NMDA antagonists (magnesium / zinc etc)
8) insulin sensitizers, ALA, chromium, cinnamon
9) anticholinergics while listening to strange
new age music
10) turmeric
11) fo-ti (herbal MAO-B inhibitor) + plus coffee
12) fo-ti + anticholinergic (very strange)
13) anitcholingeric + methylphenidate
14) stimulating right hemisphere with a hand heald speaker magnet (I stand behind this), though nobody believes me that this does anything - try it.
15) melatonin (seems to have a potent restorative effect)etc.
I think the meal skipping is a good one. For me its a great way to get back into the zone.
If you start to do too much of this, people think you're bipolar. Perhaps bipolar is just extreme depression coupled with a hypervigilant side which tries (usually ineffectively) to blow the depression away.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:952373
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100628/msgs/953025.html