Thanks for those suggestions! I admire those who try the natural route before medications as meds don't always work and some have serious side effects.
I've been trying the following and it's been helping. I'm going to try the supplements you suggest, too. I order mine from iherb.com, great prices and quick delivery.
If anyone needs help getting off of anti-anxiety, anti-psychotics, or anti-depressants, try www.theroadback.org. They have a free e-book and email support.
Minami Omega Fish Oil, 3g
(It's important to take 3g with mental illness)(a cheap fish oil will result in burping up a bad taste, means the oil is rancid; plus, cheap fish oils use cheap fish sources and bad processing which results in making the oil next to useless)
Source Naturals L-Trypotphan, 1000mg in the morning, 1500mg before bed, on an empty stomach with fruit juice
(can alternatively take 5-HTP; a while back, was a concern of a disease prompted by a bad batch of L-Tryp, but production is closely watched today and one can also order Trypto-pure from LEF which is the lab grade Tryp they add to baby formula and hospital supplements) (Note, if one is already on a SSRI or SNRI, be careful adding tryp or 5-HTP as serotonin syndrome can result)
Source Naturals DLPA 1500mg,
helps brain function and if you have associated pain with depression
Source Naturals N-Acetyl Tyrosine 300mg,
helps DLPA get absorbed
Metagenics, Magnesium Glycinate, 400mg
a couple of hours before bed (note to take a good version of magnesium, most stores sell the cheap magnesium oxide which will cause diarrhea; I noticed that's what GNC sells)
Vitamin D, (D-Drops), 2000 I.U.
(Most in the Northern Hemisphere are deficient in Vitamin D, the RDA of 400IU is not enough to protect us, recommended to up it to 2000 IU by most doctors. The Source Naturals multi-vitamin has 1000 IU in it already, and I've increased it as it helps the nervous system)
A good multi-vitamin. Being low in B-Vitamins can make DP and depression worse. I take Source Naturals Life Force. The top 5 brands according to this independent report done by a lab and scientists are Life Extension Foundation, USANA, Source Naturals, Douglas Labs, and Freelife. If I could afford it, I would take USANA which is rated #1 in the states by a few studies. Important to take the multi's and fish oil with food, preferably a protein.
The other thing I did was to get an IGg blood panel for food sensitivities. I found certain foods worsened my condition, especially foods with free glutamates like yeast, peas, barley, and milk. This can be ordered through a doctor or a naturopath that has an association with a doctor and lab. I also found avoiding all prepared foods with additives such as nitrates, aspartame, sulfites, etc helped.
The other natural thing is to get a blood panel done by a doctor to check for thyroid (both T3 and T4), and for anemia which can make one feel tired and blue, and is common among women. Dark circles under one eye's is an indicator one is low in iron. Once in a while, I take Lorna Vanderhaegae's liquid iron supplement, tastes great and does not cause constipation like other iron supplements.
Basically I found working on being the best physical state possible to be strong enough to address anxieties. I did Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) for my DP over a 3 year period, I found this helped a lot. A psychiatrist or psychologist can do this talk-therapy. It's tough as a lot of our experiences we don't have control over, especially in our childhood. I tried the medication route for 7 years and it was a disaster. I gained 70 lbs, my depression got worse to the point of a suicide attempt, and I felt like life was over. A lot of the meds have terrible side-effects, and, are not the quick fix they advertise. I read a UK medical article that says medication doesn't help DP. After my experiences, I personally feel the side-effects are not worth it. I kept believing in my doc that things would get better and they never did. Now that I'm on vitamins and supplements, I'm starting to have good days.
L