At the beginning of March, when I went for my annual physical, as usual, my doctor made the pitch to put me on an antidepressant. She's been determined to talk me into this since 1998 and I've always said no. It's not that I haven't felt down but I believe that when there are logical reasons for being depressed, there is no point in covering up things that need to be worked through.
However, this time, she gave me a lecture about serotonin - said that when a person is stressed or anxious or depressed, the body doesn't produce enough serotonin and, without enough serotonin, the brain can't function properly. That made sense to me since stress is my biggest seizure trigger and, when I got home, I did some research into alternatives to an antidepressant to raise serotonin levels.
Came up with 5-HTP and I took it for the first time on March 5. It has now been six weeks and I can't praise this natural substance enough. I sleep better - dream more vividly - wake up with tons of energy (that's a new one for me!) - and feel just wonderful about everything. This supplement has given me a renewed confidence in myself and my ability to do anything that I put my mind to.
I've been riding my horse alot and, since it's spring, he's spooking at everything. Last year, if he spooked, I would get nervous and that was the end of the ride. This year, if he spooks, I tell him to stop being such a jerk and we continue on until I'm ready to go home.
Since I started to take 5-HTP, everything wonderful in the world seems possible! I can't help but think that this has to be something that would be a great help in seizure control. It's been 14 months since my last seizure so it's hard to tell but one thing that I do know is that I haven't needed a valium for panic/anxiety attacks since I started the supplement. I haven't gone this long without a valium in over a year. If you haven't tried this supplement, it really is something that you should look into. It really has done wonders for me!
However, this time, she gave me a lecture about serotonin - said that when a person is stressed or anxious or depressed, the body doesn't produce enough serotonin and, without enough serotonin, the brain can't function properly. That made sense to me since stress is my biggest seizure trigger and, when I got home, I did some research into alternatives to an antidepressant to raise serotonin levels.
Came up with 5-HTP and I took it for the first time on March 5. It has now been six weeks and I can't praise this natural substance enough. I sleep better - dream more vividly - wake up with tons of energy (that's a new one for me!) - and feel just wonderful about everything. This supplement has given me a renewed confidence in myself and my ability to do anything that I put my mind to.
I've been riding my horse alot and, since it's spring, he's spooking at everything. Last year, if he spooked, I would get nervous and that was the end of the ride. This year, if he spooks, I tell him to stop being such a jerk and we continue on until I'm ready to go home.
Since I started to take 5-HTP, everything wonderful in the world seems possible! I can't help but think that this has to be something that would be a great help in seizure control. It's been 14 months since my last seizure so it's hard to tell but one thing that I do know is that I haven't needed a valium for panic/anxiety attacks since I started the supplement. I haven't gone this long without a valium in over a year. If you haven't tried this supplement, it really is something that you should look into. It really has done wonders for me!