I have a few questions for you in reguards to a problem that I have had. I have suffered from panic and anxiety for the past year. Recently depression has taken over. I have went to a naturopath which used homeopathy on me for the past eight months. Arsenic Album was used where it seemed to help a little but was giving me awful thoughts. I felt like i was dreaming well at night and slept well but my dreaming was also Very Vivid.Then I was given Argentum Nitricum. It got me a tad bit closer to being better and my dreams were not as bad. THe problem was I really was being effected HARD by the homeopthy. It really changes you! Because of this the anxiety was kicking again. But after fighting this for a year and trying everything from excersize, acupunture, polorization, diet change, naturopathy and homeopathy I decided to maybe think about trying an antidepressant to try to get my life back. After a bad attack of depression on Monday night I tried a tranquilizer (xanax .5mg) that my PD gave me with the antidepressant. To make a long story short, I thought I was loosing my mind. Racing thoughts came back and I was ill for almost two days. I took the Argentum Nitricum again on Tuesday morning which seemed to get me out of the rut and back on track..... But now I am SCARED to take the antidepressant. What happened that night? Did the Xanax take away everything that the homepathy was doing to help me? Will I have the same reaction with an SSRI? The reason why I am asking you all this is because my naturopath is away for a couple weeks. You guys seem to answer these questions better anyway. Thanks a ton and I hope your summers are going well.

It's been my experience that psychotropic drugs more often antidote homeopathic remedies than any other type of drug, including steriods, which are a close second. It's very difficult to advise you since your NPD is the one who actually knows your case. Did he leave an emergency number or is there any other way of contacting him.

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Shirley Reischman

No....no emergency number. This really is not a "true" emergency anyway. My issue is one of confusion I think. My remedy has changed 4 times in about 7 months or less. Varying doses etc..... it seems as if my mind is confused. This really is a pain......Ugh.

My doctor told me that I would have to flush my system out for several weeks to take SSRI's. Is that true?

that doesn't seem to make much sense, unless by 'flushing' your system, your naturopath means some sort of cleansing routine, and thinks your body will be better able to handle stress, including stress from a conventional drug like an ssri. if that's what he means, though it might be true, i'd advise caution, even reluctance, regarding anti-depressants and tranquilizers.

true, these medications can be very helpful in stabilizing a crisis, which seems to be the main reason why you started taking them. but their effects are unpredictable: they may work very well, not at all, or produce unexpected side effects. it is important, in taking such medication, to work closely with a psychiatrist you trust, and even with a therapist who can monitor you and the developing impact of the medication on your adjustment. even so, it is often difficult to find the "right" medication. in any case, your reactions should be evaluated by someone - most likely your psychiatrist or therapist - who is in position to evaluate the possible meanings of your symptoms as they relate to the medication.

the manner in which the medication may interface with your homeopathic remedies is, likewise, a complex matter, and needs to be evaluated by your homeopath.

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"The need to perform adjustments for covariates...weakens the findings." BMJ Clinical Evidence: Mental Health, (No. 11), p. 95.... It's that simple, guys: bad numbers make bad science.