depression, supplements, omega-3's

[darkoshi]

(Video) Things you may not know about Dysthymia : In the DSM 5, dysthymic disorder is now called persistent depressive disorder. Mentions some supplements (other than the commonly mentioned ones) which may help: DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), SAM-e (S-Adenosyl methionine), Inositol. One of the comments also mentions 5-HTP (5-Hydroxytryptophan).

(Video) Depression is a disease of civilization: Stephen Ilardi at TEDxEmory : Mentions treating depression with exercise, sunlight, adequate sleep, friendships, and omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically, EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid). Recommends 1000 to 2000 mg of EPA (or combined?) per day. Mentions it can also help with other inflammatory conditions like tendonitis and dry eye.

(So increasing my omega-3 consumption might be good for both my mental state and my eye problem.)

How too much omega-6 and not enough omega-3 is making us sick : about how the amount of omega-6 you consume influences how much omega-3 you have to consume for it to be effective. Recommends reducing omega-6 intake. (His other articles indicate that consuming too much of both can be bad too.)

DHA/EPA, Omega 3's and Vegans

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My eye doctor prescribed me antibiotic eye drops (Azasite) and pills (doxycycline), not for the antibiotic properties, but rather to help reduce the inflammation / swelling in my eyelid. It somewhat bothers me that he prescribes antibiotics in this way. It seems like there ought to be non-antibiotic anti-inflammatory agents that should work as well. But apparently this is a common treatment.

Hordeolum and Chalazion -
The role of meibomian disease and contemporary management :
"Oral treatments including doxycycline and tetracycline are additional leading offlabel treatments for blepharitis. The presumed mechanism of action is an anti-inflammatory effect on matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP-9) activity within both the gland and meibum itself.
...
Recently, topical azithromycin (Azasite; Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Inc.) has emerged as an alternative topical off-label treatment for blepharitis due to the agent’s proposed anti-inflammatory (MMP-9) and anti-infective effects."

Comments

[andrewducker]

Several friends of mine have been really helped by Vitamin D, particularly when it's dark outside a lot.

[darkoshi]

I've tried Vit. D, and didn't notice much difference, although my blood levels did go up from borderline to the low end of sufficient. I'm now taking those pills on an irregular basis, and will be curious to see what my blood levels are the next time I get tested.

There's a limit to how many pills I'm willing to take per day, and I find it hard to stay enthused about any of them. So at the moment I'm not taking anything daily except the doxycycline that my eye doctor prescribed.

[(Anonymous)]

An eye surgeon who treated me in California diagnosed a viral infection and prescribed Tobramycin which is similar to azithromycin (Azasite), a steroid anti-inflammatory antibiotic eye drop. This drug had an excellent anti-inflammatory effect, but I also questioned why I needed an antibiotic, and how he diagnosed a viral infection without taking a culture. He is the kind of person who doesn't like to be questioned so I didn't ask. I did follow-up with my Massachusetts eye doctor and he explained that this is a very common recommended accepted practice to ensure that the patient doesn't develop a bacterial infection while the eye heals. It's also common for eye doctors not to do cultures, but to diagnose based on symptoms.
I used the Tobramycin for 10 days and followed-up with Ketorolac /Tromethamine for 2 months. This second eye drop is anti-inflammatory non-steroidal, but dose not have antibiotic properties. It was also far less effective at reducing inflammation.

[darkoshi]

That sounds similar to the first drops the doctor prescribed back in April - the eye was red & inflamed around then, and he said he didn't see any infection, but the antibiotic part of the drops was to prevent getting any infection.