Chapter 1: Depression, Amen Clinics, Amino Acids

I was hit with postpartum depression after the birth of my first son in 1981. I am 56 years old, and my name is Kathy. If you have experience with depression, my heart goes out to you with compassion.

I recently returned from the Amen Clinic in Newport Beach, California. I first saw Daniel Amen, M.D. on PBS. He was talking about the brain and taking SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography) scans of the brain before prescribing treatment for depression and other psychiatric diseases. This was interesting to me because I knew my brain wasn't functioning correctly, and I had been suffering with treatment resistant depression for about a year and a half. Having more information to base treatment on sounded like a good idea to me! I did not have much hope left for feeling well again. Find out more at:  http://www.amenclincs.com/.  This is what led me to the Amen Clinic.

Daniel G. Amen, M.D.:

On December 7, 2007, I started lowering my dose of Zoloft, and began taking amino acids to treat the depression. The process was going well until the day after Christmas. Withdrawal symptoms of nausea, headaches, and anxiety were powerful. I decided I had lowered the dose too quickly and increased the amount of medication.

During the months of January through May 2008, I felt withdrawal symptoms as I slowly cut the Zoloft tablets into smaller pieces. The amount of amino acids taken by most people to help them feel better was not effective for me. I took a urine sample out to the main FedEx Shipping Center (FedEx Kinko's could not accept this package) and it traveled to a lab out of state.

After we received the lab results, my amino acids were changed and increased. This process of urine samples, lab results, and change in amino acids happened several times in those five months. There were many times I questioned what I was doing. I felt sick, but I was so far into the therapy I had to see if it was going to help! Towards the end of May I was off Zoloft and the withdrawal symptoms were ending. It was hard to get the 24 pills of amino acids down each day, but they were working on the depression symptoms.