Im really in need of help in getting my mood under control. I am in the process of seeing my Dr and my psychologist. I take (and have been for over 2 years) 40mg/day of fluoxetine. What natural supplements can I take that will NOT interact with my medication. I already take 800mcg/day Vit D, and thinking of increasing that. I was also thinking of adding St. John's Wart.

Is there anything else that could be recommended for me to ask my Dr/pharmacist about?

Your doctor, psychologist, mom, facebook friends, whoever, need to know that you're supplementing your medicine. I would assume you're supplementing because you don't feel like your regular meds are working well enough, or perhaps they're not working fast enough, yeah? Your doctor and psych both need to know.

Vitamin B and Omega 3 fish oil should be fine to take with your meds but make sure you ask your psychiatrist first. That's their job.

I second (third?) the suggestion that you talk to your doctor. I used to take SAM-E and an SSRI and it helped a lot, but others have told me that combination can lead to mania. Your psychiatrist, therapists, doctors of all sorts, are supposed to help you with this info.

original poster here:

thanks for the ideas. As I indicated I am talking to my Dr's about this just wanted to know which ones to mention as ideas.

Consider B vitamins they've really helped me. Obviously make sure your doctor is aware.

I don't know about other supplements to recommend to you, but it's astounding how many drugs St. John's Wort interacts with.

www.nlm.nih.gov . . .

Fluoxetine is on the list of major contraindications, unfortunately. (Also, birth control..many people don't realize that!) I would still mention it to your doctor though, as you can ask for a similar alternative.

No, you CANNOT take St. John's Wort with SSRIs.

Medications for depression (Antidepressant drugs)
St. John's wort increases a brain chemical called serotonin. Some medications for depression also increase the brain chemical serotonin. Taking St. John's wort along with these medications for depression might increase serotonin too much and cause serious side effects including heart problems, shivering, and anxiety. Do not take St. John's wort if you are taking medications for depression.

Some of these medications for depression include fluoxetine (Prozac), paroxetine (Paxil), sertraline (Zoloft), amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Tofranil), and others.

Source

Sounds like it can lead to serotonin syndrome and you really, really do not want to deal with that. It's dangerous and it's not fun.

You can take fish oil on antidepressant medication. Make sure you are taking your Vitamin D 2-3 hours after you take your regular medications. (If combined with calcium, which it almost always is, it can coat the stomach and make it more difficult for your body to absorb meds. Don't take antacids or drink milk while taking your meds, either.)

Know what else interacts with a lot of medications? Grapefruit. Weird, right?!

Heart - when I found out that grapefruit interacted with my meds I was devastated! probably my favourite fruit when its in season (that an strawberries) .... will admit I have risked it a few times (haven't really found any effects).

Thanks for the articles. I picked up my prescription today and talked with the pharmacist who gave me the right B Vit and a few others.

I don't have much useful input (except NEVER mix St. John's Wart with antidepressants), but I wanted to say that I miss grapefruit SO much.