Antidepressants and Yoga

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I am currently on antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication. This is something that I resisted for for three years until I got to a breaking point and felt that I had to do something to function - (I was going into a breakdown due to three years of traumatic events.)

My question - how does pharmacological depression/anxiety therapy effect the practice of yoga? I’m curious what changes I may experience when I cease the medications. (I started practicing yoga as part of my emotional recovery and had already been on the medications for a couple of months prior.)

This may seem like a strange question, but I am curious if anyone has any experience with this?

#2

I cant answer your question as I dont have direct experience, and I hope you are getting sustenance from your medication .
The thought occurred dont forget to ask the question how does yoga help with
depression/anxiety ? and which practices help lessen depression/anxiety? Thats if you havent pondered this already.
yours in yoga

#3

Great question!

Many of us in the West, myself included, come to yoga due to injury, stress, anxiety, depression, etc. What first starts off as a tool ends up a journey.

There was a great article a while back in one of my magazines (maybe Shambala Sun) about Meditation vs. Medication. The synopsis- both are valuable. Sometimes due to a chemical imbalance in the brain we need medication. But we also must find and cultivate ways to deal with those mental issues. This is where Meditation and yoga helps. I really can’t remember what the entire article said, but I’m sure you can google it. Much depends on where you fall within depression (mild, moderate, severe)

I am currently on an antidepressant and have found no side effects while practicing or meditating. I actually have found my meditation better and my practice more focused. Before medication I found my mind was too overwhelmed. Now that I don’t feel that sense of being overwhelmed, I can further cultivate both my meditation and my asana practice. This, I believe will keep me healthy and balanced when I no longer need the medicine.

I hope this helps! Keep the faith!

Namaste!

#4

Any exercise is very beneficial for depression and anxiety. Two things I would strongly suggest is firstly, never stop taking any anti-depressant medication suddenly. You want to gradually reduce the dose over a period of time, preferable with the guidance of your doctor. This is crucial, as the depression experienced from sudden withdrawals of the medication, could be worse than the depression your treating… Secondly I would also incorporate some additional light exercise. Walking is perfect. Twenty minutes of walking a day, has the equivalent effect on the brain chemistry as taking an anti-depressant. Yes you heard right!.. I very much doubt that taking anti-depressants would have any negative effects on your Yoga practice. Anti-depressants slow down the mind, which would probably be beneficial for meditation if anything.

#5

Thank you all for your responses.

Yes, I have all intentions of following doctors orders. I was prescribed the meds by a family doctor and have since made an appointment with a psychiatrist to review my prescriptions.

I think that my fear stems from the question of 'Will I relapse on my journey to contentment and go back to negative coping mechanisms?" after the medicinal therapy has ceased. I do believe that Yoga will help me continue on though.

Just a side note, The same day that I started doing Yoga was the same day that I also decided to completely abstain from alcohol - the combined have really done wonders!

#6

[QUOTE=CkarmaKat;34332]Thank you all for your responses.

Yes, I have all intentions of following doctors orders. I was prescribed the meds by a family doctor and have since made an appointment with a psychiatrist to review my prescriptions.

I think that my fear stems from the question of 'Will I relapse on my journey to contentment and go back to negative coping mechanisms?" after the medicinal therapy has ceased. I do believe that Yoga will help me continue on though.

Just a side note, The same day that I started doing Yoga was the same day that I also decided to completely abstain from alcohol - the combined have really done wonders![/QUOTE]

I hear ya. I’ve been there. If you take alcohol out of the picture, and especially if you replace it with Yoga, I think relapse is not going to really be an issue. Be kind to yourself though, and take things easily.

#7

I was on anti-depressant medication before I found yoga. Yoga is what allowed me to finally ditch them. Since then, I have come to realize that the depression and anxiety I felt was a good thing. It was what I needed to feel, they were signposts pointing which way I needed to go. To this day I occasionally feel the psychological pain of anxiety or depression but I no longer think, “Oh NO, am I going crazy again?” Instead, I take a step back and begin to evaluate what is going on, just as if I had a regular pain in my leg.

Somewhere along the line we decided that feeling anything other than happy and good was a bad thing.

#8

I was on anti-depressants for only like 2 months a long time ago, about 10 years ago. I rejected them and decided to become happier the natural way. Have never looked back.

#9

Nice input David. Thanks!

#10

David, that is one of the things I have been studying lately: Suffering is a an experience that helps us grow. Now that I’ve gotten to a point that I am not bombarded with the anxiety, I find that I am able take a close look at what is going on within, when the anxiety does show itself. It has become a little flag for me to stop and observe as to why it has appeared.

#11

Just my own experience… I do get anxiety sometimes, but I’ve learnt to just acknowledge it, and know that it does pass.

#12

I have been riddled with anxiety, depression and apathy in the past. I tried pretty much everything to liberate myself from it, and finally I found the antidote. The antidote can be summed up in one Sanskrit word in the Gita: Stitha-Pranjana. It means still consciousness. This is a very profound technique I am giving you, so listen attentively because it has the power to liberate you.

Learn to focus your mind on whatever you are doing and doing it with firm and resolute resolve. It requires will power. When you do this and you proceed with your task you will experience negative thoughts and feelings, not because of the technique, but because your mind is in the habit of doing this. However, you are going to remain steadfast like a mountain and remain focussed on your task with single-minded and one-pointed focus. You will allow these negative thoughts and feelings to surface in your mind and you will simply witness them and let them fall back and then you will return to whatever you are doing.

If you practice this religiously your anxiety and depression will gradually begin to disappear and it will be replaced with confidence, power and resoluteness.

#13

Grow indeed :slight_smile: Sounds like you’re headed in a great direction for yourself, good for you!

My journey to learn to work with anxiety and other “negative” emotions has been a long one. I can’t speak of other cultures, but here in the west, from a male perspective, we get, “Real men don’t cry”, “Suck it up”, “Tough it out” etc. From almost day one as a male, you’re taught not to express or feel. As such, we begin to numb and bottle up from a very early age and not only do we one day have to release all of that, but we also have to learn to feel and release, first.

We’re not given tools to work with psychological pain here in the west. Yoga is but one of many tools to help with it. In my experience, I’ve needed a whole tool belt worth of tools as sometimes one isn’t quite the right tool for the specific job. And taking it one step further, having a teacher who has done a tremendous amount of internal work (most here in the west have not, in my opinion) is absolutely invaluable for those times you have to call them because none of your screwdrivers fits THIS WEIRD LITTLE SCREW HEAD WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SHAPE IS THAT ARGHHHH!?

#14

[QUOTE=David;34362] I can’t speak of other cultures, but here in the west, from a male perspective, we get, “Real men don’t cry”, “Suck it up”, “Tough it out” etc. [/QUOTE]

I like what guitars Zakk Wylde said (Zakk Wylde is Ozzy Osbournes ex guitarist, and he is a scary, big, hairy, Biker dude on steroids and coke)… “As a man, if you don’t cry, and you don’t bleed, I don’t f#$king trust ya… end o story.” lol true dat

#15

Emotions ultimately need to be transcended. The word emotion literally means the movement of something within you. All movement will disturb the peace of your mind, like a ripple, however small, disturbs the stillness of the lake.

Somebody complimented me recently by telling me I must be psychologically damaged because I have no emotions at all :smiley:

#16

[quote=Surya Deva;34361]I have been riddled with anxiety, depression and apathy in the past. I tried pretty much everything to liberate myself from it, and finally I found the antidote. The antidote can be summed up in one Sanskrit word in the Gita: Stitha-Pranjana. It means still consciousness. This is a very profound technique I am giving you, so listen attentively because it has the power to liberate you.

Learn to focus your mind on whatever you are doing and doing it with firm and resolute resolve. It requires will power. When you do this and you proceed with your task you will experience negative thoughts and feelings, not because of the technique, but because your mind is in the habit of doing this. However, you are going to remain steadfast like a mountain and remain focussed on your task with single-minded and one-pointed focus. You will allow these negative thoughts and feelings to surface in your mind and you will simply witness them and let them fall back and then you will return to whatever you are doing.[/quote]
Keeping with my tool analogy, you just gave someone who has never cut a piece of wood before, a table saw, and left the room.

Is your tool powerful? Absolutely! However, in my experience, each student needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis and provided the proper tools based upon a variety of variables. I’ve found that many students fit within the following:

  1. So overwhelmed by their emotions that they first need to be given tools that can gently and compassionately help them let go of the control that these emotions have over them.

  2. Are so numbed out by medication that they don’t feel what is going on within them. You wouldn’t teach a new student who showed up and is on a ton of Vicodin headstand, would you?

  3. Not aware of what is within them that needs to come out.

Your tool works, no doubt. But it needs to be provided under the proper supervision of someone who has utilized it themselves before the student is left alone with it. Please be careful with how you choose to hand out your tools.

[quote=Surya Deva;34366]Emotions ultimately need to be transcended. The word emotion literally means the movement of something within you. All movement will disturb the peace of your mind, like a ripple, however small, disturbs the stillness of the lake.

Somebody complimented me recently by telling me I must be psychologically damaged because I have no emotions at all :D[/quote]
If you have no emotions at all, you are damaged, you’re no longer human. I’m not saying you are, as it’s obvious to me you have emotions, I just felt the need to comment on all of this. To transcend your emotions doesn’t mean they are no longer a part of you, it simply means you realize they’re not who you are and aren’t unconsciously driven by them. Emotions are great, I have no desire to be emotionless. I love to experience emotion, I just don’t want to be controlled by them.

#17

Keeping with my tool analogy, you just gave someone who has never cut a piece of wood before, a table saw, and left the room.

Is your tool powerful? Absolutely! However, in my experience, each student needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis and provided the proper tools based upon a variety of variables. I’ve found that many students fit within the following:

  1. So overwhelmed by their emotions that they first need to be given tools that can gently and compassionately help them let go of the control that these emotions have over them.

  2. Are so numbed out by medication that they don’t feel what is going on within them. You wouldn’t teach a new student who showed up and is on a ton of Vicodin headstand, would you?

  3. Not aware of what is within them that needs to come out.

Your tool works, no doubt. But it needs to be provided under the proper supervision of someone who has utilized it themselves before the student is left alone with it. Please be careful with how you choose to hand out your tools.

I agree with what you are saying to an extent, but I disagree that there are several techniques that need to be given on a case by case basis. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. It does not matter who takes that journey, whether it be an ordinary man, an elderly man, a crippled man, they still have to take the same 1000 miles journey.

Buddha said, “There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way” Likewise, there is no way to pure consciousness(Stitha prajnana), consciousness is the way. The goal itself is the way. Everybody is going to have to take this way in the end, irrespective of how disadvantaged they are.

When one is abiding in the still consciousness then there is no time for anxiety and depression. This is easy to prove if somebody is enjoying doing an activity they suddenly forget all sense of time and stop thinking, they become immersed in their activity.

So one is simply making use of a scientific mechanism of how the mind works. So pray/tell how can there be several ways?

If you have no emotions at all, you are damaged, you’re no longer human.

I am not human. I really am the Self. The self is beyond sorrow and happiness, love and hate, good and evil, light and dark. There is no duality within the self. Every emotion is like a swinging pendulum one moment it takes you to elation the next moment to deflation and this goes on forever as long as you are in samsara. As they say, “What goes up, must come down” However, when you are in stitha-Prajnana you there is neither an up or a down, there is a just a constant state of beingness. This is why it is called ananda - bliss - not happiness.

#18

I have dealt with depression as far back as I remember - approximately elementary school age.

I too was on antidepressants about 10 years ago and rejected them after a couple of months. . I learned how to deal with my depression in more natural ways as well.

In this circumstance, it was a culmination of life circumstances that built up over three years. Instead of dealing with what was going on I ‘soldiered on’ and stuffed the feelings to the point that I got to the straw that broke the camel’s back and had to find a way to find clarity again.

This is so very true:

[QUOTE=David;34362] “Real men don’t cry”, “Suck it up”, “Tough it out” etc. From almost day one as a male, you’re taught not to express or feel. As such, we begin to numb and bottle up from a very early age and not only do we one day have to release all of that, but we also have to learn to feel and release, first.
[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=YogiAdam;34363]I like what guitars Zakk Wylde said (Zakk Wylde is Ozzy Osbournes ex guitarist, and he is a scary, big, hairy, Biker dude on steroids and coke)… “As a man, if you don’t cry, and you don’t bleed, I don’t f#$king trust ya… end o story.” lol true dat[/QUOTE]

#19

@David
Relative to this quote and it’s reference…

Keeping with my tool analogy, you just gave someone who has never cut a piece of wood before, a table saw, and left the room.

This is one of the differences I have attempted to outline over time relative to the skill set of a teacher. Having a wealth of knowledge is very nice and often necessary or at least precursory. Being able to apply and convey it without wilting the receiver is wisdom. They are very different. And this is why being a"good yoga student" is not at all identical to being a “good yoga teacher”.

#20

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;34377]I am not human. I really am the Self. The self is beyond sorrow and happiness, love and hate, good and evil, light and dark. There is no duality within the self. [/QUOTE]

The utter ramblings of a mad man!