Hi Folks,

I know there are so many threads about this but in my current state I can't concentrate enough to read them all.  

I've now been vegan for nearly 3 months, am making sure I get a mixture of foods in, try superhero as much as i can, though at the moment it's a mixture between vegan and superhero.

I was on fluoxitine (prozac) a few months ago.  Hated it, and took myself of when my depression started to improve,  but my depression seems to have returned, and I'm shouty and crying and feel I'm on the edge of an abyss again, so I was wondering if anyone can advise specific foods that will help me not return to anti depressants but that will have a positive impact?  I'm in UK if that affects any advice.

Thank you all

I would advise you to talk to your doctor.  It is not always wise to discontinue medication without your doctor's knowledge.  If your depression is caused by a chemical imbalance, you may need the meds until your body can stabilize itself.  It sounds chemical, because you say your depression was improving with the prozac.  No one likes to take meds, but really sometimes it may be necessary.  I would say make sure you get very good, restful sleep, limit any caffeine and alcohol, and eat only whole, nourishing non processed foods. Try to limit your stress by removing yourself from stressful situations/toxic people.  This is a time to really nurture yourself so you can heal from your depression.

Hey Miranda, I read your posting and signed up for an account just to respond to you! We are in a very similar boat, I had been on Prozac for three years and successfully weaned myself off and then was put back on a relatively new medication called Pristiq, which I ended up taking for another two years up until August of this summer, around the same time when I was becoming a Vegan as well...I can sympathise with you in the sense that it can be very hard to maintain a sense of "happiness" (a very subjective term!) when you know that an external source was responsible for soothing your unhappiness in the first place...have you spoken with your doctor about the discontinuation of the Prozac? As the previous post stated, it is always best when it is monitored :)...As for me, I am nowhere near an expert on this topic as the crying and yelling that you referenced with yourself is a staple in my life as well (lol) but I find that taking a non-fish based Omega 3 supplement is helpful as well as a B100 pill every morning for an energy boost. Another key tool for my battle with depression is carrying around essential oils wherever you go and using aromatherapy to deal with feelings as they come up (I really like lavender and orange oils, but anything goes!)...I see that you are in the UK and I really like a site called "new direction aromatics", the oils are really cheap :) I also find that freewriting three pages of anything that pops into your consciousness is helpful in eliminating unconscious junk that builds up in your head and can lead to destructive mental chatter...besides for these "tricks", I have just been trying to take life one day at a time, as much of a cliche as that is :) depression sucks and it robs you of everything and trying to describe it to someone who has never experienced it makes you feel even more isolated! I hope this post has somewhat helped, please let me know how things are going for you as I am also interested in any breakthroughs and/or vegan food choices that can help our issue! Peace and love!

Thank you so much for replying ladies!

To be honest, I found myself feeling physically awful on prozac.  I couldn't sleep, I felt foggy all the time.  So I don't want to go back on them if I can possibly find another way.  I take a multi vitamin each day, but i will look into omega 3.  And I will look into the new directions website.  I feel a bit more human today, and will do my kundalini yoga this morning.  

The thing is, my depression eased as a situation changed, and now the situation has returned the depression is back.  Yup, toxic people!  I will aim to be more super hero today, and try to avoid the caffeine.

Thanks again