Published on 12, July, 2020
My daughter has started a low dosage of Setraline. She is only in the early stages and on a low dose. She is 15 and is Neurodiverse. She struggles at school with social interaction and is very unhappy a majority of the time. We are not entirely comfortable with her taking medication but it’s got to the point where we have to do something to help her start to feel better. I have been reading about the possible benefits of CBD oil and would like to know if this is an alternative worth considering. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thank you.
NAS88650 I'm sure you'll work out together what helps. I personally have severe sensitivity to antidepressants so have always sought a different route. My brother is helped by medical cannabis and when I was on here a long time ago under another name, there were many folks being helped by medical cannabis but again it's a trying to see what works scenario as you'll know. I've put a list below of how I cope so perhaps something on it may be helpful and hopefully not everything you've already researched:
1. I had allergy testing done and so have cut out many foods that were making me feel ill in mind and body. I am feeling less anxious more often than not.
2. I've develop an exercise routine that I do every day to help me feel less painful as I have fibromyalgia. It's helping dampen down the pain. It takes huge motivation but once I get going, I feel achievement when it's done.
3. I avoid processed foods which again has helped me painwise and psychologically.
4. I've cut out processed sugar completely but eat whole fruits. This has been huge in helping my pain and anxiety.
5. I stopped drinking, smoking and experimenting with drugs in my 20s which really made a huge difference in my mood.
6. I cut out caffeine in my 20s too. This was a game changer as it really fuelled my Anxiety.
7. I had bad PMDD and had tried many different antidepressants which only made things worse or stopped me feeling anything at all so at the age of 30 I had my ovaries removed which improved my mood fluctuations to be more manageable. The doctors at the time saw this as a last resort after antidepressant treatment.
8. I have found out my sensory profile and so my home is my sanctuary.
9. I now only wear clothes to suit my sensory needs which has helped a great deal. I make my own bras and tshirts.
10. I try to accept what I am unable to do (work) which is tough but I know there is a lot I can do (make my own clothes and crafts and be a great mother to my Autistic daughter).
I know it's a long road when dealing with depression and painful when it's someone you love deeply but you are both trying your best. I wish you well with everything.
Thank you so much for your insightful and helpful response. It sounds like you have been extremely proactive in finding out what works well for you. I do try to ensure my daughter has a healthy varied diet as that is one aspect that I can have some control over. Unfortunately she has very low motivation and exercise although suggested on many occasions, has been successful. I am hoping that if she can have increased motivation other aspects that she struggles with may become easier. Her home is also her sanctuary. She rarely goes out and has no real friends where we live. School is a living nightmare for her she doesn’t really talk to anyone there. When she does go,she comes home exhausted. She has one pair of shorts that she lives in and a bra top - we only found out last year that there is a high possibility that she could be autistic ( we are in the process of waiting* for an assessment) but at least now we can have a greater understanding of why these things are happening. She is a thoughtful mature kind and intelligent person and it breaks my heart not being able to help her.
Thank you again for taking the time to respond. It really has helped. I wish you every happiness x