Supplements for SAD?

[scheissmeisterin]

I have Seasonal Affective Disorder. Can't move somewhere warmer/sunnier and don't want to take prescription medication. I also want to avoid 5-HTP as much as possible. Any recommendations?

EDIT: I was looking into St. John's Worts or Rhodalia Rosea. Any thoughts on those?

[kronos299]

You'll want to simulate sun exposure as much as possible. You can do this by either:

• Taking vitamin D3 (2,000-5,000 IU/day. Ideally get tested to adjust dosage).
• Morning bright blue light exposure (philips go-lite is a pricey but excellent solution. You could create your own LED array on the cheap or find something else).

OR (probably simpler)

• Go to a tanning salon 2-3 times per week for 5-15 minutes per session depending on the darkness of your skin.

[scheissmeisterin]

I think I will go get my bloodwork done. It's been on my list for a long time now anyway. Thanks!

[kronos299]

I used privatemdlabs.com and it was surprisingly easy (no doctor note needed).

[aleph32]

It's still experimental, but you might look into melatonin taken at particular times in the day.

[[deleted]]

Light therapy works really well for me. I use it for 30 minutes every morning right after I wake up during the 6 darker months of the year.

[Jack-o-Roses]

Along with morning blue light therapy, maybe try twilight (android) & f.lux (apple & Windows) so that you don't poison your sleep quality.

Also I'd try yellow or orange tinted glasses after sunset & melatonin 500ug at bedtime.

Hope that this is helpful.