I'd love to talke to you more about this.
"There is not one chemical compound that I'm am aware of that does not include 'long term, irreversable brain damage' in its list of contraindications in the PDF. "
Does this include the SSRIs like lexapro, zoloft prozac etc??
What about St John's Wort (or other "natural" serotonin uptake inhibitors) for depression?
These references I allude to are the result of periodic consultation over the years to look at specific things, and I don't pretend to be an authority. I can sometimes guess correctly the drug and length of time taken by what I observe in an incoming arrestee. This ain't exactly scientific.....but you notice things after a while. And through the years, I get to see the same clients periodically, and observe their progress; and I always inquire, for my own purposes, the status of their treatment. Not part of my job, per se, but it gives us something to chat about. (although I like to know if they're feeling like killing themselves...that is part of my job...keep 'em alive long enough to see the judge)
"What about St John's Wort (or other "natural" serotonin uptake inhibitors) for depression?"
Tryptophan is a pre-cursor to serotonin. The good thing is that it adds serotonin but doesn't change the feedback part of the process (i.e., the re-Uptake part) so it isn't as likely to change a very complicated process in the brain over time.
From what I have read lots of people have been helped by Tryptophan without the side effects caused by SSRIs. It's not a cure (people have to keep taking it) but apparently it's safer for long-term use. It's naturally ocurring in certain foods anyway.