Can Aspiration be taken long-term? I started taking Aspiration for seasonal depression several years ago. It works so well that I keep taking it year round as it really helps level my mood.
Yes, Aspiration is designed to be taken long-term.
In your Clinical Handbook, it says to take Aspiration for a 6-12 month period. Why does it need to be taken that long?
It’s recommended that patients with depression take either herbs or pharmaceuticals for 6 to 12 months to prevent a relapse.
I am a licensed acupuncture physician and have been very happy with using Health Concerns’ products. I have a patient who suffers from depression after delivering her baby 8 months ago. She definitely has Qi and blood deficiency brought on by the delivery. I wonder if you could recommend a good herbal formula to assist in overcoming her depression more quickly. I thought Postpartum would be a good choice for her. What formula would you recommend that is safe to use while she is breast feeding?
It’s safe to use both Postpartum and Aspiration. If it’s a mild case of depression, Postpartum alone may be enough. On the other hand, if she has more than a mild depression, I suggest adding Aspiration.
This is for a male patient who suffers from depression and stress. I started him on Calm Spirit. He’s doing well in terms of the stress but he still gets bouts of depression that manifests mainly as crying with a lot of grief with no recent death. Do you have any suggestions or other products you could recommend? His tongue is pale, pink, thin white coat and wet. The patient is thinking about taking Zoloft but he doesn’t know if it would be contraindicated with Calm Spirit or any other herbs you may recommend.
I suggest Aspiration and he should give it at least four weeks for Aspiration to show any improvement (then he may not need Zoloft). He may combine Calm Spirit with Aspiration. If he chooses to go on Zoloft, take Calm Spirit two hours apart from the medicine.
I have a patient with liver issues – liver attacking spleen and stomach. He worries constantly, is sad and has neck and shoulder symptoms. I was going to recommend Ease 2 however, his father just passed away and he’s having a lot of grief. He also has skin problems (acne) and suffers from depression.
I recommend either Ease 2 alone, or a combination of Ease 2 and Aspiration.
I have a female patient who wants to get off 10 mg of Prozac. She has consulted with her doctor who is very supportive of Chinese medicine. I am considering the Ease 2 and Calm Spirit protocol. The patient presents with weak qi pulses, slippery in general. Her tongue shows a dry coat and medium thickness. The patient also experiences chronic constipation and has been on the antidepressant for a month. She would like to stop taking Prozac because of low libido and difficulty having orgasm although she had a low libido before being on the antidepressant.
I have had much better results using Aspiration, 9 capsules a day. Generally, you can quit Prozac right away if you have only been taking it for one month however, you can take both Prozac and Aspiration together for two weeks before stopping the antidepressant. You can try the Ease 2 plus Calm Spirit combination. This protocol however is more for the heart and liver, whereas Aspiration contains specific herbs for depression and is more for a heart phlegm stagnation treatment.
I have a client who is currently taking a low dosage of Effexor. I prescribed Aspiration to help wean her off Effexor. After 30 days of taking Aspiration, she reported that she hadn’t seen much difference in her depression. When we talked about her menstrual cycle, I learned that she experienced increased depression before her period and extreme fatigue after her period. I’d like to put her on Eight Treasures right after her cycle and either on Woman’s Balance or Heavenly Water prior to her menstrual cycle. I’d also like to know if herbs may cause an interaction with the Effexor.
You can use Eight Treasures, Woman’s Balance or Heavenly Water two hours apart from Effexor. Keep in mind that to see the effectiveness of Aspiration, she must reduce her dosage of Effexor. If she does not change her dosage of Effexor, she will not necessarily notice any difference with Aspiration. On the other hand, some people withdraw from antidepressants too quickly and find that Aspiration is not enough. In this case, they need to reduce the drug slowly. You can find more information on our website and in our Antidepressant Herbs webinar.
I have a client on two antidepressants – Celexa and Trazodone. Recently, we tried to wean her off Celexa by putting her on Aspiration. After she’d been on Aspiration for a few weeks, she cut her Celexa dosage in half while continuing to take Aspiration. She felt great initially with a slight headache at the top of her head, but we attributed it to liver detoxing from the medication. She experiences a lot of stress, panics and feels anxiety. About a week ago, she put herself back on Celexa. Although she would like get off her antidepressants, I don’t want to completely have her not to take them. I need some advice on possibly taking her off of Trazodone first since it is used to help her fall asleep and also helps with her depression.
First of all, I think you are on the right path. It’s important to note that some people have difficulty in reducing antidepressants. For some clients, it works best to proceed even more slowly in terms of dosage and time (i.e., reduce only 25% of the dosage, not 50%, while taking the full dose of Aspiration). My suggestion is keep working with reducing the Celexa and wait on the Trazodone.
It is also important to differentiate whether she suffers from anxiety or depression. If the client is more anxious, Calm Spirit should be used or considered. If she is more depressed, fatigued or lethargic, I recommend using Aspiration. If she suffers from both anxiety and depression, I recommend combining Calm Spirit and Aspiration. If using both Calm Spirit and Aspiration, the dosage would be 6 capsules of each formula for a total of 12 capsules a day. If she takes just one formula, the dosage would be 3 capsules TID or 9 capsules a day. Please remember that herbs and drugs should be separated by 2 hours.
You can find more information on our website and in our Antidepressant Herbs CD #8 that is available with an order.
SAMe and Griffonex 5-HTP – which of these would you recommend for alternating depression and anxiety?
With alternating depression and anxiety, I suggest using SAMe first. You may also add Aspiration for depression or Calm Spirit for anxiety.
I have a 79 year old patient with severe anxiety. She has had anxiety her whole life but it is now severe. Which herbal formulas for anxiety do you recommend the most?
For best results, I recommend combining Calm Spirit with either Ease 2 (loose stools) or Ease Plus (normal stools or constipation). As per our Clinical Handbook recommends, use 2-4 capsules of each formula TID or QID.
I have a patient who doesn’t want to go back on lithium. Is there an herbal alternative? Can she use Aspiration?
If your patient does not need medication, a general protocol I suggest is Aspiration and Ease Plus. She would have to take it regularly to have more of a lasting effect. I highly recommend listening to the Antidepressant Herbs webinar and reviewing the Herb-Drug Interactions: An Herbalist’s Perspective Newsletter (Volume 11, Number 1).
Remember we are available to answer your questions. Call our Herbal Helpline at (800) 233-9355 x105 or send an email to herbalist@healthconcerns.com.