Copyright 2024
Medical Security Card Company, LLC
All Rights Reserved
WellRx will never sell your personal information. Period. By signing up I agree to WellRx's terms of use and privacy policy.
Jenny Bingham, PharmD
University of Arizona College of Pharmacy
July 24, 2017
There are a number of mental conditions that shape mood and behavior. Any condition that affects a person’s thinking, feeling or mood, falls into a medical classification of Behavioral Health. Such conditions may affect someone’s ability to relate to others, or maintain reasonable function every day. Each person may have different experiences, even if they have the same diagnosis as someone else.
Depression is the most common behavioral health condition in the general population1. Without treatment, depression can lead to decreased quality of life2, increased suicidal thoughts, and overall worsened health outcomes. The most common method of treating depression is to target serotonin and how the body uses it. Serotonin regulates mood and ultimately is what makes you feel happy. When we have low serotonin levels, you can feel depressed or anxious. Antidepressants each have their own unique mechanism of action that are specific to certain neurotransmitters in the brain.
Anxiety can affect our ability to function due to excessive worry. Without treatment, anxiety can also lead to a worsened quality of life and can even be debilitating for some patients3. Anxiolytics are the medication class used to treat anxiety. The most common method of treating anxiety is to target serotonin and/or norepinephrine. Norepinephrine is responsible for motor action, cognition, the body’s alert system, and feeling energetic. When we have low norepinephrine, it is harder to cope with every day stressors and things that are beyond our control.
These medications are often classified as reuptake inhibitors. They target the neurotransmitters serotonin and norepinephrine, to name a few. Medications prevent the body from recycling these neurotransmitters. By preventing them from being recycled too soon, it allows the body a better chance to use them to improve mood and/or relieve anxiety.
We know that the body needs certain building blocks to make serotonin and norepinephrine. An important concept to remember is that no matter how many medications are prescribes to treat these conditions, they don’t stand a chance at being effective without the right precursors; an interesting concept in today’s world. The majority with these conditions take more than one medication.
The greatest building blocks for serotonin are things that you might already have in your kitchen.
Complete proteins are the main precursor for tryptophan, which is later turned into serotonin. You might think that tryptophan only comes from turkey on Thanksgiving, but did you know that you can also get it from eating beef, venison, buffalo, pork, fish, shellfish, cheese, cottage cheese, milk, yogurt, and eggs?
The building blocks for norepinephrine are also found in your kitchen.
In addition to eating complete proteins, it’s also important to eat incomplete proteins as well. You can find these in nuts, grains, beans, legumes, and soy.
When we think about serotonin building blocks, key vitamins play an important role as well.
Over-the-counter supplements can help you fulfill your dietary need of the vitamins mentioned above. But, there is a caveat. Did you know that you can actually take “too much” of a vitamin? When in doubt always review your supplements and medications with your pharmacist for safe use.
As a patient, take comfort knowing that you can control how well your medications work for you. You are the rate limiting factor in the equation. These simple modifications can make a world of difference with managing depression and anxiety. After all, the best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself.
References:
For your convenience, use the ScriptSave® WellRx mobile app. Now savings are well in hand, right at the pharmacy counter. Save on your family's prescription medicines.
Learn MoreYour choice. Get a ScriptSave WellRx Savings Card. Or Download the free mobile app from the App Store or Google Play Store
Get A CardScriptSave WellRx Grocery Guidance leverages leading-edge nutritional data science to help you know which food products on your grocery store shelf are truly good for YOU.
Healthy Foods For YouTags:
June 09, 2022
April 26, 2022
You need to log into the site to use this feature
This feature requires registration. Sign up or log in to your free WellRx account to gain access to this and other tools to help make managing your medications and wellness easier.
Benefits Include:
This feature requires registration. Sign up or log in to your free WellRx account to gain access to this and other tools to help make managing your medications and wellness easier.
Benefits Include:
You will be redirected to your program in 5 seconds.
Our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy have recently been updated.
By declining you will be logged out of your account