Neurotransmitters are the natural chemicals in the brain that convey nerve impulses to the proper receptors. When an imbalance of these chemicals occurs, you may experience a lack of mental clarity, anxiety, sleeplessness and a melancholic mood. It's natural for this to happen sometimes, but if it continues for weeks or months, you have the well-known condition known as depression. There are many ways to treat depression and though treatment should never be done without the approval and supervision of a physician, you are not limited to prescription drugs.

What is Amoryn?

In your search for natural depression supplements you may have seen the supplement Amoryn reviewed. Amoryn is quickly rising in popularity for a natural supplement option for its outstanding rate of success for improvement of depression symptoms in people with mild to severe depression. How does it do this? The ingredients used in Amoryn are specifically formulated to target all four mood-related neurotransmitters.

What's in Amoryn?

First, Amoryn contains 3% hyperforin, the ingredient believed to be responsible for the efficacy of the herb St. John's Wort when used to treat depression. The amino acid 5-HTP is used by the body to create serotonin; in many cases the natural levels of 5-HTP get depleted, Amoryn contains 5-HTP to reintroduce into a depleted system. There is some controversy as to whether 5-HTP is completely safe to take in supplement form, but overall it is believed to be safe in the correct dosage. Amoryn also contains Rhodiola rosea, a supplement that has been used for many years in the Soviet Union as an energy supplement that works to deactivate an enzyme that destroys serotonin.

There has shown to be a link between certain B vitamin deficiencies and depression, so most good supplements will have additional B12 and preferably also B6 and folic acid; Amoryn contains all three of these; deficiencies in B12 have shown to cause dementia and brain damage in the elderly, but in less advanced stages deficiency is characterized by fatigue and lack of mental clarity. People on a strictly vegan diet who do not take any B12 supplementation are at special risk for B12 deficiencies, though it can take 3-5 years to suffer a serious deficiency because of the levels stored in the body.

What Else is Available?

Amoryn is a good supplement that has proven to be effective against depression, it can get rather expensive. While it's still about half the price of some of the cheaper prescription antidepressants, there are alternatives that are cheaper but also very effective against depression such as Exulin. The ingredients in Exulin are similar to Amoryn, though with the addition of Gingko biloba to aid in proper circulation which stimulates brain function. Exulin is pretty much comparable to Amoryn in everything except price as Exulin costs roughly 2/3 the amount of Amoryn per month.

Depression is a disease and as such any treatment should be done with the approval and supervision of a doctor; be sure to discuss any treatment possibilities with your doctor first. When you discuss supplementation with your doctor, be sure to bring along a list of the ingredients and let him/her know what other medications of any type you are taking to make sure that there will be no adverse interactions.