It would also come down to how strong a dose of anti depressants you were on and for what reason. Some people are given low dosages to take the edge off depressed episodes and others don't respond well to increased dosages (mood disorders in particular) of Seretonin and need to balance it out with a mood stabilizer. Do you need enough to take the edge off an existing mood disorder or is it full-blown depression? So try before you buy if you get my drift.

Hi Raven! You've done a brave thing.  My general tips are:

o Make sure you get enough sleep and eat well - don't underestimate how much better that can make you feel
o Exercise - releases serotonin in the brain
o Plan simple things you enjoy
o Give yourself a regular routine to get you motivated to get out of bed
o Get outside - sunlight does huge things for your moods
o Ensure people contact - the simple impact of the human voice and eye contact, even when you don't want to be sociable, improves your situation dramatically.  If you are not feeling sociable, maybe ask someone to take you somewhere non-threatening where you don't have to make one-on-one contact but can at least just be around people.
o Don’t take on any major stresses or decisions
o Encourage yourself – remind yourself of the good things you have achieved today – however small.

Do you have someone who can help you at home, while you get sorted?  Do you have much family support?
 

You may not be ready to come off meds but if you insist you want to do it without them then fish oil is a natural mood up-bringer and so is exercise and sunlight.

Hi,

I suffered from low grade anxiety, and like you a serious lack of motivation.  I started taking St Johns wort, and it has helped me hugely.  I do longer have anxiety attacks about things, and I have my motivation back.  Finding the energy to do things like I used to before kids.

Wish you the best. Minti mail me if you want to talk more.

Hi,

I've never taken anti depressants, but my entire family is affected by depression, and I've had a few bouts myself (undiagnosed).  I have a few thoughts, for what they're worth.

Firstly, it could take some time for your body to regulate itself after coming off the medication.  Depending on how long it's been, go easy on yourself and maybe give it more time.

My Dad took St John's Wort for a while, which is a herbal anti depressant.  I don't know about serotonin, but I have a friend who is Chinese, and when she was growing up her Mum gave her something called Don Quai, or its botanical name "Angelica sinensis".  Among many uses, this particular variety is used to regulate the body, especially women's hormones.  There's another herb called Maca, which is supposed to help regulate the body.

Maybe it would be better to speak to a naturopath about these, because I only know as much as I've written here.

My last thought is based on my own experience.  I think that when you are frustrated at your lack of motivation, you get less motivated.  It's helpful to start each day fresh, don't sweat the small stuff, and try to set yourself some really small targets.  Tell yourself that you'll do 15 minutes of something and that's all, and set a timer.  Often once you've started, the drive to continue builds.  Sometimes it doesn't.

Try going outside, sitting on the grass and enjoynig the sun and the breeze, even only for ten minutes.

I hope you feel better soon, I have felt something like you at times, and it's horrible.

You poor love, you sound as though you are suffering from a low mood.  If you don't want to take Antid's no one will force you, what I do suggest is that you continue to see your mental healthcare provider and discuss these issues with him/her.  Also you may have some sort of low grade infection, do you suffer from sinusitus or a sore throat, if so you may want to go to your gp and take penicillin and flagyl to clear up any infection, is your iron ok?  It also sounds like you may have waning self confidence - I can only talk of what I have read on Minti, but you seem to be an intelligent articulate compassionate woman. 

Good luck, keep ya chin up and going back on antid's is not the end of the world, although it may seem like it now, a chemical imbalance in the brain is really just the same as having diabetes, high blood pressure or a host of other deficiencies - you are obviously a strong person or you wouldn't be demanding so much of yourself!  Were you on them for a minimum of 5 years and have you been off them for a while?  I know when I came off the last dose, I became quite irate at everything and melancholy for about 2 or 3 mths.