The Antidepressant Survival Program: How to Beat the Side Effects and Enhance the Benefits of Your Medication (Hardcover)

~ Robert J. Hedaya M.D. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the world's leading psychopharmacologists, Robert J. Hedaya believes that the treatment should not be worse than the disease, especially in the case of depression and other physical disorders often treated with antidepressants, such as bulimia, migraine headaches, and PMS. He believes he's found a solution for the 20 million Americans who take antidepressants and find the illness is no longer so much of a problem, but that its symptoms are replaced by debilitating side effects, such as weight gain, lethargy, and sexual dysfunction. Dr. Hedaya says there's no need to learn to live with these problems and has developed a plan to combat them using nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and hormone supplementation that he says can actually enhance the effectiveness of many antidepressant medications. Where many doctors tell their patients to stop complaining about side effects and be thankful the depression has subsided, Hedaya believes in a holistic approach to treatment, one that fills the patient with vitality, improves self-esteem, keeps sexuality intact, and even helps bring more passion and spirituality to one's life.

Hedaya's plan is designed to bring positive results quickly. A five-day "jump start" includes a regular sleeping schedule; daily aerobic exercise and strength training; the elimination of coffee, chocolate, refined sugar, and alcohol; and a diet with plenty of protein, fruits, and vegetables, with every meal and snack mapped out (vegetarian options are included). The jump start is designed to keep food cravings and mood swings at a minimum while regulating levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.

The "real" plan, which Hedaya says needs three months to fully kick in, would make anyone feel better, whether taking antidepressants or not, but also includes specific supplementation for deficiencies commonly found in those who take antidepressants. "At least 70 percent of the patients who come to me with 'treatment-resistant' depression actually have some sort of nutrient deficiency--such as low levels of fatty acids or zinc," he says, which can lead to a deficiency of serotonin. This deficiency prevents SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft) from working. He also recommends an "adrenal stress index," detailed tests for hypothyroidism, an organic diet free of hormonally treated foods, liver detoxification, and food-sensitivity testing. For his patients having problems with sexual side effects, he advises a change of medications (with a doctor's supervision), experimentation with certain herbs, and simple alterations in the time of day the medicine is taken. While Hedaya's program is time-consuming and some of the tests may be expensive for the uninsured, it's empowering, delivered with much empathy, and has proved effective for hundreds of patients. --Erica Jorgensen

From Library Journal

The number of Americans currently taking antidepressants exceeds 25 million. While these medications provide most people with relief from their mental or physical disorders, nearly 80 percent report significant side effects. Psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist Hedaya, long attuned to this problem, developed a program for his patients that alleviated these adverse effects. Here he presents his regiment of a balanced nutrition and exercise plan, along with guidelines for relaxation, play, and spirituality, for patients to follow in consultation with their doctors. His detailed plan requires a great deal of work on the patient's part, but it may, as the author promises, "give you your life back." A worthy complement to Andrew Morrison's The Antidepressant Sourcebook (LJ 11/1/99), which presents extensive state-of-the-art information about some specific medications; recommended for psychiatry, psychology, and consumer health collections.
-Linda M.G. Katz, MCP Hahnemann Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Crown; 1 edition (February 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609604651
• ISBN-13: 978-0609604656
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #645,629 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It really works!, March 20, 2000

By A Customer

I can't say enough about how helpful this program has been for me. I'm on Zoloft, and since I've been using Dr. Hedaya's program I feel great, I've got tons of energy, I've got NO side effects, and my psychopharmacologist is talking about lowering my dosage! I have several friends who are also on antidepressants, and are dealing with some of the more common side effects, and I've given this book to each of them. If you're willing to make some changes in the way you live your life (watch things like sugar, alcohol, caffeine intake), it is possible to live depression-free and side effect-free. I urge you to try it.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ESSENTIAL READING FOR ANYONE ON ANTI DEPRESSANTS!, May 17, 2000

By A Customer

After 3 years on anti depressants I had come to accept and live with the side effects of my medication. At times wondering if life without medication would be better, enduring the depression seemed my only option. My surprise in finding this book and the valuable lifestyle changes have made a substantial impact on my life in the past 3 weeks! I'm living life with more energy and enthusiasm and will follow Dr. Hedaya's program and incorporate his guidance into my daily life. Easy and interesting reading, but mostly,very effective! A must read!

25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Self-Promotional, October 13, 2000

By A Customer

When I was diagnosed with depression, my doctor, along with a perscription for an antidepressant and the names of some good therapist, gave me a handful of common sense booklets on the importance of diet, exercise, and relaxation.

The "Survival Program" is a long drawn out rewrite of this same information with repeated urgings to give the book to your doctor to read. If my doctor and/or therapist didn't have this common sense knowledge - I would find another doctor. Urging you to educate your doctor with this dated information is ludicrous.

The book takes you through "role playing" exercises on how you are to get your doctor to buy in to reading this book (which of course you have purchased for him), complete with "you said they said" quotations. Did the authors really want to add to the stress of being depressed by leading their readers to believe that this information is so new, so radical, so profound that they are going to have to be coached on how to get a physician to follow this program?

After reading through the book and not finding anything new to combat the side effects of the antidepressants we hit the ever popular information on prescribing additional drugs to treat the symptoms.

I found this book insulting to my intelligence and one of the most blatent examples of self-promotion presented as a self help book that I have read.

Save your money and treat yourself to something that can really help cheer you up like a good novel or funny movie.