You might be S.A.D. but you don’t have to be What is Seasonal Affective Disorder and how do I treat it?

By Andrey Pakholskiy, Pharm. D. & Ian Berman, Pharm. D.

Have you ever noticed a shift in your mood around the time of the seasons changing? As the leaves change colors, do you ever start to feel down, or sad, or even just more tired in general? You may have heard of people getting the winter blues and maybe you even suffer from this. It is a common disorder called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and it is estimated that 10 million Americans are affected by SAD. Some common symptoms include feelings of hopelessness and sadness, increased sleeping and fatigue, change in appetite, weight gain, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and even social withdrawal. You may even experience a type of SAD when the seasons turn after winter into the warmer months. Symptoms during the warmer months are a little different usually and include a decrease in appetite and weight, and well as trouble sleeping and anxiety. Other symptoms that can be present at either season change include feelings of guilt, loss of interest or pleasure in activities previously enjoyed and physical ailments like headaches and stomach aches.

To be diagnosed with SAD, you must experience at least two seasons where symptoms of depression presented and then dissipated after the seasons changed again. There are a few believed causes for SAD. When the amount of sunlight that you are exposed to decreases, it may disrupt your internal clock, effecting the levels of melatonin in our brains. This disruption in our sleep cycle can lead to these symptoms. With less sun light may come a decrease in serotonin which is a chemical that is commonly low in people that suffer from depression.

When it comes to deciding what to do about these symptoms, we have quite a few options. Using melatonin supplementation shortly before you would normally go to bed can help fix the cycle for some people. Getting more sunlight can be very helpful, and if sunlight is not an option there are sun lamps that some people find useful in simulating natural sunlight indoors. Vitamin D is also another possible path to relief. Our body produces vitamin D when in the sunlight and a lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency. Symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can include fatigue, muscle aches, and even feelings of depression. Supplementing your diet with Vitamin D from some companies such as Solgar and BlueBonnet can help make up for what your body can not produce while stuck inside during the cold months. A couple other good vitamins and minerals that can help alleviate some of our SAD symptoms include zinc and folic acid, which also are available from Solgar and BlueBonnet. Fish Oil, or Omega 3 Fatty Acid, is a healthy type of fat that we are finding useful for many things these days. We have more recently found that consuming these healthy fats can help improve mood. Orthomolecular and Nordic Naturals have high quality Fish Oil products.

There are some good natural options to help remedy the winter blues. St. John’s Wort is a well-known herb that can be useful for treating depression. It is important to be careful with St. John’s Wort however, because it interacts with many other medications. If you take any medications regularly you should check with your pharmacist to see if it is ok to take. Enzymatic Therapy and Nature’s Way both have St. John’s Wort products to choose from. Chamomile can be enjoyed as a tea or even taken as a liquid, carried by Herb Farm. Chamomile is thought to work in the same way that GABA works, which is by calming the central nervous system down. You can also take GABA as a supplement as well, made by Integrative Therapeutics and Solgar, for its calming effects. Aromatherapy is another option for relieving some symptoms of the winter blues. Some good essential oils for this purpose include Lemon Oil and Mandarin Oil are both uplifting while Lavender Oil is relaxing and comforting. Nature’s Truth and Aura Cacia both carry these essential oils and other essential oils as well.

A Message from Your Pharmacists: As it gets colder and we get less sunlight, it is easy to find yourself a bit sad, but with a little help we don’t have to be. Your local pharmacists will be happy to help you if you need any assistance resolving your winter blues.