Anyone use Light Therapy to treat SAD?

[LynneSin]

A co-worker recommended it and I was looking at the lamps available. Anyone done this before?

[JCMach1]

1. Not lamps... I always get to feeling unbalanced when I can't get outside regularly for long periods

I will usually try to get about an 1hr of good strong sunshine each week (30min increments) each week. It really helps.

When I lived in warm climes I had to self-medicate by going to tanning booths... I have since realized the idiocy of that.

[elehhhhna]

2. No. Just used to spend tons of money to

go to the Caribbean to escape Chicago winters. Finally moved to SE TX and no more sad!

[TZ]

3. Yes. I have two of them.

They work well. Lizerdbits also uses them..calls them the "happy lights". She likes them as well.
Of course this is not the time of year I need them...
ANother friend has a large one that she uses during excercise on her treadmill that apparantly works VERY well..

[WolverineDG]

4. yes & they work nt

[LynneSin]

5. Well I just got this one from Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C1946S

It was well rated and I liked that it was portable. I may just take it into work and sit it on my desk. Probably best place to use it.

[WolverineDG]

12. I got one at Target for my bedside

then got some "full spectrum" flourescent bulbs to use at home & in the office. Work like a charm.

dg

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. I do it by turning off the lights or closing the shades.

My SAD is a sunshine born disorder. I need overcast, gray, cloudy, rainy, snowy weather to be happy. Too many days of sun, and I can start to get really cranky and lose energy.

[LynzM]

7. Yes...

Not "officially," but I did buy a full-spectrum lamp to use this winter when I read, and it seems to have helped. :)

[Patiod]

8. No, but I bet it will help

Being a researcher, i know that you can't necessarily link things that occur together, as their causes may no be related. Having said that, my depressions stopped cold as soon as I got an office with a skylight. All subsequent offices have had windows, and I haven't had any prolonged periods of depression since. Again, the two things may be unrelated, but I don't think so.

Skylights are not an option if you work in a skyscraper in Wilmington, of course. But we work in one of those suburban office parks where almost everyone has an outside office.

Light is so important to mood.

[bikebloke]

9. Full Spectrum Bulbs

When I lived in Seattle, I bought a couple full spectrum bulbs. It seemed to help. What helped even better, was finally saving up enough money to move away.

[Jamastiene]

10. I bought a Bright Stik light for about $10

It helped me just fine. I also bought some catnip and some rye grass seeds (both very cheap too) and grew them both under it. Between the Bright Stik and working with the plants and fighting my cats who tried to eat the catnip before the buds* came out, it kept be pretty busy and pretty calm and happy through the season that was affecting me.

*I don't think I'd try to grow marijuana around my cats as they don't understand the concept of how great buds are).

[DeepBlueC]

11. Actually I have the lamp...

It's about the size of my computer screen. It is supposed to shine down on you so its desktop stand is high. I guess it would sit nicely above my computer screen. Frankly by the time it is time to set it up and turn it on I am in the slough of despond and I just don't care so it sits there in a box behind the couch. That's the hard part. You actually have to use it. Maybe next year...

I have two full spectrum desk lamps but I don't think they have any effect because they just shine down on my work areas. Nice light to work with though.

[no name no slogan]

13. I use one. But GET A PRESCRIPTION FOR IT if you get one!

I use one called a goLITE. It seems to work pretty well for me. However, I am bipolar, and too much exposure can send one into a manic episode-- not a good idea.

Also, SAD lights are just like any drug. You should get a prescription for one before purchasing it, for two reasons:

1) If it's prescribed to you, insurance will often cover part of the cost. The goLITE I use retails for $300. I only paid $50 after my insurance covered part of it.

2) You really should see a doctor or health professional and get screened for SAD. SAD is like any other disease, and should be properly diagnosed before treatment begins. You wouldn't start popping Prozac without consulting a doctor-- you shouldn't start using a SAD light until you get a proper diagnosis, either.

Also, recent research has proven that the type of light doesn't matter as much as the intensity and proximity of the light. So, full-spectrum lights are no more effective than a white light, or a flourescent light. What matters is the brightness and the time spent in front of it.

Talk to your health care provider before you purchase a SAD light. They are an investment, and you really should bet a proper diagnosis before you spent that kind of money on one.

Good luck :hi:

[tigereye]

16. good advice!

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. Yes, but you probably won't like my solution.

I moved to Florida.

[Deep13]

15. I added a bright lamp to the office.

I can't say for sure to what degree it has been helpful, but it was not dramatic. I can't just go outside for photons since in the winter it gets dark pretty early and it is almost always overcast in winter.

[lizerdbits]

17. I use them

I've been thinking about getting an additional one for work now that I no longer work in front of a window where I got to catch the sun most of the morning. You're supposed to change the bulbs every couple years as I was reminded this year when I started getting really tired. Turned out to have been almost 4 years since I got new ones!