Posted by Lao Tzu on November 1, 2008, at 17:35:17
Along with fish and borage oils, I have found that supplementing with vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride) and Benfotiamine (which is a lipid soluble derivative of B1) has been helpful for me. I gave up on N-Acetyl-Cysteine because it made me feel more depressed, so I started taking a low dosage of an amino acid complex at bedtime, and this seemed to give me a little more energy the next day plus helping me to sleep better at night. In the mornings, I take my meds plus fish and borage oils. In addition to these, I take a combination of regular B1 plus Benfotiamine. This seems to give me more energy and seems to affect my mood positively, at least for me. I also take ginger for stomach problems and I found the ginger has a somewhat calming effect for me. Benfotiamine is mainly for diabetic neuropathic pain and most people taking it for that reason use up to 600mg per day. However, I only need to take about 100mg in the morning and the effect seems to last most of the day. Wondering if I will benefit from taking more, but don't know yet.
At bedtime, like I said, I started taking the amino acid complex plus the following for good sleep: 500mg Niacin; 50mg P5P; 300IU vitamin E; 1/4 of a 3mg melatonin tablet; 200IU selenium; 300mg calcium; 500mg vitamin C. With the amino acid complex (Country Life) I take 3 capsules at bedtime, not four which the instructions tell you to take. With an amino acid complex, I would try the lowest possible dosage that helps because too much aminos could potentially complicate things. This is what I've been doing over a period of several weeks, and it seems to be working. I also take 100IU of vitamin E in the evening for mood. Let me just say that I also take medication in addition to supplements. I take an antipsychotic, antidepressant, Provigil for energy, and a mood stabilizer, so the medication is very helpful for the worst symptoms of my bipolar depression and the supplements just help to smooth things out.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:860254
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20081006/msgs/860254.html