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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 25 to 49 of 52. Go back in thread:
Posted by GabaGirl on May 9, 2004, at 6:00:33
In reply to Re: Jury's In: GABA » GabaGirl, posted by LOOPS on May 5, 2004, at 17:15:24
Hiya Loops:
I read your message on Friday and sooo wanted to take some time to reply, but was very busy at work. I may write to you off line too as we have much in common.
I can so much identify with what you have been through and your situation also reminds me of my aunt's who is also bipolar with OCD I think, and lots of anxiety issues. She is unfortunately recently divorced from her husband now after going through a lot of rehab for alcohol and pot use and now working for a rehab facility in Nashville.
As for myself, I still smoke cigs to excess and have had problems with alcohol abuse in the past, and present really though it's been less and less of a problem.
I still feel I need to take my meds in addition to the supplements and saw my pdoc/therapist yesterday who upped my prozac to 15 mg from 5. It was a bit of a downer ironically and actually was very stressful seeing her to be honest. I wonder if her approach to "therapy" is right for me and if it is doing me more harm than good. Something for me to think about... I feel that things like meditation, Tai Chi, and life coaching might be much more helpful to me at this time. Anyone try those or similar alternative therapies???
I also find I am very drawn to the "physician heal thyself" model, and have had so much success with changing my diet and adding supplements, I am taking the orthmolecular approach more and more seriously. Much more I need to learn about it too!
This board has especially been helpful to me. (More helpful than my pdoc honestly. :) ) Sometimes I feel ready to pull a Donald Trump and tell her "Your fired!" I've been considering it....
But I do need someone to monitor me and write scripts since I'm not ready to try going without my meds. Been there, done that and it was bad, bad bad...
It's great you are able to find combinations of supplements that work for you without meds. Perhaps I will eventually too??
Best,
GabaGirl
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 11, 2004, at 12:30:53
In reply to Re: Tryptophan source - Inositol source added, posted by GabaGirl on May 9, 2004, at 5:34:03
Hey, that is a good price for inositol! I've been using www.iherb.com for most of my supplements, but this source has better prices. Thanks. Oh, BTW, myo-inositol is the preferred form for mood disorders. This Jarrow powder is the myo form, but I don't know if most people are aware there are differences in inositols.
>
> Good source (cheap too! Jarrow - $7.50 per bottle for 227 grams) for inositol:
>
> http://wholesalesupplementstore.com/inositolpowder.html
>
> Best,
>
> GabaGirl
Posted by LOOPS on May 14, 2004, at 9:28:10
In reply to Re: Tryptophan source - Inositol source added » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 11, 2004, at 12:30:53
Hello everybody again!
Have a dilemma. Is it 'ok' to take the l-tryptophan at the same time as GABA (in pill form) - or will the GABA 'fight' with the tryptophan to get to the brain? Also, is eating bread + honey ok to eat with all this (all my pills need some food or I feel sick).
Am doing pretty well this week, hoping this lasts...
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 14, 2004, at 17:53:30
In reply to can I take tryptophan at same time as gaba?, posted by LOOPS on May 14, 2004, at 9:28:10
> Is it 'ok' to take the l-tryptophan at the same time as GABA (in pill form) - or will the GABA 'fight' with the tryptophan to get to the brain?
**Shouldn't be a problem since they work on different pathways.
>>Also, is eating bread + honey ok to eat with all this (all my pills need some food or I feel sick).
>
**Yes, carbs are good to eat with tryp and other amino acids. Protein can compete with aminos, however. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C taken with increase availability. L-taurine is a good relaxing amino to look into for balancing electrical potential, somewhat like an anti-convulsant.
Posted by LOOPS on May 14, 2004, at 19:04:44
In reply to Re: can I take tryptophan at same time as gaba? » LOOPS, posted by BarbaraCat on May 14, 2004, at 17:53:30
> > Is it 'ok' to take the l-tryptophan at the same time as GABA (in pill form) - or will the GABA 'fight' with the tryptophan to get to the brain?
>
> **Shouldn't be a problem since they work on different pathways.
>
> >>Also, is eating bread + honey ok to eat with all this (all my pills need some food or I feel sick).
> >
> **Yes, carbs are good to eat with tryp and other amino acids. Protein can compete with aminos, however. Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C taken with increase availability. L-taurine is a good relaxing amino to look into for balancing electrical potential, somewhat like an anti-convulsant.
>Presumably I should take the Taurine at a different time from the tryptophan, or does this again work on a different pathway? I have got a bottle (500mg) which I haven't started yet. However as I am vegan and a woman I think Taurine would be a very good adjunct (apparently estrogen depletes Taurine, and although Taurine can be made from methionine and cysteine, additional taurine is available in meat which I don't get).
Is Taurine good to take before bed - will it add to the deeper sleep I get from inositol/mag/tryptophan/gaba??
By the way, regarding brands, I have noticed a difference between the NOW niacinamide and the Solgar - the NOW brand gave me a bit of a headache, which went away when I started the Solgar. Odd huh?
Thanks - you seem very knowledgeable about all of this!
Loops
Posted by GabaGirl on May 16, 2004, at 7:02:13
In reply to Re: Tryptophan source - Inositol source added » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 11, 2004, at 12:30:53
Thanks for the information on myo-inositol. I did not know that! Glad Jarrow is the right form.
Still have not taken mine this am, but man has it helped with depression and fatique for me. Over the past few weeks since starting it, my energy has returned to more normal levels I have not experienced for months now!
I think the celluar detox and liver function improvement advertised on the Jarrow label is must be helping too.
Best,
GabaGirl
Posted by LOOPS on May 16, 2004, at 10:09:34
In reply to Re: Tryptophan source - Inositol source added, posted by GabaGirl on May 16, 2004, at 7:02:13
> Thanks for the information on myo-inositol. I did not know that! Glad Jarrow is the right form.
>
> Still have not taken mine this am, but man has it helped with depression and fatique for me. Over the past few weeks since starting it, my energy has returned to more normal levels I have not experienced for months now!
>
> I think the celluar detox and liver function improvement advertised on the Jarrow label is must be helping too.
>
> Best,
>
> GabaGirlHow much inositol do you take in one go GabaGirl? I just upped my dose to a couple of grams as I feel I can now tolerate it better.
Loops
Posted by GabaGirl on May 16, 2004, at 11:13:07
In reply to inositol, posted by LOOPS on May 16, 2004, at 10:09:34
Hi LOOPS:
I'm not measuring it exactly, but would estimate around 2-3 grams in the am, and sometimes another gram or two in the afternoon.
Clinical dosages were more like 8-12 with even 20 being considered. That is WAY too high for me.
If I feel too much energy, I lower it the next day, too little, up it a bit. Playing by ear right now... But think I may tolerate and need more in the winter when I am most depressed.
Best,
GabaGirl
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 16, 2004, at 14:44:45
In reply to Re: inositol, posted by GabaGirl on May 16, 2004, at 11:13:07
The Jarrow powder is 600mg per 1/4 tsp, so 1 Tbs is 7.2 grams. Do you know if am or pm or split dosing is preferred? I take 1 Tbs in the morning. I haven't figured out if it energizes me or not, but morning seems to work out best.
About 4 years I started reacting terribly to SSRI's and coming down with the worst of my fibromyalgia symptoms. I added inositol and felt it was starting to make a difference. Then my pdoc and I suspected I might be bi-polar and started on lithium and then added Lamictal. I read that inositol interferred with lithium's action and so stopped inositol. Lam and lithium worked pretty well then pooped and I was getting pre Stevens-Johnson (which I eventually got but from another med) so I quit everthing.
Since stopping all prescription meds this past January I've gone back to inositol and fish oil and SAM-e as my primary mood meds.
Anyhoo, once again I'm feeling the beneficial effects of inositol and fish oil on my mood. Inositol does not bring on any hypomania at all. I think my bipolar depression/craziness was due to brain and body going haywire from longtime stress, and these nutrients are bringing things back to balance. And you bet, I do believe that inositol's detox effects are helping with this. Liver can use all the help it can get!
BTW, I play around with amino acids based on what I've read but it's not an exact science and sometimes I get weird results. My naturopath just gave me a saliva test kit from Neuroscience labs to measure neurotransmitter levels for amino acid supplement baselines. I'm starting a new thread on this board to see if there are any hits/info, so if you're interested, check out new threads. - BarbaraCat
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 16, 2004, at 18:42:27
In reply to Re: can I take tryptophan at same time as gaba? » BarbaraCat, posted by LOOPS on May 14, 2004, at 19:04:44
Hello Loops,
> Presumably I should take the Taurine at a different time from the tryptophan, or does this again work on a different pathway?
**I think it's OK. I don't think aminos compete with each other. As far as pathways, GABA and serotonin are different neurotransmitter systems and I don't think that their precursors directly complete against each other. However, tweaking one system to excess can have impact upon the other neurotransmitters, i.e., serotonin has an inverse effect on dopamine levels.
**However as I am vegan and a woman I think Taurine would be a very good adjunct (apparently estrogen depletes Taurine, and although Taurine can be made from methionine and cysteine, additional taurine is available in meat which I don't get).
**I didn't know that about estrogen depleting Taurine!! That's good info. I wonder if SAM-e would help here since it is a methionine precursor. I eat very few animal products as well. Getting enough protein is a big challenge cause I can't do soy or whey, but I recently discovered hemp protein powder from www.livingharvest.com and like it alot.
>
> Is Taurine good to take before bed - will it add to the deeper sleep I get from inositol/mag/tryptophan/gaba??
>
**I don't notice it having a tranquilizing or sedating effect but more like an electrical smoothing effect. It is an inhibitory amino acid so I'd guess it would add to the calming effects of the others.I only take straight taurine when I'm having more anxiety and then take 500 mg morning and night. I have NO idea if this is enough or the best dosing times. I take my daily magnesium as Mg taurate and like this form of Mg better than the others and figure I'm getting the taurine benefits as well.
>>By the way, regarding brands, I have noticed a difference between the NOW niacinamide and the Solgar - the NOW brand gave me a bit of a headache, which went away when I started the Solgar. Odd huh?
**Thanks! Y'know, I take a few NOW brand supplements but had an odd wondering about their quality a little while ago. Kind of a gut feeling.
>
> Thanks - you seem very knowledgeable about all of this!**Likewise! As far as the amino info, however, I have many questions about them and want to understand alot more. There are so many conflicting reports on when, how much, what they do, etc. So I guess it comes down to reading up and seeing how they affect us indivudually. I'd love a clinic workup and protocol from the Pfeiffer Institute. They're the leaders in the U.S. on treating mood disorders with amino acids and nutritionals.
Posted by LOOPS on May 17, 2004, at 20:13:14
In reply to Re: can I take tryptophan at same time as gaba? » LOOPS, posted by BarbaraCat on May 16, 2004, at 18:42:27
I've had excellent results with the Solgar brand - plus, ok, this is a bit superficial, but the bottles look really nice! I mean, they're all glass with metal tops and have nice labels. Oh dear.
Well I was just reading up on taurine some more - found good article on thewayup.com referring to anxiety. It seems estrogen INHIBITS taurine being formed in the liver. There is also some debate about whether we need taurine from animal products, despite being able to create it ourselves from other aminos.
Also, people with eczema are often deficient in taurine. Well that would be me then. Which is ironic, as the reason I went *mostly* vegan was to overcome this very problem.
I had a look at that website Doctoryourself, and it was very interesting, especially the article about treating alchoholism with megavitamins. Unfortunately, I don't react too well to l-glutamine (makes me irritable, although this is not ALWAYS the case), and with chromium I seem to break out in terrible itchy eczema even more. Also when I take more than 1 / 2 B-50 tablets I seem to get a bit anxious. I also tried lecithin, but found it made me anxious as well. I prefer inositol mixed with a few other things - my brain likes this better, although fish oil I have always found beneficial.
The vitamin C works well though. I am definitely 'on the way up'. I can't believe I've lived so long with anxiety without knowing what really works for me. My husband thinks all my pretty bottles are just another obsession. Well at least this obsession has a point to it, and a good one at that. (Actually I think deep down he agrees that anything that helps is worth it - wish he would say so more though).
Loops
Posted by GabaGirl on May 18, 2004, at 4:16:51
In reply to Re: inositol » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 16, 2004, at 14:44:45
> The Jarrow powder is 600mg per 1/4 tsp, so 1 Tbs is 7.2 grams. Do you know if am or pm or split dosing is preferred? I take 1 Tbs in the morning. I haven't figured out if it energizes me or not, but morning seems to work out best.
Hi BarbaraCat:
I take several grams in the morning and often follow-up with a second dose in the early afternoon. So far it seems to work best that way, but if I feel too hypomanic, I tend to skip the second dose.
I am taking it with 10-15mg of Prozac currently, was taking magnesium but it caused problems for me, then the fish oil and vitamin B. Sometimes I add passionflower tincture to the Inositol/juice/tea drink I have in the am or afternoon. I felt a bit of racing thoughts anxiety, irritability without the inositol yesterday though and took a GABAcalm which may have made me dizzy. But I also had coffee and 2 sodas with caffeine and aspartame, not a good combo for me.
No aspartame today! I think we have to adjust inositol, etc...according to our needs and play around with dosage within reason! until we find what works best. Taking it with passionflower tea in the am worked very well for me for instance -- unfortunately out of my tea and need to add it to my list. I had luck with Nighty Night tea from Traditional Medicinals as it makes the passionflower more palatable. It's pretty funky tasting on its own.
>
> About 4 years I started reacting terribly to SSRI's and coming down with the worst of my fibromyalgia symptoms. I added inositol and felt it was starting to make a difference. Then my pdoc and I suspected I might be bi-polar and started on lithium and then added Lamictal. I read that inositol interferred with lithium's action and so stopped inositol. Lam and lithium worked pretty well then pooped and I was getting pre Stevens-Johnson (which I eventually got but from another med) so I quit everthing.How is Lamictal for you? I have not tried it but am interested. I am on Neurontin and Zyprexa otherwise.
>
> Since stopping all prescription meds this past January I've gone back to inositol and fish oil and SAM-e as my primary mood meds.
>
> Anyhoo, once again I'm feeling the beneficial effects of inositol and fish oil on my mood. Inositol does not bring on any hypomania at all. I think my bipolar depression/craziness was due to brain and body going haywire from longtime stress, and these nutrients are bringing things back to balance. And you bet, I do believe that inositol's detox effects are helping with this. Liver can use all the help it can get!For me too! I feel so much better with inositol. Great find for me and others it seems too.
>
> BTW, I play around with amino acids based on what I've read but it's not an exact science and sometimes I get weird results. My naturopath just gave me a saliva test kit from Neuroscience labs to measure neurotransmitter levels for amino acid supplement baselines. I'm starting a new thread on this board to see if there are any hits/info, so if you're interested, check out new threads. - BarbaraCatI haven't done much with amino acids, but have tried taurine and GABA with some success as calming agents. May try tryptophan soon. We shall see. I'm currently all tapped out for buying more supps this month. :(
Best,
GabaGirl
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2004, at 15:27:18
In reply to Re: inositol, posted by GabaGirl on May 18, 2004, at 4:16:51
**Yeah, passionflower is a nice herb. I take it to help sleep but haven't tried it during the day. Are you the one who gets kava from Hawaii? I've tried Kava but didn't have much luck with it.
> No aspartame today!
**Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.
> How is Lamictal for you? I have not tried it but am interested. I am on Neurontin and Zyprexa otherwise.
>
**I'm not taking Lam anymore. I was taking with lithium and the two were working OK but a very anxious depression kept breaking through and, as is typical with these things, my dose was very slowly raised (from 75mg to 125, then 150 hoping to reach 200mg). At 125mg I started getting a maddening itch which I thought was due to finally coming down with cat allergies (thankfully, not so). At 150 it was very intense and I cut way back because of fear of the rash. I eventually stopped everything because nothing was working and making my mood symptoms worse.Unfortunately, that itching was actually a promdromal condition that led to a sensitivity to many other drugs. I came down with the rash and worse, Stevens Johnson Syndrom, from another drug in March and came close to exiting this mortal coil. I now have a sensitivity to all kinds of meds that I never was allergic to before. I can't even take Neurontin on a regular basis anymore which helped with fibro pain because any of the anti-convulsants starts giving me mucous membrane blisters. From that experience I really grokked that we have no idea what we're doing to ourselves with these drugs and all the others we take in combo. At least for me, my psych med days are over which is probably a good thing. So thus, my pit bull tenacity to figure it out some other way.
Today is NOT a good day and I'm feeling pretty pissed off, frustrated and teetering on despair. If it were only depression, anxiety, etc., but my body feels like it's being stabbed with ice picks and I'm #$^!@! sick of it. If there were a pill I could gulp to make my mind and body feel better without paying and paying for it, I'd jump at it. But there ain't none and here's where my spiritual training is supposed to come to the rescue.
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2004, at 15:45:53
In reply to Stuff, posted by LOOPS on May 17, 2004, at 20:13:14
> I've had excellent results with the Solgar brand - plus, ok, this is a bit superficial, but the bottles look really nice!
**Solgar it will be for me then. Other people like it alot and, call me silly but I think nice bottles are important!
>
> It seems estrogen INHIBITS taurine being formed in the liver.**There was something I'd heard about problems down the line with taking oral estrogen and progesterone, in fact, any of the sex hormones, because of this liver thing. I take a cream with estrogen/progesterone, etc. made by compounding pharmacy which supposedly helps this but you never know.
>>There is also some debate about whether we need taurine from animal products, despite being able to create it ourselves from other aminos.
**So, does it say that you either need animal products OR taurine if you're not getting animal products? Or is it saying that you need extra taurine even if you are eating meat?
>
> Also, people with eczema are often deficient in taurine. Well that would be me then. Which is ironic, as the reason I went *mostly* vegan was to overcome this very problem.**Do you drink alot of water? I've been bumping into one source after another, books, articles, etc., on the importance of drinking 1/2 our weight in ounces of pure water daily. There's a book "Your body's many cries for water" which makes a very convincing case. Eczema is mentioned. His website is www.watercure.com. It's worth a try. None of us seems to get enough water. It's also important to add a little sea salt as well.
>
> I had a look at that website Doctoryourself, and it was very interesting, especially the article about treating alchoholism with megavitamins. Unfortunately, I don't react too well to l-glutamine (makes me irritable, although this is not ALWAYS the case).**Yes, I don't react well to l-glutamine either. It's an excitatory amino acid I don't do well on those. Since I've been drinking all that water (and pissing like a racehorse!) I don't get nearly the craving for alcohol like I used to. Or, if I want to have a glass of my beloved chardonnay or else go ballistic, I promise myself an equal amount of water before each glass. It really works in curbing things and I don't feel like warmed over crap the next day either since hangovers are largely dehydration.
Posted by LOOPS on May 18, 2004, at 18:23:18
In reply to Re: Stuff » LOOPS, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2004, at 15:45:53
Oh boy I still drink, but I can't take wine anymore - it's too easy to overdo it, so I drink beer. I just try to limit it and go from there. I gave up beer for ages whilst doing the infamous Atkins plan, then rebelled forcefully when things weren't working out for me weight and health-wise.
I'm pretty happy eating the way I am right now, and have managed to force my bulimia into some sort of remission, which is further than I ever managed before. I just eat lots of beans, vegetables, fruit and wholegrains - and apart from beer I really don't 'cheat' - there's just no point.
I do drink a lot of water, but mostly in the form of herbal tea, so I'm not sure if this works the same way - it's damnably cold here at the moment so hot drinks are preferable. I gave up caffeine in the form of coffee a very long time ago, replacing it with large weak 'vats' of yerba mate, which doesn't really stimulate me very much, if at all. It is VERY addictive though, but I guess in a good way as I've never felt it causing me any problems. It is the taste I like. Here it is the cheapest thing around.
About the l-tryptophan - I'm still going good with this. I wake up drowsy in the mornings, which for me is an excellent sign. I can see why some people might not like this, but I really value waking up feeling relaxed.
How did you find l-tryp? Much use, or only limited usefulness?
Every couple of days I will take a tiny amount of acetyl-l-tyrosine if I am starting to feel pushed too much the other way regarding serotonin and dopamine - if I start to feel lack of motivation I take this and I am fine again. If I take it too much (i.e. every day) I am right back where I started before the l-tryptophan.
What a balancing act! I just hope there isn't one great gust of wind to knock me over again at this point (maybe I should eat less beans then).
I don't know about meat-eaters and taurine - my guess is they get enough if they eat enough protein. L-glutamine and l-taurine share an oppositional relationship or something like that. If you take l-glutamine you have to be careful to get enough taurine. Zinc supports the action of taurine. I take zinc because I once had a test at the height of my bulimia and it came back very deficient. I take zinc orotate, just because that's what I have at the moment in the cupboard.
The inositol is saving me from the dreaded sleeping pills. I woke up last night with my husband snoring/gasping/making horrific noises/tossingand turning in bed, so got up and took a further 1.5g of inositol and went more or less straight back to sleep (wahey!). I remember a time not so long ago when I would lie awake for a further couple of hours before reaching over to take the knock-out blue pill. Sleep is so precious to me - I can live if I can sleep.
Loops
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 18, 2004, at 20:49:10
In reply to Re: inositol » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2004, at 15:27:18
> Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.
Keeping in mind that the idea here is not to exaggerate or overgeneralize, could you please rephrase that?
If you have any questions or comments about this or about posting policies in general, please see the FAQ:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
or redirect a follow-up to Psycho-Babble Administration.
Thanks,
Bob
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 19, 2004, at 12:44:57
In reply to Re: please rephrase that » BarbaraCat, posted by Dr. Bob on May 18, 2004, at 20:49:10
> > Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.
>
> Keeping in mind that the idea here is not to exaggerate or overgeneralize, could you please rephrase that?
>
**Not my words or my idea. Here's an article including other links if anyone's interested:http://www.rense.com/general37/ddly.htm
Posted by GabaGirl on May 19, 2004, at 15:07:53
In reply to Re: inositol » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 18, 2004, at 15:27:18
Hi Barbaracat:Sorry your're not doing so well today!
> **Yeah, passionflower is a nice herb. I take it to help sleep but haven't tried it during the day. Are you the one who gets kava from Hawaii? I've tried Kava but didn't have much luck with it.
I'm not the one who gets the kava from Hawaii, but I have tried in tincture form -- nasty tasting stuff! -- and it helped somewhat, but not nearly as good a p-flower. I can drink it in the morning, afternoon, or evening, though usually only in the am with the inositol and maybe hot tea before bed. All works well for me and keeps from being too hyper.
>
> > No aspartame today!
>
> **Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.It made me feel like you describe below! Irritable, pissed off, in a really bad mood, like my nerve endings were frayed. I was at work too and getting fed up with everything anyone said! I was like a total buddha woman the next day though and actually had one of the best days of my life! Weird. I avoid aspartame usually altogether and use sucralose if anything or Hawaiian raw organic sugar. Like that, but have blood sugar problems.
I stopped aspartame because I read studies linking it to depression and other health problems. Anything that worsens depression I need to stay away from. Though like Loops, I like a good beer now and then! I think the hops in beer is what draws me. I tried non-alcoholic ones and they are OK, probably much, much better for me.
>
> > How is Lamictal for you? I have not tried it but am interested. I am on Neurontin and Zyprexa otherwise.
> >
> **I'm not taking Lam anymore. I was taking with lithium and the two were working OK but a very anxious depression kept breaking through and, as is typical with these things, my dose was very slowly raised (from 75mg to 125, then 150 hoping to reach 200mg). At 125mg I started getting a maddening itch which I thought was due to finally coming down with cat allergies (thankfully, not so). At 150 it was very intense and I cut way back because of fear of the rash. I eventually stopped everything because nothing was working and making my mood symptoms worse.I missed that you weren't taking it. The rash possibility bothered me as well.
>
> Unfortunately, that itching was actually a promdromal condition that led to a sensitivity to many other drugs. I came down with the rash and worse, Stevens Johnson Syndrom, from another drug in March and came close to exiting this mortal coil. I now have a sensitivity to all kinds of meds that I never was allergic to before. I can't even take Neurontin on a regular basis anymore which helped with fibro pain because any of the anti-convulsants starts giving me mucous membrane blisters. From that experience I really grokked that we have no idea what we're doing to ourselves with these drugs and all the others we take in combo. At least for me, my psych med days are over which is probably a good thing. So thus, my pit bull tenacity to figure it out some other way.Too bad on the Neurontin as it supposedly is a very "clean" drug as far as potential kidney or liver problems. I have taken it since early 1999 and find it soooo helpful. I was on lithium for years and it only worsened my rapid cycling in the end. Neurontin totally helped immediately for me in a very, very bad way at the time where I ended up checking myself in to the hospital for the first and only time in my life. It's been a godsend for me.
But so sorry about your med reactions. We really do have to be careful with them. I've been able to lower everything except the Neurontin and seem to do better at those lower doses for Zyprexa and prozac only right now.
>
> Today is NOT a good day and I'm feeling pretty pissed off, frustrated and teetering on despair. If it were only depression, anxiety, etc., but my body feels like it's being stabbed with ice picks and I'm #$^!@! sick of it. If there were a pill I could gulp to make my mind and body feel better without paying and paying for it, I'd jump at it. But there ain't none and here's where my spiritual training is supposed to come to the rescue.I hope your mood lifts! I wonder if some passionflower tea might help? Nighty Night -- don't like the name -- by Traditional Medicinals -- they have another one with p-flower in lower doses that's just calming, less sleep inducing too. I need to find some cheap sources for it since I drink it so frequently!
Best,
GabaGirl
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 19, 2004, at 20:02:15
In reply to Re: Stuff » BarbaraCat, posted by LOOPS on May 18, 2004, at 18:23:18
I was taking tryp for awhile and it helped with fibro pain but I don't take it religiously. This whole amino acids thing is confusing what with one causing deficiency in another. It's such an inexact science. I wonder sometimes about just taking a full spectrum amino supplement and letting it work itself out.
I know what you mean about sleep. It's the main healing agent for me. My day goes so much better when I wake up feeling refreshed and relaxed. Most times I feel like I've been slugging it out during the night - tense and sore in the morning. I haven't noticed a huge difference in this when taking tryp but I probably haven't taken enough at a time to affect my sleep patterns. Sleep has always been difficult. Since I can remember it's taken a long time to fall asleep, but once I'm there I can usually remain asleep. I do take Ambien, about the only med left to me that still works. Trazodone helped for a while but left me feeling really dopey for hours the next morning.
You mentioned your husband snorting and snorking during sleep. This could be sleep apnea and may need to be checked. It's one more thing I have - went to a sleep study lab, was found to have moderate apnea (waking up 10-15 times a night gasping but not being conscious of it) and have to use a CPAP. Sometimes I get sick of looking and feeling like Darth Vadar and don't use it. I REALLY feel the difference after a short while, especially with fibro pain.
I've thrown in the towel and went out and bought some St. John's Wort. It helped before, had no side effects and I'm in need of something. I can always tell when I'm starting to slip because I start having trouble in the grocery stores. The little critter carcasses in the meat cases start making me weep right then and there, like today. SJW won't bring me out of a major bad one but it has helped to prevent the skid and I'm hoping it won't turn against me like all my other meds have done. So I won't be experimenting with any aminos for the time being to not muddy the SJW trial, but my husband has taken over my tryp stash and it will be interesting to hear his experience with it.
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 20, 2004, at 6:33:44
In reply to Re: please rephrase that » Dr. Bob, posted by BarbaraCat on May 19, 2004, at 12:44:57
> > Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.
>
> Not my words or my idea.Thanks for your reply, but the civility guidelines apply even if you're quoting someone else:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
So I'd still like you to rephrase that, thanks,
Bob
Posted by GabaGirl on May 20, 2004, at 11:14:57
In reply to Re: Tryptophan source - Inositol source added » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 11, 2004, at 12:30:53
Thanks for the link to iherb.com! It's fantastic and has a lot of very good prices.
Has anyone tried Health from the Sun liquid fish oil? Great price for that compared to Carlson's Finest. I will likely try it next and save some $$.
Best,
GabaGirl
> Hey, that is a good price for inositol! I've been using www.iherb.com for most of my supplements, but this source has better prices. Thanks. Oh, BTW, myo-inositol is the preferred form for mood disorders. This Jarrow powder is the myo form, but I don't know if most people are aware there are differences in inositols.
> >
> > Good source (cheap too! Jarrow - $7.50 per bottle for 227 grams) for inositol:
> >
> > http://wholesalesupplementstore.com/inositolpowder.html
> >
> > Best,
> >
> > GabaGirl
>
>
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 20, 2004, at 11:28:23
In reply to Re: please rephrase that » BarbaraCat, posted by Dr. Bob on May 20, 2004, at 6:33:44
> > > Aspartame is deadly, a neurotoxin.
> >
> > Not my words or my idea.
>
> Thanks for your reply, but the civility guidelines apply even if you're quoting someone else:
>
> http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#civil
>
> So I'd still like you to rephrase that, thanks,
>
> Bob**OK, sorry if this caused any problem. It's my opinion from my reading and talking to others that aspartame can be a neurotoxin. If anyone is interested in exploring this further, please take a look at the link above.
Posted by BarbaraCat on May 20, 2004, at 12:12:11
In reply to Re: Iherb and Fish oil question, posted by GabaGirl on May 20, 2004, at 11:14:57
> Thanks for the link to iherb.com! It's fantastic and has a lot of very good prices.
**Yeah, they're great. You get even better deals the more you order. I save around 70% when I wait and put in a large order.
>
> Has anyone tried Health from the Sun liquid fish oil? Great price for that compared to Carlson's Finest. I will likely try it next and save some $$.
>
**I've tried Health from the Sun products in the past and don't recommend them. Two separate products 'Omega 3's' and their flax seed oil were both on the verge of rancidity. With fish oil you have to be real careful because of the mercury and PCP contamination issues. Extracting the fish oil, testing it and then correctly packaging it isn't a cheap process.Carlson's Fish Oil is one that consistently tests excellently on purity and reported EPA/DHA levels, and is hightly recommended by many health specialists. It's really worth the extra price, plus it tastes pretty good! I get the 30oz size and transfer the amount I'll use within a few weeks to a smaller container and put the rest in the freezer 'til needed. You have to be real careful with fish oil freshness, otherwise rancidity causes a whole other set of problems. I'd stay away from fish oil capsules for this reason as well, plus to get the 8-13grams you'd be swallowing a handful of pills.
Posted by GabaGirl on May 20, 2004, at 15:10:19
In reply to Re: Iherb and Fish oil question » GabaGirl, posted by BarbaraCat on May 20, 2004, at 12:12:11
Thanks again for the info! I'll avoid Health from the Sun then. I wondered why it was so cheap!
I actually currently use Carlson's Finest as well and stay away from the caps. I didn't know you could get 30oz bottles though. I get the 16oz and keep it in my refridgerator. It does taste decent as you say, and I just drink it straight, no chaser.
I haven't been taking it lately, but need to start again soon. The best price I found for it was $27 and good quality. I can get it locally for around $14 for 8 oz bottles though, so may start doing that.
GG
> > Thanks for the link to iherb.com! It's fantastic and has a lot of very good prices.
>
> **Yeah, they're great. You get even better deals the more you order. I save around 70% when I wait and put in a large order.
> >
> > Has anyone tried Health from the Sun liquid fish oil? Great price for that compared to Carlson's Finest. I will likely try it next and save some $$.
> >
> **I've tried Health from the Sun products in the past and don't recommend them. Two separate products 'Omega 3's' and their flax seed oil were both on the verge of rancidity. With fish oil you have to be real careful because of the mercury and PCP contamination issues. Extracting the fish oil, testing it and then correctly packaging it isn't a cheap process.
>
> Carlson's Fish Oil is one that consistently tests excellently on purity and reported EPA/DHA levels, and is hightly recommended by many health specialists. It's really worth the extra price, plus it tastes pretty good! I get the 30oz size and transfer the amount I'll use within a few weeks to a smaller container and put the rest in the freezer 'til needed. You have to be real careful with fish oil freshness, otherwise rancidity causes a whole other set of problems. I'd stay away from fish oil capsules for this reason as well, plus to get the 8-13grams you'd be swallowing a handful of pills.
Posted by Dr. Bob on May 21, 2004, at 7:15:39
In reply to Re: please rephrase that » Dr. Bob, posted by BarbaraCat on May 20, 2004, at 11:28:23
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