Posted by Lao Tzu on May 9, 2010, at 16:43:57
In reply to Re: How do you know if it's helping, posted by alchemy on May 9, 2010, at 10:41:02
So are you saying that you have mood swings? How often are you up and down? Everyday? It's good that you take Lamictal. That can help with mood. I, too, take Lamictal. And I also like a little fish oil each day. I don't know if increasing your fish oil to 2400mg will help or not. It might. I've always kept my fish oil strictly at 1,500mg per day. I feel more stable with just a little fish oil. And I also add 1 capsule of borage oil everyday. Have you tried it before? Some people need both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. And some people need just the fish oil. I need both types. When you start taking borage oil, you might have to take 2 capsules a day for awhile, and then later 1 capsule might be enough. That's what happened to me. Lately, I've been adding more magnesium supplements and a little calcium, which I think has made a difference in my depression and anxiety. Are you low in magnesium or calcium? I take only chelated forms of magnesium and calcium because they work the best. I take 200mg of magnesium citrate in the afternoon, then at bedtime I take 450mg more of chelated magnesium and 500mg of chelated calcium. I seem to sleep better. Still have a little difficulty falling asleep, but once I'm out, I usually get a good night's rest. I stay away from magnesium oxide and calcium carbonate. I think these forms are inferior to the chelated forms. I also wanted to ask if you have considered the drug Abilify. It is used for bipolar disorder. Did your doctor ever mention it? Are you diagnosed as bipolar or just unipolar? I am on Risperdal, but I have tried Abilify in the past. A low dose. Risperdal works better for me. The Lamictal is a good stabilizer, better than Depakote, my doctor says. And it helps with depressive episodes as well. Here's a run down of the vitamins I take and the dosages I use:
Vitamin B1---100mg in the morning and bedtime
Vitamin B6---100mg in the morning and 50mg in the evening
Vitamin E---200IU in the morning and 400IU at bedtime
Vitamin C---500mg per day
Zinc---(as picolinate) 66mg per day
Manganese---10mg per day
Magnesium---(as Citrate) 650mg in divided doses per day.
Calcium---chelated form 500mg at bedtime
selenium---50-100 micrograms per day
fish oil---1,500mg per day
borage oil---1,300mg per day
Alpha Lipoic Acid---25mg every other day
melatonin---1mg at bedtimeThis is just to give you an idea what I've come up with over the years, including dosages. But note, my dosages are not necessarily the same for another person. It all depends on what your body requires or is deficient. For example, some people are deficient in B12 and/or folic acid and get better when they supplement with either of these. Note that B12 and folic acid affect histamine levels, so if your histamine is already high, you may not like these two, especially folic acid. If your histamine levels are low, B12 and folic acid are good for balancing the histamine levels.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:946773
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100322/msgs/946912.html