Posted by Lao Tzu on January 6, 2011, at 11:01:47
Lately, I have been feeling much better by increasing my magnesium and calcium at bedtime and by increasing my daily B6 dosage. Now I am up to 800mg of calcium and magnesium at bedtime. The dosage I was at was 500mg and it didn't seem to be enough. By increasing the dosage I seem to sleep much better plus my depression the following day is improved. I was taking only 100mg of B6 per day for a long time, but I noticed my depression slowly improving by increasing the daily dosage slowly. Now I am more stabilized at 200mg of B6 daily. I do believe that at least some people would benefit from higher dosages of B6 and also the calcium and magnesium, especially if you have a lot of restless nights, but there are many other vitamins and minerals that might be necessary for other people. Say, for example, higher dosages of folic acid for some people and Niacin for some types of schizophrenics, not to mention antioxidants like vitamin C, E, and selenium if you have a lot of oxidative stress. Zinc and B12 will help others as well. The B12 is interesting because correct dosing is very important. There may be people who are very sensitive to the B12 dosage like myself. I've tried many different dosages of B12, and I seem to stabilize on 375micrograms per day. 250mcg is insufficient and 500mcg seems to much for me, so be wary of the dosage you are using. Initially, when I first started on B12, my depression was greatly improved with 750micrograms everyday for several months. After that time period, I noticed I needed a lower dosage for maintenance. If you are concerned about the dosage, try the Schiff brand of B12(cyanocobalamin) which comes in 250mcg tablets. What I like about these tablets is that you have better control over your dosage. The tablets are scored so you can split them in half if you believe you are getting too much. I once read an article on elderly people stabilizing on 375micrograms of B12 daily for depression. I tried this by taking one 250mcg tablet plus one-half of a second tablet, and lo and behold, it works for me. Initially, if you are B12 deficient or have anemia, you may have to take larger dosages of B12 in the beginning to address a deficiency, but later on you may find that a lower maintenance dose will work just fine.
Another great vitamin is folic acid for SOME depressives, not all. Personally, I get worse on folic acid, but many depressives improve dramatically upon using this vitamin. Do a search for undermethylation and overmethylation and you may discover which category you fit in as far as depression is concerned. There is also the category of Pyroluria, which manifests in a depression caused by a double deficiency of B6 and zinc, and in some cases other nutrients like manganese and evening primrose oil or borage oil. In my case, I always tended towards a high histamine and undermethylated state, which is why calcium, magnesium, and B6 work very well for me, but everyone is different and will respond differently depending on the type of nutrient deficiencies that you as an individual have. I am just trying to make people aware that the use of common nutrients can help many people recover from depression to a point where you can function better and feel better.
Niacin is a tricky one. I think it helps some people with depression, especially if you are a very anxious type, but I found for myself that I could get along without using this one. That's just me, though. What I am unsure about is dosage for Niacin. Some people may only need a very low dosage. Others, like some schizophrenics, need up to 3,000mg per day to remain stable. The flush test will tell you if you can tolerate higher dosages. I am not so sure that most unipolar depressives absolutely need higher dosages of this vitamin, but some schizophrenics actually do very well on high dosages along with Vitamin C, according to Abraham Hoffer and Carl Pfeiffer.
There is some good information on orthomolecular medicine for free on the web, but if you want more comprehensive information there are many books as well you can order from Amazon. Good luck to all of you!!!
Lao
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:976013
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20101202/msgs/976013.html