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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 17 of 17. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 22, 2011, at 19:05:03
I take lots of supplements. At first, I thought "Man, I'm wasting $$$ on stuff that isn't FDA-approved," but then I thought--look at your FDA approved options. So I kept taking the supplements.
Now, after a couple months, things are great. My blood pressure is down (I have essential hypertension AND "white glove phobia," so my blood pressure spikes a bit when its measured in a doc's office). I'm calmer. My skin and hair look better. I sleep reasonably well. I have more energy and focus. My meds work well and I don't seem to have any side-effects, except for the weight gain.
I'm so glad I did some googling and put together this medication+supplement program of mine.
Posted by morgan miller on February 22, 2011, at 23:10:20
In reply to I think my supplements are working!, posted by Christ_empowered on February 22, 2011, at 19:05:03
That's great! Good to hear you are doing well.
Do you mind listing your supplement regimen?
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 8:54:00
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by morgan miller on February 22, 2011, at 23:10:20
I take: 6 grams taurine; 4 grams vitamin c; 300 micrograms selenium+1200 IU vitamin E; 3 grams niacinamide; 2.4 grams NAC, 1 B-100, 3 grams green tea extract; 30mgs OptiZinc; generic multivitamin.
I'll be adding in fish oil tonight.
Posted by mrtook on February 23, 2011, at 11:45:42
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 8:54:00
you dropped your extra b-6 already?
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 12:29:23
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by mrtook on February 23, 2011, at 11:45:42
yeah, I had to. For a couple days, the extra 300mgs B6 (I take 100mgs in my B-100) was absolutely AWESOME. Then, I made the mistake of taking my vitamins w/o food (I sometimes do that, no big deal). This time...I threw up. I might add in the B6 again, but after that experience...its gonna be a while.
Posted by morgan miller on February 23, 2011, at 14:11:02
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 8:54:00
Cool..I'm surprised your not taking fish oil. Have you tried it with negative effects?
I've read reports of people growing a dependency to taurine and then having worse anxiety with chronic usage. Just something to keep in mind. Sorry if I'm critiquing your regimen. It's working for you and that's all that matters.
Posted by mrtook on February 23, 2011, at 15:20:04
In reply to b6, posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 12:29:23
Yeah vomit can be a real downer :(.
I sincerely hope that this current cocktail keeps you in top form.
Posted by Phillipa on February 24, 2011, at 11:11:10
In reply to Re: b6, posted by mrtook on February 23, 2011, at 15:20:04
I had been taking B6 for a lot of years for what I felt would just help with water retention. I read that was too high a dose and lots of side effects cut l00mg. Should I have done that as was okay til read that now feeling down and don't know if B6 had anything to do with it. Don't take the B complex. Phillipa
Posted by DG77 on February 24, 2011, at 13:24:15
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by Christ_empowered on February 23, 2011, at 8:54:00
Which of those supplements do you think are responsible for lowering your blood pressure? I know Vitamin C is one of the ones you listed that can be effective for that. Thanks!
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 24, 2011, at 13:36:28
In reply to Re: I think my supplements are working!, posted by DG77 on February 24, 2011, at 13:24:15
hey...I think its mostly the taurine. I based on my dose on the abstract of a small study in which they gave otherwise healthy people with somewhat elevated blood pressure 6 grams daily and then checked their progress after a week or so.
The other supplements can lower blood pressure as well. Vitamin C and vitamin E work together and, in high enough doses, can lower blood pressure. Green tea extract does all kinds of things that I don't understand, including sometimes lowering blood pressure a bit. Niacinamide in large doses can act as a tranquilizer, which can lower blood pressure by making you less neurotic.
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 24, 2011, at 13:37:52
In reply to Re: b6, posted by Phillipa on February 24, 2011, at 11:11:10
I honestly don't know. Some experts warn of nerve damage with high doses, but in the studies I've read (mostly dealing with treating Tardive Dyskinesia), there weren't any serious problems, even with several 100 mgs daily.
I think you should try a B-100, personally. I get mine from vitacost; a bottle of 300 once-daily capsules is like $15 or so.
Posted by Phillipa on February 24, 2011, at 16:14:03
In reply to Re: b6, posted by Christ_empowered on February 24, 2011, at 13:37:52
So you have never heard of it taken for water loss in females. Think 200mg was too high as dropped to l00mg? Phillipa
Posted by Lao Tzu on February 24, 2011, at 22:16:34
In reply to Re: b6 » Christ_empowered, posted by Phillipa on February 24, 2011, at 16:14:03
glad your regimen works for you. Fish oil may be useful as well. I'm still doing well on the b6. Think I have pyroluria as zinc and b6 are beneficial to me. Occasionally, I take a little taurine at bedtime. Next day I feel pretty good. Can't take it everyday, however. keep getting stronger. I love to hear success stories here.
Lao
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 25, 2011, at 9:39:58
In reply to Re: b6, posted by Lao Tzu on February 24, 2011, at 22:16:34
hey. I'm glad to hear that your meds+supplements are making your life better. Personally, I do best taking the same supplements every single day. I think part of my problem is an under-active antioxidant defense system, which is made worse by stress and meds. My supplement line up seems to boost my body's ability to handle everything life throws at it (meds included).
What's your diagnosis? Mine is Bipolar I w/ psychotic features, but I've found that a lot of supplements designed for people with schizophrenia work quite well for me.
Posted by Lao Tzu on February 25, 2011, at 13:44:12
In reply to for lao..., posted by Christ_empowered on February 25, 2011, at 9:39:58
Hi. My diagnosis is schizophrenia with generalized anxiety disorder and some depression. Since I've been adding vitamins to my medication, the depression and anxiety have gone way down, but I still have this hypervigilance thing. I guess it is related to the schizophrenia, where you are keenly aware of your environment and the people in it. I, at times, get anxious over innocuous noises. It used to be an exaggerated startle response years ago before the medication. Now it's just a little anxiety and hightened arousal. I know it is a symptom of the schizophrenia, so when it happens I just tell myself to relax and think rationally. Once I'm out of the situation, it takes me a little while to relax, but I know I can do it. That's why I have problems being around strangers. Somehow I fear them even though there is no logical reason to. Since I've been using higher dosages of zinc picolinate and B6, the hypervigilance is better but not completely extinct. I just have to realize that it's a fabrication of my own mind, and that I can gain control if I try hard. So you are correct. Certain supplements used for schizophrenia, such as B3, B6, C, and zinc are very helpful. I don't feel exactly normal, but at least the anxiety is better and I seem to behave more rationally. Someday, scientists will figure out the etiology of schizophrenia and I will be in better shape. Lately, I have been relying on some Cognitive Behavioral Techniques which seem to help. I read a lot on the subject of modifying negative cognitions, and this seems to help somewhat. I've often thought that maybe it's just neurotransmitters, but I think it is much more than that. Several years ago, before my Risperdal injections, I was prescribed Ativan for severe anxiety. It really helped me, but it didn't solve the schizophrenia. I sometimes wish I had some Ativan on hand, but then I think that I can learn to adapt without it. And I was right, though it takes more effort on my part to relax rather than relying on a drug to mellow me. I think the Risperdal helps as far as thinking rationally, not so much as a sedative, which I used to rely on heavily for years. There is something to benzodiazepine use that makes you feel normal, but more research needs to be done on GABA receptors. The answer doesn't really lie with benzodiazepines. They are antiquated drugs started in the 1960s. We have to look forward and beyond this class of medication. Risperdal is a godsend for me, but I still have symptoms of schizophrenia which are not exactly cured with Risperdal. Hopefully, the new glutamate drugs coming out in the next 5 years or so will shine some light on further development into the causes of schizophrenia. Then I think, perhaps, the schizophrenia is only one area that I am being treated for. Technically, I no longer have psychosis, but maybe the residual anxiety and depression can be worked out with other therapies. Maybe genes are involved, and perhaps you can't correct that, but you can correct the symptoms with medication and to a small extent, certain supplements. However, it is a mystery to me that I still have certain symptoms. Individual therapy or group therapy theoretically may help me cope with these residual symptoms where the meds fail to do so. I always believed psychology and your environment had something to do with schizophrenia. Some people like myself are just extremely sensitive to our environment, whereas other people thrive on stress and stimulating environments. Is that a form of natural selection? I think it could be. If I were born a hundred years ago, I probably would have ended up in an institution for the rest of my days, and my life would be poor, and I probably would be forgotten because nobody knew how to treat this illness. I thank God that I have been so fortunate to have been born in an era where science is slowly unlocking the mystery of mental illness. I am very lucky in a lot of ways. Some people are more sympathetic nowadays and fight for patients' right to live normal lives just like everybody else.
Lao
Posted by Christ_empowered on February 25, 2011, at 14:21:01
In reply to Re: for lao...)))Christ_empowered, posted by Lao Tzu on February 25, 2011, at 13:44:12
I'm glad you're making progress. I also used to take Benzos (Klonopin in my case) and sometimes I wish I had some on hand. Then again, if I had an Rx, I probably wouldn't be trying out various supplements, so I'd be simply suppressing/sedating the anxiety instead of empowering my body and mind to handle it better.
I have also sometimes thought what my life would be like if I'd been born back in the day, before reasonably effective medications. I don't think it would have been nearly as fulfilling or happy as the life I'm able to lead in the current day and age. The antipsychotics certainly aren't perfect, but my life is significantly better with an adequate dose of a neuroleptic than without one.
Posted by Lao Tzu on February 26, 2011, at 9:37:53
In reply to for lao..., posted by Christ_empowered on February 25, 2011, at 9:39:58
Yes, I agree. The neuroleptics have made a big difference in my life. I think they are more effective in the areas of rational, ordered thought and behavior. Still, there may persist some underlying anxiety and depression that is not resolved with neuroleptics alone. That's why I think some schizophrenics benefit greatly from high dose B6 and zinc, while others need high dose Niacin and vitamin C. As far as antioxidants, they are very necessary for good mental health. I also benefit greatly from selenium and vitamin E. Your doctor probably won't tell you of the healing powers of vitamins, probably because they don't know HOW to use them and there is no set diagnostic measure for vitamins. Still, I am so grateful for the medication. It has saved me from a life of constant anxiety, delusions, and paranoia. Vitamins if used in the proper manner do make life a little easier in areas where the medication acts poorly.
Lao
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