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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Tomatheus on October 14, 2013, at 12:39:49
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
Hello again Babblers,
It's now been about two months since I started my current vitamin D trial. As of my last update, I was taking 1,400 IU of vitamin D and noticing a reduction in the severity of my fatigue, hypersomnia, and difficulty concentrating that was lasting, even though it wasn't consistent from one day to the next. With it now being a month since my last update, I'm taking 1,600 IU of the vitamin now with results that are similar to those as of my last update: I'm still responding to the vitamin (perhaps a bit better than I was a month ago), although my energy level has been fluctuating more than I would normally expect it to.
Despite the fact that my energy hasn't been where I'd like it to be all of the time, I'm encouraged by the fact that my energy level has seemed to be at least close to adequate more often than not since my last update and that I've generally been more productive between my last update and this one than I was between my first two updates. As I've increased my vitamin D dose and given the vitamin more time to exert its effects, the therapeutic benefits that I've noticed from taking the vitamin have seemed to gradually increase with time. Because most (if not all) of the supplements that I temporarily responded to prior to starting this trial were most effective right after I started taking them and much less effective later on, I see the fact that the therapeutic benefits that I've noticed from the vitamin D have increased with time as being a very good sign.
Although I'm encouraged by the results that I've noticed since starting this vitamin D trial, I think that it would still be premature to conclude at this point that my trial is going to end with some degree of success. Supplements have a way of becoming ineffective for me in the long run, even those whose therapeutic benefits last for around a month or longer. Because the benefits of the vitamin D that I'm taking have lasted for about two months and because I was found to have an insufficient level of vitamin D, I'm more optimistic about how this trial will turn out that I've been about most supplement trials, but I also know that it's still early in my trial and that the way that things will turn out is unknown.
One thing that's surprised me about the way that the vitamin D has affected me since my last update was that I noticed a temporary increase in the severity of my sound hallucinations and what I call my pseudohallucinations shortly after I wrote my last update (when I was still taking 1,400 IU of the vitamin). As I said in my last update, I didn't notice an increase in these symptoms immediately after I increased my vitamin D dose from 1,200 to 1,400 IU, but eventually, these symptoms did get worse before getting better again. Now, as I said earlier in this update, I'm currently taking 1,600 IU of vitamin D. My last dose increase came about 1.5 weeks ago, and I did notice a very short-lived increase in my sound hallucinations and what I call my pseudohallucinations a few days after I increased my dose, but the symptoms have since settled down. So, as of right now, my sound hallucinations and pseudohallucinations are around their usual level for me, and if these symptoms don't get any worse any time soon, I may be increasing my dose again fairly soon.
Well, that seems to sum things up for now. I plan on reporting back here with another update on my vitamin D trial in another month. Until then, take care, and be well.
T.
Posted by Lao Tzu on October 18, 2013, at 11:36:34
In reply to Update: 2 months of vitamin D, posted by Tomatheus on October 14, 2013, at 12:39:49
Tomatheus, I too have had problems with low energy levels for many, many years. I am glad the vitamin D is working somewhat for you. It sounds encouraging. As I have said before, there might actually be a problem with mitochondrial functioning. Things like high dose thiamine and riboflavin, along with vitamin E, vitamin C, and selenium would help. From the research I've done, think antioxidants. If you improve the oxidative stress caused by schizophrenia, you may, in theory, alleviate some of the symptoms. Again, good luck with the vitamin D trial.
Take Care,
Lao
Posted by Lao Tzu on October 18, 2013, at 12:01:36
In reply to Update: 2 months of vitamin D, posted by Tomatheus on October 14, 2013, at 12:39:49
Tomatheus, I was curious, but do you smoke cigarettes? I did for 12 years and I quit last year. I felt like the smoking had an impact on my energy levels. I mean, I was smoking 2 packs a day. Now, I'm wearing the nicotine patch everyday, and overall, I feel better. I wanted to also mention that I take a good multivitamin (Centrum) everyday along with my other supplements. It seems to help somewhat, owing that my diet is not the best.
Take care,
Lao
Posted by Tomatheus on October 18, 2013, at 19:30:17
In reply to Re: Update: 2 months of vitamin D, posted by Lao Tzu on October 18, 2013, at 11:36:34
Hi Lao,
Thank you for your replies and for wishing me luck with my vitamin D trial. I still seem to be responding to the vitamin D that I'm taking, although I became a bit discouraged after feeling worse than usual energy and concentration wise for a few days and decided to add a small amount of vitamin B6 to my supplement regimen. The reason why I went with B6 as opposed to something else was that in addition to having received test results indicating that I had insufficient vitamin D, I also received test results after visiting an orthomolecular psychiatrist indicating that I had a mild case of "pyroluria," or a "pyrrole disorder." It is thought that supplementing with vitamin B6 helps those who produce abnormally high levels of pyrroles because the pyrroles have been found to bind to B6 (and zinc), which is said to produce a deficiency. At any rate, it's hard to say the extent to which the vitamin B6 has been helping me since I started taking it (and I started it on Wednesday), but maybe I'll notice some sort of pattern over the course of the next few days or longer.
Anyway, thank you for suggesting the vitamins that you suggested and the mineral selenium. I don't think that it would hurt for me to try what you've suggested at some point to see if the antioxidants that you've recommended might produce some symptom relief. And I agree that addressing oxidative stress could at least potentially resolve at least some of the symptoms of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Right now, I'm probably going to give my current regimen time to see how it's going to affect me and maybe add in some zinc, since that particular mineral is recommended for those with pyroluria, but I am open to trying other supplements in the long run and might quite possibly try at least some of what you've suggested.
In response to your question about smoking cigarettes, I can gladly say that I am part of what seems to be a minority of individuals with a psychotic disorder that does not smoke. I've smoked cigarettes a little bit in the past, although never very regularly, and it's been several years now since I've even touched a cigarette. So, thank you for addressing the possibility that smoking might be a factor in some of my symptoms, just in case that might play some sort of role in things, but I don't smoke.
Well, I think that this sums up my reply. Thanks for responding to my thread, and I hope that you're doing well.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on October 25, 2013, at 19:44:32
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
Will keep taking vitamin D, but my response seems to be gone as of right now.
Now at 2,800 IU.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on November 14, 2013, at 1:14:41
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
Well, it's time again for my monthly update on how I've been doing with my vitamin D trial. Even though I wrote in my last message here that the vitamin D that I've been taking seemed to become ineffective, I would say at this point that the vitamin still seems to be doing something for my energy, concentration, and hypersomnia, at least at times. I've increased my dose to 3,600 IU since I wrote here last. It might be that the response that I've been noticing on and off will last and perhaps even strengthen as time goes on, but I must also acknowledge the possibility that my current response might just be a temporary boost that I'm noticing as a result of my last dose increase. As I've said in the past, time will tell what my response will look like over the true long run. Maybe vitamin D will end up being the only treatment to give me persistent relief from my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia, but then again, I could just end up responding to vitamin D in the same way I've responded to most other treatments so far (by experiencing short-lived relief followed by no response). We'll see, I guess.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on December 8, 2013, at 16:19:53
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
This is just an update to say that I've discontinued vitamin D for now because my hypersomnia was getting to be worse than it is at baseline on 3,600 IU of the vitamin, and my energy and concentration didn't seem to be any better than they are at baseline. I've stopped the vitamin D completely for now, but I very well may resume taking it again at a much lower dose for general health reasons (since my vitamin D level was found to be low). I think at this point that the prospects of my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia ever improving are quite dim, although I'll continue to explore different options.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on December 8, 2013, at 16:22:53
In reply to End of vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on December 8, 2013, at 16:19:53
It now reflects the fact that I have discontinued vitamin D.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on December 28, 2013, at 23:19:02
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
Hello fellow alternative Babblers,
The pterostilbene that I was taking seems to have stopped doing what it was doing for my energy and concentration, and I've decided to start another vitamin D3 trial because I don't seem to have any other reasonable treatment options for my chronic fatigue and hypersomnia. Even if the vitamin D3 doesn't end up reducing the severity of my hypersomnia (or if it seems to make my hypersomnia worse, like it did last time), maybe it will at least reduce the severity of my fatigue if I stay on it for longer.
I'm at the point where not only have I tried every medication option for my chronic fatigue that I think is worth trying, but I've also tried every supplement option that I think is worth trying. I feel like one of the only options with any chance of producing some improvements is to give vitamin D3 more time to work, so that's what I'm going to do.
As of tonight, I'm taking 1,200 IU of vitamin D3, and I plan on slowly increasing my dose until I get to 5,000 IU. Then, if all goes well, I'll likely stay at that dose for at least six months. I plan on posting updates from time to time.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 17:25:18
In reply to Starting another vitamin D3 trial, posted by Tomatheus on December 28, 2013, at 23:19:02
I think I'm feeling worse than at baseline again with this vitamin D3.
So, I'm stopping it again for now.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on February 3, 2014, at 23:17:41
In reply to End ... again, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2014, at 17:25:18
I've decided to start taking vitamin D3 once again. This time, I'm probably only going to stop the supplement if I find it to be completely intolerable. I'm currently taking 1,200 IU of the vitamin and plan on slowly increasing my dose. I also plan on posting updates to this thread to let all of you know how my trial goes.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on March 3, 2014, at 14:52:34
In reply to Taking vitamin D again, posted by Tomatheus on August 14, 2013, at 17:51:39
Well, it's now a month into my current vitamin D3 trial, and I can say that I've been feeling consistently better than how I felt before I started this trial (taking just Abilify and niacin), although my symptoms have fluctuated to a certain extent. Basically, my energy, concentration, and sleep time (with less being better, since I experience hypersomnia) have been probably somewhat improved, and my overall cognition seems like it might possibly be slightly improved as well. The "positive" psychotic symptoms that I experience -- mostly sound hallucinations, what I call auditory "pseudohallucinations," mild visual disturbances, and remnants of ideas of reference -- don't seem to be any better than how they were before I started this trial, and I would say that at times, some of these symptoms even seem to be slightly worse. But as of right now, I would say that my most bothersome symptoms are posing less of a problem for me than they do without vitamin D3. Whether or not this will continue for me, however, has yet to be seen.
I also wanted to say for the record that I've increased my vitamin D3 dose twice since my last update: first from 1,200 IU to 1,600 IU, and then from 1,600 IU to 2,000 IU. This time around, I'm probably going to aim for a target dose of 3,000 IU, with me continuing to increase my dose gradually.
That sums up this update. I plan on posting more in another month.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on April 3, 2014, at 13:29:35
In reply to Update: 1 month into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on March 3, 2014, at 14:52:34
It's now been two months since I started taking vitamin D3 again most recently. Since my last update, I've increased my vitamin D3 dose twice: once from 2,000 to 2,400 IU, and then from 2,400 to 2,800 IU. Basically, the initial response that I was noticing from supplementing with vitamin D3 seems to have mostly faded now. I will continue to take vitamin D3 in hopes that I'll notice something further down the road. Until then, I might take other supplements on top of vitamin D3 to see if something might help to keep me afloat until the long-term effects of vitamin D3 supplementation kick in (that is, if they ever kick in). Right now, I'm taking bacopa (with my D3), which seems to be doing a little something for my energy and concentration, but quite a bit less than what I'd like.
Well, I plan on posting another update in another month. Until then, may all of you here on Psycho-Babble be well.
Tomatheus
Posted by SLS on April 4, 2014, at 5:44:49
In reply to Update: 2 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on April 3, 2014, at 13:29:35
> Well, I plan on posting another update in another month.
Good luck, Tomatheus.
> Until then, may all of you here on Psycho-Babble be well.
Thanks.
- Scott
Posted by Tomatheus on April 4, 2014, at 12:09:29
In reply to Re: Update: 2 months into current vitamin D trial » Tomatheus, posted by SLS on April 4, 2014, at 5:44:49
Thanks, Scott, for posting and for wishing me luck. I always appreciate your good wishes.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on May 2, 2014, at 16:15:42
In reply to Update: 2 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on April 3, 2014, at 13:29:35
Hello again my fellow babblers,
It's now been three months since I started my current trial with vitamin D3. I'm still taking the 2,800 IU of the vitamin that I was taking as of my last post here. I've tried a few supplements on top of my vitamin D3 (including the bacopa that I was taking as of a month ago), mostly without success. Right now, I'm taking 250 mg of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) daily alongside my vitamin D3, Abilify, and niacin. The vitamin C may be helping with my concentration, which my vitamin D3 hasn't been helping much with as of late, but then again, I've only been taking vitamin C for three days now.
So, how have I been doing on vitamin D3 this past month, you may be wondering? I can definitely say that I seem to be noticing something that I wasn't noticing before I started taking vitamin D3, and that's been the case for most of this past month. Mainly, my energy seems to be a little better. My hypersomnia seemed like it was being helped, but now with me averaging around nine hours of sleep as of late, it seems like my hypersomnia is being helped to a bit of a lesser extent than it was being helped earlier in the month. My concentration mainly hasn't been very good, although I will say that for the most part it's been better than how it was before I started taking vitamin D3. So, all in all, I would say that it seems like my energy, concentration, and sleep issues seem to be mildly improved over how they were before I started taking vitamin D3. Even though I wish that I were doing even better than how I'm doing right now, I think that the fact that I'm noticing some kind of response is reason to be encouraged and hopeful. Perhaps I'll be doing even better in another month.
Until then, take good care of yourselves, fellow babblers, and be well.
Tomatheus
Posted by herpills on May 14, 2014, at 10:46:26
In reply to Update: 3 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on May 2, 2014, at 16:15:42
Thank you for sharing your update re: vitamin D. I thought I would tell you about my experience as I am also supplementing with 4,000IU. My doctor recently checked my levels and it's only gone up from 28 to 30. I think my best strategy is going to be spending a lot of time in the sun this summer as I believe that may be the only way to really get my level up, it seems that the supplement is helping but in a limited way. Have you thought of increasing your dose above 2800? If youre not getting any side effects I would encourage a dose increase especially if your levels have been tested low. I think you can take up to 5000 without any problems, anything above that I would consult with a doctor. Take care! herpills
Posted by Tomatheus on May 15, 2014, at 18:47:22
In reply to Re: Update: 3 months into current vitamin D trial » Tomatheus, posted by herpills on May 14, 2014, at 10:46:26
Herpills,
Thank you for your post. I've been giving the possibility of increasing my vitamin D3 dose some thought. I experienced some eyelid twitching starting right around the time I increased my D3 dose from 2,400 IU to 2,800 IU, and the twitching lasted for about a month. I don't know for sure if the vitamin D3 was a factor in the eyelid twitching, but I didn't want to increase the dose while I was still experiencing the twitching in case even more D3 might have made the twitching worse. At this point, increasing the dose of my vitamin D3 might be a possibility. After noticing what seemed to be some improvement in my energy and concentration for a little while, both symptoms (especially my concentration) seemed to worsen for me earlier this week. I've added olive leaf extract to my regimen to see if that might help in treating whatever infection I might have. In addition to having tested low for vitamin D, I also always seem to come back with elevated white blood cells whenever I get tested for that. I tried going to a doctor's office recently to see if they would try to get to the bottom of why my white blood cells are always elevated, but they refused to even see me because all of my symptoms are psychiatric in nature. So, I'm basically left just trying to treat myself.
But to return to the main topic of your post and this thread, thank you for reminding me about the option of increasing my vitamin D3 dose. I don't think that I'm ready to increase the dose just yet, mainly because I want to see what effect the olive leaf extract might have, but increasing the D3 dose is definitely something to consider doing in the near future.
Take care and be well,
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on June 2, 2014, at 17:53:52
In reply to Update: 3 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on May 2, 2014, at 16:15:42
Hello all,
I'm just checking in to report on how I've been doing over the course of the past month. For the most part, I haven't been doing very well, especially during the second half of this past month. I've increased my vitamin D3 dose from 2,800 IU to 3,200 IU, tried adding another supplement or two for a short time, and even reduced my Abilify a bit (from 5 mg to 3.75 mg), and all I can say are that my energy, concentration, and hypersomnia are all still very problematic for me. As of today, I've added olive leaf extract back to my regimen in hopes that staying on it for a few weeks might treat a possible infection that I have (as evidenced by the fact that my white blood cells are always elevated), so I guess I'll see how I'll do with the olive leaf extract over the long run (in combination with the 3,200 IU of vitamin D3 that I'm taking).
That sums up my report for this month. I hope that those who might be reading this are finding themselves doing well.
Tomatheus
Posted by herpills on June 8, 2014, at 18:38:00
In reply to Update: 4 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on June 2, 2014, at 17:53:52
Glad to here you are doing better. Could you tell me a little more about olive leaf? I'm not familiar with this supplement...herpills
Posted by Tomatheus on June 8, 2014, at 19:04:51
In reply to Re: Update: 4 months into current vitamin D trial » Tomatheus, posted by herpills on June 8, 2014, at 18:38:00
Hi Herpills,
Thank you for your reply. Olive leaf extract, from what I understand, seems to be used by those who have infections or who suspect that they might have infections. If my understanding is correct, it could be of use not only against bacterial infections, but also possibly against infections caused by viruses and protozoa. At any rate, the benefits that I seemed to be noticing from adding olive leaf extract have seemed to fade, and adding yet another supplement (vitamin C) into the mix didn't seem to do any long-term good, either. For now, I've stopped both olive leaf extract and vitamin C, and I think my next step will be to add l-methionine to my regimen of Abilify, niacin, and vitamin D3.
Thanks again for your reply, and I hope that you're doing well.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on July 8, 2014, at 18:45:35
In reply to Update: 4 months into current vitamin D trial, posted by Tomatheus on June 2, 2014, at 17:53:52
Hello all,
It's now been a little more than five months since I've begun my most recent vitamin D3 trial. Unfortunately, I can't say that I've noticed any improvements over the course of the past month or so that I can attribute to the vitamin D3 that I'm taking. I've tried a few other supplements on top of the vitamin D3 that I'm taking and have experienced short-lived improvements in my energy and concentration from a few of them, and I'm currently still experiencing a little bit of improvement, probably from a "resveratrol antioxidant" supplement that I'm taking. However, when it comes to the vitamin D3 that I'm taking, I think that if I'm noticing any improvement from the vitamin-hormone that it's improvement that I can hardly detect. I will also say that I ended up reducing my vitamin D3 dose over the past month (from 3,200 to 2,000 IU), just in case the D3 might have had something to do with the increase in pseudohallucinations that I was experiencing. I experienced a first increase in the severity of my pseudohallucinations when I tried reducing my Abilify dose from 5 mg to 3.75 mg, but then after I brought my Abilify dose back up to 5 mg, I experienced a second increase in pseudohallucinations, which prompted me to reduce my vitamin D3 dose.
So, I'll continue to take 2,000 IU of vitamin D3, but I don't expect any more improvements related to taking the D3 from this point forward. If I do seem to notice some improvement that seems to be related to the vitamin D3 that I'm taking, or if anything else changes with respect to my supplementation with D3, I'll post another update here.
Take care fellow babblers,
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on November 6, 2014, at 21:12:42
In reply to Update: 5 months into current vitamin D trial » Tomatheus, posted by Tomatheus on July 8, 2014, at 18:45:35
Hello Babblers,
It's been a while since I've posted to this thread, but I'm still taking vitamin D3 and have actually been taking 4,000 IU of the vitamin/hormone daily for almost two weeks now. I think that at this point I'm likely noticing very slight improvements as far as my energy and concentration are concerned, which are likely tied to the fact that I'm taking vitamin D3. I'm also taking niacin (250 mg/day) and Korean ginseng (535 mg/day) with my Abilify and vitamin D3, so even though the vitamin D3 isn't the only supplement I'm taking that may boost my energy and concentration, I think that the D3 that I'm taking is probably more likely than anything else to produce the kind of very gradual improvements that I seem to be seeing. Given the fact that any improvements that I may be noticing are occurring very gradually, I will probably only post updates to this thread on an occasional basis from this point forward, but I do plan to keep posting updates when I notice measurable changes in my symptoms or level of functionality or if and when I increase my dose again.
Let's hope that more improvements, even if they're very gradual, will occur with time for me and for all of you, as well.
Be well,
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2015, at 0:38:31
In reply to Update: Taking 4,000 IU of vitamin D3, posted by Tomatheus on November 6, 2014, at 21:12:42
Hello all and happy new year!
Considering that I'm overdue in updating this thread, I figured that I'd take the time now to update all of you on how I've been doing with my vitamin D3 trial. For whatever reason, I noticed what seemed like a possible worsening of my fatigue and concentration difficulties after increasing my dose from 3,600 IU to 4,000 IU, so I've actually been taking 3,600 IU for most of the time that's elapsed since my last update. I also tried taking 3,800 IU of vitamin D3 at one point and noticed results that were similar to what I experienced at 4,000 IU, so back to 3,600 IU it has been for me.
So... With me taking 3,600 IU of vitamin D3 for most of the time that's passed since my last update, I would say that I've been noticing what's likely some gradual improvement, especially as far as my energy and concentration have been concerned. I wouldn't necessarily describe the improvement that I've noticed as perfectly linear, as I still now even go through some patches when I feel only a small bit better than how I felt before starting vitamin D3, but at least I can say that I'm feeling at least a little better on a regular basis than how I felt prior to starting vitamin D3 and that as a whole, I seem to be feeling better as time progresses. Other than the vitamin D3 that I'm taking, I'm not taking anything else other than the Abilify (5 mg) and niacin (250 mg) that I was taking when I started with the vitamin D3, so even though I can never really say with 100 percent certainty that I'm feeling better as a result of the D3, I don't think that I can attribute the slow improvement to any other treatment. Vitamin D3, from what I've read, seems to have quite a long half-life -- so long, in fact, that one study found that when participants in a nursing home were fed vitamin D3-fortified bread for a year, their vitamin D3 levels didn't return to their baselines until somewhere between a year and three years after they stopped receiving the bread. So, based on that data, it would seem that my vitamin D level should likely continue to rise as I continue to supplement with the vitamin and that hopefully, I should notice further improvements.
Of course, time will only tell if I'll continue to notice what seem to be therapeutic benefits from supplementing with vitamin D3, but for now, I remain optimistic.
May 2015 be a good year for everyone here at Psycho-Babble.
Tomatheus
Posted by Tomatheus on February 5, 2015, at 9:49:02
In reply to Update: Probable slow improvement from vitamin D3, posted by Tomatheus on January 1, 2015, at 0:38:31
Hello all,
It seems like I'm starting to lose the improvements in energy and concentration that I had been noticing for a while and attributing to the vitamin D3 that I've been taking. I'll probably continue to take the vitamin D3, but as of right now, I'm much less confident than I was that the vitamin D3 that I'm taking will be of much help to me in the long run. I may have to look into other treatment options.
Tomatheus
This is the end of the thread.
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