anyone find something that significantly improves cognition/memory?

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone found something which significantly improves cognition/memory/brain fog? I've gotten improvements in my other symptoms ever since starting sertraline, an SSRI, but my cognition/memory/mood is still lacking. I find it very hard to read or learn anything new. I cannot study, and my mind is very slow, apathetic, and foggy.

I've found certain supplements to help slightly (B12, NAC, curcumin), but nothing significant and nothing which allows me to read and comprehend things. If I take an ADD questionnaire right now, I score in the highest category. I'm wondering if a low dose stimulant would help, or perhaps a dopamine agonist.

Thanks

Benfotiamine and Carniclear (L carnitine) are two of the supplements that work great for me. I don't take meds. for CFS.

Stimulants or methylphenidate might help, but stims might be harmful in the long run.

Many nootropics can help: piracetam, picamilon, oxiracetam, etc.

Pycnogenol is known to benefit ADD symptoms, and would be my first choice b/c of so many of the Aox benefits.

Benfotiamine (fat soluble B1) can sometimes help.

Ginkgo gives some people benefits.

Gotu kola is said to improve cognition and memory.

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (e.g., huperzine A) can sometimes help cognition and memory.

Those are a few off the top of my head, hope you can find something to help you. Cog problems are almost the worst part of this.

Make sure you take a good fish oil for the brain also. Magnesium also.

i've finally realised that iron deficiency is a big part of the cogntiive problems. in addition to the concentration/methylation connection.

but i think we are not iron deficieint in teh normal way.. i think its anemia of chronic disease ...so a problem with iron transport.

dont' think i wld supplement iron at this point.... feeds the bugs..

After seeing some anecdotal reports on the effects of coconut oil on Alzheimers, I upped my use of it. Can't say for sure if it's just been a "less bad" stretch of my illness, or whether the coconut oil is making the difference, but I have seemed to have better focus, word-retrieval, and memory in the last few months. Am even reading a bit again. (yeah!)

Dancer, I was just going to add Coconut oil to the thread. I only take it one every couple of days since it gives me energy! Between this and the Benfotiamine, I can get too much energy. We cook with it and I take it in a spoon after getting it cold.

I am going to order coconut manna also.

CDP-choline, caffeine.

if caffeine works for a particular person then I'd bet that nicotine would work even better

CDP-choline is the one that I've heard is in the energy/focus formula sold at Aldi, much cheaper than elsewhere

Things that come to mind (from a parent whose kid has ADHD): amphetamines, methylphenidate, bupropion, atomoxetine, guanfacine. All require a prescription.

By the way, does your brain fog get worse after eating? If yes, the culprit might be intestinal hyperpermeability.

It's funny you mention iron supplementation. When I take iron I almost go into a coma. When I take Inositol-Phosphate 6 also known as IP-6, I feel more energized. IP-6 binds iron. Clearly bacteria are feeding on iron.

[quote="xks201, post: 276410, member: 4979"When I take iron I almost go into a coma. [...] Clearly bacteria are feeding on iron.[/quote]

Or, maybe:

Iron supplementation increases small intestine permeability in primary schoolchildren in Lusaka, Zambia

Very interesting. Interesting also how it would be less concentrated in natural food and probably less damaging to the small intestine.

or how about iron based ROS, which IIRC are among the worst species.

Thanks for the recommendations.

I've tried carnitine and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Caffeine helps with the 'not wanting to do anything' feeling, and slightly with cognition. Maybe I should give nicotine gum a try. The problem is I'm quite sensitive to caffeine, I have to have just a small amount in order for it to be effective but not over stimulating.

My brain fog does get worse after eating, but this symptom is definitely better after I started the SSRI. I think it has something to do with inflammation, and the anti-inflammatory effects of the SSRI. Of course, carb intake is also a factor. If I don't eat for a while and eat a good amount of carbs I'll be quite sleep and foggy. This problem isn't as bad if I eat my carbs througout the day.

L-glutamine seemed to help lift some of my fog. I noticed this effect both times I started taking it, and the reverse when I stopped for a while. Though I think it started being less effective when I upped my dose above 2g a day, so I stopped doing that ; )

Stimulants (caffeine or prescription) some times help me but they aren't reliable. I have to be 'not very sick' (whatever that means) for them to work. When I was badly off they didn't help at all, just added a weird layer of exhaustion on top of my 'normal' illness and fatigue. They seem to help now that I've had some improvement, but I have to keep the dose very low and not take them very often. There's usually a downside (effect on sleep and borrowing peter to pay paul), and I get diminishing returns with repeated consecutive use.

And I think B12 can have a subtle effect on my ability to focus. It's a pretty small effect for me though.

And, of course, generally improving sleep has helped - but that's a whole puzzle of it's own!

which is turned into the neurotransmitter glutamate, one of the primary excitatory chemicals in the body. Maybe it'd be worthwhile to see if MSG has any benefit mentally.

Just a thought: what if you tried eating just nearly pure carbs, like white rice? That way you'd isolate the effects of carbs from the effects of all the other molecules that come along in food and get through the gut barrier when they shouldn't.

Another self-experiment would be between high GI carbs and low GI carbs, which is definitely not as simple as processed versus unprocessed carbs. For instance, white pasta is much lower GI than the usual whole wheat bread that's in stores.

This is all supposing that tiredness after eating carbs is coming from reactive hypoglycemia.

I was told by someone in the CFIDS Foundation that Chrysin has helped some people specifically in the brainfog and cognition. I bought some but my digestive problems are too bad to try it. Just thought I'ed mention it.

That's the stuff that steroid junkies take to try and prevent man boobs.