Has anyone cured lifelong anxiety depression and ocd

[anxiousguy]

Thank you everyone for your help.(Especially @caledonia )

I think that Inositol may be a bust for me. It was always upsetting my stomach and I couldn't tolerate much more than 1tbs and a half a day.
@Hip said 2 heaped teaspoons (15g), but I think it has to be tablespoons to be in the 15g territory
I was discussing it with @Sherpa among other people in this thread
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/health-obsession-anxiety.32011/page-2#post-600180

I don't really know what to do. I get poor response from SSRIs etc. Not enough serotonin? My snps keep them from being effective? I don't know if there is a specific med that would work? I've tried tons of supplements, therapy etc. Nothing seems to help. I am also scared to death of going back on since I had what I believe to be discontinuation that lasted years.

Re:gut

beginning of this video states that gut serotonin/brain serotonin are different

I am thinking of getting tested for pyluria @ahmo , I assume that it is just a blood test? Is there a blanket test for infections in general?

At this point I don't think that anything is going to work and I can't/don't want to spend tons of money on tests and supplements etc.
I would like to try methylation, but it is so complex and there isn't a consensus on anything. I also don't want to take 50 different pills a day. It isn't as simple as b12 and folate. No one can even agree on the type of b12 (adeno/hydroxy/methyl) or folate. I'd also have to worry about cofactors etc. Yasko makes an all in one http://www.holisticheal.com/all-in-one-multi-vitamin-mineral-120-capsules.html but it costs 30 bucks a month
http://www.holisticheal.com/news/dr-amy-on-all-in-one/

I have had such extensive testing, please let me know if anyone wants to see anything

 

[Hip]

@Hip said 2 heaped teaspoons (15g), but I think it has to be tablespoons to be in the 15g territory

I actually have a tub of inositol powder and a digital weighing scale right beside me on my desk now, so I can confirm that one fully heaped teaspoon is around 10 grams (inositol powder is quite fine, and so heaps high), and one heaped teaspoon tapped gently to remove excess powder weights around 7 grams.

If anyone is regularly using supplements and herbs in powder form, it is an idea to get a cheap $10 digital weighing scale on eBay. They are amazingly accurate for the money, and the one I have measures down to 1 mg (one thousandth of a gram).

 

[ahmo]

I am thinking of getting tested for pyluria @ahmo

Pyroluria: I used this online questionnaire only, never did lab testing. When I first took it, I scored pretty low. Later I retook it, answering for ailments that I'd had in the past, and was high enough to warrant going further. I ordered the appropriate supps, and felt different within 5 days of starting them. I'm not at my computer, if you want more info re the supps, I can link Dietrich Klinghardt's protocol in a day or 2, if you tag me.

 

[caledonia]

I am thinking of getting tested for pyluria @ahmo , I assume that it is just a blood test?

I saw on your 2013 labs that copper is low. Copper imbalance is implicated in mental health issues.

A low lab result can actually mean it's either low or high.

I think it would be worthwhile looking into pyroluria, and copper/zinc imbalance in general.

 

[xrunner]

I would like to try methylation, but it is so complex

It isn't.
However humans have a tendency to complicate even the most simple things. All you need is a B complex (with active folate and no folic acid) and a sublingual B12. That's all you need.
If that then takes away symptoms (or aggravate them) it is another matter because correcting methylation doesn't necessarily mean that all or your main health problems are solved.

As regards anxiety, I'd suggest testing for Bartonella and Lyme. I'd also try and rule out mercury or lead as possible factors.
I suffered from anxiety for many years. I could not sleep or function without medication. I couldn't handle stress. I also had other symptoms indicating that something wasn't right in my nervous system. A substantial portion of it went away by treating Bartonella and Lyme.

I have not taken a single pill, supplement, medication etc since about 2012, not for anxiety, not for sleep, not for anything else. I just don't need to take anything any longer.
Best wishes.

 

[oceanwild]

have u ever try the supplement 5-HTP It works in the brain and central nervous system by increasing the production of the chemical serotonin. Serotonin can affect sleep, appetite, temperature, sexual behavior, and pain sensation.

 

[dannybex]

@anxiousguy: Years ago, after about five-six months of methyl-b12 shots (with nebulized glutathione) -- which helped bring me out of a panic-driven year -- I started to become more and more restless and agitated. So my doctor at the time recommended injectable thiamine (B1). Within maybe a week, I felt like I could quit the klonopin I was taking cold turkey. It was miraculous.

I only took the shots for about a month or so, then was doing so well (relatively speaking) that I of course forgot about them, and it wasn't until almost 10 years later that I found the receipt for the shots and had the chance to try them again. They DO work to calm on down quite a bit, but the only problem is the price. Very expensive per shot, and since I'm on SSI, I haven't been able to afford them since January, and have declined considerably since then.

Good luck.

p.s. What happened with Deplin? I thought it was helping you awhile back?

 

[Hip]

I started to become more and more restless and agitated. So my doctor at the time recommended injectable thiamine (B1). Within maybe a week, I felt like I could quit the klonopin I was taking cold turkey. It was miraculous.

Very interesting. I had not heard of vitamin B1 injections for the treatment of anxiety. There's not that much info online about it, but I found this study:

The Impact of Thiamine Treatment on Generalized Anxiety Disorder

That study found daily intramuscular injections of vitamin B1 were effective for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — such that patients could discontinue taking their regular anxiolytic medications.

This is something I would like to try, as I am always on the lookout for better anxiety treatments.


Would you know why injections are required, rather than oral vitamin B1.

 

[dannybex]

Very interesting. I had not heard of vitamin B1 injections for the treatment of anxiety. There's not that much info online about it, but I found this study:

The Impact of Thiamine Treatment on Generalized Anxiety Disorder

That study found daily intramuscular injections of vitamin B1 were effective for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) — such that patients could discontinue taking their regular anxiolytic medications.

This is something I would like to try, as I am always on the lookout for better anxiety treatments.


Would you know why injections are required, rather than oral vitamin B1.

I believe because of the many types of anti-thiamine factors found in both foods and in the gut. Plus heavy metals like arsenic can interfere w/thiamine synthesis. I have a post here someplace from a year ago or so...

Here it is:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...te-inhibiting-thiamine-b-1.23392/#post-357867

Thanks for the study you linked above @Hip. Confirms my experience. I just wish I hadn't fogged it out for 10 years!

 

[anxiousguy]

Just an update.
@dannybex
@Hip
@oceanwild
@xrunner
@ahmo
@kakrpa
@helen1
@Critterina

I started Methylation at the end of August (a couple weeks after my Girlfriend of 8 years and fiance told me that she wanted to take a break for a couple of weeks). I took Seeking Health L-5-MTHF and Active B12 (1/4 of each) and started to increase 1/4 of a pill at a time every week. I think that I was tolerating ok, no significant side effects. I was up to a full pill of each by mid Sept

Since then my Girlfriend broke up with me (I also found out that she was with someone and possibly the reason for the split). Obviously I was very upset and depressed and anxious. With that and my life in shambles, I don't know if anything will "work" at this point. I added in Dr Ben's B minus about a week or two ago. I was a little nervous about the niacin in it, but the FAQ on his site says not to worry about it.

I seem to be tolerating the supplements ok, but still have all of my depression, OCD, racing thoughts, intrusive thoughts etc. I realize that supplements aren't going to fix everything in life. The problem is that nothing has EVER helped - not therapy or meds or supplements.

How long would methylation take to "work" if it was going to "Work?"

I tried 100-300mg of 5htp but it did nothing. I am a little leery to continue to try it as I heard that it can deplete dopamine (if not taken with L-tyrosine). I am also MAO.

Part of me wonders if I should go up dosage wise. I do know that folate can raise norepinephrine and possible be linked with cancer.

I am wondering if my sublingual B12 is not all staying under my tongue. Perhaps some of the "juice" is finding its way down my throat and not absorbing through my stomach.

I am thinking of trying a different B12. Maybe drops or a gel. I am also thinking of hydroxy, but I don't know if I'd do that WITH MB12 or in place of or what the dose would be

I just am so miserable and exhuasted with all of this. I am sick of being sad and depressed.

 

[helen1]

For me I felt no beneficial effects from the b12s and folate until I added carnitine fumarate well away from food. Then I had a wonderful improvement for eight months. Have you thought of adding that?

 

[dannybex]

That's a very difficult question or questions to answer, as we're all different and there are so many different factors or triggers involved. I'm definitely on the anxious spectrum, but have found that both folinic and methylfolate help me sleep better -- sometimes almost too much. So in a way, they do help at least temporarily turn down the 'wired but tired/racing thoughts' thing.

I can also tolerate noise better because of the folates -- I used to jump at sounds and when my clock radio goes off in the morning I'd wake right away. Now sometimes I'll sleep for another half hour, even if it's turned up quite loud.

I've seen some anecdotal posts from some taking that super-high dose Deplin, where they say they feel normal for the first time in their life. But 200 mcgs of the same methylfolate as I mentioned can make me SO sleepy (an hour or two later) that even though I may need to increase it at some point -- I think if I did it now, I'd be in a coma.

Some have found that the balance between B12 and folates is very critical. One can be too stimulating if they're not balanced.

Also, the NAG that @Hip recommends helps a little with anxiety for me.

Niacin and niacinamide make me feel a lot worse, so that may mean that I'm not getting enough methyl donors, but who knows. Also B6 and/or b5p also make me more irritable (eventually) and give me leg jerks, even at small doses.

But again -- you could have an undiagnosed strep infection just as an example -- which can lead to high anxiety, OCD, etc., -- or long-standing trauma that exaggerates your response to the breakup w/your fiancee. I'm sorry that happened of course, but at least you know that she can't be trusted, so maybe you're better off?

And lastly, I noted another post of yours where you said you're working 11-hour days. That stress alone might be making everything worse or preventing you from making progress.

 

[search4health]

Hi @anxiousguy

I don’t get a chance to post here very often, but wanted to respond to your post because I too have OCD, anxiety, depression, as well as ME/CFS, and wanted to share some information and resources.

I was diagnosed with OCD 25 years ago at age 21. I have tried numerous medications and have never gotten significant help from any of them (I continue to take an SSRI because everything goes haywire whenever I try to discontinue it). Therefore I have tried many supplements/vitamins/alternative treatments, and I have never gotten any reduction in ocd symptoms as a result of these either.

The only thing that helped my ocd symptoms was a specific cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) called exposure and response prevention (ERP). This is the therapy shown in many studies to help treat ocd.

The problem is that many therapist will tell you that they know how to treat ocd, and in fact they don’t know the first thing about ERP. Therapy from someone not trained in ocd and erp can actually make symptoms significantly worse.
The International OCD Foundation (iocdf dot org) website has information about finding a therapist who specializes in treating ocd, and also has a lot of other useful information.

A book I found very helpful is Freedom from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Personalized Recovery Program for Living with Uncertainty by Jonathan B. Grayson, Ph.D.

Another book that has gotten good reviews but which I haven’t read yet is The Mindfulness Workbook for OCD: A Guide to Overcoming Obsessions and Compulsions Using Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbooks) by Jon Hershfield, MFT and Tom Corboy, MFT

Mindfulness techniques have been shown to be helpful when used as an adjunct to ERP.

There is a very good yahoo group called OCD-Support. The focus there is helping one another to get better from ocd, and several ocd experts stop in to answer questions there (including Dr. Grayson and Heshfield).

It took me years to get good ERP therapy. After I did, I was able to finish college, build a career, and get married. Unfortunately, I then came down with ME/CFS. My OCD symptoms got worse as ME symptoms did, and have not responded as well to ERP as in the past. Still, ERP is the only thing that works at all.

I also have the MTHFR mutation (c677t). I did the simplified methylation protocol initially. I am now doing methyl B12 shots and taking Methyl Pro which has methyl folate.

The methylation stuff is so complicated, that with my declining cognitive abilities, I have trouble sorting it all out. I do think it is important and useful. However, to date, I haven’t gotten any benefit with anxiety or depression.

I think these are important things to do, but that in the short term ERP is really important. I think of it as ‘emergency room treatment for ocd’. Without it I wouldn’t be able to engage in any other therapy or medical treatment because my life would be spinning out of control with ocd symptoms.

One thing I have learned about having ocd/depression as well as ME/CFS is that medical doctors have been quick to attribute my medical complaints to health anxiety even though I don’t have health anxiety. It took me years to understand this because I didn’t have that symptom and wasn’t that familiar with it.

Even now that I know what is going on, and I tell the doctors that I don’t have health anxiety, I can tell that they often don’t believe me. As a result I have been paying out of pocket to see Dr. Kaufman at Open Medicine Institute. My advice is to downplay ocd/depression/anxeity when being treated for ME/CFS.

It’s crazy to have to give that advice, but it is the reality right now.

I hope something I have written is helpful to you. I know how difficult it is to cope with ocd, depression, and ME/CFS all at the same time.

May/Search4Health

 

[Wayne]

I hope something I have written is helpful to you. I know how difficult it is to cope with ocd, depression, and ME/CFS all at the same time.

Hi @search4health,

Thanks for sharing--quite a remarkable post about your OCD experiences and what you discovered along the way. Sadly, conventional health care practitioners and approaches strike out again. I recently discovered that nettles helps a lot with my own brain issues, and can't help but think it could be helpful for OCD. Here's a comment I found online by a man who I believe considers himself to be an herbalist (he's made some YouTube videos).

I like fresh nettle leaf/stem tincture for people stuck in sympathetic excess states - they're always on alert, and the sympathetic nervous system dominance has metabolic, immune and other more parasympathetic related functions inhibited. Anemone works in the moment like a charm, but nettle tincture long term does wonders.
​

It feels that this is what is happening for me. Drinking nettles tea or juice helps me relax and significantly diminishes my sense of exhaustion and PEM, and improves my cognitive function. Adding it to coffee enemas seems to be doing something on an even deeper level. I've been discovering a number of things recently that have been helpful for me, and it's sometimes hard to know what effects are being caused by what.

But I can definitely say that I feel calmer and have better mental alertness since starting on the nettles. Both states seem to settle in when I drink the juice or the tea. Nettles is definitely a BIG factor for me at this time,and my best guess is it's primarily from the serotonin and/or acetylcholine. Its chlorophyll and rich iron content seem to have improved the color in my face as well, possibly from blood improvements. Lots of articles online about what a great herb it is. In my mind, one that is ideally suited for pwME/CFS.

 

[search4health]

Hi @Wayne,

Thanks for the idea. Though nothing has worked to date, I am still open to trying new things. And I do feel like my body is not able to shift out of the sympathetic state as it should. I did a quick google search and saw a lot of info on growing and making it yourself, which I am too sick to do. There are also bottles of tincture. I wondered if there is a particular product that you reccommend?

Thanks again.

 

[Wayne]

There are also bottles of tincture. I wondered if there is a particular product that you reccommend?

What works for me is to take a cup of loose leaf dried nettles, blend it at high speed in 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water for 30-60 seconds, and then strain. It's the best herbal/plant adaptogen I've run across. After straining it, I pour another 1 1/2 to 2 quarts of water onto it, bring it to a boil, and drink it as a tea.

I'm getting ready to order 2 lb. of dried organic nettles leaf from Amazon for about $23 or so (LINK Here). Given how well it's helped me relieve exhaustion and deal with stress, I can't help but think this would be a good therapeutic drink for most pwME/CFS.
-
Also, I do many energetic techniques on a daily basis, including tapping, EFT, polarity exercises, and more. In case you would be interested, I made a post a few years by a woman who suffered brain damage at birth, and struggled all her life trying to cope with it. She found EFT and tapping to be transformative for her. After reading it, I felt tapping would be helpful for just about any kind of brain syndrome. Here's a link --- Story -- EFT for Sensory Overload and More. -- Cautionary Note: Quite a long story.

Best, Wayne​

 

[Wayne]

I found this article on pyroluria to be very comprehensive and very good.

[EDIT, I think I'll change that to EXCELLENT article. Covers many topics related to pwME/CFS.]​

[NOTE: Alternative health perspectives throughout. -- Article quite long.]​

PYROLURIA and CANDIDA -- Twin Causes of Modern Diseases
Walter Last

Here's a snippet as it relates to depression, anxiety, ocd, and more...

It has been estimated that the prevalence of pyroluria in the general population is about 10% and in those with chronic diseases and unexplained health problems closer to 50% and up to 80%, especially in the acute stages of mental-emotional problems such as ADHD/hyperactivity, anxiety disorders, autism/Asperger syndrome, bipolar disease, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia, but also with cancer, especially bowel cancer, dementia and liver diseases. With criminal behaviours it can test up to 71% (criminality a deficiency disease?), and with all porphyrin diseases it is 100% (1). This reference also has a list of diagnostic laboratories.​

 

[anxiousguy]

I am making an appt with Dr Rostenberg

Thank you
@helen1
@dannybex
@search4health
@Wayne

 

[pumpkin]

Hi there,

I realise this thread is really out of date so perhaps anxiousguy will not read this now, but I'll post nonetheless.

First of all, allow me to just express how sorry I am at what is undoubtedly years and years of a horrendous experience for you. I am sure you have suffered a lot and many people have failed to help you and I am sorry for this, and for the loss of people close to you, as you mentioned. For what it's worth, I admire your persistance and bravery in continuing to seek help, and choosing non-destructive ways to do this, at least by pursuing therapy and medication, even where these haven't helped.

I cannot say I come with solutions as I myself, in fact, have suffered for years with the same problems, and lost my mother to cancer five years ago, thus becoming pretty much an orphan as at the time I had no relationship with my dad.
I do not have the years of experience of taking drugs or medications that you do. I sought talking therapies and these did bring me a considerable degree of relief, if only at having an outlet and 'organisation process' for my emotions. Psychology itself was much more expensive and not much better. Honestly, I think just a kind, empathic, compassionate listening presence who valued, respected and was there to listen to me whenever I was overwhelmed was the most helpful thing I ever got from therapy. I found doctors and psychologists were lost for answers, less empathic and considerably more expensive.

What I can say, is that 2 months ago, after a lifetime of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder, I was diagnosed with autism (the high-functioning kind, which until the diagnostic manual was changed a couple of years back, was called 'Aspergers Disorder' - I still call it Aspergers Disorders as I think it explains the condition far better than autism). My recent diagnosis means I am still very unaware of the biological and genetic nature of this condition or how it works or how to treat it. What I have learnt, however, is that autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which means the brain is different in the autistic brain to that of 'neurotypicals'. I recently also connected various physical health conditions I have, such as heart palpitations, dry eyes, digestive disorders, reduced sensation of pain, inhanced physical strength and endurance, and suspected that I may be suffering from an overactive sympathetic nervous system, or in other words, I may be in fight or flight mode the entire time. I checked this in academic journals and found that about one year ago, a group of researchers found this to be an issue in many Aspergers sufferers. It is also known that the Amygdala is three times bigger in those with Aspergers Disorder.

One of the biggest sources of stress and anxiety for me is that approximately 99% of those with autism suffer from sensory processing issues, such as hypersensitivities or hyposensititives. This means that sound, sight, movement, physical sensation, smell etc. may be experienced as far more, or far less intense than it is for neurotypicals. This means that I can tolerate a few hours in social environments before I descend into stress and exhaustion because I am drained and stressed at processing all of the sensory information in the environment. I have to go home and isolate myself in a low stimulation environment before I can recover.

There are other things that are key triggers for stress, such as timetable changes. If people change their plans, don't turn up, cancel plans, if busses are late, trains cancelled, all of these things are just a killer for people with autism. Sadly most of the population are neurotypical and don't understand any of that, thus causing high stress most of the time! Most of the time I don't even want to socialise because the changeability/unpredictability of most humans is just too much to cope with.

As for the OCD, when you have Aspergers, you fixate on stuff. In the past, for me I fixated on phobias, or guys, or anything really, but whatever I was fixated on, I was really fixated on it. I mean think about it all day every day kind of thing. If you're left to yourself and left to ruminate on the negative stuff or your phobias, having a brain that naturally fixes on certain things CONSTANTLY can make you really ill. On the other hand, it can be a massive advantage because if you're fixated on your work, or an idea, or a theory or an invention or something like that, you are the kind of person who will understand that topic more deeply and more fully than anyone you know. A lot of the world's best scientists, inventors, musicians and actors have Aspergers or had it. Einstein, for example, is believed to have had autism, and Nikolai Tesla too.

I don't know if any of this is relevant for anyone reading this. All I know is, in 29 years of my life, not a single person ever suspected I had autism. My doctor told me flat out I did not have it. My psychologist hadn't even heard of it. I spent a year researching it and being told by everyone I knew I couldn't have it - Aspergers Disorders is high-functioning autism, if you've learnt to adapt well enough, people will think there's nothing biologically wrong with you, and insist on telling you that!

I had to get diagnosed privately, at a specialist autism centre, who recognised it immediately, although putting me through a full batch of tests anyway in order to be objective. Now, I recognise that my 60 year old dad, who has spent his entire life with depression and anxiety, has it too.

I do not know if this is your case, or the case of anybody on this thread, but I will put the idea out there just in case, because one way or another, I hope you find peace and happiness.

 

[wastwater]

I also have a late diagnosis of aspergers,and things like depression anxiety ocd seem to come along with it.
Some people think there is a connection with me/cfs and that me/cfs is adult onset ASD