Please help I'm a mess

[paq71]

Hi,

I'd really appreciate some help as I feel I'm loosing it completely.

An as short as possible picture: My father was ill all his life and I can now see his symptoms being very similar to mine. He was diagnosed as depressed and having nervous breakdowns, but those were other times.

I'm 44, male. Looking back I would describe myself as very sensitive and melancholic since I was a child. 12 years ago I've found out I suffer from pyroluria after being desperately debilitated. I was feeling extreme fatigue and depression. The test came out positive and since then I've been taking lots of supplements, mainly self treating. Back then, after introducing B6, zinc and evening primrose oil I started feeling much better but then it was as if I had reached a plateau and started feeling pretty bad again. I've been experimenting with all sorts of supplements since then and I had good periods and bad periods, although nothing major. I'd say that tiredness and bad mood or mild depression were always present.

About 5 years ago I've been treating candida, although I'm not sure it has been eradicated and I don't know to what degree I suffer from it.

A couple of years ago I did the 23and me genetic test which showed some MTHFR Mutations. I've started adding 5-MTHF to my supps and I felt really good for about 2 months, to then decline again.

About 1 year ago I had a huge emotional breakdown following a break up that sent me to hospital. I simply felt like my whole system had collapsed and I went into huge anxiety, panic attacks, depression, suicidal thoughts. I've lost about 12Kg.

In January I saw the guys at biobalance.ie. They performed some tests and the results were high histamine, low magnesium, zinc and serotonin, normal B12, B6 and other minerals.

They've suggested I'm undermethylation and gave me the following protocol

Morning dose
Vit C 1000mg
Calcium 500mg/magnesiun250mg
Vit B6 200mg
P5P 25 mg
Methionine 500mg

Evening dose
Zinc, as picolinate or citrate 100mg
Calcium/magnesium 1000mg/500mg
Vit E , 400 iu mixed tocopherols
Methionine 1000mg

Tryptophan 1000g only until you go on meds
If you are really keen not to take meds replace methionine with 200-400 mg of Sam e

Anxiety- these work only on the day they are taken
GAB A 500 mg 1,2 or 3 twice daily as required.
Lysine plus Arginine 1000mg of each twice daily
------------------------------------------------------------------

Although I know it's a long process to start feeling better (3-6 months the least) I felt much better after just 5 days. The following weeks I felt the was a progress with some pretty good days.

I'm not on meds and I've stopped tryptophan because it was making me feel very sleepy. I'm taking st John's wort. SAMe gives me huge anxiety.

I'm now entering month 3 of this protocol and it's about 4-5 days that I feel worse. I wake up at 6am every single day with huge anxiety and I wake up restless, heavy headed and pretty depressed.

I'm feeling really bad and scared. If anyone wants to add their comments, similar experiences and successful treatments to a similar scenario it'd be really of great help. I'll be happy to give more details.

Thanks a lot
P

 

[waiting]

Hi @paq71,

Welcome to Phoenix Rising - you've come to the right place.

I'm really sorry you have been going through this especially difficult time.

I'm afraid I don't have anything to offer in the way of comments on methylation. My MTHFR has tested normal so I haven't really looked into that avenue yet.

However, have you seen the Treatments sub-forum here about Methylation?

Also PR member @Hip has a thread on treating anxiety that might be helpful to you:

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...h-three-supplements.18369/page-25#post-567348

Good luck with your treatment -- and note that PR can be a little more quiet on weekends, especially holiday ones, so you might get more replies on Mon/Tues!

 

[brenda]

@paq71

Welcome to PR. Have you ever looked at the possibilty of you being on the autistic spectrum? Anxiety, depression and breakdowns under pressure are features.

 

[paq71]

Hi and thank you both for your replies. Waiting, I'll look at those resources, thank you.

Brenda, no, I've never considered the possibility of being on the autistic spectrum. How do I find out?

 

[brenda]

Hi

You could start by having a look at one of the forums like this one:

https://www.aspiescentral.com/

 

[Crux]

Hi;
I would think that even though the supplements were right for the time-deficiencies, now the quantities may be too high, causing anxiety. B6 and zinc can be calming in the right dosage, but could paradoxically cause agitation after prolonged high dose use.

Some vitamins will antagonize others. Zinc antagonizes iron and copper. B6 can antagonize other B's. Folate needs B12, etc.

I understand that in pyroluria, zinc and B6 is needed, but I wonder how much ?

My anxiety is worsened by low electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, magnesium, etc.

 

[paq71]

Yes I'm aware of that. That's why I'm much more careful with supplements lately.

I've experienced before that B6 was doing good for a while and then I had to stop it because interfering with my sleep and making me wake up at a precise hour in the early morning, same as now.

I might try to cut it down and see if my sleep and resting improve.

During the day anxiety is not such an issue as before starting the protocol. It's still there, but it's 1/100 of what it was.

Thanks a lot for your insights. Really helpful.

 

[AnnaDove]

Hi @paq71, I too have pyroluria and have been treating for it since 2007. I learned that I needed to work up to enough p-5-p to be able to have at least 2 or 3 pleasant dreams a week. I don't always have that many but I don't have nightmares and bad dreams hardly at all anymore. You probably know that not remembering your dreams or only having bad ones is a marker for pyroluria I take 250mg of P-5-P. I take 50mg of zinc but I suspect that men with pyroluria need more. We also need a little manganese and I take 10mg twice/day.

Tryptophan increases serotonin in the brain and helps with depression and sleep. I take it 5 nights a week and leave it off on the weekend so as not to build a tolerance. The dosage varies according to how much stress is going on in my life. You can build up to the point of feeling groggy in the AM or too sleepy in the day and then back down the dosage. I'm taking 1000mg/night this week because of stress and can tell my brain needs it because I'm not sleepy in the AM. I usually just take 500mg.

It's a great supplement. My son takes it too and said "tryptophan is my friend for life." I take 2 other supplements also to keep depression away. It all works together very well. Best wishes and hang in there. AnnaDove

 

[paq71]

Hi @AnnaDove , I've been using tryptophan but it makes me really sleepy and heavy headed during the day. I'ven ow swapped for 5-HTP and I seem to tolerate it better.

 

[AnnaDove]

Yes @paq71, we're all different and have to treat ourselves accordingly. Take care. AnnaDove.

 

[cigana]

Hello mate, I have been through similar stuff to you with deep depression, I know it is hell.
What helped me was 2x600mg of NAC each day. You might want to give that a go and vary the dose.
I also keep a kind of diary, where I try to write down my thoughts and it somehow helps me to stay focused and spot where my thoughts are amplifying the existing negative thinking. I know this is no solution but it does at least help a little bit.
I would say the good news for you is there is a lot of hope, because you've got good results (albeit only temporary) on stuff, which shows the problems are in principle at least fixable.

 

[paq71]

Hi @cigana and thank you very much for your thoughts. Yes, it is hell.

I'm trying to start working on different levels in attempting to shift the situation.

What are your issues? How are you addressing them.

 

[cigana]

Hi @cigana and thank you very much for your thoughts. Yes, it is hell.

I'm trying to start working on different levels in attempting to shift the situation.

What are your issues? How are you addressing them.

I will PM you.

 

[Esther12]

I thought I'd add a word of warning, as it looked like some of the things you mentioned were not widely respected or supported by great evidence, eg 'Pyroluria'. I think it's best to be cautious about a lot of these things, as it's easy to make one's life worse following the inappropriate guidance of others. At the same time though, it's up to you. I hope that things do start to get easier for you.