Any suggestions to stop brain firing?

[Zuriel]

Anyone knows if taking Rivotril (klonopin) and Lamictal as a combination will cause brain firing? This brain firing has been on during day & night, making me extremely agitated.

Would taking GABA supplements help? Next appointment to see doctor is in 3 months' time. He's too busy to return calls. Feeling overwhelmed.

Is this excitatory neurotoxicity?

 

[Valentijn]

Lamictal inhibits the release of glutamate, and Rivotril enhances GABA (which opposes glutamate). It sounds like your doctor thinks you have a problem with glutamate, which often seems to be the case with ME/CFS, and high glutamate can certainly cause the brain to switch into high gear and stay there.

I wouldn't recommend additional GABA supplements while you are already taking drugs that are enhancing GABA and inhibiting glutamate. You should definitely talk to your doctor before doing anything like that.

But it might be more effective to actually reduce glutamate levels, which Lyrica (pregabalin) does directly by turning glutamate into GABA.

Cysteine supplementation (n-acetylcysteine) may also help in reducing glutamate levels by allowing the body to use up more glutamate in producing glutathione, which is highly beneficial in many many ways.

 

[heapsreal]

add some kava to the mix helps your brain to chill as well, i agree strongly with the lyrica although it doesnt seem to agree with some people.

cheers!!!

 

[Ocean]

Can I ask what you mean by brain firing?

 

[taniaaust1]

I found Rivotril really helped my over active nervous system.

I was constantly like wound up and anxious.. with mind going flat out all the time due to over stimulation of my nervous system.. and the Rivotril did slow down the excitatory neurotoxicity for me. (I only needed a wee dose.. a quarter or a half a tablet).

Ive no idea about mixing it with another drug thou. I suggest if you are going to trial those things to trial then separate first.

Lamictal was a VERY BAD drug for me.

 

[xchocoholic]

Obviously, you want some brain firing ... I have an article on this site about how caffeine increases brain firing, etc.

But, gluten, high fructose corn syrup, dyes, food intolerances, etc are known to cause this. In my case, if I eat gluten, HFCS or caffeine, there isn't a drug that can stop this without knocking me out. I tried ...

tc ... x

 

[heapsreal]

i have had some sleep deprivation the last couple of days and have that brain fog/brain sizzling thing going on. Now i just took some neurontin to see if it would help my head, 1/2hr later i was thinking why my head didnt hurt, then i remember i just took a neurontin, a cfs moment, lol. I normally use neurontin at night for leg pains/RLS symptoms. I just threw it in to see what happens, im suprised how well it worked. It makes some people sleepy but i find it calms the brain down without sedating me, although some sedation at the moment would be nice.

cheers!!!

 

[Valentijn]

Neurontin is another drug that is amping up the GABA effect, which opposes glutamate. I'm really curious to know how common glutamate and/or GABA problems are in ME/CFS

And now I'm really wanting to try some stuff that acts directly on glutamate and/or GABA!

 

[xchocoholic]

FWIW .. I have a glutamate problem. I get ataxia, myoclonus, hyperactivity and buzzing from gluten ... Theanine stops my myoclonus tho. And theanine works on glutamate receptors. Klonopin used to control this for me.

Neurotin gave me halucinations (1998 ?) but that was years before I eliminated gluten (2005). I really don't have any reason to try this again. My biggest problem now is OI and that keeps me laying down most of the time.

check out "theglutenfile" for some great info on how gluten affects our brains as well as our digestive tracts ...

tc ... x