Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

[CAcfs]

Since having an unplanned pregnancy followed by a miscarriage 6 months ago, I have had "regular" anxiety for the first time in my life. I never even understood what people meant by "I'm feeling anxious" until now.....but I get these waves where I feel like I can't get a full breath. It is HELL. Awful. I would almost say it's worse than the OCD I have had forever.

I am going to try the NAG. Here is something interesting: I noticed that when I feel anxious, if I take like 5 Carlson's fish oil capsules, I feel better in like 2-3 hours. Shocking! I discovered this by accident, taking it for general health. So I do think the anxiety is at least partially related to inflammation for me. But lately the fish oil isn't enough.

One other interesting tidbit....when i was taking Minocycline, I noticed my messed up sleep schedule normalized overnight. Suddenly, I was tired at the right time. My psychiatrist, upon hearing this (and not being the Mino prescriber) theorized the Minocycline was helping my sleep cycle by reducing inflammation in the brain, which that antibiotic has been proven to do (so they suggest giving it to stroke patients after a stroke to prevent further damage by reducing inflammation). Obviously I don't want to always take Minocycline. So maybe this inflammation of the brain has something to it.

 

[Binky123]

Not sure if this has been posted yet, but N-A-glucosamine has been shown the help MS:

http://today.uci.edu/news/2011/09/nr_ms_110930.php

 

[xrayspex]

binky thanks for MS glucosamine link.....I am retrying my n a glucosamine as a result the last few days and bizarrely I think it helped head off one of my burning spine head pain attacks that was threatening......I am taking a break from other meds so good time to try something new. I am crossing my fingers its not just a coincidence and that maybe something natural might help. it tastes sweet.....it would make sense something sugary seeming would help me because sometimes my body craves sugar, its like it knows it needs help with "sugars" of some sort,just the right ones. anyway way too early to tell whats going on but encouraged no bad side effects as I have been taking normal dose and that is unusual for me. if I can make it a week will be telling. sometimes pulsing works better for me too so if things get weird can try that.

I should problly be careful upon further research in that I bruise easily and lately more so (before the glucosamine) supposedly thinning blood can be side effect. but so far good vibe. maybe helps with pain and stabilize blood sugar.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/295135-the-side-effects-of-n-acetyl-glucosamine/

I will add that I didnt think tumeric/curcumin felt like a good fit when tried it earlier this year, but wasnt so bad wouldnt try again, but not now. i think it killed things in me which may be good but made me feel bad. theory.
fish oil always has made me feel bad.

quercetin, milk thistle the supplements have taken the most over years seem to tolerate pretty well. could say more.

pain/headaches a big complaint for me historically. i would guess that since dif types of cfs that certain supps will resonate for some and not others depending on individual chemistry and cause. i think i have undx porphyria of some sort or mast cell disorder because of the mcs.
more latah but so far thumbs up on nag for me.

 

[xrayspex]

Hey so whats the update with trying NAG for you other experimenters? Its been about 5 days now and its still been heading off any severe pain attacks.

 

[xrayspex]

I am starting to suspect tho that NAG may be provoking a bit more hypogylcemia. But it seems to be really helping prevent pain/headache too. Ha I guess I will continue the conversation with myself here as a personal reminder/documentation...

 

[Hip]

Sorry for the delay in replying. To answer your questions:

1. At what time should I take the second dose of turmeric ? I heard some say the half life is 4-5 hours, so would early afternoon be a good time ??

I take once in the morning, and then a second dose late afternoon. Sometimes I don't take the second dose. A lot depends on the anxiety level on the day. IF I have a bit of a anxiety relapse, and I feel the anxiety symptoms coming back, then I tend to take more of the anti-anxiety supplements on my list.

2. Do you recommend I mix the turmeric powder with oil for better absorption ? And if yes, possibly linden oil ?

I just take turmeric straight. Lecithin helps absorb curcumin, so it might work to increase the absorption of the other components of turmeric. Though it may be that turmeric works at magic in the intestines, in which case, increased absorption may not help.

3. What else would you recommend from your list as an adjunct to the turmeric for anxiety, mood and focus ? I am already taking the NAG, so possibly the flax oil ? And/Or something else

The list of around 30 anti-anxiety supplements I gave is roughly in order of potency, with the most effective at the top of the list. So I suggest choosing some another supplements or drugs close to the top of the list.

4. Would I need to cycle usage of the turmeric (every few days, weeks) to maintain the mood lifting and anxiety lowering effects (tolerance related issues) ??

I have not noticed any tolerance issues. Though I personally like to cycle all the supplements and drugs I take , as you only notice the effects when you first start taken them, and when you stop. So if you stop taking a supplement and then some old symptoms return, the chances are that supplement was keeping those symptoms at bay.

I make records of every medication I take, all the time, like keeping a diary. I note the supplement or drug name, dosage, and date/time taken in a word processor document. I also note any improvements or worsening in my mental or physical symptoms in the same document.

This means that even if my CFS brain fog makes me forget what I supplements/drugs was taking and when, I can scan my notes for that information. My memory is so bad I usually cannot remember what I supplements took even earlier in the day, let alone the say before, so note making is essential for me. I suspect that many people with CFS miss out on possibly effective medications because they don't make notes about the supplements they take and the benefits derived.

 

[Hip]

fish oil always has made me feel bad.

Flaxseed oil has alpha linolenic acid (ALA) in it, whereas fish oil has EPA and DHA. Flaxseed oil contains 47% alpha linolenic acid, and 24% linoleic acid.

I suspect it is the ALA that provides the significant anti-anxiety benefits I got from of flaxseed oil, as ALA has known anti-anxiety effects, and it reduces cortisol. ALA is also an antidepressant, and is neuroprotective in ischemia.

Some of the ALA does convert to EPA and DHA in the body (and more so in women than men), which is why people take flaxseed oil in place of fish oil. So possibly flaxseed oil will make you feel bad like fish oil does.

 

[Hip]

I found Stablon (tianeptine) to be a great anxiolytic. After i contracted cfs my anxiety was runaway. A problem i had never had before. Stablon lessened it greatly.

Very interesting, beaverfury.

I might try this tianeptine at some point.

I found the following text extracts (from the link you provided) especially interesting, in the context of anxiety disorder and CFS:

"Excess cortisol causes dendritic shrinkage in the hippocampus and a contrasting growth of dendrites in the lateral amygdala. These stress-induced changes tend to lower mood; they can cause clinical depression in the genetically vulnerable. Current evidence suggests that tianeptine acts to prevent and even reverse stress-induced neural damage, promoting both neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity."

"Even a single dose of tianeptine measurably increases growth hormone (GH) secretion; long-term GH enhancers tend to improve intellectual performance."

"Sustained use of tianeptine tends to normalise the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) system. Tianeptine reduces basal and stress-evoked activity of the HPA, helping its users cope in a stressful environment. "

Source: http://www.tianeptine.com/

There do seem to be some stories of tolerance and withdrawal problems with tianeptine, though.

 

[beaverfury]

Yeah, i guess any medication we take is being overlaid on our own unique biochemical system. So hard to generalize.
I dont doubt that some people wont tolerate it.

It took me years to get off SSRI's. They screwed my motivation, downgraded emotion, ruined libido,orgasm,ejaculation.
Ive had very few problems with tianeptine. At a higher dose it has caused some dissociation or feeling of not caring about other people, so i just lower the dose.

If i titrate slowly ive had no problems at all getting on, or going off it. I cant detect any sexual side effects from it. No sleep problems, no dizziness, no nothing.
All in all it leaves me feeling clear and neutral. Great for squashing anxiety.

I wish i knew more about antidepressants and tolerance. In the long run it may be wiser for brain health just to eat healthily and nootropically, get ample exercise and manage stress. Something me/cfs patients would love to follow if they could. Ghostgum posted a good natural solution of choline, inositol,uridine and omega3, which you could get from lecithin,molasses and fish oil. Healthy,smart solutions take time though and some of us need a quick response.

 

[heapsreal]

Is tianeptine generally calming?? SSRI's are prescribed for anxiety but my experience with ssri's is that they are energizing and maybe in the first week or 2 i can see how they could aggravate anxiety.
Those that have used tianeptine found it sedating/calming or is it like an ssri in that after being on them for a few weeks that worries seem like water off a ducks back and makes one feel better about feeling like crap type of feeling or is it sort of like a low dose benzo and how it works on anxiety.

 

[GhostGum]

Just got curious about NAG, done a little digging and came across this short thread,

http://www.longecity.org/forum/topi...nd-dietary-lectin/page__hl__acetylglucosamine

Other than the mention of lectin it pretty much reiterates what has already been said here about treating the gut and inflammation.

Hip what is your source for it? Does not appear to be the easier supplement to come by, want to make sure the source is reliable as well.

Do you find the citrulline malate helpful as well? I have used this before, also have an unopened tub sitting around but not really keen to add another 3-5g of powder to an already heavy list.

 

[GhostGum]

Also this is interesting, an article about it helping suppress MS attacks and inhibiting the growth of T cells,

http://today.uci.edu/news/2011/09/nr_ms_110930.php

Also mentions being used for children with inflammatory bowel disease.

 

[Parismountain]

Splurged and bought 3 supplements, Tumeric, NAG and flaxseed oil. That oil doesn't taste so well. Only my fifth day so we'll see how it goes.

 

[Hip]

Just got curious about NAG, done a little digging and came across this short thread,

http://www.longecity.org/forum/topi...nd-dietary-lectin/page__hl__acetylglucosamine

Other than the mention of lectin it pretty much reiterates what has already been said here about treating the gut and inflammation.

Hip what is your source for it? Does not appear to be the easier supplement to come by, want to make sure the source is reliable as well.

Do you find the citrulline malate helpful as well? I have used this before, also have an unopened tub sitting around but not really keen to add another 3-5g of powder to an already heavy list.

I used to use citrulline malate a lot, 3 grams (= one heaped teaspoon) of the powder, taken two or three times daily in glass of water as a drink, to help treat the severe anxiety I had. (You can add a quarter teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate to the glass to reduce the acidity, and the effervescence that arises makes it into a fizzy drink). I use citrulline malate much less now, as I found that for me, NAG, flaxseed oil, and turmeric are much more effective as anti-anxiety treatments. But everyone is different, and citrulline malate is a good anti-anxiety supplement, worth trying. If your anxiety disorder was as bad as mine was, you will simply try anything to find effective treatments.

I take NAG on an empty stomach. If you take NAG with food, some of the NAG will bind to and disable the lectins in the food, and then neither the NAG nor the lectins will be absorbed. This is might be considered a useful thing, as far as the lectins are concerned, because lectins are pro-inflammatory natural toxins, so disabling lectins is beneficial, but you lose the NAG in the process. So I suggest taking NAG on an empty stomach.

(If you do have a problem with lectins, then perhaps take one capsules of NAG on an empty stomach, and another capsules just before your meal to protect your gut lining from lectins.)

N-acetylglucosamine is widely available. Make sure you search under the two different spellings commonly used: N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetyl glucosamine.

See here for NAG suppliers online:
NAG on Google
NAG on eBay

Jarrow N-acetylglucosamine 120 x 750 mg capsules at around $15 seems to be one of the best value ones.

I also managed to find a supplier of bulk NAG powder here:
N-Acetyl Glucosamine (NAG), 1 Kilogram, $79.

 

[Hip]

Splurged and bought 3 supplements, Tumeric, NAG and flaxseed oil. That oil doesn't taste so well. Only my fifth day so we'll see how it goes.

I found that these 3 supplements worked very rapidly (within a day) to significantly reduce my anxiety symptoms. My guess is that if they do not work after a week or two, they are not going to work at all for you (at least for anxiety symptoms). Though these supplements do of course have other beneficial effects.

 

[Parismountain]

I found that these 3 supplements worked very rapidly (within a day) to significantly reduce my anxiety symptoms. My guess is that if they do not work after a week or two, they are not going to work at all for you (at least for anxiety symptoms). Though these supplements do of course have other beneficial effects.

Thanks for your observation. I've been a bit busier than normal which has me whooped so when I'm whooped I'm a little more susceptible to anxiety. Probably not the best moment to benchmark but I'll finish up the 60 supply and go from there. Thanks again

 

[GhostGum]

I take NAG on an empty stomach. If you take NAG with food, some of the NAG will bind to and disable the lectins in the food, and then neither the NAG nor the lectins will be absorbed. This is might be considered a useful thing, as far as the lectins are concerned, because lectins are pro-inflammatory natural toxins, so disabling lectins is beneficial, but you lose the NAG in the process. So I suggest taking NAG on an empty stomach.

Hey Hip.

Maybe taking it both with food and on an empty stomach can be good then?

Was going to emphasize the links I posted there about MS and the inflammatory stuff but looking I guess it has been well covered in the thread already, seems little doubt to me that by assisting gut problems, especially inflammation, it can clear up anxiety, there seems little doubt that most of the anxiety in ME is caused by inflammation impact on the nervous system and brain.

Technically it might not be appropriate to suggest they are anti-anxiety, since they might have no effect on what is more generally regarded as anxiety but they can potentially help anxiety in ME by helping treat what may be causing it.

Curcumin also works well in the stomach too I believe because after that its general absorption is quite poor, this is why it has been shown to be effective in bowel cancer but until they find better ways to administer it will be a while before it may be helpful for other cancers.

Think what you have stumbled across here is potentially a very effective treatment for stomach inflammatory and flora issues, which is actually much better than just an anxiety treatment; combined with what others already do for stomach issues could be very complimentary.

 

[GcMAF Australia]

may be it is just chance, but flax seed does apppear to be helping after a few days. I have been taking up to 30 mls twice a day.

 

[tandrsc]

Splurged and bought 3 supplements, Tumeric, NAG and flaxseed oil. That oil doesn't taste so well. Only my fifth day so we'll see how it goes.

If flaxseed oil tastes just too horrible (and I agree, it is horrible), you could try grapeseed oil instead. I find the clouds lift a little after taking some. An easy way to take it is to put some in a tub in the freezer so that it becomes spreadable - you can then spread it on your bread instead of butter. It doesn't taste of much, it's a bit like sunflower oil.

 

[Lala]

How about primrose oil instead of flaxseed?