Hi there everybody, I posted a bit in the summer (above on page 4 and maybe 3 of this thread) and went away while I did lots of experimentation. I've now been taking around 2500mcg Mb12 most days for 2/3 months, 5-htp 50mg for maybe 3 weeks now, 750mg of Gaba for a few weeks, Taurine for the last 2/3 days at 1000mg then 2000mg in divided doses, 1/2 Jarrow's B-right capsule a day for the last 2 weeks.
Basically I've been diagnosed with Aspergers (Autism Spectrum Disorder) about 9 months ago and I've had depression on and off since I was 12, almost constant stress and anxiety and probably my worst problem is OCD, which is characterised predominantly by all the various forms of mental obsessions and avoidance of almost all situations which trigger anxiety about those obsessions. Another symptom I have, which I find really difficult to know if it is part of the OCD (as I obviously don't act on it) yet it feels like such a genuine, almost overpowering impulse that it is literally torment, is that in times of peak stress (like this summer) I fear I will attack people close to me which just about any object. It's really awful. I also have the various contamination OCDs, so hate touching stuff and not being able to wash my hands, have a tic.. noise sensitivity...
it's really hard knowing what's autism, whats OCD, what's caused by anxiety etc. I'm just trying to reduce symptoms so maybe things will become clearer/more manageable. I saw a psychologist and various therapists who wanted me to go through exposure therapy for OCD, but during the autism diagnosis the autism specialist said exposure therapy would be difficult if I don't first get the sensory issues/social troubles associated with Aspergers under control, because being out in the world, subjected to noises, smells, sights, touch etc is so overwhelming it causes a stress peak, which then makes trying to desensitise myself through exposure therapy counter-productive. So basically at the moment, I am just trying to get the stress, anxiety and low mood under control so I can stabilise and face the other stuff.
The doctors want me to go on medication but due to the addictiveness etc. I am trying to delay this for as long as possible.
I think the taurine and GABA is making no difference. The Inositol is probably the most expensive supplement I take, i think I can't afford it long-term and it doesn't work for me except at high doses. I quit taking the turmeric in the summer but after reading @Hip 's post on anxiety I've tried it again, and again, it makes me feel stoned, but relaxed, so I'm happy with that.
I have ordered the N-acetyl thing you recommend HIP, I already take flaxseed oil every day, I'm going to try DLPA 350mg after reading Julia Ross' Mood Cure (thanks @stridor, great book).... can anybody recommend anything else? Seeing as 50mg of 5-htp hasn't resolved the OCD/low mood I'm wondering if Dopamine is a factor? I feel absolutely fantastic when I either go to the gym, drink an espresso or eat 80% cocoa dark chocolate. How long should mb12/b vitamins take to make a difference?
Can anybody recommend any other supplements for basically doing the job of a Benzo? Once a week I take a Benzo to get through a work day and I really like it. I feel really relaxed, but surprisingly I become happier, jokier, more sociable, it's like I'm a different person when not crippled by stress. I wish I could feel that everyday but Sedoxil is addictive and tolerance-building.
On another note, the experiments and arguments with doctors over the last few months has turned up some other issues I would appreciate a second opinion on re auto-immune issues, inflammation etc.
In the summer I ended up in ER with an arrythmia and joint pains that went on for weeks and weeks and then spontaneously went away. I was already being 'invesitgated' for palpitations, tachyacardia etc before this incident, and had had bouts of agonising back pain every couple of months, and I had also had it flagged by my doctor that i repeatedly have a deficiency of platelets. I was referred to an auto-immune diseases doctor, who I saw recently. He has sent for tests on everything, included electrolyte balance, various tests for Lupus, rheumatoid issues, streptoccoccus, tests on my saliva production, all of that stuff. He said 'I think you're fine, but I'm going to send you for tests...' and said he thinks I may have an auto-immune disorder called sjogren's syndrome which has been causing chronic dry eyes/mouth for years, and a separate auto-immune thing which is killing my platelets. Obviously I have to wait for the results of everything.
I'm curious about all this as recently I read that Tics associated with Tourette's (and basically, OCD itself) can be the result of something called PANDA, which is when a child (or adult) gets a streptococcus infection, which shortly after, manifests in a childhood (or adult?) outbreak of OCD. Well, within a few days of birth, I was admitted to intensive care after being infected with streptococcus by the midwife. My mum was told I might either die or survive but with permanent damage, and now I'm wondering if that infection has anything to do with my mental symptoms. To compound things, I was going through an old agenda from my school days this week... I dropped out of school age 12 and spent 3 years almost not leaving the house, stuck in the severest form of OCD and depression I've ever had. In the agenda a letter from my mother to my school explaining the reason I had missed school a few weeks before dropping out was because I had been very ill for a week and there was a strep throat infection in the family. I'm now wondering if Streptoccocus infections have any connection to the mental and autoimmune issues...? And if so, how might I treat this?
I've just watched @ahmo 's video on ASD and brain allergy and see that luteolin is one of the only things that can treat mast cell activation. The video says chamomile contains luteolin, and about 6-8 cups of chamomile tea a day does ease my anxiety. Apparently Mexican Oregano is the biggest source of luteolin... has anybody tried this?
I definately think Hip's anti-inflammatory approach to anxiety might help as the Turmeric helps. There was also a story on the news a couple of weeks back that said medication for auto-immune disorders was proving effective at treating mental health conditions as antibodies were found to be attacking the brain.
Thoughts?
Thanks everybody and I hope you are all well
Basically I've been diagnosed with Aspergers (Autism Spectrum Disorder) about 9 months ago and I've had depression on and off since I was 12, almost constant stress and anxiety and probably my worst problem is OCD, which is characterised predominantly by all the various forms of mental obsessions and avoidance of almost all situations which trigger anxiety about those obsessions. Another symptom I have, which I find really difficult to know if it is part of the OCD (as I obviously don't act on it) yet it feels like such a genuine, almost overpowering impulse that it is literally torment, is that in times of peak stress (like this summer) I fear I will attack people close to me which just about any object. It's really awful. I also have the various contamination OCDs, so hate touching stuff and not being able to wash my hands, have a tic.. noise sensitivity...
it's really hard knowing what's autism, whats OCD, what's caused by anxiety etc. I'm just trying to reduce symptoms so maybe things will become clearer/more manageable. I saw a psychologist and various therapists who wanted me to go through exposure therapy for OCD, but during the autism diagnosis the autism specialist said exposure therapy would be difficult if I don't first get the sensory issues/social troubles associated with Aspergers under control, because being out in the world, subjected to noises, smells, sights, touch etc is so overwhelming it causes a stress peak, which then makes trying to desensitise myself through exposure therapy counter-productive. So basically at the moment, I am just trying to get the stress, anxiety and low mood under control so I can stabilise and face the other stuff.
The doctors want me to go on medication but due to the addictiveness etc. I am trying to delay this for as long as possible.
I think the taurine and GABA is making no difference. The Inositol is probably the most expensive supplement I take, i think I can't afford it long-term and it doesn't work for me except at high doses. I quit taking the turmeric in the summer but after reading @Hip 's post on anxiety I've tried it again, and again, it makes me feel stoned, but relaxed, so I'm happy with that.
I have ordered the N-acetyl thing you recommend HIP, I already take flaxseed oil every day, I'm going to try DLPA 350mg after reading Julia Ross' Mood Cure (thanks @stridor, great book).... can anybody recommend anything else? Seeing as 50mg of 5-htp hasn't resolved the OCD/low mood I'm wondering if Dopamine is a factor? I feel absolutely fantastic when I either go to the gym, drink an espresso or eat 80% cocoa dark chocolate. How long should mb12/b vitamins take to make a difference?
Can anybody recommend any other supplements for basically doing the job of a Benzo? Once a week I take a Benzo to get through a work day and I really like it. I feel really relaxed, but surprisingly I become happier, jokier, more sociable, it's like I'm a different person when not crippled by stress. I wish I could feel that everyday but Sedoxil is addictive and tolerance-building.
On another note, the experiments and arguments with doctors over the last few months has turned up some other issues I would appreciate a second opinion on re auto-immune issues, inflammation etc.
In the summer I ended up in ER with an arrythmia and joint pains that went on for weeks and weeks and then spontaneously went away. I was already being 'invesitgated' for palpitations, tachyacardia etc before this incident, and had had bouts of agonising back pain every couple of months, and I had also had it flagged by my doctor that i repeatedly have a deficiency of platelets. I was referred to an auto-immune diseases doctor, who I saw recently. He has sent for tests on everything, included electrolyte balance, various tests for Lupus, rheumatoid issues, streptoccoccus, tests on my saliva production, all of that stuff. He said 'I think you're fine, but I'm going to send you for tests...' and said he thinks I may have an auto-immune disorder called sjogren's syndrome which has been causing chronic dry eyes/mouth for years, and a separate auto-immune thing which is killing my platelets. Obviously I have to wait for the results of everything.
I'm curious about all this as recently I read that Tics associated with Tourette's (and basically, OCD itself) can be the result of something called PANDA, which is when a child (or adult) gets a streptococcus infection, which shortly after, manifests in a childhood (or adult?) outbreak of OCD. Well, within a few days of birth, I was admitted to intensive care after being infected with streptococcus by the midwife. My mum was told I might either die or survive but with permanent damage, and now I'm wondering if that infection has anything to do with my mental symptoms. To compound things, I was going through an old agenda from my school days this week... I dropped out of school age 12 and spent 3 years almost not leaving the house, stuck in the severest form of OCD and depression I've ever had. In the agenda a letter from my mother to my school explaining the reason I had missed school a few weeks before dropping out was because I had been very ill for a week and there was a strep throat infection in the family. I'm now wondering if Streptoccocus infections have any connection to the mental and autoimmune issues...? And if so, how might I treat this?
I've just watched @ahmo 's video on ASD and brain allergy and see that luteolin is one of the only things that can treat mast cell activation. The video says chamomile contains luteolin, and about 6-8 cups of chamomile tea a day does ease my anxiety. Apparently Mexican Oregano is the biggest source of luteolin... has anybody tried this?
I definately think Hip's anti-inflammatory approach to anxiety might help as the Turmeric helps. There was also a story on the news a couple of weeks back that said medication for auto-immune disorders was proving effective at treating mental health conditions as antibodies were found to be attacking the brain.
Thoughts?
Thanks everybody and I hope you are all well
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