just got back from the dr.
he prescribed Bupropion even though that's a NDRI which is not so good when MAO A is compromised. But it boosts dopamine which we determined is the one I lack the most, not serotonin.
(noradrenalin = alertness and energy; serotonine = obsessions and compulsion; dopamine = motivation and reward)
He had his coassistent make a list of all anti depressants and how they compare for noradrenalin, serotonin etc. :
My AD is meant to be one of the anchor points for when things get really bad. The day I'm about to call the suicide help line I can take (part of) a pill to see whether it helps. He hadn't heard of PMDD much but accepted my explanation and how AD works on it in a different way from chronic depression.
He said that with my faulty enzymes and weird brain chemistry there was no predicting what would happen but it's a good thing to have anchor points.
He then asked if I can test drugs and supplements without taking them, just by holding them in my hand. I can. I can "feel" if something is good for me. Or too hyper (for example vegetable oils).
He suggested I might want to keep a pil in my bra instead of digesting it. See if it's just it's "influence" I need.
(before you laugh at me and my run of the mill GP, think of muscle resistance testing and water dowser. It's the same principle. Small changes in the micro electromagnetic field of (muscle) cells.)
He said there are three supplements known to stabilize PMS moods:
- krill oil
- Taurine
- Magnesium
He also suggested bio-rhodiola.
We also mused about what's happening in the hormone cycle. We know Progesteron and Estrogen are to be in balance. But the same goes for Cortisol and DHEA, he said. With stress cortisol rises and DHEA tanks. Who knows how this influences the mood. For production of DHEA lots of Zink is needed. He was therefor not surprised I feel better with a bit of Zink.
I think he advocated I take some DHEA but I'm not sure. He did show me a pharmacy that compounds it.
He then whipped out one of the methylation cycle images and we poured over that one for a while
He's been studying it for a year now, he said
and started to get a grip on how things work.
I've ordered (new) Lithium, GABA, Zink, Magnesium, Taurine, Niacin and Krill oil. And he wants to test my blood for liver enzymes CYP2C19, CYPsC9 and CYP2D6 but I might just as well look those up on my 12andme file
the reason he wants to know is of those CYPs fail progesteron supplement fails too.
I'm on Day 14 of my cycle, keeping my fingers crossed. (I use PeriodTracker, a wonderful app.)
PS Buproprion is also the anti depressant with the least effect on libido. I have a "dead bedroom" on which me and my partner work and I cannot afford to have my libido reduced.
