Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

[g10990926]

Hi All.
I'm not sure whether this was discussed earlier, as I haven't read the whole thread.
There are recent-ish studies pointing out that DHEA and EPA work for Depression/Anxiety.
and more recent study pointing that the supplementation with turmeric or curcumin helps the body convert
Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA) which is in Flaxseed into EPA and DHEA (this is normally done by the body, but it's a very inneficient process)


you could try a DHEA/EPA supplementation (Fish oil) for a more direct route, I did not choose that for the main reason being that I'm allergic to fish, and the vegan DHE/EPA supplements made from algae are more expensive.
there is also very little evidence pointing to whether EPA or DHEA is beneficial, some people claiming EPA gave them anxiety, so i decided to let my body do it.. I might try directly if this combo doesnt work.

Also, i've decided to go the turmeric/flaxseed route, as I have IBS and parapsoriasis, which might benefit from curcumin supplementation as well.

I've been on SSRIs for a decade with little to no effect, so i'm hoping this combo will work
it's my second dose so way too early to tell, hoping the best though, but well aware of placebo

To the OP: thanks for the great work on this thread

 

[Hip]

you could try a DHEA/EPA supplementation (Fish oil) for a more direct route,

I found no anti-anxiety effects from fish oil myself. DHEA perhaps helps a little, but I can only take low doses otherwise I find it makes me angry and irritable.

 

[g10990926]

links for the new research on curcumin improving the conversion of ALA to DHA and it's effect on anxiety.

http://www.researchgate.net/publica...tions_for_the_prevention_of_anxiety_disorders

I tend to side with the theory of "inflammation" leads to a mental condition (be it anxiety, depression, etc)
It is possible that the inflammation could come from different sources, or even different nutrient deficiencies

Hip.. just guessing, but, i've read reports that the EPA could be responsible for that, not the DHA, so supplementation with DHA should work.(or DHA with minimum EPA)

I've also found a website (turmericforlife) that talks about the benefit of making a paste with turmeric, and canola oil
(canola, even though it's an everyday item, has almost as much ALA as flaxseed)
combining both, it should be a dirt cheap way to get your body to make DHA

 

[MeSci]

Hi All.
I'm not sure whether this was discussed earlier, as I haven't read the whole thread.
There are recent-ish studies pointing out that DHEA and EPA work for Depression/Anxiety.
and more recent study pointing that the supplementation with turmeric or curcumin helps the body convert
Alpha Linoleic Acid (ALA) which is in Flaxseed into EPA and DHEA (this is normally done by the body, but it's a very inneficient process)


you could try a DHEA/EPA supplementation (Fish oil) for a more direct route, I did not choose that for the main reason being that I'm allergic to fish, and the vegan DHE/EPA supplements made from algae are more expensive.
there is also very little evidence pointing to whether EPA or DHEA is beneficial, some people claiming EPA gave them anxiety, so i decided to let my body do it.. I might try directly if this combo doesnt work.

Also, i've decided to go the turmeric/flaxseed route, as I have IBS and parapsoriasis, which might benefit from curcumin supplementation as well.

I've been on SSRIs for a decade with little to no effect, so i'm hoping this combo will work
it's my second dose so way too early to tell, hoping the best though, but well aware of placebo

To the OP: thanks for the great work on this thread

Hi, @g10990926 - welcome to Phoenix Rising!

I think you mean DHA rather than DHEA - DHEA is Dehydroepiandrosterone, the effects of which are detailed here.

As you say, there are vegan versions of the fatty acids found in fish oil - I take these with no obvious problems, and an advantage of these may be that there is less risk of contamination with marine pollutants, as I think the algae are grown in controlled conditions.

I am interested in turmeric as an aid to converting alpha-linolenic acid to EPA and DHA - do you have a link to the study?

I only tried an SSRI for a very short time in 1996, and had to come off it in a hurry as it was putting my already-high anxiety levels through the roof and making my insomnia even worse. Have you tried 5-HTP instead? I found that this lifted my mood subtly after a few weeks, which was enough to counter a persistent low mood due to a life event.

As I think I have said earlier, my anxiety levels seem closely connected to my gut function. I have been under extreme stress recently as a result of a local landowner illegally destroying my local wood and many other trees and turning the fields into waste land full of noise caused by machinery.

But I have managed to avoid turning into a gibbering wreck, whereas when my gut was worse I think I would have really struggled to cope.

My latest strategy has been to use a grapefruit seed extract mouthwash twice a day to keep oral bacteria under control, and spit it out rather than swallow, thus not excessively depleting colonic bacteria (at least that's the theory!).

 

[MeSci]

links for the new research on curcumin improving the conversion of ALA to DHA and it's effect on anxiety.

http://www.researchgate.net/publica...tions_for_the_prevention_of_anxiety_disorders

I tend to side with the theory of "inflammation" leads to a mental condition (be it anxiety, depression, etc)
It is possible that the inflammation could come from different sources, or even different nutrient deficiencies

Hip.. just guessing, but, i've read reports that the EPA could be responsible for that, not the DHA, so supplementation with DHA should work.(or DHA with minimum EPA)

I've also found a website (turmericforlife) that talks about the benefit of making a paste with turmeric, and canola oil
(canola, even though it's an everyday item, has almost as much ALA as flaxseed)
combining both, it should be a dirt cheap way to get your body to make DHA

Thanks. I found another link that doesn't require javascript: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25550171

It wasn't clear from the abstract whether there was any evidence for this effect in humans. Non-human studies have very poor correlation with effects in humans, so in my educated view they are best ignored.

Flaxseed oil is actually much better than canola/rapeseed oil. You can check the omega-3/omega-6 ratios on this site, which gives a ratio of 53.3:12.7 g/100g for flaxseed oil (listed as linseed there) and 11.1:22.1 or 9.02:20.2 for canola oil (listed as rape seed oil) depending on erucic acid content. So canola still has more omega-6 than omega-3, so will not tip the balance towards omega-3; it will just not tip it as far towards omega-6 as some other oils and foods.

 

[g10990926]

Thanks. I found another link that doesn't require javascript: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25550171

It wasn't clear from the abstract whether there was any evidence for this effect in humans. Non-human studies have very poor correlation with effects in humans, so in my educated view they are best ignored.

Flaxseed oil is actually much better than canola/rapeseed oil. You can check the omega-3/omega-6 ratios on this site, which gives a ratio of 53.3:12.7 g/100g for flaxseed oil (listed as linseed there) and 11.1:22.1 or 9.02:20.2 for canola oil (listed as rape seed oil) depending on erucic acid content. So canola still has more omega-6 than omega-3, so will not tip the balance towards omega-3; it will just not tip it as far towards omega-6 as some other oils and foods.

You're right re Canola vs Flaxseed.
I actually didn't consider the omega-6s in the Canola, just figured it has less 3, so just have some more!

about the animal models, for something as new as these research, and most importantly, where there is no money to be made, it's what we have..
it all depends on the nature of the research whether they'll translate well or not, so they're always meant to be taken into context for what they are, that's the reason they're done, otherwise there would be no reason to do them.
Ideally we'd have human research with 1000s of people. but no such luck

so you have been taking fish oil, but it hasn't done much for your anxiety?
PS: the researchgate link has a PDF with the full study.. researchgate is one of the few places that has the full documents

 

[MeSci]

You're right re Canola vs Flaxseed.
I actually didn't consider the omega-6s in the Canola, just figured it has less 3, so just have some more!

about the animal models, for something as new as these research, and most importantly, where there is no money to be made, it's what we have..
it all depends on the nature of the research whether they'll translate well or not, so they're always meant to be taken into context for what they are, that's the reason they're done, otherwise there would be no reason to do them.
Ideally we'd have human research with 1000s of people. but no such luck

so you have been taking fish oil, but it hasn't done much for your anxiety?
PS: the researchgate link has a PDF with the full study.. researchgate is one of the few places that has the full documents

It's the ratio of the different omegas that is important.

Re animal models, this is an issue that I have studied in depth and also carried out paid freelance work on for charities, so I know what I'm talking about here. If you don't believe me when I say they are overwhelmingly - possibly entirely - pointless, read what a large number of other scientists have said here and in some of my other blogposts. I consider this particularly important for ME sufferers, as we have very limited energy, and don't need to be wasting it on something that is as likely to be irrelevant as relevant to us. You might as well toss a coin. Why does it continue? Why do human beings continue to do stupid things? Habit, custom, vested interests, etc. I also cover this in my blog here.

I don't take fish oil - I am a vegan. I take vegan algal omega-3. I fixed my anxiety through various other dietary changes and supplements, listed in my profile to save repeating them here (if you click on a person's name and go to the Information section, you will find some info if the person has completed it). I don't think that omega-3s have made much difference, if any.

But sometimes my gut gets messed up again for unknown reasons, which brings back the anxiety and insomnia to a degree.

 

[g10990926]

Just found a very interesting research paper, comparing the different formulations of turmeric/curcumin
my take is value for money, the best option is pure turmeric + pepper (piperine)
other preparations (such as meriva, pure curcumin, theracurmin) dont seem to have as much bioavailability and of cost much more.

the bioavailability of pure curcumin (or turmeric) is very low.
so combining with pepper is strongly recommended.

For myself, I've been on it for about 1 week, combining it with flaxseed oil, but i haven't noticed any effects yet.
However, i did realise my flaxseed oil is very low, so upping it might make a difference.

http://www.researchgate.net/profile...sableCoverPage=true&origin=publication_detail

 

[Hip]

@g10990926
I keep repeating this throughout the thread: the main anti-anxiety effects I observed come from turmeric, not curcumin. Curcumin is a different thing.

 

[determined]

Thank you for posting this and updating, Hip. One of my main problems now is anxiety. Now that I'm working full time, I was attributing my anxiety to the pressures at work, but it seems so much more than that. I will experiment with oils first since I'm already taking turmeric. I also need to stop eating sugar since that is a huge trigger for me.

 

[g10990926]

@g10990926
I keep repeating this throughout the thread: the main anti-anxiety effects I observed come from turmeric, not curcumin. Curcumin is a different thing.

not going against you.
but could you post the research that points to turmeric, pls?
every research i have been able to find point to curcumin and curcuminoids.
which are, of course in turmeric. but only between 3 to 7% of turmeric has them.

the research paper i posted earlier mentions curcumin..

 

[Hip]

but could you post the research that points to turmeric, pls?

As explained in the very first post, I tested hundreds of supplements for their anti-anxiety effects, and the ones featured in this thread are the ones that I found had the strongest anxiolytic action (many other people have also tried them, and got good results).

If you find curcumin works better for you than turmeric, then great. But I am just pointing out that what myself and others have been using here is turmeric.

 

[Sasha989]

Hi Hip i came across internet on this article of yours and wanted to tell you my case..maybe you will have something to tell me or anyone else is welcomed

Im Sasha im male and im 26.on 31st of october this year (3 weeks ago,im not alchocolic i drink socially) i went on heavy drinking night on empty stomach and tomorrow my hangover was the most horrible ever..i waited until 9 pm tomorrow but wouldnt stop i vomited over 15 times..didnt ate anything or drinked..went to ER they gaved me just injection of clometol/buscopan and sent me home without infusion or anything..i got eased by hangover after 1 hour but..next 3 days i was kinda heavy fatigued and kinda sad..the 4th day i started feeling like warmth but very unpleasant one in my chest,hands,head..everywere and on my lunch wit family i got panic attack not so strong but demoralized me..and after that i took Vitamin B complex on my own..and it helps me to almost ignore totally my anxyety but still feeling effects of it..5 days after i went to doctor and she gave me infusion wit vitamin C+B but didnt felt anyting..gave me blood analysis but only the most basic one..no vitamins,no electrolytes no minerals..it was completelly fine (the basic blood test) and told me that she worries for me and wrote me stupid xanax which i refuse to take as long as vitamin B keeps me sharpp (as it can get)..

So since 3-4 of november now im under that anxiety effect non stop..if i dont take just one day my vitamin B i feel kinda slow burning sensations below my skin (head,chest,everything) but not pain and huge mood swings..im over sensitive to light & noize and generally very irritable.. what should i do im desperate ..please help

and one more question..do i have vitamin B12 deficiency so thats why it helps me that much or it helps just cuz its like that as a supplement.. ?

Hope someone gives me some usefull advices

 

[Hip]

@Sasha989
Maybe you picked up an infection, which just by coincidence happened on the same day that you went drinking. This might explain the vomiting and the unusually bad hangover. My own severe anxiety symptoms started after I caught this virus.

 

[Sasha989]

How to know for sure am i infected ?

But i think the chances are really weak that i caught virus and that it went so bad in 4 days..dunno

 

[Hip]

How to know for sure am i infected ?

C-reactive protein is one test for an infection, but you can also have chronic low level infections with with viruses like enteroviruses that do no show up on the C-reactive protein test.

Sensitivity to light and sound are symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), as are irritability and mood swings (mood swings go by the medical name emotional lability). But ME/CFS also involves lots of fatigue and "brain fog" (cognition issues like memory problems).

 

[Sasha989]

Yes i have ocassional memory problems..but not biggie..chronic fatigue i dont know..i walk a lot outside when i take vitamin b i can go to city easily no anxiety.. i feel it deep inside me but never comes to ''surface''.mood swings yes and they directly depend on my vit b intake.. i dont know when is this shit gonna stop im so pissed on myself for drinking that much ..btw i sleep very well..but last 2 weeks since this shit started im having every single night lucid dreams..which i remmember perfectly every single one of them ...brain fog..that too i think i have cuz i kinda feel im not 100% ''normal'' ..

 

[Sasha989]

ohhhhhh aand yes man i wanted to tell you this ..i remmembered now..this feeling that i feel now like sensitivity to light and my eyes like i havent slept for days ..my shutters feeling heavy..i felt this same way when i was normal whenever would drink coca cola or limunade..but it was like only the next hour and dissapear but now is all the time..what does that mean ?

 

[vortex]

have you been checked for viruses HHV-6 and 4 etc ? lyme disease or coinfections ?
they have been talking about the connection of inflammation and depression anxiety lately
claiming it might be the cause, but I think it might be vagus nerve infection inflammation after
reading this article.
http://simmaronresearch.com/2013/12...gus-nerve-infection-chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

 

[Sasha989]

wow today i found out what caused all that mess in my head it was gluten !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i noticed that every time i eat i get depressed and panic attacks..and today i ate only fruits and for lunch broccoli .. without any medications my anxiety and depression STOPPED !!!!!!!! jesus .......i was like reborn !!! i stopped eating bread and anything tat might have gluten in it and it worked !!!