Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

[Johnmac]

You might suggest to her some supplements which I found had some anti-psychosis effects, especially the N-acetyl glucosamine, phosphatidylserine, high dose vitamin C and niacinamide mentioned above.

But it sounds like she ought to see a psychiatrist, to see if she can be prescribed something helpful.

Thanks again Hip. She won't take psychiatric drugs, & is possibly not ill enough to need them. (I've never used mainstream medicine either.) However the supplement ideas are good ones - I'll see how that goes. Thanks...

 

[Gmorl69]

I am pleased to hear that you experienced major anti-anxiety benefits from NAG. I still use NAG today as my key anti-anxiety supplement.

I also sometimes suffer from what I believe is mild psychosis-like symptoms. By complete accident, I found one very effective drug for my mild psychosis, which is the diuretic amiloride, at a dose of 5 mg. Within 2 hours this will noticeable reduce or eliminate the mild psychosis symptoms.

Amiloride often comes in a pill with amiloride 5 mg and hydrochlorothiazide 50 mg, and this is what I take. I buy these pills at the usual prescription-free overseas pharmacies. The only side effect I get is that it makes you go to the toilet more, because amiloride is a diuretic.

For years I was clueless as to why amiloride might help my mild psychosis symptoms; I could not figure out the mechanism. But then I learnt that amiloride has effects on the adenosine receptors, and one theory of schizophrenia is based on these adenosine receptors (amiloride is an allosteric inhibitor of antagonist binding on the A1, A2 and A3 adenosine receptors).

I mention amiloride at the bottom of this post, which details the various things that reduce my psychosis symptoms. Other effective substances I find for my mild psychosis are: phosphatidylserine 50 mg to 200 mg, high dose vitamin C 3 grams (needs to be taken 3 times daily to maintain effect), N-acetyl glucosamine and niacinamide 1000 mg.





Microglia are the main part of the resident immune system in the brain, and when there is brain inflammation, microglia get activated. Unfortunately when microglia become activated, they pump out lots of glutamate as a by-product of their activation. This flood of glutamate in the brain then over-activates the NMDA receptors, and I think this can cause mental symptoms such as anxiety, and probably other mental symptoms too.

The exact mental symptoms may depend on which part of the brain is in an inflammatory state. The amygdala is one of the key areas linked to anxiety, and I think maybe when there is inflammation and microglial activation in the amygdala, this is when one experiences generalized anxiety disorder.

More and more mental health conditions are being linked to brain inflammation (major depression, OCD, schizophrenia, bipolar and anxiety have all been linked to neuroinflammation).



As for why the brain is inflamed, well, inflammation is simply the immune system in an active state. The active state could be caused by a number of things, but an infection is the most common cause of inflammation. So it could be that in many mental health conditions, there is a viral or bacterial infection in the brain, existing at low levels, but triggering chronic inflammation that leads to mental symptoms.

But we also now know that brain inflammation can be triggered (or worsened) by infection or bacterial dysbiosis in the gut. When the vagus nerve senses infection or inflammation in the gut, it signals this information to the brain, and then the brain in turn will then ramp up its own internal inflammation. So by reducing gut inflammation you can in turn reduce brain inflammation.

I found prebiotics (as well as probiotics) significantly reduced my anxiety levels, and I believe this is because they reduce gut inflammation. Prebiotics are foods that feed the good bacteria in the gut, but starve the bad bacteria which cause inflammation. See this thread.



Regarding your anxiety symptoms: I find it important to distinguish between glutamate-driven anxiety, and a similar mental which is overstimulation/agitation. These two mental states can feel quite similar, but I think they have different causes.

The anxiety I treat using supplements like NAG, turmeric, arginine pyroglutamate nasal sprays, etc.

Whereas in my case, the overstimulation/agitation I think is caused by overmethylation, and the usual way to treat overmethylation is with high doses of niacinamide, a form of vitamin B3. So when I get this overstimulation/agitation mental state, it will take 500 to 1500 mg of niacinamide.

For me the key to distinguishing the generalized anxiety disorder state from the overstimulation/agitation mental state is the agitated feeling. If I feel agitated, then I know I have overstimulation due to overmethylation.

Thanks HIP for your reply

I discovered this from reading about Abram Hoffer work on treating schizophrenics in the 50’s before the major tranquillisers were invented.

I started with regular niacin but got a bad flush reaction and excruciating itch on my legs.
I then tried nicotinamide but this made me extremely hyper, then hexanicotinate which did nothing then found wax matrix niacin that releases the niacin over 8 hours and could then take the higher doses. It unfortunately did nothing for the mind problems (schizophrenia symptoms over the short term) but I did notice a good anti anxiety affect so have kept using them. The lowering of cholesterol is a bonus and it’s got other health benefits that could increase longevity.
I’ll be trying the pre/pro-biotic next
Then I’ll try the amiloride
I used to buy meds from buy pharma but
Now I make sure everything is okayed with my psychiatrist if it’s anything that needs a prescription in the UK
That way I’m covered
I did try 3g vitamin C as well but didn’t notice much but I’ll also look into the phosphatidylserine

 

[Gmorl69]

Thanks HIP for your reply

I discovered this from reading about Abram Hoffer work on treating schizophrenics in the 50’s before the major tranquillisers were invented.

I started with regular niacin but got a bad flush reaction and excruciating itch on my legs.
I then tried nicotinamide but this made me extremely hyper, then hexanicotinate which did nothing then found wax matrix niacin that releases the niacin over 8 hours and could then take the higher doses. It unfortunately did nothing for the mind problems (schizophrenia symptoms over the short term) but I did notice a good anti anxiety affect so have kept using them. The lowering of cholesterol is a bonus and it’s got other health benefits that could increase longevity.
I’ll be trying the pre/pro-biotic next
Then I’ll try the amiloride
I used to buy meds from buy pharma but
Now I make sure everything is okayed with my psychiatrist if it’s anything that needs a prescription in the UK
That way I’m covered
I did try 3g vitamin C as well but didn’t notice much but I’ll also look into the phosphatidylserine

BillW founder of AA met Hoffer through writer Auldoux Huxley. Hoffer said B3 niacin would help alcoholics so BillW started on 3x1000mg a day and it cured his life long depression and anxiety. He said he wanted to be remembered for Niacin more than AA. But had less success of promoting it at the time.
Thanks again HIP
If I get any more good results I’ll again post back
to let you know.

 

[hapl808]

BillW founder of AA met Hoffer through writer Auldoux Huxley. Hoffer said B3 niacin would help alcoholics so BillW started on 3x1000mg a day and it cured his life long depression and anxiety. He said he wanted to be remembered for Niacin more than AA. But had less success of promoting it at the time.

That's very interesting. Is it supposed to be the flushing type, or would niacinamide work?

 

[Gmorl69]

If someone has mental health symptoms on the psychosis spectrum, one of the fundamental characteristics of psychosis is that you not only get reduced ability to understand and correctly interpret events in the outside world, but you also lose your ability to understand your own mind through introspection. This is why people with psychosis may not fully appreciate their situation.

With other mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, etc, usually people are aware of the state they are in. But introspective self-awareness is lacking in psychosis.

Add to that her lack of motivation, and I think it is going to be hard to both make her see there is an issue, and then motivate her to do something. It may also be down to personality: some people just do not enjoy self experimentation with treatments.

Yes I have friends like that
I suppose they can’t be that bad or they would want to improve how they feel.
I used to block everything out with alcohol but I’ve managed to stay sober now for 4 years.
I believe when I became very frightened and unwell I had nowhere else to turn to than God and now have a spiritual program so

That's very interesting. Is it supposed to be the flushing type, or would niacinamide work?

BillW used the flushing type as that was all there was back then
Hoffer said nicotinamide would work but not as well.
I have tried nicotinamide and found it made me have too much energy and hyper
Hexanicotinate doesn’t work as the niacin is never released into the body (explaining why it doesn’t reduce cholesterol.
I use wax matrix niacin B3 which releases the niacin slowly over 8hrs so I get no flush
Which I can’t tolerate.
It’s called ENDUR-ACIN

 

[Gmorl69]

Yes I have friends like that
I suppose they can’t be that bad or they would want to improve how they feel.
I used to block everything out with alcohol but I’ve managed to stay sober now for 4 years.
I believe when I became very frightened and unwell I had nowhere else to turn to than God and now have a spiritual program so

BillW used the flushing type as that was all there was back then
Hoffer said nicotinamide would work but not as well.
I have tried nicotinamide and found it made me have too much energy and hyper
Hexanicotinate doesn’t work as the niacin is never released into the body (explaining why it doesn’t reduce cholesterol.
I use wax matrix niacin B3 which releases the niacin slowly over 8hrs so I get no flush
Which I can’t tolerate.
It’s called ENDUR-ACIN

Don’t use the sustain release niacin as some of these can cause problems over 1500 mg intake
Due to too much concentration in the liver
The WAX niacin is great and safe just like normal niacin

 

[Gmorl69]

Don’t use the sustain release niacin as some of these can cause problems over 1500 mg intake
Due to too much concentration in the liver
The WAX niacin is great and safe just like normal niacin

The ones that are touted as flush free is the hexanicotinate (that doesn’t work)
Nicotinamide which gave me too much energy
Sustain release (that are dangerous above 1000mg) hepatic
Recomend Wax Matrix niacin

 

[Gmorl69]

The ones that are touted as flush free is the hexanicotinate (that doesn’t work)
Nicotinamide which gave me too much energy
Sustain release (that are dangerous above 1000mg) hepatic
Recomend Wax Matrix niacin

Inositol hexanicotinate doesn’t work as it doesn’t convert to niacin

 

[Gmorl69]

Inositol hexanicotinate doesn’t work as it doesn’t convert to niacin

The MAX I take of ENDUR-ACIN wax niacin is 1000x3 per day
2000mg per day is fine
Nicotinamide is best not above 2000mg per day
Normal niacin is okay up to 3000mg per day but I could not go above even 500mg due to the flush and incredibly itchy legs where I couldn’t sleep.
The Wax matrix niacin has provided the solution

 

[Gmorl69]

The MAX I take of ENDUR-ACIN wax niacin is 1000x3 per day
2000mg per day is fine
Nicotinamide is best not above 2000mg per day
Normal niacin is okay up to 3000mg per day but I could not go above even 500mg due to the flush and incredibly itchy legs where I couldn’t sleep.
The Wax matrix niacin has provided the solution

Make sure you do your own research as some extended release or sustained release niacin’s are dangerous as they concentrate in the liver

 

[Gmorl69]

Make sure you do your own research as some extended release or sustained release niacin’s are dangerous as they concentrate in the liver

With the wax matrix niacin I don’t think you get any further advantage above 2000mg per day so this is the maximum I take now.
If you have any liver issues be careful on your dosing. Especially avoid the sustained release type you get on paces like amazon

 

[perchance dreamer]

I find youtube guided breathing videos helpful in the evening to calme me and help my sleep. I use 4,7,8 exercises and also 6.6.

The 4,7,8 is breathing through the nose for 4 seconds, holding the breath for 7 seconds, and exhaling for 8 seconds through pursed lips. The 6.6 is a 6-second inhale through the nose and a 6-second exhale through the nose. Breathing exercises like this increase parasympathetic activity and, in my case, lower blood pressure.

Through reading James Nestor's Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, I learned about the importance of nasal breathing on the nervous system, among its other benefits. I've trained myself to breathe through my nose all the time unless I'm changing the litter box or opening the cats' canned food. Then I mouth breath because that makes odors less bothersome.

I also tape my mouth shut at night to ensure nasal breathing, which I learned from the book, too. This has really helped me with sleep and allowed me to use a nasal cushion CPAP mask, which is much less intrusive than a full face mask.

 

[Gmorl69]

Thanks HIP for your reply

I discovered this from reading about Abram Hoffer work on treating schizophrenics in the 50’s before the major tranquillisers were invented.

I started with regular niacin but got a bad flush reaction and excruciating itch on my legs.
I then tried nicotinamide but this made me extremely hyper, then hexanicotinate which did nothing then found wax matrix niacin that releases the niacin over 8 hours and could then take the higher doses. It unfortunately did nothing for the mind problems (schizophrenia symptoms over the short term) but I did notice a good anti anxiety affect so have kept using them. The lowering of cholesterol is a bonus and it’s got other health benefits that could increase longevity.
I’ll be trying the pre/pro-biotic next
Then I’ll try the amiloride
I used to buy meds from buy pharma but
Now I make sure everything is okayed with my psychiatrist if it’s anything that needs a prescription in the UK
That way I’m covered
I did try 3g vitamin C as well but didn’t notice much but I’ll also look into the phosphatidylserine

Hi HIp,
I’ve been on the NAG for a couple of weeks
It has reduced anxiety but I feel my nervous system is still excited so I’m on edge still.
I believe it my nervous system causing the problems with being on edge and hyper vigilant like PTSD.
Have you ever looked into lamotrigine
What are your thoughts on this medication
Thanks
Greg M

 

[Hip]

Have you ever looked into lamotrigine
What are your thoughts on this medication

I've tried it, it has some benefits and side effects, see this post and this post.

 

[Gmorl69]

I've tried it, it has some benefits and side effects, see this post and this post.

Hi Hip,
Thankyou again for your reply
I can see you’ve looked into it and tested it (suck and see)
I found the same conclusion on glutimate inhibitor plus gaba enhancing of lamotrigine
I’ve actually got some (buy pharma)
But have not tried them.
I do everything by the book these days so only try any medication with the psychiatrist permission so I try not to self medicate except supplements these days.


I’m doing a 12 step program called ACA (Adult children of alcoholics) that helps inner child problems from growing up in an alcoholic home (or dysfunctional home).
Theirs a lot on nervous system disorders so I’m hoping over long term this might have a positive effect.
But now I’m back on the search for something that can work so I can function in life better for now. In the form of medications.
So I’m working on the anxiety/stress principle to tackle.
I’ve been through
Pregabalin (bubble effect )
Gabapentin (hyper social)
Baclofen
These did not get to the problem but only masked it. Obviously they did have an effect but they were not getting to the issue.( this could only be done by the suck it and see method over several months) (was actually on pregabalin 3 years)
So have now written these off
The baclofen was prescribed out of an alcohol treatment centre Called Sinclair method uk.
I used to drink alcohol every day and I think that became like this because it helped my anxiety and was a way to escape, plus a slight genetic predisposition to alcohol that runs in my family.
So I was interested in medications that can mimic the effect. The AA (Alcoholics Anonymous ) didn’t take away the bodily GAD or nervousness.
But removes a lot of the unnecessary worry with its spiritual approach and methods it uses.
But doesn’t even dent the main problems I have which are treated with medication.
( also I have no interest in alcohol before the antipsychotics medication started at age 25 or if I stop them- mainly because I become completely anhedonic)
As a side note
Do Asperin (75mg enteric coated) cause you anxiety as you mentioned this can cause some issues with some people. I think your mentioned is in connection to the NAG and gut imflamation. As if a person has this reaction to Asperin, it can be a litmus indicator of some sort of root cause of what’s going on.
Next up for me is to retry mirtazapine low dose 7.5mg -15mg (weight gain issues with this + 4 stone )
If this fails
Re try phenelzine
I appreciate all your insites

Thanks again
Greg M









Thanks for

 

[Hip]

Do Asperin (75mg enteric coated) cause you anxiety as you mentioned this can cause some issues with some people. I think your mentioned is in connection to the NAG and gut imflamation. As if a person has this reaction to Asperin, it can be a litmus indicator of some sort of root cause of what’s going on.

I have no problems with aspirin, although if I take it for several days in a row I may get a hives rash (urticaria) across my body.

In terms of root causes of anxiety symptoms, which I think can be cause by brain inflammation in some cases, have you looked at improving gut healthy? I found prebiotics and probiotics can help improve gut health and in turn this can reduce brain inflammation, as there is a well-known gut-brain connection along the vagus nerve.

 

[Gmorl69]

I have no problems with aspirin, although if I take it for several days in a row I may get a hives rash (urticaria) across my body.

In terms of root causes of anxiety symptoms, which I think can be cause by brain inflammation in some cases, have you looked at improving gut healthy? I found prebiotics and probiotics can help improve gut health and in turn this can reduce brain inflammation, as there is a well-known gut-brain connection along the vagus nerve.

Yes HIP I’m looking into this as well after reading your posts about it.
I take a high strength probiotic in the evening that designed to be resilient against stomach acid. I’ll probably increase this to more than one.
I’ve looked into leaky gut idea and the best known remady I’ve heard of is the Gundry ‘total restore’which are very low quantities in each capsule and way over priced but the active ingredients are NAG and also L- glutamine which I’ve heard help repair the gut wall but what dose should be taken -I have no idea, some take 1000mg capsules some have 5g I think it’s suppose to help build muscle in people who train.
I will be getting some pre- biotics next.
Because I’m on clozapine I need to drink a lot of Movicol drink for constipation (which I’ve read kills your good bacteria in the gut)
I’ve had gut issues for the last 15 years ( basically constant diareer with the movicol)
So I think any probiotic and pre biotic is going to be worth while.
What’s the best pre-biotic to get ?
Is their a brand you can recomend.

Basically I’ve got to keep experimenting in the main medications to get a significant change
Some on the list are
Lamotrigine (with clozapine)
Quetiapine with Buspirone
Duloxetine
Maybe escitalopram

Bromazapam or diazepam or zopiclone which is surprising I’ve never tried regular use of diazepam.
There’s a few new antipsychotics that look promising but their not yet licences in the Uk
(Lumateperone) (ziprazidone) are two
Possibly topomax (iGaba and neurotransmitter balancing)
Acamprosate all for alcohol
Your idea of Amiloride I’ll look into
Quetiapine XL gave the best sanity I’ve ever tried better than clozapine without the tiredness but I had issues with mini seizures and was unable to sleep for 10 days also major indigestion and dizziness
It may be worth trying this again if the issues I had can be got round.

But I was surprised when the NAG did something quite significant so I’m taking supplements more seriously now. The (Wax matrix ) niacin I also found has a significant affect
I also take 2x caps of Magnesium l threonate ( neuro mag life extension brand) which seems to help me get to sleep their cirtainly no negative affects from them. This is suppose to get the magnesium across the blood brain barrier.
Thanks again HIP
Greg M

 

[Wayne]

Some on the list are
Lamotrigine (with clozapine)
Quetiapine with Buspirone
Duloxetine
Maybe escitalopram

HI @Gmorl69 -- I've seen accounts on a tinnitus forum that a number of the medications you've mentioned can and do cause tinnitus. I would suggest you do a bit of research on any drug you're seriously considering using, and seeing if it's been correlated to the onset of tinnitus (somtimes debilitating). Best...

 

[Springbok1988]

I just wanted to pop in and say that NAG has improved my quality of life dramatically. I had suffered from intense panic attacks for about five months, everyday. They worsened before bed and would wake me up in the middle of the night. It felt like my brain was just shutting down. Klonopin or Ativan only helped to take the edge off. I was reluctant to spend more money on a supplement since I’ve spent so much already and few have helped at all. My first day on NAG showed a huge improvement. Within an hour all of the anxiety was completely gone. Now I take it every night before bed and haven’t had any issues. THANK YOU to all who recommended it! I originally heard about it from @Hip. I can’t thank you enough. My life is so much better with it.

 

[Hip]

My first day on NAG showed a huge improvement. Within an hour all of the anxiety was completely gone.

That's quite something! It's interesting that you found NAG helped panic attacks.

NAG often works well for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), according to the feedback on this thread. GAD is where the anxiety levels are fairly constant throughout the day. But panic disorder (PD) is a little different to GAD, in that the anxiety comes in short panic attacks which last typically for 5 to 20 minutes, though sometimes they can last up to an hour.

PD also involves adrenaline surges during the attacks, which cause symptoms like palpitations or raised heart beat, sweating, and rapid breathing (which can feel like a shortness of breath), as well as intense feelings of fear and terror. Whereas GAD does not have adrenaline surges.

Would you say you have PD rather than GAD? I've not seen any feedback so far about NAG helping PD, only GAD.