This post is from over a year ago, do you have any new insights since then?EBV effects the liver and maybe it leaves you unable to clear ammonia as well and you use the brain and or muscle to do so
Minimal chronic hepatic encephalopathy due to reduced liver enzyme activity
I’m wondering if there maybe a subtle hidden later viral onset inherited urea cycle disorder leading to high ammonia
I do have a rare genetic disorder but have found it hard to get Ammonia testing
After watching Rob phair's video about the Itaconate shunt hypothesis, which leads to the use of glutamine and glutamate for energy production in the brain, a byproduct of which is ammonia, I googled about how to remove ammonia from the brain and found an article talking about l-ornithine l-aspartate; then thought I'd search within these forums to see if anyone has used this (for whatever reason) and what results they'd had. And I came across your post. So I wonder; have you taken this as a supplement, and if so, what results did you have?L-citrulline and/or l-ornithine aspartate can help high ammonia.
Yes, I've taken l-ornithine aspartate (and citrulline works too). It depleted ammonia and reduced brain fog.After watching Rob phair's video about the Itaconate shunt hypothesis, which leads to the use of glutamine and glutamate for energy production in the brain, a byproduct of which is ammonia, I googled about how to remove ammonia from the brain and found an article talking about l-ornithine l-aspartate; then thought I'd search within these forums to see if anyone has used this (for whatever reason) and what results they'd had. And I came across your post. So I wonder; have you taken this as a supplement, and if so, what results did you have?
Are there specific forms that are better than others? What type have you taken?Yes, I've taken l-ornithine aspartate (and citrulline works too). It depleted ammonia and reduced brain fog.
I googled about how to remove ammonia from the brain and found an article talking about l-ornithine l-aspartate; then thought I'd search within these forums to see if anyone has used this (for whatever reason) and what results they'd had. And I came across your post. So I wonder; have you taken this as a supplement, and if so, what results did you have?
That's exactly what I was thinking of doing - supplementing amino acids and supplementing to remove ammonia. Are you still supplementing amino acids?So not the same as the LOLA supplement but I have taken this: https://www.swansonvitamins.com/p/swanson-condition-specific-formulas-ghr-essentials-120-caps
For years, I'd use it just once in a while and noticed that sometimes when I took it right before bed, I'd wake very slight refreshed for about 20 minutes before my day would crash back to normal.
I always felt it must be helping to lower ammonia. Plus, I've also used it as an antidote two times when I trialed amino acid supplements. Within a very short time after taking the aminos, my neck and shoulder muscles were burning like they were being flooded with liquid fire (ammonia?). The pain moved from there down my spine and eventually even into my legs. It was bad and it happened both times I trialed amino supplements.
Once I figured out that it could be ammonia I took that supplement. It reduced the symptoms a lot and again in just a short time...though not completely.
I've also purchased a different brand from Piping Rock that doesn't have the mucuna or the Alpha-GPC. It doesn't seem to work as well.
Anyway, now I take it daily because once I got my Garmin watch, I noticed this product and later oregano oil (unrelated) lowers my heart rate. It's nice since I feel I also have OI issues. (Again, the Piping Rock brand doesn't seem to do this as much.)
Two more things: I have taken just L-ornithine (and L-Citrulline) by themselves but don't seem to get the same benefit as this product and Yucca is another supplement that is supposed to reduce ammonia but I haven't tried it.
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Are you still supplementing amino acids?
Hmm, that's a shame. The reason I started looking into this was the Itaconate shunt theory saying that the Itaconate shunt can make you use amino acids instead of glucose and fat for energy, but that in the brain ammonia is a byproduct of this process (using glutamate and gaba For energy think) Although apparently 43 per cent as efficient as using glucose, getting to 43 per cent of a normal person sounded enticing (and actually Ron Davis reckons possibly disease severity can be explained by the number of cells in which the shunt is occurring- implying that it's not all cells, so you could get higher than 43 per cent of a normal person), but only if I could find a way to deal with the ammonia.The ones in the Swanson formula meant to remove ammonia yes but not the regular amino acid supplements like BCAAs or ones that are multi-aminos. Those latter kind make me feel very toxic, uncomfortably so.
Oddly enough I can eat meat without problems though and actually crave it sometimes, I think because of the protein.
Hmm, that's a shame. The reason I started looking into this was the Itaconate shunt theory
@Husband of - BCAAs have helped a lot of people here with energy and stamina. One very important thing they've done for me is to cut my PEM recovery time in half - it used to take me 2- 3 days to recover from overdoing things and with the BCAAs it's down to 1 day. I think they also help my energy and stamina a bit. I've been taking them since 2014. Once or twice I've tried cutting them out or cutting my dose, but the results are not good - I start to backslide very quickly so I won't be without them. Here's a thread about BCAAs: BCAAS reducing PEMOh, but don't go completely by my experience. Some here like @Mary have gotten good response from using aminos like the BCAAs, if I recall correctly.
I think there might even be a thread specifically about BCAAs somewhere on PR.