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High dose vitamin B1 (thiamine)

aquariusgirl

Senior Member
Messages
1,732
Ok...not what I was asking.? but coincidentally or not, my labs this week show I am anemic....I'm not clear what the B1 ...anemia connection is>?
 

Hanna

Senior Member
Messages
717
Location
Jerusalem, Israel
B6 plays a role in oxalate metabolism by converting glyoxalates into glycine, isn't it ? So it is a way to prevent more endo-production of oxalates.
spr10-oxalmetab.jpg
 

frozenborderline

Senior Member
Messages
4,405
Another followup: I mentioned 4-5 months ago that high thiamine will deplete riboflavin, and as my eyes/siniuses have been getting worse in the last few days I realized I'd backed off of the riboflavin.

Riboflavin is needed for MAO to work properly to help break down amines (including histamine), and just found this study that showed that 400 mgs of thiamine caused a 'general drop' in MAO activity:

http://psycnet.apa.org/psycinfo/1982-07351-001
That could be dangerous, damn
 

JasonUT

Senior Member
Messages
303
That could be dangerous, damn

I'm finding I have to move up to 3x B-complex dosages per day to keep all my other B's in check as a replenish B1 and B3. (1x via multi and 2x via B-Right)

The good news, is that Lipothiamine seems to be working. See my post 89.

To add a little more details.... B1 replenishment via TTFD-Lipothiamine has done the following per testing results.
Increased: B1, B6, B9
Decreased: B2, B12, B5 and Biotin

Of the B's, the only "Borderline" deficiencies to correct at this time per my specific lab results are B3, B5, and Biotin.

My nutritionist advised that this fluxuation is to be expected as pathways turn back on and my body tries to rebalance.
 
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raghav

Senior Member
Messages
809
Location
India
@Asklipia It increased my heart rate to above 90 and it made me feel tired. So I stopped. I am currently using Gcmaf plus cream once daily. It is 15 days since I started it. I dont see any immediate improvements. It looks like it will take a couple of months to show results.
 
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Ravn

Senior Member
Messages
147
Dr Lonsdale mentions something called paradoxical reactions - as opposed to side effects - to thiamine supplementation where symptoms get worse before they get better. The reasoning (I think) is that the autonomic nervous system got used to scraping by on insufficient thiamine input so it initially gets confused by the sudden flood of the vitamin and goes a bit haywire before settling down again. But he isn't very clear how one would distinguish between a paradoxical reaction where one should continue the supplement and a plain old side effect when it may be better to stop the supplement.

At the extreme end, he cites a case report of a woman with various dysautonomic symptoms (not ME) who decided to trial thiamine (after having been denied thiamine testing). For several weeks her tachy worsened so much she landed in hospital a few times then it resolved and she improved significantly overall (have to admire her faith in the treatment and nerve to persevere - but maybe she doesn't live, as I do, 2 hours drive from nearest emergency department).

Anyone have any experience with these paradoxical reactions?
 

Ravn

Senior Member
Messages
147
This thread is getting quite long, a bit overwhelming for my poor old brain. Does anybody have a good summary of DIY high-dose thiamine supplementation? The different types of thiamine and derivatives, doses, timings, co-factors, warnings etc - all in one place? That would be so helpful. Example:

Thiamine Hcl:
  • starting dose, likely therapeutic dose, maximum safe dose
  • take as single dose or divided, best time of day to take, speed of stepping up dose, any difference between absorption of capsules and tablets
  • any warnings, side effects, counter indications, how soon to expect a benefit/how long to persevere
  • cofactors required (eg. magnesium, B6, etc) with all the above info - presumably dosing of the cofactors depends on the dosing of thiamine?
Same again for benfotiamine.

And any other forms of thiamine/derivative. Though I can only get the Hcl and the benfo over the counter here, not sure about prescription, haven't asked after my doctor's request for thiamine testing was refused by the lab, for unknown reasons.

Also, once an effective dose has been found does this need to be continued indefinitely or can it be reduced again later once any major deficiency has been addressed?
 

Gondwanaland

Senior Member
Messages
5,092
For several weeks her tachy worsened so much
This is usually due to increased potassium need. B2 is said to dampen the potassium thirst.

In my experience, I could never repeat the initial wakefulness I got from Benfotiamine. But then I found out it was due to improved folate utilization, and could not be repeated due to low folate levels. Folate also increases potassium needs, and B2 should also help with that.

As Dr. Lonsdale recommends, be sure to support B1 supplementation with a Bcomplex and minerals , esp. potassium and magnesium. I need to supplement other minerals as well, but I seem to be getting enough manganese from teas, spices and foods.

Sorry I don't have a protocol compilation.

You can get any vitamin delivered form from Amazon, iHerb, Vitacost, Swanson Vitamins etc. However due to customs fees I prefer to get my vitamins compounded locally, and unfortunately local pharmacies don't have all the hyped forms. So every now and then I do the online purchase.
 
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raghav

Senior Member
Messages
809
Location
India
I tried Pyridoxal -5- Phosphate 50 mg Country Life and it immediately gave me a surge of energy. I have been taking Now Foods B-50 one capsule for the past 3 years. But this is something I tried yesterday and it was fantastic. Will I have to make adjustments in other B vitamins like adding B1 or B2 or should I wait and see how it goes ? I know that all the B vitamins are interconnected and if you ramp up one then the others also have to be adjusted. Any suggestions folks ?
 

Ravn

Senior Member
Messages
147
Getting some promising results with high thiamine (oral). But wondering for how long one is meant to continue the very high dose? Days, weeks, months, indefinitely?

Dr Lonsdale seems to do the high-dose thiamine mostly by IV which, I would assume, is a short term treatment likely followed by a lower, oral, maintenance dose?
 

JasonUT

Senior Member
Messages
303
@Ravn

Dr. Londsdale has recommended 400-500 mg of oral Lipothiamine in divided doses for me. This is to be supported with B-complex, multi, and electrolytes which should amount to at least 300 mg of magnesium. He told me to start with 50 mg twice per day and work up slowly to manage any paradoxical responses. My understanding is that the high dose should be maintained until functional thiamine stores can be validated via testing. I do not have access to Erythrocyte Transketolase testing; therefore, I have been using SpectraCell micronutrient testing.

Source:
Orally administered allithiamine vitamers are therefore recommended for prophylaxis and treatment of thiamine deficits because while having essentially the same biological properties as parenterally administered water-soluble thiamines they have not produced any untoward effects after long-term administration and are far more efficiently utilized.