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Neurotransmitter/Methylation Issues

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
I'm starting to believe one or 2 of my neurotransmitters is out of balance causing my insomnia, and a strange stimulation throughout the day sometimes. My symptoms related to when this is really bad are a tinnitus lasting just a few seconds which comes once or twice per day, cold but clammy hands, anxiety by the clock (morning and evening but fine during middle of day), head pressure but blood pressure is fine, air hunger/ shortness of breath for a Couple hours after breakfast only (but can do the exact whatever it is later just fine), pulse is just 57-60 when laying in bed with insomnia (and no tell tale symptoms of any specific neurotransmitter), well, that's enough for now. For the most part, I can't tell that I even have insomnia. I'm on overdrive almost all the time it seems.

I induced some lethargy and brain fog earlier today by eating a ton of organic whole wheat spaghetti and organic pretzels which was welcome. When when I'm in one of the overstimulation bouts, my blood pressure is fine. I know I haven't given any helpful info as there's a ton to my story and the effects of certain supplements, but it seems I need methyl b12 for adequate energy during the day, as well as some quality sleep it gives (typically from 10pm to 12am) and need some methylfolate or I get folate deficiency symptoms. In the past, 1 Thorne 2 Per Day and 1 400mcg methylfolate plus eating spinach and Egglands best eggs did me well, but when I attempted something close to it this time, I just had brain fog and still had insomnia.

The weirdest thing is magnesium glycinate and anything more than 1g vitamin C worsens the insomnia. 100mg niacin doesn't slow down the stimulation when it's happening which makes me think it isn't overmethylation. I don't even know what else to write, but I'm at a loss of what to do next. As I type this, I'm getting tinnitus and it hasn't gone away quickly like usual. I was doing well for so long, but that protocol doesn't seem to be working any more.

For what it's worth, I don't *think* it's excess cortisol because I have no symptoms of that (puffy eyes, mid section weight gain). But, I could be wrong.

If there's blood tests I could get (must pay for myself), what would I get? My 23and me won't be done until March. This episode of severe insomnia has been 5 weeks, with extreme anxiety and the rest since Thanksgiving. At the worst point, I was dropping .5 to 1 pound per day also. I've lost 24 pounds since Thanksgiving (had covid then, recovered pretty easy actually). I should also mention my muscles are super weak and feel like jelly after basically any easy exercise.

Anyway, any thoughts or insights or experiences would be great. Thanks in advance
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
A couple of thoughts, probably useless ....

Excess glutamate, the action neuro, the learning neuro, the risk-taking neuro, and the general neuro-stimulator, could be causing some of your symptoms, particularly if glycine makes them worse ... brain hyperactivity (the kind that doesnt produce anything of value but keeps the cauldrom bubbling) is a glutamate function, as is extreme anxiety.

Unfortunately, whats most effective (in terms of natural protocols) is magnesium. I used mag glycinate, which should have been a bad idea given my other symptoms, but turned out to be just what was needed .... I used small doses of 50 mg every time the anxiety started peaking to unbearable levels, sometimes every 30 mins thru out the day, which turned out to be a boatload of magnesium. The others are Vit C and melatonin, both of which I took in cnunction with the mag, usng the melatonin in 0.5 mgs every 3rd or 4th dose of mag ....


It didnt work overnight, but it slowly whittled away at the anxiety, tremors, insomnia, etc ....

For sleep, when I'm desperate, I use a small amount of Unisom. I dont react well to Benadryl, which so many members se to get relief from, but Unisom, which is doxylamine succinate, works like a charm. I started with between 1/3 and 1/2 a tab (the tapered oblong tabs are really hard to clip doen reliably, so sometimes I get it right on 1/3, other times it's closer to 1/2), and have been able to stay at that dose for several of years without its losing effect.

I know that this probably wont help, but I truly feel for what you're going thru because it mimics what I was going thru, and I know what undiluted, screaming hell it is.....
 

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
Check out this study:
https://www.nature.com/articles/hr2011151
I wonder if that also applies to regular nicotinic acid. Could the extra niacin I keep using be hindering my sleep now? The multi I used before had 90mg nicotinic acid and nicotinimide, whereas the one using now gives 40mg only. But if I keep using extra, then I might be hurting myself...
 

lenora

Senior Member
Messages
4,926
Have you told a doctor about these symptoms? It seems that self-medicating may be a problem that is throwing your system out of working together....only a guess on my part. I would make a list of the symptoms, times (such as you did here) and see what a doctor has to say.

Insomnia is a major part of life for so many of us for many reasons. I'm probably one of the worst....and somehow have lived with it for probably 35 years or more. I'm talking no sleep or 30 minute at most. I'm still able to function, do sleep probably every 4 days or so (generally from 4:00 a.m. to 9 or 10:00 a.m.), and have learned to simply swallow this rather bitter pill.

I agree that days can seem interminably long, but I have adjusted. I read a lot, watch TV in the evening, sit outside when able and go about having a normal life. I generally slow down and don't even use the phone after 3-4:00 p.m. My husband sleeps well, so that's a huge help for me.
Mg. is often a good help and many people find relief in a hot bath with Epsom salts before sleep. Unfortunately they don't help me. My reason for insomnia involves another neurological illness...one I've had since birth. At least I have an answer; one that makes sense.

Good luck in finding something. There are people on here who have had good luck in the vitamin dept. I believe you've already asked some of them. Yours, Lenora
 
Last edited by a moderator:

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
Have you told a doctor about these symptoms? It seems that self-medicating may be a problem that is throwing your system out of working together....only a guess on my part. I would make a list of the symptoms, times (such as you did here) and see what a doctor has to say.

Insomnia is a major part of life for so many of us for many reasons. I'm probably one of the worst....and somehow have lived with it for probably 35 years or more. I'm talking no sleep or 30 minute at most. I'm still able to function, do sleep probably every 4 days or so (generally from 4:00 a.m. to 9 or 10:00 a.m.), and have learned to simply swallow this rather bitter pill.

I agree that days can seem interminably long, but I have adjusted. I read a lot, watch TV in the evening, sit outside when able and go about having a normal life. I generally slow down and don't even use the phone after 3-4:00 p.m. My husband sleeps well, so that's a huge help for me.
Mg. is often a good help and many people find relief in a hot bath with Epsom salts before sleep. Unfortunately they don't help me. My reason for insomnia involves another neurological illness...one I've had since birth. At least I have an answer; one that makes sense.

Good luck in finding something. There are people on here who have had good luck in the vitamin dept. I believe you've already asked some of them. Yours, Lenora
Thanks Lenora. I spoke to a doctor who was clueless a couple weeks ago and gave me hydroxyzine and trazodone for anxiety and sleep. I have an appointment with a HRT doctor who already ran bloodwork and at least included things like homocysteine, b12 and folate but that's not until March. Otherwise, yeah, I'm just experimenting because when I stop everything, it's worse.

I don't know how you live on the little sleep. I'm scared to death that getting covid (again) in this state of health...gotta be high risk, right? The lack of sleep is making it harder to enjoy life with my family and my kids are the perfect ages to being active and out with (9 and 11), but I have to be home by 7pm or 8pm to wind down, anhedonic, just miserable and the weirdest part is, I may sleep 0-5 broken hours, but I'm never tired! Always wired and tired. I hate it. Anyway, now I'm just ranting. Thanks for your input.
 
Messages
31
Thanks Lenora. I spoke to a doctor who was clueless a couple weeks ago and gave me hydroxyzine and trazodone for anxiety and sleep. I have an appointment with a HRT doctor who already ran bloodwork and at least included things like homocysteine, b12 and folate but that's not until March. Otherwise, yeah, I'm just experimenting because when I stop everything, it's worse.

I don't know how you live on the little sleep. I'm scared to death that getting covid (again) in this state of health...gotta be high risk, right? The lack of sleep is making it harder to enjoy life with my family and my kids are the perfect ages to being active and out with (9 and 11), but I have to be home by 7pm or 8pm to wind down, anhedonic, just miserable and the weirdest part is, I may sleep 0-5 broken hours, but I'm never tired! Always wired and tired. I hate it. Anyway, now I'm just ranting. Thanks for your input.
Have you started getting deep sleep???? Did you get insomnia due to overmethylation??
 

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
Have you started getting deep sleep???? Did you get insomnia due to overmethylation??
Last night was the best night sleep I've had in 8 years when all this sleep stuff started. I don't exactly know why though. I still don't exactly know what causes it. I also cut my vitamin D to 5k instead of 7500iu per day and don't take vitamin C past breakfast anymore. Neither should really have resulted in the insomnia I get. Well see what happens tonight.
 

Violeta

Senior Member
Messages
2,938
Thanks Lenora. I spoke to a doctor who was clueless a couple weeks ago and gave me hydroxyzine and trazodone for anxiety and sleep. I have an appointment with a HRT doctor who already ran bloodwork and at least included things like homocysteine, b12 and folate but that's not until March. Otherwise, yeah, I'm just experimenting because when I stop everything, it's worse.

I don't know how you live on the little sleep. I'm scared to death that getting covid (again) in this state of health...gotta be high risk, right? The lack of sleep is making it harder to enjoy life with my family and my kids are the perfect ages to being active and out with (9 and 11), but I have to be home by 7pm or 8pm to wind down, anhedonic, just miserable and the weirdest part is, I may sleep 0-5 broken hours, but I'm never tired! Always wired and tired. I hate it. Anyway, now I'm just ranting. Thanks for your input.
I didn't read the whole thread (I'm very tired), but just want to add that B2 is good for one who is tired but wired. It's also good for methylation. (See: Chris Masterjohn)
 
Messages
31
Last night was the best night sleep I've had in 8 years when all this sleep stuff started. I don't exactly know why though. I still don't exactly know what causes it. I also cut my vitamin D to 5k instead of 7500iu per day and don't take vitamin C past breakfast anymore. Neither should really have resulted in the insomnia I get. Well see what happens tonight.
But have you started getting deep sleep,, like you told you were getting very light sleep like almost awake... it is something same going on with me.... Have you recovered to the normal sleep???
 
Messages
31
Last night was the best night sleep I've had in 8 years when all this sleep stuff started. I don't exactly know why though. I still don't exactly know what causes it. I also cut my vitamin D to 5k instead of 7500iu per day and don't take vitamin C past breakfast anymore. Neither should really have resulted in the insomnia I get. Well see what happens tonight.
and do you still get niacin????
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
Neither should really have resulted in the insomnia I get.
Vit D definitely will. It took me some trail and error to realize that if I took D too late in the day, my sleep was crappier than usual that night.

I've never heard or experienced that about C, but it works on neurotransmitters so anything is possible .... follow your own truth, it's the only thing that matters in dealing with this frenetic little crowbar of an illness ...
 

YippeeKi YOW !!

Senior Member
Messages
16,047
Location
Second star to the right ...
@YippeeKi YOW !! is right about glutamate, i think histamine might have similar effect but you would get other symptoms in addition to tired_but_wired
Thank you for the shout-out @zuperhero .... and I do think that histamine has an effect, tho I'm not sure what, beyond it's action on immune system response and possibly keeping parts of your system active when you want them to be quiet, like for sleep.
 

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
Vit D definitely will. It took me some trail and error to realize that if I took D too late in the day, my sleep was crappier than usual that night.

I've never heard or experienced that about C, but it works on neurotransmitters so anything is possible .... follow your own truth, it's the only thing that matters in dealing with this frenetic little crowbar of an illness ...
I think my issues have a lot to do with my homozygous COMT mutations and maybe that's why the wrong amount of certain vitamins keeps me up, or sometimes even food. Spinach I've realized makes me irritable and terrible sleep. So bizarre.
 

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
But have you started getting deep sleep,, like you told you were getting very light sleep like almost awake... it is something same going on with me.... Have you recovered to the normal sleep???
Every night my sleep is different and a variety of factors influences it, even foods such as spinach. Too many eggs causes issues took think but I'm not as sure on that one. I take some niacin and niacinamide but not much, total is 75mg per day with breakfast from 1 cap of Seeking Health Multivitamin Sensitive and another 25 to 50mg niacinamide.

Have you tried niacin or niacinamide yet? Magnesium? What form? What's your diet look like?
Have you done 23andme?
 

GreenMachineX

Senior Member
Messages
362
Vit D definitely will. It took me some trail and error to realize that if I took D too late in the day, my sleep was crappier than usual that night.

I've never heard or experienced that about C, but it works on neurotransmitters so anything is possible .... follow your own truth, it's the only thing that matters in dealing with this frenetic little crowbar of an illness ...
Well, I meant the vitamin D at my blood levels shouldn't have caused side effects and I always took it on the morning. My blood levels were only 50-60 ng/dL.