Treatments for Cognitive dysfunction with anxiety

[Nadirtopinnacle]

Hi,

What other nootropics can help against cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and help improve focus and concentration. Im badly struggling with it and getting su!c!dal thoughts due to significant loss of productivity and inability to focus. Please help. @Hip @Pyrrhus @Mary. Requesting other members also to please help me.

 

[Pyrrhus]

So sorry to hear that you are struggling. Unfortunately, what works for one person may not work for others, but you might find something that works for you.

For cognitive dysfunction, some people see benefit from EPA (eicosa-pentaenoic acid), which is a type of fish oil.
Others find benefit from Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), which are naturally found in protein.
But you will have to experiment to find what works for you.

Best wishes!

 

[Hip]

What other nootropics can help against cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and help improve focus and concentration.

For anxiety, see this thread: Completely eliminated my severe anxiety symptoms with three supplements!

For brain fog, I find Dr Greg Russell-Jones transdermal B12 oils effective. One dose of this B12 oil a week I find reduces brain fog.

The nootropic supplement piracetam in doses of 800 mg daily or higher I find work for my brain fog.

 

[Pyrrhus]

The nootropic supplement piracetam in doses of 800 mg daily or higher I find work for my brain fog.

Reportedly, piracetam works best when you've been taking choline, as its mechanism of action involves acetylcholine, and piracetam and choline appear to produce synergistic benefits.

Unfortunately, many people have temporary start-up effects when they try choline. Since choline synthesis in the body consumes a large percentage of the body's methyl donors, taking supplemental choline should free up a large percentage of the body's methylation capacity, perhaps more than 50%. Therefore, choline supplements can come with the same negative start-up effects as other supplements that boost the body's methylation capacity.

In my own personal case:

In my own personal case, a single dose of 300mg glycero-phospho-choline (GPC) caused temporary start-up effects of headache, weakness, worsened brain fog, worsened light/sound sensitivity, depression/irritability, preceded by a brief burst of energy and appetite loss.

Over a few weeks, these start-up effects faded and I was able to tolerate two daily doses of 300mg GPC without any problems.

Hope this helps.

 

[Hip]

Reportedly, piracetam works best when you've been taking choline, as its mechanism of action involves acetylcholine.

I often take piracetam with some choline bitartrate (and vitamin B5 too), although I in my case I don't find much difference if I take it without. Some people say they get headaches if they take racetams without choline supplements, but I have not noticed this with piracetam.

However I have read that some racetams tend to need choline supplementation more than others, in order to prevent racetam side effects like headache.

Unfortunately, many people have temporary start-up effects when they try choline. Since choline synthesis in the body consumes a large percentage of the body's methyl donors, taking supplemental choline should free up a large percentage of the body's methylation capacity, perhaps more than 50%. Therefore, choline supplements can come with the same negative start-up effects as other supplements that boost the body's methylation capacity.

That's interesting, so choline supplements could increase methylation, and potentially cause overmethylation symptoms like overstimulation.

Maybe that in part explains why some people claim choline improves the effects of racetams: if you are getting increased stimulation due to increase methylation, that stimulation can improve mental focus (although too much stimulation from methylation feels unpleasant).

I get increased mental focus in a stimulatory way from small doses of methylfolate (200 mcg daily), although it takes about a week of this dosing before the stimulation appears (the methylation stimulation I find manifests slowly, only after a week or so).

But generally I don't like to feel stimulated. I prefer to be focused but mentally calm and relaxed.

One of the nice things about piracetam is that it seems to increase mental focus and intelligence without any stimulatory effects.

The downside of piracetam is that it tends to cause blunted emotions (lots of people report this). That's not go if we already have blunted emotions as a ME/CFS symptom.

 

[Pyrrhus]

That's interesting, so choline supplements could increase methylation, and potentially cause overmethylation symptoms like overstimulation.

Yes, although I would phrase it quite differently as my methylation start-up effects definitely do not include overstimulation, and my methylation start-up effects fade over time:

• "Choline supplements could increase the body's methylation capacity, and potentially cause methylation start-up symptoms."

The same could also be said of creatine, as creatine synthesis in the body also consumes a large percentage of the body's methyl donors. In fact, the body's synthesis of choline and creatine together probably account for at least 80% of the body's use of the methyl donor S-adenosyl-methionine (AdoMet/SAMe)...

 

[Judee]

Just a thought. I read the following yesterday in the comments on another ME patient's blog.

She said, "
"...many people with ME/CFS are diagnosed with anxiety when it's really OI causing it - treat the OI and the feelings of anxiety disappear!"

I've heard that before from an ME doctor too I think. (I can't remember who now. It may have been Dr Cheney). Whoever it was, he found that to be true with one of his earlier patients.

I'm sorry you're going through all that though. Hope you can find what's causing it for you.

 

[ahmo]

I tend to be slightly headachey in the AM. I've been using intranasal insulin for a few years, mixed w/ saline. It seems a good remedy. But I live in Medicare for all country, so it's cheap. 5 vials last me a year. I'm not sure it's doing much these days, but I continue with it.

http://www.healthrising.org/forums/threads/the-benefits-of-intranasal-insulin.4820/#post-23758

 

[Mary]

Others find benefit from Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs), which are naturally found in protein.

@Pyrrhus - You're right, BCAAs are found in protein. However, if one is deficient in BCAAs, just eating more protein may not be enough. I've eaten lots of protein for many years, but still had a leucine deficiency. I read that a leucine deficiency is unusual, but there it was - I think ME/CFS depletes amino acids in many people , being used for fuel. I've read this is especially true for women who have ME/CFS. When I started taking BCAAs almost 7 years ago, they cut my PEM recovery time by more than half. I couldn't have eaten enough protein to have this effect. And then when I briefly tried a keto diet, my BCAAs very quickly got depleted - started crashing easier, crashes lasted longer. I think my body started devouring my amino acids in place of the carbs it was no longer getting. This illness is diabolical!

So taking BCAAs might help @Nadirtopinnacle . 4000 - 5000 mg a day (in 2 divided doses) works for me, some take more. they can also help with energy. And I have to keep taking them - I can't stop or else I backslide very quickly.

Lecithin noticeably improved my memory, and it's done the same for a few other people I know.

@Pyrrhus , this is interesting - I didn't know this:

Unfortunately, many people have temporary start-up effects when they try choline. Since choline synthesis in the body consumes a large percentage of the body's methyl donors, taking supplemental choline should free up a large percentage of the body's methylation capacity, perhaps more than 50%. Therefore, choline supplements can come with the same negative start-up effects as other supplements that boost the body's methylation capacity.

If one had negative methylation start-up effects after taking a choline supplement, perhaps some niacin could help? Anyways this is good to know!

Many people's cognitive functioning is helped by B12 as is @Hip 's, so I think it's definitely worth a try. My doctor (who unfortunately died several years ago) had me taking B12 for many years prior to ME/CFS onset. I wonder sometimes if this is why I've been spared the brain fog which hits so many.

One last suggestion is gotu kola. It has the paradoxical effects of boosting cognitive function and blood flow to the brain, while at the same time reducing anxiety and stress. I tried it at night and to my surprise it did help with sleep. Gotu Kola: 10 Benefits, Side Effects, and More (healthline.com)