Hi All,
New to this site, but been a long-time lurker and am hoping someone can relate to my experience or has any suggestions. Please bare with me as it is long, but I will try to bold the highlights.
For a brief background I've been prescribed Dexedrine for approx. 7-years and have taken it on and off. For the past few years, I've been getting a tingling, crawling sensation, pins & needles, and restlessness in my feet. Dexedrine typically made this feeling go away, but last year (November 2013) it had gotten worse and dexedrine started to become much less effective. I decided to stop using dexedrine for a while (I used to take breaks from it during the summer when in school) to lower my tolerance and to try to cope without it. Upon stopping the dexedrine (July 2014) I began to take omega-3 fish oil, coq10, and folate and almost immediately my feet felt completely normal and my mood was great (dexedrine tends to dull me emotionally, so I could tell a big difference after stopping).
When I was also taking the fish oil, coq10, and folate I would get pretty random brain zaps. I haven't had these since I stopped Lexapro over 5-years ago. While they felt weird and disconcerting, it felt like my brain was trying to restore itself. I then decided to try CDP Choline (August 2014) after hearing many great things about it on these forums and was looking to boost my short-term memory as it seems like my short-term memory was not as good as it once was. I took 250mg/day for five days and noticed horrible brain fog. I immediately stopped the cdp choline but the brain fog has not really lifted. The best way I can describe it is a feeling of cotton behind my forehead. Sometimes I will just stare and lose focus and it seems like my vision is unclear (that is my perception of reality). These symptoms have caused me anhedonia and even some suicidial thoughts that have concerned me. My OCD seems much worse as a result as well. Without being too graphic orgasms are suddenly less intense. I wouldn't say my libido is any lower (it is typically somehwat low) but there is no dopamine rush while orgasming. Even after stopping the dexedrine my orgasms were fine.
My question is, is the new brain fog due to acetylcholine being affected by my use of CDP Choline or is it just a coincidence that it happened at the same time? I know the half-life of cdp choline is long but it has been over three weeks since I last tried it. I was hoping it would go away after cessation of the cdp choline but it hasn't yet; though I blieve it has diminished a little. I should also note that it seems to come and go; for example, in the morning when I wake up I may feel fine but once I get out of bed and start doing things the fog returns. My feet also bother me in the morning and the issue seems to come and go. It also seems like the folate is now less effective. Is there anything this community would recommend for me supplement-wise? Vitamin or other?
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I apologize for the length. I really appreciate everyone's input and I look forward to hearing people's thoughts. I know this isn't an exact science and there are many variables, but just hearing some theories will really make me happy. And if anyone has any ideas of what could be the issue with my feet that'd be great too! It seems like the problem is related to my brain somehow. Posted below is some information about the medicines/supplements I have taken and background about me and their effects in case there is any correlation.
- I see a therapist for social anxiety and ocd, but I have a job and can interact with strangers on a daily basis just fine. I just tend to be introverted and social events where I don't know anyone are hard for me.
- I took inositol for my OCD (made it up to 18g/day) and it seemed to really help my anxiety and OCD but caused similar brain fog to the cdp choline. However, this brain fog only lasted a short while and stopped immediately after I stopped the inositol.
- Medications I have been on in the past are prozac, lexapro, levaquin (didn't have side effects on it, 5-years ago, but my feet issue scares me after reading about it), and occasionally take propranolol for anxiety (very seldomly). Lexapro was stopped over 5-years ago, but while on it I was super hyper for some reason.
- Methly-B12, tried it for my feet but didn't see any effect
- Vitamin B1 - doses 50-100mg seem to clear the brain fog temporarily
- Methylfolate - semed to immediately stop my feet from tingling but its benefits seemed short-lived for this purpose
- Recent blood test showed slightly low iron and high B6 - I used to take a multivitamin (never iron) but have stopped months ago and noticed no difference
- I take probiotics daily and allegra as needed. Usually have gas and bowel issues
- Tried theanine and 5-htp for my feet too but no noticeable change
- I try to take chelated magnesium but even 100mg makes me groggy and tired even into the next day
- I used to be super senitive to caffeine but it seems to not be very effective anymore, nevertheless I try to avoid it
- Restless legs runs in my family with a cousin and aunt diagnosed with it.
- I do drink alcohol, typically beer. Mostly on weekends but the occasional weeknight. The alcohol affects my feet too.
Thank you again everyone for your help, and please let me know if this is in the wrong forum! Sorry for the length.
