3 replies to this topic

[3VeRL0ng]

Hey guys, I'm in a little bit of a hurry, so I just gotta quick question regarding a concern of mine that could possibly be answered or suggested for me. I'll be returning back to school next month, and because of my financial situation I can't really afford to keep the current regimen I have going on, so I've decided to drop that for now. Instead I'm looking into taking only 1, or a few supplements to get me by, which will mostly be used for attention-span, mood enhancement, concentration/focus, memory, and anxiety (especially for speeches). Lately I've been looking into trying some of Dr. Amen's supps. off his website (I must say his books have been extremely helpful for helping me understand my brain chemistry better). But the one that I'm mostly interested in trying is NeuroLink, mostly because after skimming through his latest book, "Magnificent Mind at Any Age," he recommends this for my anxiety & depression type, falling into category #5: Cyclic (something I had figured out when I was taking Vital Synergy For Men, which contains Rhodiola). Here's what six capsules contain:

-Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate) 30 mg
-L-Tyrosine 1200 mg
-GABA 750 mg
-L-Glutamine 600 mg
-Inositol 600 mg
-Taurine 600 mg
-5-HTP 150 mg

I have yet to try 5-HTP, GABA, or Tyrosine, which I'm actually a little skeptical about taking, since Jarrow's website notes about Tyrosine to NOT take if bipolar.., I'm guessing that this is the case since it could induce a manic episode, especially if taken purely. But I gotta admit that I am a huuuuuuuge procrastinator, and in Amen's book "Healing Anxiety and Depression" Tyrosine is listed as one of the recommended supplements under the "Unfocused Type", the category in which the procrastinators fall under. And especially being wintertime here in Michigan, I feel as if I need something to give me that little extra "push."

But as of now, I plan to throw phosphatidyl serine on the list, since this seems to be a pretty helpful memory aid & also appeared to make my "writer's block" vanish (something I was recently struggling with). But I'm thinking that if it does come down to it, the only, single type of medication I'd consider taking would probably have to be a stimulant, most preferably Adderall. But I am really hoping that I'll get by just fine with supplements alone, I've had some bad experiences on meds., (let's just say that what I thought would be a godsend for my problem only turned it into a nightmare).

But if there's anyone here who has taken & tried any of these "Neuro" supplements, I'd really like to know how they have, or haven't worked for you. And, as always, any questions and/or advice is always & entirely welcome.

[rwac]

Have you tried Lithium Orotate for your bipolar ?

[bgwithadd]

The taurine and gaba might help, but nothing else makes much sense

[3VeRL0ng]

Have you tried Lithium Orotate for your bipolar?

I have. Actually I had been incorporating it into my regimen I posted around November I believe, plus I even wrote another post concerning Lithium Orotate dosages. But though I was taking it, and still do from time to time, I must say I've been somewhat skeptical about using the supplement:

-I developed two, small bumps (lymph nodes?) in the middle of my throat shortly after I began using Lithium Orotate. (Though this MAY not of been caused by it, but to me was pretty odd how this had happened).
-Felt a bit irritable/irritated when I would take it.

Being concerned about the "lymph nodes" that had suddenly appeared out of no where, I had a Cat Scan done, and everything appeared fine. I even asked my doctor if taking any specific supplements would be the cause of this, and according to him, they would not.

But aside from those two concerns I had about Lithium Orotate, I feel as if I should still continue using it to help benefit from my bp. But I've been wondering if it's more effective if taken with/without food, or if taken along with another supplement.

The taurine and gaba might help, but nothing else makes much sense

I agree, but I think it's so levels of dopamine (from the Tyrosine), serotonin (from the 5-HTP), and GABA can all be balanced out evenly, since a bp brain can have either too much, or too little activity with these neurotransmitters. This could be the theory behind the way NeuroLink may help with concentration, especially for my case.

But since I am now limiting my supplement intake down to only a few or so, I've also been considering taking up the regimen plan LifeMirage had listed on a separate thread, "Bipolar and supplements." He listed the following:

-EPA 2,000 mg
-Lithium (From Lithium Orotate) 10-20 mg
-Theanine 200-500 mg take up to 1,000 mg as needed
-A coenzyme B-Complex
-Glycine 1-5 Grams as needed.
-Inositol 6-12 Grams

I'm trying to figure out a way to incorporate the regimen into my day. Maybe it'd look something like this:

Upon Waking:
-5mg Lithium Orotate
-2.25g Inositol
-Co-Enzyme B-Complex

With Breakfast:
-1,000mg EPA
-2.25g Inositol
-200mg Theanine

With Lunch:
-1,000mg EPA
-2.25g Inositol
-200mg Theanine

With Dinner:
-2.25g Inositol
-2g Glycine

Before Bed:
-3g Glycine

I could try experimenting with it until I reach a happy medium.

But thanks to the disclaimers posted on the websites, in which I order my supplements from, and based on what I've taken in the past, I've become more aware of what should be avoided:

-Rhodiola
-SAMe (Pretty obvious since it contains a warning right on the label)
-Acetyl-L-Carnitine
-Tyrosine (Although Jarrow's website suggests this, it's probably harmless in the NeuroLink formula)
-DMAE
-Sulbutiamine
-Pyritinol
-Vinpocetine (Every time I took this I always got anxiety)
-Ginkgo Biloba (Only listed this because I felt as if it made me nervous, could have been because it was a lower quality brand of Ginkgo)
-Horny Goat Weed (Made me feel awesome for about a month, but what goes up, must come down)
-Mucuna Pruriens (Probably because of the high levels of L-DOPA)

Others:

-Too much, too little sleep
-Smoking (Withdrawals while quitting flat out sucked)
-Inhalants (Inhaled Dust-Off once... STUPID. What the hell was I thinking?)
-Alcohol (Even small amounts of beer tend to throw my brain chemistry off, I had one of the worst experiences of my life at a beer expo. But I'm still trying to find a way to counteract this problem so I can at least go out with friends once in a great while. Of course I could just not drink, but being sober around drunks is just not that fun)
-Marijuana (Something I know I'll have to avoid for the rest of my life. It started out fun, but then ended in paranoia)
-Head Banging (Something I INCREDIBLY, INCREDIBLY regret doing when I was younger. I'd have these severe anger/temper outbursts & would literally hit myself in the forehead. It f***ing kills me now whenever I think about it, but HOPEFULLY my brain has healed/recovered from doing such a stupid thing, because it's kind of hard to tell sometimes... man, I'm still really mad at myself because of that, lol)

But thankfully, I never allowed myself to give in to any other substances (I was extremely close to trying ecstasy once, but thank god that never happened). But after suffering from a severe depression after using Marijuana for the last time, I said enough was enough. Before I knew it, I was embarking on a journey to find the answers for health & well-being... and I think I've found it here.