Posted 01 October 2012 - 10:48 PM
My anxiety went way down and I felt less overwhelmed by life. Also when my serotonin is low I tend to get migraines, when my serotonin is up I do not.
I have to be careful though, too much niacinamide and it becomes very difficult for me to climax. Maybe thats a tmi, but that too in my opinion shows it boosts serotonin in that too high of serotonin can cause this issue hence why SSRIs are known for this.
I use about 250mg every other day. I take it during the day, I also think it works well in conjunction with zinc and magnesium before bed but that is anecdotal.
I have tried other things
St Johns wort- Works initially then after a couple weeks I often feel even worse then before starting it. Tends to cause my right eye to twitch.
Trytophan- Seems to be ok for helping get to sleep and relax temporarily, but does not seem to provide a more "around the clock" benefit.
Rhodiola- Similar to St Johns wort, initially gives me alot of confidence and motivation, but a week or so into it I find I get very irritable
SAMe- Feel really good the first day, seems to help self esteem, but a few days into it loses the effect, then more days into it I find I have zero energy off it.
B12- I am still trying to decide, at times it seems to cause me to feel a bit lethargic, other times it seems to give me a lift. It seems to actually work well taken before bed, enhances dreams and awake feeling more rested and energetic. Am contemplating trying the hydroxo form soon.
P-5-P- Lifts my mood, increases libido, more energy, but seems to be over stimulating, sometimes get symptoms of serotonin syndrome off of it, seems to make anxiety worse, can cause slight numbness in the extremities I only used 25 mg too.
Ashwaghanda- I have only used 500 mg at a time (some say to try higher doses) seems to give me a bit of energy but also seems to be a harsh diuretic for me, also gives me headaches at times. Does not seem to have alot of influence on my actual mood though.
Zinc- I take before bed, tends to give me a bit more energy and motivation, helps sleep.
Magnesium- Same as Zinc however one or two days a week I do not take magnesium, too much magnesium may lower dopamine levels. If your issue is more mania magnesium probably very good, if its more serotonin its still good but probably use lower dose with periodic off days.
Folic acid- Taking a standalone pill of folic acid always gives me bad general anxiety within minutes of taking it.
TMG- Did no notice much from this either way, but I only used a gram a day, I have contemplated higher dose but read it may raise cholesterol in higher dosages.
I bought into the whole meythlation theory, but my histamine levels tend to be high yet it seems supplements recommended for under meythlators either do more harm then good or nothing at all for me.
I think what is a better route is simple trial and error, I have tried many different supplements, I am now luckily at a point where I know more of what works for me and not and the amount of new ones to try is getting smaller.
Also one more point, the past week I have found royal jelly seems to give me an overall boost, "subtle" in that I just feel a bit more energy and that my brain is working a bit more sharp if that makes sense.
My current supplement regiment is the following
Astaxanathin- 4mg
Devils claw- 2 grams
Olive Leaf Extract 20%- 750mg
Acerola- 1 gram
Royal Jelly- 1 tablespoon
Niacinimide- 250mg every other day
Magnesium Malate- 1 gram on weeknights
Zinc- 30 mg every night
Astragalus- 5 grams raw powder a day
Calcium- 500 mg weekday mornings
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