8 replies to this topic

[renfr]

I just can't stop biting my nails! and sometimes it gets so extreme that some of my fingers are painful and I can't touch anything with them, I don't bleed however.
What is the root cause of this? Is this because of too much dopamine?
It's said to be an OCD, apparently fish oil is a good supplement for OCD yet I take 5 grams daily for months and it hasn't changed this habit.
Apart from the pain caused sometimes on some fingers, it's very annoying when you have to handle sheets, remove a label or something that needs the pointy part of the nail plus it isn't very aesthetic.
Did anyone find a remedy for this?
When I was a teen I was given a varnish to refrain myself from bitting them, it didn't work and let me a foul taste in my tongue each time.

Also NAC is said to be good for OCD as well, I take 700mg a day for months as well and it didn't do anything.

[ta5]

700mg NAC isn't enough. Try at least 1200mg, and up to 1800mg. I think it helps me. I recently increased my dose of NAC from 1200mg to 1500mg, and I bite my nails less. It could be a coincidence.

You might also try other NMDA or glutamate inhibitors: magnesium, methylcobalamin, theanine, bacopa, pqq, etc.

[renfr]

700mg NAC isn't enough. Try at least 1200mg, and up to 1800mg. I think it helps me. I recently increased my dose of NAC from 1200mg to 1500mg, and I bite my nails less. It could be a coincidence.

You might also try other NMDA or glutamate inhibitors: magnesium, methylcobalamin, theanine, bacopa, pqq, etc.

Do you take this dose at once or do you take it two times in the day?

[Steve Zissou]

You can get a nail polish type thing which makes your nails taste extremely bad. You should get that.

[ta5]

Do you take this dose at once or do you take it two times in the day?

I take NAC in 3 divided doses. Also, some people get nausea taking it on an empty stomach. It might be best to take it with food. But, I don't think NAC has ever done that to me.

[Tom_]

Nail biting and other impuse control disorders are ususally viewed as steming from 1 of a few disorders or from comorbid syndromes, the two most prevelent are OCD and addiction. OCD is basically seretonergic hypersensitivity and addiction is seen in terms of reward (dopamine) for a paticular behaviour. This is a highly generalized explanation but you want to know how to treat it, not indeapth pathogensis and pathophysiology. I tend to stand somewhere in the middle.

Psychiatric disorders should where possible be treated with psychotherapy and behavioual treatments before drugs. So suggestion of putting something disgusting on your nails is a great idea. The chances are within a few weeks you won't ever go to bite your nails again.

If this doesn't work its NOT a que to give it up. Keep using this little trick and combine it with Psychiatry's staple diet, an SSRI (Sertraline and Paraoxatine are better at treating OCD than other SSRI's). I'm sure you will stick up your nose at an SSRI (although its by far the best option) so other evidence based options include...Buspirone. Other possible treatments that are worth a try include Tryptophan(3-5 grams) (5HTP isn't a brilliant idea) + b6 + vit c, L-theanine and SAMe.

NAC shouldn't be used without Vit C in rations of 1:3 otherwise there is a significant risk of kidney stones. NMDA anatgonists are still being researched for uses in nearly every psychiatric disorder and I certainly wouldn't be in a rush to try them until I'd tried everything else. The evidence for them is at best shaky and at worst non-existant.

Edited by Tom_, 24 May 2013 - 02:28 PM.

[ta5]

NAC shouldn't be used without Vit C in rations of 1:3 otherwise there is a significant risk of kidney stones.

LEF used to recommend that. Now they say:

Do not take NAC if you have a history of kidney stones (particularly cystine stones. Those who supplement with NAC should drink six to eight glasses of water daily to prevent cysteine renal stones. Cysteine renal stones are rare but do occur.

And, for Vitamin C:

Do not take vitamin C if you have a history of kidney stones or of kidney insufficiency.

Edited by ta5, 24 May 2013 - 02:44 PM.

[protoject]

for some reason recently i stopped biting my nails and somehow I cant keep biting them again. it's odd.. i wonder if monkeys bite their nails

[kurdishfella]

I bite my finger nails off its faster and does it better than a nail cutter.Then just wash my mouth. Dirt from under can get out naturally either by the body immune system or when the nail grows it brings it up with it until about the start point of the nail that can be cut off. In your case I would meditate.

Edited by kurdishfella, 24 July 2021 - 06:38 AM.