44 replies to this topic

[KieranA001]

Hello,

I'm 18 and have always had these brain-fog like symptoms. I do have anxiety, low self-esteem, depression and social phobia. I don't know if it's related, but I don't think it is. My "brain-fog" like vision is chronic and I have tried taking vitamins / minerals and a load of herbal medicine etc

It's hard to describe my vision, it just seems to lack clearness although I can see and hear alright at the moment with the brain fog. I just feel wrapped up in my thoughts all the time it's hard playing attention to what's going around me because of this fog.

The only thing that has helped me so far is pregnenolone, but I stopped taking that because of ance on the face that it caused. It didn't help my vision that much, but it did a little bit. This "fog" seems to stop me from thinking straight as well, it's hard to think clearly.

It does go away sometimes at random, and my mood is a lot better when it has gone. It might go away three times a year if I'm lucky. When it has gone my vision seems different when I look around at things. Just the movement of my eyes when I look at stuff without the brain fog, it feels so much better and snappier or that's how it seems. I have had CBC, all came back fine along with other blood tests.

I have had this my whole life, I have even had my eyes checked and they're fine, just the odd eye-floaters but they aren't the cause. It has gotten a lot worse before when I drunk some alcohol around my mates once, he over-poured my drink with vodka and the next day it came back twice as worse where I couldn't even take a shower without having to get out and sit down for a bit. I felt terrible, it was worse for two weeks!!! I had really bad depression, shooting sensations down my spine, insomnia, acid reflux, anxiety, and intense dissociative effects. I have had it way before the alcohol, since I was born in fact, that I know of anyway. Drinking alcohol just makes it worse.

Taking a vitamin C 1000mg helps a bit, but not at all that much. It just helps with the thinking a tad more. I don't drink caffeine, etc etc. I just drink plane water. I avoid msg, artificial sweeteners etc anything bad for you. Still no luck!! Help?

I do get some problems with my blood pressure or so it seems though, or so it feels. I faint when I get up from the sofa when it's summer or come over dizzy and end up collapsing. Blood doesn't go to one hand that well, but goes to another. e.g. one hand would be pale, the other would be red-ish. In the winter my nails turn purple or white. I also get dizzy and feel unconscious sometimes when I get up from a kneeling to a standing position. I don't faint though.

[KieranA001]

Anything that can lower Cortisol levels ? It might be caused by anxiety induced high cortisol.

[Duchykins]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

[KieranA001]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

I have tried taking fish oil for a month ( new chapter whole-mega fish oil 1000mg ) and I have tried spirulina but both have given me no luck. I have tried taking a good multivitamin as well Xtendlife mens premium which are suppose to contain all the complex stuff.

I never touch alcohol anymore anyway. It doesn't effect me in a good way. It makes me sweat buckets, go completely pale and weak and I feel like crap and end up feeling very ill-like. It causes me to have sleep apnea/vertigo(spinning/loss of balance/falling) as well and night sweats.

I have tried all the magnesium stuff and D3 etc I tried 20,000UI of D3 at one point with no luck. (got told you need a lot, as the sun produces loads)

I do eat quite a lot of meat ( I eat chicken every Sunday ) or maybe some other type of mean, mainly chicken though. I have tried ATP stuff as well. I have tried ShroomTech sport with mostly everything in it. https://www.onnit.co...roomtech-sport/

I don't get body pains. My vision isn't really fuzzy or blurred. It's just distant. It just feels distant, and lacking focus, sharpness and clarity and my mind doesn't feel "clean" it feels like something is wrong but I cannot pin-point it. I just feel restless, active minded and unable to settle and think straight. Sometimes my vision would shake, I mean like sometimes when I feel tired it would kinda feel like my vision is jittery.

Things I have tried in the past:

• Rhodioa
• Ashwighanda
• Kanna
• Kratom
• Cannabidiol
• Ginkgo
• 5-HTP
• L-lypoic acid

Plus a whole bunch of other stuff i cannot think of at the moment.

Edited by KieranA001, 23 February 2014 - 08:06 PM.

[KieranA001]

I have noticed when I'm "normal" my mental state changes and I don't over-think. I actually feel like I'm looking out of my eyes rather than thinking in my head. My mind just shuts down and is clear and I'm able to see with clearness and everything.

[KieranA001]

I was thinking of trying a mixture of a good multivitamin, rhodiola, relora, PQQ, NAC, 1000mg Vitamin C and spirulina. Would I need to remove and add anything ? :-) Maybe some Holy basil as well. I also have slight visual static, but it's ignorable if I don't focus on it.

Edited by KieranA001, 23 February 2014 - 08:22 PM.

[Duchykins]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

I have tried taking fish oil for a month ( new chapter whole-mega fish oil 1000mg ) and I have tried spirulina but both have given me no luck. I have tried taking a good multivitamin as well Xtendlife mens premium which are suppose to contain all the complex stuff.

I never touch alcohol anymore anyway. It doesn't effect me in a good way. It makes me sweat buckets, go completely pale and weak and I feel like crap and end up feeling very ill-like. It causes me to have sleep apnea/vertigo(spinning/loss of balance/falling) as well and night sweats.

I have tried all the magnesium stuff and D3 etc I tried 20,000UI of D3 at one point with no luck. (got told you need a lot, as the sun produces loads)

I do eat quite a lot of meat ( I eat chicken every Sunday ) or maybe some other type of mean, mainly chicken though. I have tried ATP stuff as well. I have tried ShroomTech sport with mostly everything in it. https://www.onnit.co...roomtech-sport/

I don't get body pains. My vision isn't really fuzzy or blurred. It's just distant. It just feels distant, and lacking focus, sharpness and clarity and my mind doesn't feel "clean" it feels like something is wrong but I cannot pin-point it. I just feel restless, active minded and unable to settle and think straight. Sometimes my vision would shake, I mean like sometimes when I feel tired it would kinda feel like my vision is jittery.

Things I have tried in the past:

• Rhodioa
• Ashwighanda
• Kanna
• Kratom
• Cannabidiol
• Ginkgo
• 5-HTP
• L-lypoic acid

Plus a whole bunch of other stuff i cannot think of at the moment.

If you're only trying a couple of things as a time and only giving it a month then it makes sense that they would seem to 'not work'. To the best of our current knowledge, it takes about four weeks for neurogenesis. That is why antidepressants typically do not demonstrate notable effects until a person has been on them for at least one month, sometimes two. It took about 5-6 weeks after starting a regimen of lysine, calc, mag, D3, zinc, theanine, acetylcarnitine, alpha lipoic acid, B vitamins, soy lecithin and fish oil to see how much better I was doing than two months previous. It was like I had shed ten years, except that I was never EVER this well in my early adult years. I very stupidly almost stopped at the 4 week mark because it seemed they didn't "work" enough to justify their cost. I just kept taking them anyway to use up the rest of the stuff I had and I had decided I wasn't going to buy any more. I know now that if I had just took a couple of the things, say D3, B vitamins and the fish oil, I wouldn't be doing so well. I would probably a little better, but not this damn good lol.

I hope you find your ideal stack soon. But just remember to give things at least one month, two to be sure it's not helping you before stopping.

Edited by Duchykins, 25 February 2014 - 06:30 PM.

[KieranA001]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

Can you recommend a good stack, or at least improve on my stack so far?? Something for brain fog, I was thinking of using either NAC or Holy basil but don't know which one would be most beneficial for me to use. If my brain fog is caused my stress it makes sense to use Holy basil but if it's not I don't know how NAC will help me??? Can you tell me how NAC will help ? And at what dose should I use?

In the vitamins I take, you get about 74mg of N-acetyl L-cysteine.

would that be enough ? Or do I need 500mg ?


My current stack is:

Amino Acid Complex:

L-Leucine 130mg
L-Phenylalanine 130mg
L-Lysine 100mg
L-Histidine 76mg
L-Isoleucine 76mg
L-Valine 66mg
L-Methionine 50mg
L-Threonine 50mg
L-Tryptophan 20mg


Stress Complex:

• Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) (berry) hydroethanolic extract (min. 1.6 mg schizandrins) 100mg
• American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 4 mg ginsenosides) 100mg
• Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 0.6 mg total eleutherosides) 100 mg
• Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 5 mg total rosavins; including 3.6 mg rosavin and 1.8 mg salidrosides) 100 mg
• Curcuma xanthorrhiza (rhizome) 34 mg supercritical extract (min. 23 mg essential oil containing xanthorrhizol) and 66 mg hydroethanolic extract 100 mg
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) (rhizome) 10 mg supercritical extract (min. 7 mg essential oil containing turmerones) and 40 mg hydroethanolic extract (min. 4.4 mg curcuminoids) 50 mg
• Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) (root) extract 50mg
• Galanga (Alpinia galanga) (rhizome) 26 mg supercritical extract (min. 2.6 mg essential oil) 26mg
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (rhizome) 4 mg supercritical extract and 16 mg hydroethanolic extract 20mg
• Relora 300mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) hydroethanolic extract

536mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) supercritical extract

134mg

Edited by KieranA001, 25 February 2014 - 07:03 PM.

[celebes]

If alcohol makes you feel terrible, NMDA comes to mind. Try a few weeks on sarcosine. Did you ever try naltrexone?

[ovecta]

Have you ever considered or tried Tianeptine?
Just from my own experience it did help blunt some of the effects of stress.
Doesn't seem to work for everyone but it's worth reading up on.

[KieranA001]

If alcohol makes you feel terrible, NMDA comes to mind. Try a few weeks on sarcosine. Did you ever try naltrexone?

Well alcohol doesn't exactly make me feel terrible. It depends, I just seem more tolerant to it. I was around my mates, he poured a little too much in and I drunk it. Next thing I know everything slowed down, I didn't know what was happening, and I lost consciousness. It took me a good couple of hours to sober back up, I went home, all seemed fine apart from the gout in the legs.

Next day, it was fine, but as night time progressed I felt suicidal and my brain fog got 100x worse. I felt detached from everything around me, kinda like I'm not aware of what's happening around me, although I do. Hard to explain because I still feel with reality if that makes sense. It just lacks clarity, clearness, and awareness. I feel confused and zoned-out into my own thoughts.

I also had to take control over my own breathing, because I felt like I wasn't breathing. I felt like this for two weeks with my brain fog twice as worse. I was basically unable to function, felt so shit. It was worse when watching TV, just felt more detached for some reason and more anxious probably because I was thinking about it more.

After two weeks, it kinda went away after I tried to forget about it. I managed to get back to sleep again, and carry on. No, I haven't tried Sarcosine or naltrexone. Where do I get them from, and which one should I try first ? :-)

Edited by KieranA001, 25 February 2014 - 08:54 PM.

[KieranA001]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

I have tried taking fish oil for a month ( new chapter whole-mega fish oil 1000mg ) and I have tried spirulina but both have given me no luck. I have tried taking a good multivitamin as well Xtendlife mens premium which are suppose to contain all the complex stuff.

I never touch alcohol anymore anyway. It doesn't effect me in a good way. It makes me sweat buckets, go completely pale and weak and I feel like crap and end up feeling very ill-like. It causes me to have sleep apnea/vertigo(spinning/loss of balance/falling) as well and night sweats.

I have tried all the magnesium stuff and D3 etc I tried 20,000UI of D3 at one point with no luck. (got told you need a lot, as the sun produces loads)

I do eat quite a lot of meat ( I eat chicken every Sunday ) or maybe some other type of mean, mainly chicken though. I have tried ATP stuff as well. I have tried ShroomTech sport with mostly everything in it. https://www.onnit.co...roomtech-sport/

I don't get body pains. My vision isn't really fuzzy or blurred. It's just distant. It just feels distant, and lacking focus, sharpness and clarity and my mind doesn't feel "clean" it feels like something is wrong but I cannot pin-point it. I just feel restless, active minded and unable to settle and think straight. Sometimes my vision would shake, I mean like sometimes when I feel tired it would kinda feel like my vision is jittery.

Things I have tried in the past:

• Rhodioa
• Ashwighanda
• Kanna
• Kratom
• Cannabidiol
• Ginkgo
• 5-HTP
• L-lypoic acid

Plus a whole bunch of other stuff i cannot think of at the moment.

If you're only trying a couple of things as a time and only giving it a month then it makes sense that they would seem to 'not work'. To the best of our current knowledge, it takes about four weeks for neurogenesis. That is why antidepressants typically do not demonstrate notable effects until a person has been on them for at least one month, sometimes two. It took about 5-6 weeks after starting a regimen of lysine, calc, mag, D3, zinc, theanine, acetylcarnitine, alpha lipoic acid, B vitamins, soy lecithin and fish oil to see how much better I was doing than two months previous. It was like I had shed ten years, except that I was never EVER this well in my early adult years. I very stupidly almost stopped at the 4 week mark because it seemed they didn't "work" enough to justify their cost. I just kept taking them anyway to use up the rest of the stuff I had and I had decided I wasn't going to buy any more. I know now that if I had just took a couple of the things, say D3, B vitamins and the fish oil, I wouldn't be doing so well. I would probably a little better, but not this damn good lol.

I hope you find your ideal stack soon. But just remember to give things at least one month, two to be sure it's not helping you before stopping.

Oh yeah, forgot to mention. I have been trying those things longer then a couple months. I tried the B-complex and D3 for about two months although I had to stop the B-Complex because it gave me tingling feet and hands.

I have heard about having to take things over a long-period of time, which is what I do, but still without any luck.

[celebes]

Sarcosine: http://www.smartpowd...hylglycine.html

Naltrexone: http://www.dicksonch...st/Default.aspx

You'll need a prescription for the latter.

Edited by celebes, 25 February 2014 - 10:12 PM.

[Duchykins]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

Can you recommend a good stack, or at least improve on my stack so far?? Something for brain fog, I was thinking of using either NAC or Holy basil but don't know which one would be most beneficial for me to use. If my brain fog is caused my stress it makes sense to use Holy basil but if it's not I don't know how NAC will help me??? Can you tell me how NAC will help ? And at what dose should I use?

In the vitamins I take, you get about 74mg of N-acetyl L-cysteine.

would that be enough ? Or do I need 500mg ?


My current stack is:

Amino Acid Complex:

L-Leucine 130mg
L-Phenylalanine 130mg
L-Lysine 100mg
L-Histidine 76mg
L-Isoleucine 76mg
L-Valine 66mg
L-Methionine 50mg
L-Threonine 50mg
L-Tryptophan 20mg


Stress Complex:

• Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) (berry) hydroethanolic extract (min. 1.6 mg schizandrins) 100mg
• American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 4 mg ginsenosides) 100mg
• Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 0.6 mg total eleutherosides) 100 mg
• Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 5 mg total rosavins; including 3.6 mg rosavin and 1.8 mg salidrosides) 100 mg
• Curcuma xanthorrhiza (rhizome) 34 mg supercritical extract (min. 23 mg essential oil containing xanthorrhizol) and 66 mg hydroethanolic extract 100 mg
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) (rhizome) 10 mg supercritical extract (min. 7 mg essential oil containing turmerones) and 40 mg hydroethanolic extract (min. 4.4 mg curcuminoids) 50 mg
• Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) (root) extract 50mg
• Galanga (Alpinia galanga) (rhizome) 26 mg supercritical extract (min. 2.6 mg essential oil) 26mg
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (rhizome) 4 mg supercritical extract and 16 mg hydroethanolic extract 20mg
• Relora 300mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) hydroethanolic extract

536mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) supercritical extract

134mg

NAC is the most effective way to increase your glutathione and get some very potent antioxidant action happening in your brain where you almost certainly need it most due to your anxious and depressive symptoms, oxidative stress in you will be significantly higher than average. This is why NAC often helps people with major depressive disorder and other issues. Taking glutathione supplements is a little bit like taking GABA supplements; most of what you take does not really make it past the gut. Some yes, most no. But NAC offers a bit of a shortcut here. Alpha lipoic acid also supports your glutathione.

If you decide to get some, I think they often come in 600mg caps, the bottles usually say take one per day but therapeutic doses are higher, and the larger doses should be taken in the evening rather than the morning I think. Therapeutic doses of lysine range from 1g to 3g a day, I personally take at least 1g /day, sometimes up to 2g. The dose you take now is more like a nutritional minimum.

The phenylalanine dose is also like a nutritional minimum. Some people do very well with larger doses, but some don't, it's a little bit like antidepressants there due to people's different chemistries and needs, you don't know until you try.



I can't comment very much on the herbs because those are something I know too little of.

[KieranA001]

Add some potent antioxidants, since sustained stress and anxiety increases oxidation in the brain in a bad way, higher oxidative stress also seen in depression. EPA, NAC, others.

Sounds like your blood pressure may be pretty low. If this is the case you must not take significant vasodilators without first having your doc check you out.

Do not drink alcohol, that does not mean 'just one drink is okay'. Full stop. You're only 18 and your frontal lobes don't mature until your early 20s.

Stop with anything that has a significant depressant effect.

Start taking protein powder daily - or get an amino acid complex (NOT the BCAA, you want the complete) in pills - take on empty stomach regularly. Do this for one month before re-evaluating your symptoms.

Get an omega 3 source that has AT LEAST twice as much EPA than DHA. Not ALA only, it won't help you here because the body only converts a tiny amount of the ALA you take. Increase your magnesium, D3, calcium, zinc intake but don't go crazy with them. Consider potassium (doctor). B vitamins. Consider theanine or green tea. Lysine. Lysine is your friend.

If you don't eat meats/fish regularly, you will be low in creatine and taurine. This has significance for mental/intellectual health that most people aren't aware of, even those that take supplements. If you are having issues with vasodilation and low blood pressure, supporting you ATP system may help since some ATP activity has contstrictive effects.

**Glutamate is not the devil. Your brain needs it to function properly. Of course too much of a good thing isn't such a good thing for some people. But I'm not telling you to get a glutamate supplement, it should be in your amino acid source (protein powder or pills) in modest amounts.


I don't know what things you've tried in the past and what effect they had on you; that may be helpful to whomever is interested in giving you ideas. It does seem to me that you are lacking something or low in something or multiple things, perhaps your serotonin is low since a lot of your symptoms are the same, but there are also clear symptoms of chronic low blood pressure, perhaps low thyroid (which you could help by taking iodine and tyrosine). Phantom body pains can be caused by many of these things too. Fuzzy or weird blurred vision is associated with excessive levels of dopamine and/or norephinephrine (that's why fuzzy vision can a side effect of Wellbutrin), as well as several of the other symptoms you reported. What has your doc said so far?

I think it would be best that you saw a doc before trying anything beyond protein powder and EPA/DHA.

Can you recommend a good stack, or at least improve on my stack so far?? Something for brain fog, I was thinking of using either NAC or Holy basil but don't know which one would be most beneficial for me to use. If my brain fog is caused my stress it makes sense to use Holy basil but if it's not I don't know how NAC will help me??? Can you tell me how NAC will help ? And at what dose should I use?

In the vitamins I take, you get about 74mg of N-acetyl L-cysteine.

would that be enough ? Or do I need 500mg ?


My current stack is:

Amino Acid Complex:

L-Leucine 130mg
L-Phenylalanine 130mg
L-Lysine 100mg
L-Histidine 76mg
L-Isoleucine 76mg
L-Valine 66mg
L-Methionine 50mg
L-Threonine 50mg
L-Tryptophan 20mg


Stress Complex:

• Schizandra (Schisandra chinensis) (berry) hydroethanolic extract (min. 1.6 mg schizandrins) 100mg
• American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolius) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 4 mg ginsenosides) 100mg
• Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 0.6 mg total eleutherosides) 100 mg
• Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosea) (root) hydroethanolic extract (min. 5 mg total rosavins; including 3.6 mg rosavin and 1.8 mg salidrosides) 100 mg
• Curcuma xanthorrhiza (rhizome) 34 mg supercritical extract (min. 23 mg essential oil containing xanthorrhizol) and 66 mg hydroethanolic extract 100 mg
• Turmeric (Curcuma longa) (rhizome) 10 mg supercritical extract (min. 7 mg essential oil containing turmerones) and 40 mg hydroethanolic extract (min. 4.4 mg curcuminoids) 50 mg
• Astragalus (Astragalus membranaceus) (root) extract 50mg
• Galanga (Alpinia galanga) (rhizome) 26 mg supercritical extract (min. 2.6 mg essential oil) 26mg
• Ginger (Zingiber officinale) (rhizome) 4 mg supercritical extract and 16 mg hydroethanolic extract 20mg
• Relora 300mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) hydroethanolic extract

536mg

• Holy Basil (Ocimum sanctum) (leaf) supercritical extract

134mg

NAC is the most effective way to increase your glutathione and get some very potent antioxidant action happening in your brain where you almost certainly need it most due to your anxious and depressive symptoms, oxidative stress in you will be significantly higher than average. This is why NAC often helps people with major depressive disorder and other issues. Taking glutathione supplements is a little bit like taking GABA supplements; most of what you take does not really make it past the gut. Some yes, most no. But NAC offers a bit of a shortcut here. Alpha lipoic acid also supports your glutathione.

If you decide to get some, I think they often come in 600mg caps, the bottles usually say take one per day but therapeutic doses are higher, and the larger doses should be taken in the evening rather than the morning I think. Therapeutic doses of lysine range from 1g to 3g a day, I personally take at least 1g /day, sometimes up to 2g. The dose you take now is more like a nutritional minimum.

The phenylalanine dose is also like a nutritional minimum. Some people do very well with larger doses, but some don't, it's a little bit like antidepressants there due to people's different chemistries and needs, you don't know until you try.



I can't comment very much on the herbs because those are something I know too little of.

Thanks for that, I'm definitely going to be trying some of that. do you recommend the powder or the tablet form ? I was thinking of getting the powder, mixing it in with some amino acid complex powder and some protein powder and then adding water to all three. ??

Or, I could just buy the pills. Thoughts ? Do you have a good brand that you recommend ? :-) How long to notice results ?

It's weird, because when it went away before, I was at the beach, when I was walking home I felt really anxious that day. So, it seems whatever fixed this "brain fog" I get really anxious the day before it clears because the day after my brain fog was gone pretty much.

Edited by KieranA001, 26 February 2014 - 06:51 PM.

[KieranA001]

Is this anything to worry about with NAC?

http://articles.merc...of-trouble.aspx

[KieranA001]

Do any of you know what is causing my brain fog ? If the NAC doesn't work, I really don't know what to try next. :/ I will try the other two compounds suggested above as well but I mean after I have tried them what can I do ? :-)

Thanks

[Nobility]

Hi,

Amazing advice above, but please try to go back on a Fish Oil Supplement.. Even after 3 months, there will be a difference, and so on. It makes a very big difference.


Other;
- Sleep. If your not getting enough sleep, then that may also be the problem.
- Exercise & diet.

[KieranA001]

Also, 30 minutes of weight lifting with the lights turned off seems to help me a lot. it seems to bring my vision back out of the "fog" a little bit. Vision seems slightly more clearer as to how it should be. Why? :/

[KieranA001]

I have also found out I have some form of HPPD with it. I haven't ever done any psychedelics but I, I don't even know if it is HPPD but I do have some sort of static objects. I can really notice it if I look at anything black, or just anything general for that matter but it's worse if I'm looking at the monitor and then look away towards something else.

I was suppose to have a vision test on the 14th but I completely forgot about it, now I don't know what to do. I hope they see me again if I make another appointment if they let me make another oppointment that is.... :(

I have always had the HPPD, it's just that I thought it was "normal" and that everyone has some sort of static vision. ??

[KieranA001]

NAC hasn't helped me so far, don't know if I need to take it longer but I've been taking it for two weeks without any noticable effects. :(

[KieranA001]

Okay final thought on this from me. I have been and got my eyes checked and aparently they're fine. I have been taking all mentioned above, with no luck as of yet. What I'm feeling is crappy short-term memory, feeling confused / unsure what I'm doing or what I have recently done, bad concentration, bad attention. Also "feeling as though one's environment is lacking in spontaneity, emotional coloring. and am quite spaced out" I have HPPD with this and excersise and the sun seems to help me.

Now, I link it to either be caused by depression, anxiety or high cortisol levels caused by stress. It's hard because excersise and the sun both help me and they're both suppose to effect depression, so not sure how they're both effecting it. It's not through vitamin D3 although I have heard that excersise effects Dopamine, norephinerine and serotonin by increasing them. Do you think it's to do with some form of neurotransmitter imbalance or something ?

I would just stick with the excerise but it isn't a perminant fix and after the excersise, I'm only "semi-normal" again for a short amount of time before I go to being "foggy and derealized". What do I do ?

Thanks. Should I try DHEA ? :-)

Edited by KieranA001, 18 March 2014 - 07:36 PM.

[KieranA001]

Also, say if it was caused by me being dehydrated that would have caused the high cortisol levels. How long do I need to drink the recommened amount in order to re-balance out my cortisol levels. ??

[pinnacle]

Hi Kieran, just slimming over your thread, a few suggestions (if you haven't yet found a solution).

Firstly have your Doc do a few health checks (if you haven't aready) specifically liver, heart, and possibly gut/intestinal flora (you'd be surprised how much a gut dysbiosis or candida infection can knock your mental performance - I wonder this because of how you describe your adverse reaction to alcohol). You could also ask if he/she could do a full blood test and include common mineral and vitamin deficiencies.

You may also want to consider an underlying biochemical cause such as under-methylation. Some of the other members of this forum will be able to elaborate further on this.
I had some troubles in my teens-early 20s which I believe to be partly related to this, till I was found to have high histamine levels and responded very, very well to a specialised program specific to my under-methylation. There's a fair bit of trial and error with finding which supps really make a difference though. Ultimately, I was fixed of my mental fatigue and brain fog among other things (although it's an ongoing treatment).
Previous to this I was also prescribed a number of anti-depressants, none of which really helped.

I would suggest checking out:
http://www.heartfixe...trigenomics.htm

http://metabolicheal...ues-in-disease/

http://www.drkendals...onals-10.11.pdf

http://www.mthfrsupp...mthfr-protocol/

[pinnacle]

Some immediate solutions you could play with:
SAM-e
Methyl-folate
B6 in the active P-5-P form

L-Theanine (anxiety)
L-Tryptophan (serotonin)

Phosphatidylserine
Relora (these last 2 lower cortisol).

Agreed with keep up a high EPA/DHA fish oil supplement, Naudic Naturals is one of the best IMO (I haven't noticed a lot from any oter brand I've tried).

[KieranA001]

Some immediate solutions you could play with:
SAM-e
Methyl-folate
B6 in the active P-5-P form

L-Theanine (anxiety)
L-Tryptophan (serotonin)

Phosphatidylserine
Relora (these last 2 lower cortisol).

Agreed with keep up a high EPA/DHA fish oil supplement, Naudic Naturals is one of the best IMO (I haven't noticed a lot from any oter brand I've tried).

Thanks for replying and giving me some advice. :-) It's most appreciated. I have been trying both L-theanine and L-Tryptophan. I was going to buy some Relora last month but didn't bother because I heard it makes you super tired but I will try it anyway.

I will try the B6 as you said, although, I do take B-complex supplements. Is their a difference ? :-)

SAM-e

I have been on this for ages, but don't really notice much from it :(

Methyl-folate

This stuff looks really usefull, in fact, when I had a CBC they detected low iron and folic acid, although supplementation doesn't appeair to make me feel any better, and they now saying I don't have low iron or folic acid. I'm all fine with the CBC at the moment.

Again, when I said it's worse on alcohol, I'm talking about after the alcohol has worn off. And, I did have way too much in one go on an empty stomach. The effects lasted for two weeks, I had high anxiety and depression, and felt way more spaced out. I had insomnia for two weeks, muscle twitches, spasms down my spine, vertigo in my sleep or it might have been sleep apnia it felt like I was on a merrigoround at high speed and I had trouble breating.

It like when I'm in the shower, I get out of breathe and feel weak (if I have a hot shower) and I just end up having to sit down for awhile. It's like when I go from a kneeling position to a standing position, I end up going lightheaded and unconsious.

[pinnacle]

Sounds a little like anaemia, but I don't know much about it.

I recall reading serum folate levels are not an accurate representation of folate status.

Also some people have the MTHFR gene mutation (estimated 25% of the population) where they cannot convert synthetic folate (folic acid) into the active metabolite methyl-folate (5-MTHF) so supplementing with synthetic folate may actually be counterproductive if that were the case. It is recommended to take methyl-B12 in conjunction with methyl-folate. But do some research into this

[KieranA001]

Sounds a little like anaemia, but I don't know much about it.

I recall reading serum folate levels are not an accurate representation of folate status.

Also some people have the MTHFR gene mutation (estimated 25% of the population) where they cannot convert synthetic folate (folic acid) into the active metabolite methyl-folate (5-MTHF) so supplementing with synthetic folate may actually be counterproductive if that were the case. It is recommended to take methyl-B12 in conjunction with methyl-folate. But do some research into this

Thanks, yeah I have got some B12 what someone else said to buy. Vitamin B-12 METHYLCOBALAMIN 5000mcg I have been taking them for a week but aren't really doing anything. :/

The methyl-folate looks good so I will try that. I will do some research.

Thanks again. :-)

[Pound]

Cut out gluten/dairy for 2-4 weeks and how you feel.

Get hormone labs done. For thyroid TSH, T4, T3, fT4, fT3
For adrenal function. Check for 4 x salive cortisol, DHEA-s, pregnenolone
For testosterone, FSH, LH, E2, testosterone, prolactin

You may have subclinical hypothyrodism. For the next week check your temperature by getting a temperature prob and place the tip under your tongue for 30sec-1min. Straight out of bed, if your hitting 97.6F maybe be an indicator of bein hypothyroid. You should be hitting 98.6-99.0F during the end of the day for optimal thyroid function.

If you have a problem with thyroid function then high does Iodine (12.5mg-100mg, NOT 100mcg) may help you substancially. Check out Dr Brownstein for more info on Iodine.

Check the site selfhacked.com. This blogsite is great for people like you. This guy has had the same experiences as you as a child and has worked out the problem is. He has helped many other people and provides consulations to provide personal treatment plans. I would go to this site immediately and get his help instead of mindlessly wasing more money on supplements.

[KieranA001]

Cut out gluten/dairy for 2-4 weeks and how you feel.

Get hormone labs done. For thyroid TSH, T4, T3, fT4, fT3
For adrenal function. Check for 4 x salive cortisol, DHEA-s, pregnenolone
For testosterone, FSH, LH, E2, testosterone, prolactin

You may have subclinical hypothyrodism. For the next week check your temperature by getting a temperature prob and place the tip under your tongue for 30sec-1min. Straight out of bed, if your hitting 97.6F maybe be an indicator of bein hypothyroid. You should be hitting 98.6-99.0F during the end of the day for optimal thyroid function.

If you have a problem with thyroid function then high does Iodine (12.5mg-100mg, NOT 100mcg) may help you substancially. Check out Dr Brownstein for more info on Iodine.

Check the site selfhacked.com. This blogsite is great for people like you. This guy has had the same experiences as you as a child and has worked out the problem is. He has helped many other people and provides consulations to provide personal treatment plans. I would go to this site immediately and get his help instead of mindlessly wasing more money on supplements.

Hey dude thanks for that, all of that information looks really useful. In fact, it's funny because I have tried pregnenolone and it really helped with my brain fog. I had to stop it because it brought out bouts of acne on my face. It wasn't very nice at all. I have had a thyroid check and all was clear so I'm baffeled as to what it could be caused by. :/