Posted by aeon on November 29, 2006, at 18:22:46
Hi again
News from the laboratory of my mind.
I have been really interested lately in the NMDA glutamate theory of neurotoxicity in depression and other disorders.
I am terribly sensitive to free glutamate (eg:in msg, soya sauce, yeast extracts etc) so I decided to see if I could help my brain.
Using the theory of glutathione being a good antioxidant I took 1 gram of cysteine planning to take that much each day and add lipoic acid too.
Didn't get that far because the cysteine caused a massive worsening of symptoms... first irritability then extreme anxiety, to panic, to a full blown curl up in fetal on the couch depression.
Once this reaction passed a little I felt headachy and tired and dysthymic I thought wow that sucked but started to try to understand why.
Turns out Cysteine is a neurotoxin, and is an NMDA agonist, which means it increasese NMDA caused neurotoxicity. The reaction I had was similar to when I consume msg.
Anyway I started researching for NMDA antagonists... guess what? Magnesium is a great antagonist of NMDA. Also carnitine as it turns out.
So I took 500mg acetyl-l-carntine and 800mg mag orotate.
The effects were rapid. It reversed all the cysteine induced problems and gave me a great sensation of energised relaxation in its place. An absolutely wonderful amelioration.
This morning I have repeated the concoction and the same response is evident.
I am wondering now if my problems are NMDA/glutamate related at their source...
Is it possible that the acetly l carnitine is delivering magnesium to the brain, maybe the body forms magnesium carnitate? then they work some kind of NMDA antagonist magic?
I have never experienced benefit from magnesium before though have tried it multiple times in different forms, and carnitine I usually notice no real effects from, its just supporting nutrient.
Together though they seem to have a wonderful synergistic effect.
poster:aeon
thread:708717
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20061118/msgs/708717.html