Posted by Lao Tzu on August 31, 2010, at 15:35:38
In reply to Re: Social Anxiety supplement formula » Lao Tzu, posted by proudfoot on August 28, 2010, at 9:58:21
Thanks for your post. The first thing I have to say that it can be a little tricky incorporating nutrients into your medicine regimen. In my case, which is Bipolar psychosis, I've never stayed satisfied with my regimen for long. However, I can say some good things about the supplements. In my case, I never was completely happy with my medication, but of course, I'm an extreme case. If your meds alone are working well, stick with it. That's great!! I wasn't always a believer in medication, but it has literally saved my life and improved my prognosis significantly. Still, being bipolar, I always had issues with low energy, which is why I take the vitamins now. If used properly and continuously, you will notice improvements in mood and energy. If your diet is exquisite, you actually may not need more than a good multivitamin and maybe some fish oil, if you prefer. Most doctors will say that medication, a good balanced diet, and exercise are all you need, and that might ring true for most people with depression. However, I always felt I needed the supplements to stay healthy. Again, I am an extreme case. So I can give some examples as to what has helped me, but if you're doing fine with the meds and you eat properly and you exercise then you're a long way to getting better. However, there are some good vitamins you can take that may help improve mood and energy.
For instance, fish oil is good for mood, and I always say to start off with a low dosage because most people don't need much of it to see a difference in mood. Fish oil is also good for lowering triglycerides, which has worked beautifully for me. It will take daily use of fish oil for a while to see any real improvement, but what I like about fish oil is that anyone can take it even if you're on meds, and it is beneficial to health and mind.
I have found that I seem to be lacking in omega-6 fatty acids, but many people actually are not. Therefore, I take one capsule of borage oil (300mg GLA) a couple hours after I take my fish oil. I seem to need both omega-3s and omega-6s, though I think most people do just fine on fish oil alone.Next, antioxidant vitamins and B vitamins are very important for staving off depression. The ones that help me the most are vitamins E, C, selenium, B1, B2, B6 and in the past, B12 and B3 were helpful.
I choose to take the vitamins individually instead of a multi or a B complex because I find that I need to tailor the dosages to myself and you can't do this with a multivitamin. But like I said, I am an extreme case. I have psychosis.Next, adequate zinc is important. The dosage depends on your individual needs. I find that zinc picolinate is a very effective form. I think the average person would need no more than 20mg per day. I take 40mg per day. In some rare cases, a higher dosage of zinc is required, but that probably doesn't fit most people.
Next, for some people, balancing your magnesium and calcium levels is important for depression and improved sleep. I take all of my magnesium and calcium at bedtime, not during the day. I sleep better and I have less depression during the day. I prefer chelated forms of magnesium and calcium because supposedly they are absorbed better by the body. Don't know how true this is, however. I prefer using Magnesium Citrate, NOT magnesium oxide. I get a good response from the citrate form. My suggestion is to not use magnesium oxide at all. I also think that calcium chelated with an amino acid is better than plain old calcium carbonate, but some would disagree. I just feel the chelated forms are more agreeable to me. You be the judge.
I find that these few supplements are the most helpful to me and probably to others. If you take them individually, you might have to adjust dosages, and this can be a little tricky. I always say try a multivitamin and a B-complex first, and see if that makes you feel any better. If it doesn't work you might try taking individual vitamins that I listed here. B6 alone is a very important vitamin that many people supplement with for depression and anxiety. My suggestion is 50-100mg per day. Another good form of B6 is called P5P. It is the activated form of B6 and in many cases, may actually be more effective that pyridoxine hcl. A good dose of P5P is 50mg per day. Some people find that taking a combination of both forms is even more helpful to them. I've always liked both of these forms.
If you are anemic, you might benefit from B12 injections and/or possible supplementation with folic acid. Personally, I do like B12, but for some reason, I can't tolerate any folic acid supplements. Believe it or not, the folic acid actually makes me feel more depressed. However, some people do well on folic acid. It may have something to do with your reaction to histamine, as histamine can act a neurotransmitter in the brain, and may be affected by your folate status.
That's all I can think of right now. Just a word of caution: Most of the supplements out there are garbage. I've learned that the hard way. But there are a few that can help improve mood and energy, if you are still having problems despite medication. Someone on babble swears by Traditional Chinese Medicine and herbal tonics for depression. And he has also been taking medication for his problems. I read somewhere that combining TCM with Western medicine may in some cases, prove more beneficial, but I'm still a skeptic. Take care,
Lao
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:958030
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100812/msgs/960840.html