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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 19, 2007, at 9:40:15
After such a long , long time of feeling like I wish I would die every morning when I wake up... after countless AD's , supplements, whacky alternative treatments, etc.
For some reason the current mix of stuff has been working solid for about a week and a half .. thats amazing considering in the last year nothing has worked more than a few days.
I am actually exercising, reading, trying to find a job again, reaching out to socialize more and trying to figure out how to pick up the rubble caused by the last year.
Anyway, here it is:
1. Lithium ( 750 mg)
2. Zinc ( 2 little pills)
3. Adrafinil (300 mg) + Klonopin 1 mg
4. Turmeric ( 2 x 500 mg)
5. Fish Oil ( 2 grams)
6 .Now exerciseI hope the success lasts ..
I have tried them all separately and nothing, but for some reason now they work. Strange.
JB
Posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:58:19
In reply to Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by Jimmyboy on January 19, 2007, at 9:40:15
Just read your post after writing mine below yours. It sounds like you are on the upswing and I am on the downswing(?)
Happy you found a combination that is working, that is the worst part of depression, that there is no treatment that can be recommended, it is just long bouts of trial and errors and I'm in the error phase and really suffering.
I see no way out today...I know it will pass but it doesn't make today any easier. That is the worst thing about this disease, it operates with no pattern and nobody has a handle onhow to treat it.
Hope it continues to give you hope...SG
Posted by Phillipa on January 19, 2007, at 10:27:27
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by stargazer on January 19, 2007, at 9:58:19
Well the excercise I relate to missed mine yesterday due to the weather and felt horrible. Glad to hear you have found a combo that works for you. Love Phillipa
Posted by chiron on January 19, 2007, at 20:22:03
In reply to Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by Jimmyboy on January 19, 2007, at 9:40:15
Congrats! So had you tried lithium before separately and it didn't help?
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 1:42:35
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by chiron on January 19, 2007, at 20:22:03
Yes, I took Lithium (900 mg/day ) for 2 yrs actually, and honestly it may have helped protect my brain, but did not get rid of the depression ( I actually really don't have mood swings .. it goes from *rarely* normal to deep depression- more like bipolar II or something similar).
I honestly think the provigil + Lithium is the thing thats helping. Again , I have had both separately and they did not help, for some reason the synergy of the two seems to work.. at least thats my early conclusion at this point. Don't know why.. but I am thankful for a few days of relief.
PS - Another new thing is the Tumeric.. I really don't know enough about it , but since it coincides with me feeling better, I am not about to quit it. Its cheap and overall good for a lot of things, thats good enough for me.
JB
Posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 9:16:59
In reply to Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by Jimmyboy on January 19, 2007, at 9:40:15
Cool news! I have a feeling all of the ingredients are healthy and contributing, but my gut instinct tells me it is adrafinil that is pulling it all together. My experience with adrafinil is that it is lacking all by itself, but for some strange reason seems to be a key ingredient for other mixes. Sadly I have also experienced it mixing poorly with some things. But when it mixes positively with something, it does so in a dramatic way.
Questions for you...
How long have you been on adrafinil?
How long until it 'kicked in', or did you feel it right away?
How long on the other ingredients?Thanks! Great thread. Great news.
blueberry> After such a long , long time of feeling like I wish I would die every morning when I wake up... after countless AD's , supplements, whacky alternative treatments, etc.
>
> For some reason the current mix of stuff has been working solid for about a week and a half .. thats amazing considering in the last year nothing has worked more than a few days.
>
> I am actually exercising, reading, trying to find a job again, reaching out to socialize more and trying to figure out how to pick up the rubble caused by the last year.
>
> Anyway, here it is:
>
>
> 1. Lithium ( 750 mg)
> 2. Zinc ( 2 little pills)
> 3. Adrafinil (300 mg) + Klonopin 1 mg
> 4. Turmeric ( 2 x 500 mg)
> 5. Fish Oil ( 2 grams)
> 6 .Now exercise
>
> I hope the success lasts ..
>
> I have tried them all separately and nothing, but for some reason now they work. Strange.
>
> JB
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 10:46:18
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me! » Jimmyboy, posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 9:16:59
Hi Blueberry,
I absolutely agree that the adrafinil is sort of the key that "turned the switch" so to speak. I would rather take provigil , but I have no insurance, so thats an impossibility. i was actually taking provgil ( without the Lithium) for a couple of weeks and was pretty agitated and overfocused, etc. So I laid off for awhile, started the Lithium for a week or so and added back the adrafinil I got in the mail. It just seemed differant adding it with the Lithium.I also started the Tumeric about the same time and the fish oil also. I honestly have never had any success with fish oil, but its healthy so I figured it couldn't hurt.
I am currently trying to look at stuff as "making my brain healthy" as opposed to " I'm too low on seatonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, etc.." I really think the neurotrophic factors that help regrow your neurons is what all the things that help have in common. So currently I'm trying to take stuff that I read will help with that ..
How are you doing?
JB
Posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 20, 2007, at 12:10:02
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me! » blueberry1, posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 10:46:18
Jimmy: I am happy for you. Thats good to hear. What is your diagnosis? Depression? Anxiety? Bipolar? Something else? Just wanted to know, so I could decide if this was something I needed to investigate. Thanks, Michael
Posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 12:54:13
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me! » blueberry1, posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 10:46:18
Another question...what is the zinc for? What does it do?
You asked how I am doing? Well, real poor. Deep scary depression and constant underlying nervousness/anxiety, weight loss, extreme difficulty in ability to work and stuff. But I plow forward as best I can. Doc just started me on low dose remeron for sleep, anxiety, and munchies.
I tried adrafinil on its own a few weeks ago. It was good on depression, anxiety, and fatigue on the first day, but not much of anything after that. Actually I felt like depession was getting worse, and whatever help it was giving me was a very obsessive restless agitated kind of thing. It does blend nice with other things so I keep it onhand for more trials going forward.
> Hi Blueberry,
>
>
> I absolutely agree that the adrafinil is sort of the key that "turned the switch" so to speak. I would rather take provigil , but I have no insurance, so thats an impossibility. i was actually taking provgil ( without the Lithium) for a couple of weeks and was pretty agitated and overfocused, etc. So I laid off for awhile, started the Lithium for a week or so and added back the adrafinil I got in the mail. It just seemed differant adding it with the Lithium.
>
> I also started the Tumeric about the same time and the fish oil also. I honestly have never had any success with fish oil, but its healthy so I figured it couldn't hurt.
>
> I am currently trying to look at stuff as "making my brain healthy" as opposed to " I'm too low on seatonin, norepinephrine, dopamine, etc.." I really think the neurotrophic factors that help regrow your neurons is what all the things that help have in common. So currently I'm trying to take stuff that I read will help with that ..
>
> How are you doing?
>
> JB
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 17:56:01
In reply to Re: Finally found something - JimmyBoy, posted by UgottaHaveHope on January 20, 2007, at 12:10:02
Pretty much Bipolar II - heavy on fatigue, brain fog, no motivation anhedonia, etc.
Have had a couple of mild euphoric hypomanias, but very, very few and far between.
Just to be clear, i have not magically gotten compltely better, but I have definitely improved a substantial amount. For 8 months I could not remember anything , had no motivation to leave the house or talk to anyone and felt no joy or interest at all..I just existed.
I have felt a sort of weight lift in a way, hard to explain ,but, I have been way more motivated, gone out with friends, and just had overall more interest and hope for the future.. definitely more to work on though.. Good luck
JB
Posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 18:16:43
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me! » Jimmyboy, posted by blueberry1 on January 20, 2007, at 12:54:13
Hey Blueberry,Sorry to hear that things are so horrible for you. This affliction we have is painful, lonely and invisible to most people around us.. what a sh*tty combination. I hope the remeron brings you some relief. Peace brother.
PS - Oh yeah I have been taking the zinc b/c I read this - plus , its cheap and harmless as far as I can tell.
1: Eur J Pharmacol. 2004 May 10;492(1):57-9. Links
Zinc treatment induces cortical brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression.Nowak G, Legutko B, Szewczyk B, Papp M, Sanak M, Pilc A.
Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna 12, PL 31-343, Cracow, Poland. nowak@if-pan.krakow.plMost of antidepressants induce expression of the gene coding for brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampal/cortical neurons. Recent data indicate antidepressant-like activity of zinc in animal models. We now report that chronic treatment with zinc induced an increase in cortical but not hippocampal BDNF mRNA level (Northern blot). Tranylcypromine, a classic antidepressant, increased BDNF mRNA level in both examined brain regions. This is the first demonstration that zinc increases the BDNF gene expression, which is the effect shared by most of clinically effective antidepressants.
PMID: 15145706 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Posted by ronaldo on January 21, 2007, at 11:34:18
In reply to Re: Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by Jimmyboy on January 20, 2007, at 18:16:43
Hi JB
I am glad you have found a combo that gives you a good result.
I have got 80 tabs of Adrafinil waiting for when I have come off the Zyprexa which should be in about a month's time.
I am Bipolar NOS but I suspect I am BPII. My genius of a former pdoc has me down as Bipolar Disorder Currently in Remission. Whatever...
I am on 900 mg Lithium and 2.5 mg (and reducing) Zyprexa and Centrum multivitamin containing Zinc 7.5 mg
Your success indicates Lithium and Olmafon are a good mix. I wonder what role your other ingredients play.
I hope it works for me when I get round to it.
And I hope it gives you lots of good mileage.
Regards
ronaldo
Posted by polarbear206 on January 22, 2007, at 11:02:24
In reply to Finally found something that works! for me!, posted by Jimmyboy on January 19, 2007, at 9:40:15
> After such a long , long time of feeling like I wish I would die every morning when I wake up... after countless AD's , supplements, whacky alternative treatments, etc.
>
> For some reason the current mix of stuff has been working solid for about a week and a half .. thats amazing considering in the last year nothing has worked more than a few days.
>
> I am actually exercising, reading, trying to find a job again, reaching out to socialize more and trying to figure out how to pick up the rubble caused by the last year.
>
> Anyway, here it is:
>
>
> 1. Lithium ( 750 mg)
> 2. Zinc ( 2 little pills)
> 3. Adrafinil (300 mg) + Klonopin 1 mg
> 4. Turmeric ( 2 x 500 mg)
> 5. Fish Oil ( 2 grams)
> 6 .Now exercise
>
> I hope the success lasts ..
>
> I have tried them all separately and nothing, but for some reason now they work. Strange.
>
> JB
Thats great!! Keep us posted on you progress.Polarbear
This is the end of the thread.
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