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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 23 of 23. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
Hi all,
The supplement that I've been taking for my fatigue, hypersomnia, and related symptoms (slow thinking and difficulty concentrating) seems to be getting significantly less effective than it was previously, and my guess is that it's only going to be a matter of time before it will become completely ineffective (as every supplement that I've taken has done). If the supplement that I take becomes completely ineffective, my concentration will be so poor that I will no longer be able to read a lot of the messages posted to this board, let alone respond to most of them. And so, I probably won't be posting to this board as much as I have been as of late, if I end up posting here at all.
I've already tried every medication that I think is worth trying for my symptoms, as well as psychotherapy and exercise, and now probably also every supplement that I think is worth trying. I might try a CES device next or go to a different type of doctor (like maybe an endocrinologist or a functional-medicine doctor) for some different kinds of tests. I've already been to an orthomolecular psychiatrist, and the testing that they did didn't come up with anything clinically relevant, other than low vitamin D levels. And when I took vitamin D to raise my level of the vitamin, I noticed results for about two weeks, followed by a complete loss of effectiveness.
Anyway, I just wanted to let all of you know that if you see less of me on the boards than you have been as of late, it's probably going to be because of a worsening of my symptoms.
Take care everyone,
T.
Posted by Phillipa on August 6, 2013, at 15:06:00
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
I am truly sorry. There has to be an answer for you. You have tried googling all autoimmune disorders also? I do hope you will find you "magic pill" Phillipa
Posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 15:30:51
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by Phillipa on August 6, 2013, at 15:06:00
Well, my current supplement doesn't seem to be completely ineffective yet, but it seems like it might be headed in that direction. I will say that I'm feeling a little better now than I was a few hours ago, so we'll see.
I'm only a little familiar with autoimmune disorders, so maybe looking for some more information on those might be helpful. I've had my thyroid tested, though, and nothing came back abnormal.
Thanks for the post, Phillipa.
T.
Posted by sigismund on August 6, 2013, at 16:56:22
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Phillipa, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 15:30:51
I'm so curious as to what this supplement is.
Posted by SLS on August 6, 2013, at 18:12:06
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
Hi T.
I can fully understand. Long posts are still prohibitive for me to read word-for-word. I skim a lot. I hope that you can still maintain human connections on Psycho-Babble and elsewhere, even in the absence of your usual brilliance.
:-)
Be good to yourself.
- Scott
Posted by Phillipa on August 6, 2013, at 20:56:12
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Phillipa, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 15:30:51
The list is overwhelming. Just google autoimmune illnesses . Phillipa
Posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 21:01:06
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by sigismund on August 6, 2013, at 16:56:22
Sigismund,
I would like to tell you and other Psycho-Babble regulars what it is that I've been taking, but I think that I need some time to weigh the pros and cons of writing about the supplement that I've been taking before I make a decision.
I'm sorry if this creates too much suspense.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 21:03:28
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by SLS on August 6, 2013, at 18:12:06
Thanks, Scott. :-)
I do think that I will probably maintain some sort of presence here on Psycho-Babble, even though I don't expect that my participation will be on the same level that it's been at as of late.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 22:04:15
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by Phillipa on August 6, 2013, at 20:56:12
Thanks, Phillipa. I Googled autoimmune disease and looked through some of the results. Wikipedia did indeed have quite a list of autoimmune diseases. Maybe I'll ask my psychiatrist the next time I see him if he thinks that I might have an autoimmune disease and if my chronically elevated white blood cell count might have anything to do with it.
T.
Posted by damnthislife on August 7, 2013, at 8:03:13
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
I'm sorry to hear this, Tomatheus! My thoughts are with you! I hope you find success with some of the other options you speak of. I feel we are in the same boat. Getting no help anywhere, and still the CFS and depression symptoms remains. It's getting old!
One thing you said kinda stuck out, though. You said you noticed improvement with vitamin D. Were you taking OTC D3 in values of 5,000iu or more, or where you taking the prescription version of D2 that is 1 pill a week at 50,000iu?
Posted by Hugh on August 7, 2013, at 13:12:21
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
Have you tried this?
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01242371
These two strains of probiotics are available in a product called USANA Probiotic Plus.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 7, 2013, at 13:22:32
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by damnthislife on August 7, 2013, at 8:03:13
Damnthislife,
Thank you for your post. When I took vitamin D, I took the OTC vitamin D3, but I recall taking quite a bit less than 5,000 IU. The reason for this is that I had tried taking vitamin D (also the D3 form) at one point between the time my psychotic symptoms came on and the time I started taking Abilify (when I wasn't taking any medications) and noticed an increase in my psychotic symptoms. So, basically, I wanted to minimize the possibility that my psychotic symptoms would get worse this last time that I tried vitamin D, so I took less than 5,000 IU. I think I was only taking 400 IU, and somehow it seemed to work (even though it may not have significantly increased my vitamin D concentration), but then it seemed to become completely ineffective about two weeks after I started taking it. I did try increasing my dose once after I noticed the loss of effectiveness (I think I increased it to 800 IU), but I didn't notice any positive effects from doing this. Maybe I should have given the vitamin D3 more time at a higher dose. I suppose I could probably try the vitamin D3 again if all else fails and maybe gradually increase my dose to see if I get any benefit. I shall consider it.
T.
Posted by Tomatheus on August 7, 2013, at 13:31:04
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by Hugh on August 7, 2013, at 13:12:21
Hugh,
Thank you for the post. No, I haven't tried taking a probiotic supplement yet. I think that the supplement that you linked to is definitely worthy of consideration and something that I might try.
T.
Posted by Phillipa on August 7, 2013, at 20:19:29
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Phillipa, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 22:04:15
Chronically elevated WBS's sounds like an infection of some sort. I would say? Have you been sick physically?
Posted by Tomatheus on August 7, 2013, at 22:22:56
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by Phillipa on August 7, 2013, at 20:19:29
No, Phillipa, I haven't felt physically sick. I've read that lithium can cause white blood cells to rise and wonder if that might be the reason why my white blood cells are always elevated. I was told when I was hospitalized in March 2007 that I still had lithium in my blood, and that was almost two years after I had stopped taking lithium. The lithium that I had taken was recalled, and the research and development director of the company that made it has said that he falsified the laboratory tests for the lithium carbonate that his company made. I can't say for sure whether or not I might still have lithium in my system, although I do still have the tremor and agitation that I began experiencing when I was taking lithium. So, maybe my elevated white blood cell count could be due to lithium. Or maybe it's due to an unknown infection or something else. I don't really know. I did have a test for Lyme disease not too long ago because I wondered if I might have that, and the "titers" came back negative. So, it's probably not Lyme disease. That's about all I can really say.
T.
Posted by brynb on August 9, 2013, at 9:26:00
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
Hi Tomatheus,
I'm truly sorry to hear this. Your posts are always so thoughtful and wise.
I hope you find something that helps and really hope you're able to continue posting.
Wishing you the best,
B
Posted by SLS on August 9, 2013, at 9:31:22
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by brynb on August 9, 2013, at 9:26:00
> Hi Tomatheus,
>
> I'm truly sorry to hear this. Your posts are always so thoughtful and wise.
>
> I hope you find something that helps and really hope you're able to continue posting.
>
> Wishing you the best,
> BDitto.
- Scott
Posted by Tomatheus on August 9, 2013, at 15:22:06
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by brynb on August 9, 2013, at 9:26:00
Thank you, Bryn, for your kind words, and thanks to you too Scott for the ditto. I really appreciate what you had to say, and I too hope that I'll ultimately find a treatment or treatment combo that will relieve my symptoms over the long run.
Somewhat surprisingly, I'm still noticing a response to the supplement that I've been taking. It's possible that even though my response to the supplement is somewhat weaker than it was initially that I might continue to respond to it to some extent. I suppose that time will tell.
And I've decided that I will say what supplement I've been taking. It's a homeopathic growth hormone supplement that at least claims to have some actual growth hormone in it. It's made by Liddell Labortories and is called "Vital HGH." For different reasons, I suspect that there might be some problem with my growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 axis. I really won't be able to say for certain whether or not this is the case, though, until I get the proper tests done by a doctor, which I'm thinking that I will probably do soon.
But anyway, thank you again Bryn and Scott for your posts, and thanks to everyone else who's responded to this thread. If anything about my situation changes, I will post back with an update.
T.
Posted by herpills on August 9, 2013, at 17:27:25
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
I hope you will consider posting here when you can, you are always so thoughtful in your response. Feel better soon...herpills
Posted by Tomatheus on August 9, 2013, at 17:37:59
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Tomatheus, posted by herpills on August 9, 2013, at 17:27:25
Thanks, herpills. I appreciate your response. I will make an effort to remain a part of the Psycho-Babble community. My participation may end up being limited, depending on the severity of my symptoms (and also on other factors, such as the amount of traffic the site gets and my knowledge of the subjects being discussed), but I think that I will try to participate as much as I can.
T.
Posted by Lamdage22 on August 10, 2013, at 8:43:27
In reply to Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Tomatheus on August 6, 2013, at 13:11:35
Jesus christ.. Tomatheus, whats that supplement that made such a difference for you?
Cant go up in dosing?
Posted by Tomatheus on August 10, 2013, at 14:07:55
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all, posted by Lamdage22 on August 10, 2013, at 8:43:27
> Jesus christ.. Tomatheus, whats that supplement that made such a difference for you?
>
> Cant go up in dosing?Lamdage,
Well, I don't know if I would say it makes *such* a difference, but it does seem to make a difference.
As far as dosing is concerned, I ended up trying a higher dose a few days ago, and I surprisingly felt much worse, maybe even worse than how I feel at baseline. I might try the higher dose again for longer than a day to make sure that what I experienced wasn't some kind of fluke.
I disclosed the name of the supplement that I'm taking in a post further up on this thread that I wrote yesterday. Here's what I wrote:
"It's a homeopathic growth hormone supplement that at least claims to have some actual growth hormone in it. It's made by Liddell Labortories and is called 'Vital HGH.'"
Here's the post:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130730/msgs/1048627.htmlT.
Posted by Lamdage22 on August 15, 2013, at 13:58:37
In reply to Re: Probably won't be posting here as much, if at all » Lamdage22, posted by Tomatheus on August 10, 2013, at 14:07:55
Kewl..
id love to tune my psyche with Hormonal changes. But once again, the people in charge wont let you have fun.
Whats the f*ck*ng deal with opiates?
Everybody who takes them goes addict? Come on! Id get rid of body hair and thats it. No, the Government wont let me. I have to walk around with gross hair.
I hate these n*gg*s.
This is the end of the thread.
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