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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by bipolarspectrum on July 24, 2006, at 22:07:45
Hi,
I'd like to try supplementing vitamin c to attempt to improve my bipolar disorder.. what is a proper dose? can i just purchase the vitamin c from the pharmacy??? anything special i should know?
bps
Posted by spriggy on July 25, 2006, at 3:21:28
In reply to help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz, posted by bipolarspectrum on July 24, 2006, at 22:07:45
The only thing I can add is to be cautious of the chewable ones that have Aspartame.
A couple years back, I bought the chewable Vitamin C's ( not realizing it had Aspartame) and me and my husband both kept horrible headaches while taking it.
We stopped taking the Vitamin C and the headaches went away; I later read the ingredients added and Aspartame was one of them ( it gives me the worst headaches).
So if you are sensitive to it, look for Vitamin C without it.
Posted by Tomatheus on July 25, 2006, at 11:13:32
In reply to help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz, posted by bipolarspectrum on July 24, 2006, at 22:07:45
Bps,
I actually recently started taking vitamin C myself to try to keep my symptoms of depression and anxiety at bay (I'm not currently taking any meds). I took it previously when I was on both lithium and Wellbutrin, and it seemed to slightly improve my cognition.
Dr. James L. Wilson made what I thought were some useful points on the use of vitamin C supplements in his book, "Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome." Among other things, Wilson wrote that vitamin C cannot be fully "metabolized and utilized" by the body unless it is made up of *both* ascorbic acid and bioflavinoids. These bioflavinoids, he wrote, occur naturally with ascorbic acid in citrus fruits and other foods, and they double the effectiveness of ascorbic acid. Wilson recommended taking a vitamin C supplement that contains 1 mg of bioflavinoids for every 2 mg of ascorbic acid.
In the U.S., vitamin C is sold over the counter at most pharmacies and grocery stores. However, you may need to go to a health-food store to find a vitamin C supplement that contains both ascorbic acid and bioflavinoids -- especially if you're looking for a supplement that contains at least 1 mg of bioflavinoids for every 2 mg of ascorbic acid. Some health-food stores also sell time-release versions of vitamin C and versions that "buffer" the vitamin's acidity.
Based on everything I've read about vitamin C, it is my impression that the "proper dose" may vary considerably from one individual to the next. Wilson wrote that individuals with "adrenal fatigue" (described as a deficiency in the functioning of the adrenal glands, which results in an abnormally low production of cortisol) typically require 2-4 grams per day (2,000-4,000 mg/day) to maintain proper adrenal functioning. He added that some individuals he's known have required 15,000-20,000 mg/day.
I'm currently taking 1,000 mg/day of a vitamin C supplement that contains 250 mg of "vitamin C" (as ascorbic acid, rose hips, and acerola cherries) and 250 mg of bioflavinoids (a 1:1 ratio). Like the last time that I supplemented with vitamin C, I've noticed some mild cognitive improvement since I started taking it, but when I say "mild", I mean *very* mild. So, I'll be increasing my dose to see if I can get any added improvements.
This may sound obvious, but I've found that it's generally a good idea to start taking most supplements at a relatively low dose and then to increase the dose as needed. Wilson recommended starting with a dose of 500 mg of ascorbic acid (and 250 mg of bioflavinoids, if the ascorbic acid-bioflavinoid ratio is 2:1), but you may want to check with a doctor before determining what starting dose would be best for you.
I hope this helps some. Let me know if you have any questions about anything that I've written.
Tomatheus
> Hi,
> I'd like to try supplementing vitamin c to attempt to improve my bipolar disorder.. what is a proper dose? can i just purchase the vitamin c from the pharmacy??? anything special i should know?
> bps
Posted by Meri-Tuuli on July 25, 2006, at 11:34:30
In reply to Re: help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz » bipolarspectrum, posted by Tomatheus on July 25, 2006, at 11:13:32
I've read that you can take as much vitamin C as you can handle, meaning that there's a threshold at which you start to get loose bowels. Yeah vitamin C has amazing properties.
Posted by Tomatheus on July 25, 2006, at 12:23:47
In reply to Re: help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz, posted by Meri-Tuuli on July 25, 2006, at 11:34:30
> I've read that you can take as much vitamin C as you can handle, meaning that there's a threshold at which you start to get loose bowels. Yeah vitamin C has amazing properties.
Yes, good point! Dr. Wilson essentially wrote the same thing in his "Adrenal Fatigue" book. I probably should have also mentioned this in my last post.
For me, the only problem with the threshold is that I tend to have "loose bowels" to begin with (at least at times), unless I'm taking something that tends to have the opposite effect. But I haven't noticed any unusual "looseness" since I started with this regimen of vitamin C, and considering that its effects so far have been minimal, my guess is that I have yet to reach my vitamin C threshold.
Tomatheus
Posted by bipolarspectrum on July 25, 2006, at 14:18:43
In reply to Re: help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz » Meri-Tuuli, posted by Tomatheus on July 25, 2006, at 12:23:47
Hi,
Thanx everyone! your posts were so informatieve... im feelin happy about taking vit c.. i recently bought both regular and extended release vit c tablets... im going to try each individually and see what happens better.. my dose is 3000mg... my pdoc said that big name pdocs in canada recommend vit c supplementation, and because of this, he was very informative and supportive... anywayz, godspeed!
bps
Posted by MoparFan91 on August 12, 2006, at 21:51:19
In reply to help with Vitamin C for Bipolar plz, posted by bipolarspectrum on July 24, 2006, at 22:07:45
I think the reason why Vitamin C works for bipolar and depression is because blood levels of Vanadium are high in people suffering from those disorders, and Vitamin C lowers blood levels of that mineral and reduces your body's load of it.
References that link high vanadium levels to depression or bipolar disorder:
http://www.truehope.com/_research/Vanadium.asp
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsSupplements/Vanadiumcs.htmlAnother Reference
Vanadium: a possible aetiological factor in manic depressive illness.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=6791192&dopt=AbstractThey talk about how Vitamin C lowers levels of Vanadium, and as a result, reduces symptoms of bipolar and depression.
Posted by linkadge on August 12, 2006, at 23:57:31
In reply to Vanadium toxicity, posted by MoparFan91 on August 12, 2006, at 21:51:19
Yeah, I heard that lithium also lowers copper and vanadium.
Linkadge
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