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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 11 of 11. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by tabbycat on October 2, 2013, at 1:32:34
Hi, am longtime lurker but newbie poster!! [waves hi]
Last year a genetic test IDed me as an 'undermethylator,' aka I have the C677T variant for MTHFR gene. So it seemed like Deplin//methylfolate would likely help me. (diagnosed a long time ago: atypical depression, ADHD-PI, seasonal affective disorder. I take Wellbutrin, Concerta, Nuvigil, plus supplements and Synthroid. I wake up to a HappyLite in AM year-round, too.) My pdoc received samples of Deplin and so we were both excited that this stuff may help. I did some reading.... then I said ARRGH because I just keep coming up with conflicting information. (like: Deplin has no side effects vs. long list of possible side effects, Deplin works perfectly as-is vs. Deplin should be taken with P5P and methylcobalamin, all kinds of stuff like that.)
My regular doc appt just got delayed and so I would really love some help sorting this out. Deplin is pretty "new" in my part of the world. The seasonal mood issues have already kicked in for me, so some days I'm functional and sometimes I am just.... not. I'd love to start the samples soon so maybe I won't fall so far.
1) Supplements I already take: fish oil in AM; multivitamin, SAMe, calcium/mag/D, half of a capsule of non-time-release B-50 complex (I divide the powder into extra empty capsules) in PM. Is it still OK to take the multivitamin and B-50 complex along with the Deplin??
2) If I'm already taking the multiv and B-50, should I still additionally buy the P5P and methylcobalamin?? (I know B vitamins are water-soluble, but still . . if I can pare down the regimen at all, that'd be great.)
3) If I should be taking the P5P and methylcobalamin along with the Deplin, should I take all three of them together in AM? PM?
4) The samples are of Deplin 15. From what I've read, it may be best to divide the capsules in half and start at 7.5--?? I'd rather be cautious (and I do feel side effects seemingly more than others do.) Start on 7.5 and go up to 15 after.... two weeks? more, less?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! (In my current state I am not too proactive and so the simple act of buying additional supplements has kept me from starting the Deplin right away, you know how it goes.)
Posted by Tomatheus on October 3, 2013, at 19:43:13
In reply to Deplin + other B supplements, posted by tabbycat on October 2, 2013, at 1:32:34
Hi Tabbycat,
I'm mainly writing to welcome you to Psycho-Babble. Hopefully somebody with the answers to your questions will come along and give you at least a few pointers as to how to proceed with your supplements.
I can say that I agree with what you wrote in your fourth question where you said that you'd rather be cautious and start out at 7.5 mg of Deplin instead of 15 mg. You never really know how your body is going to react to a chemical that you put into your body, whether it's a man-made drug or a natural supplement, and I know that I usually start out with as low of a dose as possible when I begin a supplement or medication trial. The thing is that you can always increase your dose later on if you feel like you're not taking enough or if you're doing well on what you're taking and just want to see what a higher dose would be like. So, I have a tendency to start my supplement trials with low doses, and then I kind of play it by ear as far as determining if and when I should increase the dose is concerned.
At any rate, I'm sorry that I couldn't be of more help, but I just wanted to acknowledge your post and to also wish you luck with Deplin (if you end up going ahead with it) and the rest of your treatment.
Take care,
T.
Posted by tabbycat on October 3, 2013, at 20:21:10
In reply to Re: Deplin + other B supplements, posted by Tomatheus on October 3, 2013, at 19:43:13
Oh gosh, it is kind of funny but posting a welcome really means a lot to me. Thankyou so much. Plus I have read so many threads and posts over the years that it feels like I know some posters already.
Have had a mood event today/tonight, but am feeling quiet and flat (a good sign, at this particular stage) and just hanging on. In an ideal world I would get into a partial hospitalization program next week, but right now it is not covered by insurance and thus not in the cards. Usually my medicines are nice and stable. The changing seasons wreak havoc for a few months, then everything's back to a normal routine, so I am inclined to keep but improve the core routine I have rather than start from scratch.
Thanks again for the welcome.
Posted by herpills on October 23, 2013, at 16:41:52
In reply to Deplin + other B supplements, posted by tabbycat on October 2, 2013, at 1:32:34
Hi- Could you please update us on your Deplin experience so far? Are you taking 7.5 or 15mg? There is a discussion of it over on the med board. herpills
Posted by tabbycat on October 23, 2013, at 17:47:45
In reply to Re: Deplin + other B supplements » tabbycat, posted by herpills on October 23, 2013, at 16:41:52
Nothing to report yet -- haven't even started it. !!!!! :( (I finally saw my reg dr and ran it all by her to make sure it should be OK.) I wanted to be extra-cautious and start with 7.5 mg. I have 15s, and leftover empty capsules I'd bought earlier, so I divided each capsule's powder roughly in half. If all goes well I figure I'll do two weeks of 7.5 and then go up to 15.
My reg dr was also very wise. My vitD levels were low (25), so I thought I would start adding in a supplement for THAT, blah blah. She said if she prescribed the once-a-week kind of vitD (50,000 IU, and you can ONLY take it once a week), my levels would go up faster. I was grumbly about a new *type* of supplement, but took that vitD capsule on Sunday and just today I realized that I'm not feeling as sh$&@y as I usually would be. So am feeling an improvement just from the D.
Will probably start the Deplin&Bs this weekend. Everybody around me has been super-hopeful about it and I am a little nervous but hopeful too.
> Hi- Could you please update us on your Deplin experience so far? Are you taking 7.5 or 15mg? There is a discussion of it over on the med board. herpills
Posted by tabbycat on November 7, 2013, at 0:02:45
In reply to Deplin + other B supplements, posted by tabbycat on October 2, 2013, at 1:32:34
Update: it's working. It kicked in within 24 hours. Lots of energy the first three days; that's tapered off, but at least the (minor) GI side effects have tapered off too. The cognitive effects are POSITIVE and I can think more clearly. I can't believe it. (I've been through bad cognitive times with another medicine.) I'm still on 7.5 and might stay here for a while. I feel like I don't really 'know' the medicine yet. You know?? It really helps to be able to say "oh that's the _____ causing ____ effect" so I guess I always have had to 'get to know' my medicines.
I am quite concerned about weight gain . . . I don't think I even have a scale anymore . . . but I have also been through bad weight gain experiences, of course. :( Has anybody noticed their weight creeping up? (Mine has a bit, :( but I usually gain in wintertime anyway, so I can't tell what the cause is. The Deplin IS making me feel a little more hungry.)
Posted by Tomatheus on November 7, 2013, at 11:45:37
In reply to Update, posted by tabbycat on November 7, 2013, at 0:02:45
Tabbycat,
Thanks for the update. It's really good to hear that the Deplin that you're taking seems to be helping you from a cognitive standpoint. Would you say that your energy is any better than it was at baseline, or did the initial boost of energy that you noticed completely fade away?
I wish you continued success with the Deplin that you're taking, as well as with any other treatment strategies that you may be using.
T.
Posted by tabbycat on November 7, 2013, at 22:19:33
In reply to Re: Update » tabbycat, posted by Tomatheus on November 7, 2013, at 11:45:37
Hi T.,
Yes, I do still have more energy than I would normally have around this time. Even when I'm not feeling great, at least I'm not feeling really awful. So I'll take it. :-) it's still a victory. I'm really hoping the positive effects don't fade, really hoping I don't put on twenty pounds, really hoping for just a reasonably normal month like normal people have. What's funny is that it feels REALLY WEIRD to not be feeling rotten right now. You know??? I'm going to have to work on allowing myself to feel OK for as long as it will last.
Gosh, someday we are all gonna feel GOOD again. I have this hope for all of us.
Posted by Tomatheus on November 7, 2013, at 23:27:18
In reply to Re: Update » Tomatheus, posted by tabbycat on November 7, 2013, at 22:19:33
Hi Tabbycat,
It's good to hear that your energy level has at least been better than it is for you at baseline, even though it doesn't sound like it's exactly where you'd like for it to be. I'm sort of feeling the same way at present on vitamin D (even though it previously seemed like the vitamin was "pooping out"), and yes, I too will take any response I can get.
I can also understand what you mean when you say that it feels weird to be feeling better. Anything that's different from the ordinary tends to require some adjusting and getting used to, and I think that it may be the case that you've been unwell for so long that feeling better just doesn't feel right. I certainly hope that it will be the case that you'll continue to benefit from your current regimen for at least a really long time and that feeling improved will become a "new normal" of sorts for you before too long.
Thanks for sharing what seems to be at least a current success story. Who knows, maybe your feelings of well being will spread to more members of this site, like you said. We can hope.
T.
Posted by tabbycat on December 9, 2013, at 23:14:22
In reply to Deplin + other B supplements, posted by tabbycat on October 2, 2013, at 1:32:34
I'm not doing so great, but it's hard to tell if the Deplin is no longer having much of an effect or what. For sure, the season is really getting to me, plus now I'm having brain fog(???) but I don't think it's connected to the Deplin. I know I know I would normally be struggling around this time anyway. I don't think the Deplin has contributed anything bad, but I don't quite feel a day-to-day improvement anymore. (Right after I take it I do feel energized for about four hours.)
It seems like other people have taken it then stopped seeing much of a benefit(???) and so stopped taking it because why bother!! I'm not at that point but I am wondering if I should try the higher dose (15), if there's any benefit to stopping it for a week then starting again, or if I am just hoping for too much.
Posted by Tomatheus on December 10, 2013, at 22:44:50
In reply to Another update, posted by tabbycat on December 9, 2013, at 23:14:22
Hi Tabbycat,
Thanks for the update. I of course am not a health professional of any sort, but I think that it would make sense to try the higher dose at this point, since you seem to be noticing some sort of response without any obvious adverse effects currently. Might you be hoping for too much with the Deplin that you're taking? Possibly, but I think that it would be worthwhile to explore how much improvement might come about at 15 mg of Deplin before reaching a final verdict on how the stuff is affecting you.
I wish you luck with whatever you decide to do.
Tomatheus
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