Posted by Lao Tzu on December 24, 2009, at 10:27:53
The vitamins that seem to work the best for schizophrenia are vitamins E and C, zinc and manganese, and some of the B vitamins, such as B1, B6, and B12, Niacin---folic acid, too, in some people.
Zinc and manganese are a little tricky to work with. First of all, you need to establish a dosage that is comfortable. For me, 10mg of manganese in the morning is all I can tolerate per day. I've tried 20mg, but it makes me uncomfortable. The dosage of zinc is variable for each person. The only type I use is zinc picolinate. Solgar makes a zinc picolinate, 22mg per tablet. Start off with one tablet per day, and you may notice that it isn't quite enough for your symptoms. Then what I do is cut a second tablet in half and take a total of 33mg per day. If that isn't enough, go up to 44mg per day (2 tablets). For awhile, I was okay with two tablets per day. Then I noticed that it pooped out by late afternoon. I soon realized that perhaps the key was WHEN I took the zinc. I started taking 44mg in late afternoon, not morning. Then at bedtime, I added another 22mg for a total of 66mg per day. I noticed that the following day, I didn't need to take zinc in the morning and that I was feeling okay until late afternoon when I had to take more zinc. I continue to take manganese in the morning only and zinc in the late afternoon and at bedtime. This schedule seems to work well. Your body will get used to this schedule over time, but you may have to start out taking zinc in the morning. Whatever works for you. I just feel better when I take zinc at a different time than the manganese, not together.
Vitamins E and C are very helpful for mood. Again, dosage is very important. I always take at least 300IU of vitamin E at bedtime as this helps with relaxation. During the daytime, you need to establish what dosage of vitamin E seems comfortable. You could start off with 100IU, then 200IU, then 300IU and finally, 400IU. For a long time, I established that 200IU was the most comfortable during the daytime. In winter, however, I needed a little more so I established that 400IU worked better.
Vitamin C is very helpful if you take just enough. For me, I can only tolerate 500mg per day taken in the morning with vitamin E. Vitamin C works better when taken with Vitamin E. However, for some people, they may need 1,000mg or more per day.
Certain B vitamins are important for depression. These include B1, B6, B12, and others like folic acid and Niacin. Once again, getting the correct dosage is important and not overdoing it with the B's. I find that I need 200mg of B1 per day: 100mg in the morning and 100mg at bedtime for insomnia. B6 is very variable for each person. I take 50mg of B6 per day. Some people may need 100mg per day. I find that B12 is helpful for depression. I take only 500mcg per day. I can't tolerate folic acid, so I don't take that one. Some people will need to take some. The best way to know whether you need folic acid is to try taking 400mcg per day for a few days and see if you feel better. If it isn't enough raise it to 800mcg per day. Niacin is one B vitamin that makes me feel worse if I take it during the daytime. I only take it at bedtime to help with relaxation and sleep. I used to take plain old Niacin, sustained-release, but later I found that No-flush Niacin worked better for me. No-flush Niacin is inositol attached to Niacin molecules. I only take 500mg (1 capsule) of No-flush Niacin at bedtime. Now, it is known in orthomolecular circles that Niacin is the primary vitamin to take if you have schizophrenia, upwards of 3 grams or more per day in some cases spread out over the whole day. This never worked for me since I am already taking an antipsychotic medication. Still, high dose Niacin may be a treatment option for schizophrenics opposed to taking medication.I hope this information is helpful for those of you with bipolar depression and/or schizophrenia.
poster:Lao Tzu
thread:930694
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20091202/msgs/930694.html