Posted by proudfoot on August 31, 2010, at 20:26:40
In reply to Re: Social Anxiety supplement formula, posted by Lao Tzu on August 31, 2010, at 15:35:38
Lao,
Wow, what a thoughtful and insightful post. Thanks for taking the time to compose such a thorough response to my questions.
The Nardil is doing a great job so far compared to my pre-MAOI regimen, so no worries about sticking with the drugs. I'm looking to further enhance what they're doing, thus my query on here.
My diet is definitely not "exquisite," as you so charmingly put it. Too much fast food, not enough of the fruits and veggies I know I should eat. Plus, the carb drive from the Nardil isn't helping the weight at this point. And I find the advice about exercise to be great advice, but hard to implement in reality between working full-time and not really enjoying exercise in the first place.
I'm already sold on the idea of fish oil and have ordered some to start taking. I've been thinking of doing this for several years, but the Nardil has been a good impetus for me to follow through with starting it. Plus, if it further enhances the mood beyond what the meds are doing, fantastic! The benefits to the lipid panel from taking fish oil are just the icing on the cake if you will.
I'm going to start with a B-complex for now, that does have both B6 and P5P in it (10 mg of each per pill). I'm hesitant to overdo the B6 for fear of deactivating too much Nardil in the process. Have you ever had any serum testing done for your vitamin levels to use in guiding your choice of dosages, or has it been by trial and error based on your clinical response?
How much vitamin E and C have you personally found helpful? I've always been a bit skeptical of the hype surrounding vitamin C, but have been intrigued by the benefits reported by others taking vitamin E supplementation. And do you take the selenium by itself, or in a combination product? I need to educate myself more about both the selenium and zinc and their role here.
The whole magnesium question leaves me sort of shaking in my boots, as magnesium typically causes the runs for me. I've an element of IBS to start with, and I try to avoid anything that loosens things further. When treating gastric reflux in the past, I've had very good results from good old calcium carbonate in TUMS. And being that I don't consume enough dairy products in my diet, calcium supplementation is just plain a good idea at this stage of my life (pushing 50).
I loved that your discussion ended with a tip of the hat to TCM. Despite my training as a medical professional in Western medicine, I've been a firm believer in the benefits that TCM has to offer many individuals. I've been under the care of an acupuncturist for over ten years when regular medicine failed to address the horrible symptoms of positional central vertigo I developed while taking Wellbutrin. It was only the combination of his healing hands/needles and herbs that brought me back to some level of normalcy, that and a very high dose of Neurontin (gabapentin) recommended by a neurologist. I hadn't seen him in almost a year now, but we have an appointment next week to see where he and his crazy, nasty-tasting herbs might fit in with where we're going with the Nardil.
Anyhow, I can't thank you enough for your kindness in composing such a complete and thoughtful response. It's exactly what I hoped to hear from you. Wishing you the best!
Doug
poster:proudfoot
thread:958030
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20100812/msgs/960869.html