What do our more knowledgeable members think of them?
I like the fact they are either food state or wholefood nutrients but I am not sure if the levels are high enough plus the non-organic ones contain extra vitamins and minerals that I would normally take at a different time.
We have been taking Jarrow B-Right but unless I take them with a decent sized meal I have a really bad reaction to the niacin.
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Helsbells68
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cytoplan.co.uk/vitamins/sup... - No, it contains iodine and we should be tested and only supplement this if found to be deficient. Also contains iron which will affect the absorption of everything else, iron needs to be taken 2 hours away from other supplements.
I tried a food based B Complex (this one amazon.co.uk/Garden-Life-Vi... ) but found it wasn't as effective as my previous one so I changed back to Thorne Basic B. That has now gone very expensive so I'm currently taking Igennus Super B (1 tablet).
As for B3 - Niacin - then I've read that Niacinamide or Nicotinamide forms are supposed to not cause the flushing that Nicotinic Acid does. A few members have mentioned that they don't get on with Jarrows B Right.
I don't know anything about the B Complex products you've listed, but just a personal anecdote...
Optimising my iron and ferritin as far as possible has almost eliminated my anxiety and reduced my depression substantially.
I do take a very low dose of an over-the-counter anti-depressant called 5-HTP. I only take 50mg 3 or 4 days a week. I took it every day for years but reduced my dose when I improved my iron.
I know that many people take far higher doses of 5-HTP than I've ever done, but it does have the effect of raising cortisol, and I know my cortisol is already high, so I keep my dose low. I get symptoms from high cortisol e.g. becoming jittery, if I take too much 5-HTP.
If your son is already taking anti-depressants then he shouldn't take 5-HTP too, since no ADs should ever be combined, whether prescribed or OTC. There is a danger of a patient developing a condition called serotonin syndrome.
thanks humanbean. i was aware of the connection between non-optimal iron and anxiety as i’ve experienced that myself but wasn’t aware the connection to depression, that’s really interesting. As with the magnesium, I found a lot of research on this when i looked it up as well. In fact with a number of nutrients including b vitamins and omega 3s. A good reminder of how important it is for all sorts of reasons to keep nutrients optimal.
Could you share a bit more about how you take 5htp? In the morning I assume since it raises cortisol, and away from thyroid meds? Does it have a lasting impact even on days when you don’t take it? I read about it previously years ago but something scared me away from trying it - I am going to look into it again.
I take it at bedtime because it is a necessary ingredient for helping to make melatonin which helps people to sleep. But I do know that some people split a much higher dose than I take and take it throughout the day.
If you want to see the biochemistry/metabolism of 5-HTP and its relationships to other substances related to sleep and depression, take a look at this link :
5-HTP (5-hydroxytryptophan is the second substance down on the left hand side.
Does it have a lasting impact even on days when you don’t take it?
I've been taking 5-HTP for nearly a decade and for most of that time I took it every day because without it I got depressed. It's only since I've managed to improve my nutrients levels that I started cutting down on the number of days I took it. I weaned down very slowly, as people usually do with anti-depressants of any kind.
I am fine not taking 5-HTP every day now, but for most of the years I took it I did have to take it every day if I wanted avoid depression. And I credit being able to reduce on improving my nutrients and thyroid levels.
If you find anything which scares you off taking it I'd be interested in seeing what it is.
thanks humanbean! that’s helpful to know and it’s good to hear you were able to find something that helped. that link actually goes to a diagram of the molecular structure - was the intention the “interactions” section of the wikipedia article on 5htp?
i‘ll look into it more thoroughly in the next few days and will definitely let know if i come across anything that gives me pause - would love your thoughts, thank you.
i heard this story on npr a while back and it blew my mind, and i’m trying to find more info on ayahuasca and similar psychedelic substances too, since those often have a permanent impact with just a limited number of doses. the difficulty though, beyond accessing them at all, is how to access proper treatment with them, at least in the States.
even looking into EMDR at this point. sounds wacky af but surprisingly a lot of research behind it and doesn’t seem like any harm in trying besides time to go to the sessions. not sure if it will be effective for depression not rooted in one or a few traumatic events but i think worth a try nevertheless.
I linked to that diagram just to show that tryptophan is converted to 5-HTP which is then converted to serotonin which is then converted to N-acetyl-5-HT (which I know nothing about) which is then converted to melatonin.
I was just pointing out that sleep and depression are intimately related, so to speak. I liked knowing what the 5-HTP was doing in my body.
As for psychedelics and marijuana I would guarantee that importing any of them into the UK would be prohibited, and I doubt anyone legally grows or creates them in the UK.
In some circumstances the UK is very straight-laced.
oh gotcha, thank you for clarifying, i see that now.
psychedelics are illegal here as well, despite the very promising research. but they are starting to be thought of very, very differently because they have a big impact for people for whom nothing else has worked, and their advocates include highly educated, well spoken, impactful individuals. the fact that John’s Hopkins has a center doing research on them as therapeutics speaks volumes i think in terms of how differently they’re being seen. but yes unfortunately access to them and to professionals who know how to properly administer and manage therapy with them is a huge obstacle - you’re right, prob even more so from the uk.
I remember when I was a student in the dim and distant past that a park near to the university regularly grew a very healthy crop of magic mushrooms (this was before they became illegal). Every morning students could be seen down on their hands and knees picking them.
The local council didn't like this so they sprayed the entire park with a fungicide, despite it not being illegal to pick the things.
you probably already know about this but in case not, getting some sun (or any time fully in outdoor light, even when cloudy) each day can make a big difference in mood over time, if not immediately. of course just one prong in the multipronged approach needed to treat depression “naturally.” i empathize and hope your son feels better soon.
We currently all take Jarrow B-Right, Magnesium Optimizer, D3, MK-7, Zinc Balance and 1000mg vitamin C but plan to change the B-Right to Thorne Basic B once our current supply runs out.
My OH, son and daughter all have a connective tissue disorder called Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome but it is affecting my son more than anyone else with chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, orthostatic intolerance and gastroparesis all of which added together make his future seem very bleak at times. He has tried several SSRIs but they either do not work or he has terrible side-effects, he has said he would like to try smoking a joint or a pot brownie but the only person he knows that could get him something like this is his sister and she lives at the other end of the country. While searching online I found this website: balancingbrainchemistry.co.... which makes for interesting reading and have ordered some Doctor's Best D-Phenylalanine for him to try, which should help with the pain too.
I have suffered from depression since before I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid as a teenager some 33 years ago but over the years have developed ways to cope until the real darkness passes. These days my memory is so poor I find I just forget and therefore am not so bothered by things.
Although going outdoors is mentioned, I don’t see light boxes suggested. I remember reading a article some time ago about the French actually having establishment(s) filled with light boxes that patrons visit. So some of the French must be believers in them.
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