Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
Has anyone tried the following?
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is a non-essential amino acid and glutamic acid analog and becoming an increasingly popular supplement due to some of its unique and almost amazing properties. L-Theanine can cross the blood brain barrier and hence has psychoactive properties and is found in carmellia sinesis, the tea plant. Green tea is felt to have the greatest concentration of L-Theanine.
L-Theanine can improve mood, reduce stress and help focus and particularly when working with caffeine. Moreover, individuals taking Theanine also showed improved alpha wave activity, the activity present when you are alert but not stressed and for most people the most desirable awake state.
SAMe
1) Osteoarthritis
There have been a number of studies on the effectiveness of SAMe in the treatment of osteoarthritis. SAMe appears to diminish osteoarthritis pain as effectively as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. It appears to be well-tolerated.
2) Depression
There have been a number of studies on the use of SAMe for depression. It has been hypothesized that SAMe increases the availaibility of neurotransmitter serotonin and dopamine.
3) Liver disease
Some evidence suggests that SAMe may help people with liver disease. Preliminary research suggests it may help to normalize liver enzyme levels and help with cholestasis.
I am taking both of these and Omega 3-6-9...with my doctors approval and advice. I was taking Tramadol for pain, and he wanted to get me off of that and to try other medications/supplements to see if he could help my pain and boost my immune system(without having to take intravenous medication). We are going to try this combo in addition to my seroquel and lexapro and a gel for pain named Voltaren. So far it has been doing a pretty good job on the pain and I feel very mellow after taking the supplements...just wondering if anyone else has tried any of these?
Thanks...ATO.
L-Theanine
L-Theanine is a non-essential amino acid and glutamic acid analog and becoming an increasingly popular supplement due to some of its unique and almost amazing properties. L-Theanine can cross the blood brain barrier and hence has psychoactive properties and is found in carmellia sinesis, the tea plant. Green tea is felt to have the greatest concentration of L-Theanine.
L-Theanine can improve mood, reduce stress and help focus and particularly when working with caffeine. Moreover, individuals taking Theanine also showed improved alpha wave activity, the activity present when you are alert but not stressed and for most people the most desirable awake state.
SAMe
1) Osteoarthritis
There have been a number of studies on the effectiveness of SAMe in the treatment of osteoarthritis. SAMe appears to diminish osteoarthritis pain as effectively as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication. It appears to be well-tolerated.
2) Depression
There have been a number of studies on the use of SAMe for depression. It has been hypothesized that SAMe increases the availaibility of neurotransmitter serotonin and dopamine.
3) Liver disease
Some evidence suggests that SAMe may help people with liver disease. Preliminary research suggests it may help to normalize liver enzyme levels and help with cholestasis.
I am taking both of these and Omega 3-6-9...with my doctors approval and advice. I was taking Tramadol for pain, and he wanted to get me off of that and to try other medications/supplements to see if he could help my pain and boost my immune system(without having to take intravenous medication). We are going to try this combo in addition to my seroquel and lexapro and a gel for pain named Voltaren. So far it has been doing a pretty good job on the pain and I feel very mellow after taking the supplements...just wondering if anyone else has tried any of these?
Thanks...ATO.
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
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Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
also take a complex B 50, a multivitamin, and magnesium citrate
hope your combo works well for you. sam-e sounds good.
Just as normal anti-depressants like prozac can tip you into mania, so can these suppliments which are a bunch of chemicals just like standard medications can cause mania.
The only difference between a suppliment/ herbal remedies and medications is that standard medications have gone through a testing and licencing process and then there is a lot more control over product quality (e.g how much active ingredient, how much filler etc etc).
Also, for the 13 months I cut out on drugs, I picked up a bottle of pills titled "Mood Stabilizer" in Walgreen's pharmacy. I never consumed them, but when I showed them to my doc a year later, asking if he thought they might work as a natural remedy instead of synthetic pills, he said absolutely NOT. BIG mistake for anyone WITH an actual mood disorder to swallow, as they too cause mania!
The fish oil IS cited on psych websites as perhaps being helpful with depression, as many societies who consume mostly fish have a lower statistic for depression. And hate to bring THIS up, but pot is experimented with in the medical field, as it has been suggested that it CAN be a mood stabilizer. Not proven at all yet, but in experimental stages. Just that I wouldn't be wild personally with going & dabbling with it, unless it's proven hands-down.
Some people who suffer from extreme fatigue and lethargy from bipolar depression, often consume prenatal vitamins....hear that this is fine with doctors. And there's no doubt that those vitamins ARE better than your average ones....but they are SO expensive.
Really appreciated this read; it was most informative, and just like you say, as long as you get the clear from your doc, you feel a difference in what you take, it's worth the effort!
I am a black tea fanatic.....slop it from morning until night, interjected with trip to the deli for coffees. I WAS very worried about that combo; thought that it could do me harm - but according to your info, it's a pretty good thing to be doing! lol, but you have been a wealth of information here....have got to get back to finishing that article. Tnx for sharing.
So I stopped the 2 in the evening, and felt myself slipping and the bruising didn't stop. So back on the night-time Omegas and feel like the mood is improving.