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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 3 of 3. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Lao Tzu on November 1, 2008, at 17:35:17
Along with fish and borage oils, I have found that supplementing with vitamin B1 (thiamine hydrochloride) and Benfotiamine (which is a lipid soluble derivative of B1) has been helpful for me. I gave up on N-Acetyl-Cysteine because it made me feel more depressed, so I started taking a low dosage of an amino acid complex at bedtime, and this seemed to give me a little more energy the next day plus helping me to sleep better at night. In the mornings, I take my meds plus fish and borage oils. In addition to these, I take a combination of regular B1 plus Benfotiamine. This seems to give me more energy and seems to affect my mood positively, at least for me. I also take ginger for stomach problems and I found the ginger has a somewhat calming effect for me. Benfotiamine is mainly for diabetic neuropathic pain and most people taking it for that reason use up to 600mg per day. However, I only need to take about 100mg in the morning and the effect seems to last most of the day. Wondering if I will benefit from taking more, but don't know yet.
At bedtime, like I said, I started taking the amino acid complex plus the following for good sleep: 500mg Niacin; 50mg P5P; 300IU vitamin E; 1/4 of a 3mg melatonin tablet; 200IU selenium; 300mg calcium; 500mg vitamin C. With the amino acid complex (Country Life) I take 3 capsules at bedtime, not four which the instructions tell you to take. With an amino acid complex, I would try the lowest possible dosage that helps because too much aminos could potentially complicate things. This is what I've been doing over a period of several weeks, and it seems to be working. I also take 100IU of vitamin E in the evening for mood. Let me just say that I also take medication in addition to supplements. I take an antipsychotic, antidepressant, Provigil for energy, and a mood stabilizer, so the medication is very helpful for the worst symptoms of my bipolar depression and the supplements just help to smooth things out.
Posted by fayeroe on November 3, 2008, at 10:08:53
In reply to Bipolar depression and B1/Benfotiamine, posted by Lao Tzu on November 1, 2008, at 17:35:17
Posted by Lao Tzu on November 9, 2008, at 16:05:52
In reply to Thanks! (nm) » Lao Tzu, posted by fayeroe on November 3, 2008, at 10:08:53
The benfotiamine helps give me some added energy. It's not really a mood booster per se, but I think, at least in my case, this B1 supplement in addition to regular B1 hydrochloride helps with my bipolar/schizophrenia. I don't know why exactly, but B1 seems to be important, along with a lot of other nutrients, namely, Niacin, B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, fish oil, borage oil, selenium (especially if you smoke).
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