[still_crazy]

i seem to be doing well on high dose supplements (Orthomolecular) with "standard treatment." I'm down to 2 psych drugs--Abilify @ 20mgs and Lamictal @ 200mgs, plus all the vitamins, antioxidants, etc.

my dream would be to be able to ditch the tranquilizer, completely. looking over the Orthomolecular shrinks' case studies...that may or may not be realistic, lol. At least I'm on 20mgs/Abilify, not the 30mgs I was on for way too long. It was...rough...needing a relatively high dose, but also getting dysphoria and anhedonia from the dose. ugh.

on the plus side, 0 EPS, 0 TD, no akakthisia, my mood is better, my anxiety+agitation are OK, and 2 psych drugs (admittedly, heavy-hitters) in today's "polypharmacy" era is...something to be thankful for, I think.

DoctorYourself.com: Andrew Saul's Natural Health Website

[*Laurie*]

I'm glad you're doing well and I hope you continue to improve on the vitamins and supplements. I'm always afraid to take a lot of supplements because how do you know if they're interacting with your medication?

[still_crazy]

yeah...that's why I opted for the mega-dose vitamins (mostly water soluble vitamins, such as C, B3, b-complex) instead of herbals and/or amino acids.

I see where you're coming from. For a while there, I was taking astaxanthin w/ the Orthomolecular line up, basically just to boost the antioxidant action (did I mention that I'm afraid of TD?!?). Then, I read that high(er) doses of astaxanthin do something to liver enzymes and can alter the metabolism of Rx psych drugs. oops. I now take a relatively high(ish) dose of natural form beta carotene. They're both in the carotenoid family, both are antioxidants. On the plus side, the natural form beta carotene is a whole lot cheaper than the astaxanthin, and the body uses it as needed to form vitamin A.

I"m not trying to force the Orthomolecular on to anyone, but I do find it interesting, at a number of levels. I seem to tolerate the tranquilizer (Abilify, in my case) a -whole- lot better w/ the vitamins on board. My mood is better. I don't need gabapentin now. I was able to drop my antidepressant (Wellbutrin SR, in my case) a while back with no major difficulties.

There's a bit of research that -seems- to suggest that antioxidants -might- play a role in preventing TD. So..basically, the massive vitamins seem to make it possible for me to take as much tranquilizer as I need, tolerate it well, and -not- develop TD. Always a good thing. The deal there is...in some large(r) studies, it seems that people w/ TD have some cognitive decline, on average (compared to similarly treated people w/o TD). So...if the Orthomolecular can prevent TD, its probably reducing the brain damage from the tranquilizers and other psych drugs.

I also find that my allergies are vastly improved (no need for an antihistamine!), my skin quality is awesome, my energy levels are good, I can concentrate better, I don't get colds and such as often (and they tend to be of shorter duration, these days), and...this is going to sound vain, especially coming from a dude...even my hair is better, LOL.

Since I'm on the Lamictal, I should probably reintroduce a good bit of D3. Long-term, some studies suggest that those who take anti-seizure drugs develop osteoporosis and fractures more often than those who do not take such drugs. Ugh. Its always something...

[amicus_curiae]

I only take vitamins and other OTC meds that my physician prescribes.

When I was much younger I rode the L.P. train and took more Vitamin C than I could possibly process. He may have won two Nobel’s but his dietary supplement and megavitamin theories haven’t proven to be of any benefit.

If I were you I would talk to your MD doc about taking all of the vitamins and supplements that you’re taking. I’m not certain why you think that psych drugs are causing brain damage? That’s something that I would discuss with my doctor, as well.

Good luck.