Booktree on Baclofen

[Isolde]

Booktree on Baclofen

Booktree;1055723 wrote:
P.P.S. I just wanted to note, for anyone reading this who is new to bac--the side effects I spoke of in my previous post (insomnia, panic attacks, digestive upset) were SOLELY a result of the Cymbalta-- not the bac. I had a bad experience with Cymbalta too. I wasn't sure if maybe it didn't play nicely with bac or if it just didn't agree with me. I ended up in the ER with my heart about to pound out of my chest and my blood pressure through the roof. That was a very scary evening! Everything was fine though and eventually stabilized on its own after a couple of hours. I felt completely drugged and out of it for the next 2 days though.

RedThread12;1055628 wrote:
Also - there's lots of info in the holistic health threads about amino acids and supplements. It's worth a lengthy read. I found a combination that let me quit taking an anti-depressant that I had been on for years. All the best!!!

Would love to hear more about what combination you found that got you off the anti-depressant! Did you have to play around w/the combination until you found what worked for you, etc.? If you've got this posted somewhere in the Holistic Healing forum, just point me to it. :thanks:

I should really read up on L-Glut again. I was taking it for awhile and didn't notice much of a difference either way, and I was taking a pretty hefty amount. I've still got a tub of powder at home, maybe I'll give it another go. I don't need to worry about losing weight anymore though, bac did a good enough job of that on its own!

[Booktree]

Booktree on Baclofen

Is, so sorry to hear you had to endure such awfulness from Cymbalta! That sounds terrifying.

When you took the L-Glut, did you take it along with P-5-P and other amino acids, as for instance found in a protein powder? I was reading the thread that RedThread included about the Benefits of L-Glutamine, and at the very end it says that it "should always be taken with pyridoxal-5-phosphate which regulates the absorption, metabolism & conversion of all amino acids." Just wondering if that might make a difference in how well it works, if you decide to try it again.

I would also love to know what combination of supplements RedThread found to replace the anti-depressants. That would be really helpful.

I stopped by the health food store after work today and did buy a bunch of powdered L-Glut, an all-around protein powder, but they did not have any P-5-P, so I will go ahead and buy some online.

[RedThread12]

Booktree on Baclofen

Hi guys. I have put together my supplement regime from a variety of places - I'm sure I got started with l-glutamine and All-One Vitamin Powder here on MWO. (btw, if you try the All-One be sure to get the rice-based formula; apparently the original has a high gack factor.) Then I started through a list of "neurotransmitters of contentment" given to me by a naturopath. I know there are some threads in holistic health, especially from Sapphire in Australia, talking about most of these.

I take 20-30 mg l-glutamine divided into 2 doses/day; a heaping tblsp.of All-One; GABA and l-tyrosine in powder form; P-5-P; 5 HTP, plus extra Vitamin B3 and Vitamin D3. I add Taurine every other day or so - the recommended dosage is 1000 mg, but that seems to make me edgy, so I do a little less.

Of course, it is recommended that you not take these supplements if you're taking an anti-depressant:H, but since I'd already gone down the lab-rat path with baclofen, I didn't pay much attention to that.

I wasn't thinking about quitting Zoloft when I started all this, it just sort of happened. Actually, the first thing that happened was that I quit drinking coffee. ME?!?! She of the grinder, frother, stainless steel espresso maker for organic fair trade coffee beans.

Then I started noticing some weird "zaps" that were unlike the baclofen SE's, and only then realized that I hadn't taken the Zoloft for several days and that the zaps were a withdrawal symptom. BUT I was feeling so good with all of the supplements and had become so accustomed to weird body stuff that I decided to just forge ahead. Within a few days, no more zaps and no more Zoloft. It was truly hardly a thought.

I'm certainly NOT recommending that anyone try to take themselves off anti-depressants with the use of supplements and neurotransmitters. But that's what happened for me. I fly pretty near the edge when it comes to health care. I have no health insurance and do all of my medical care in India. I finally have a PCP because I told one of my students from ages ago who has now become a D.O about the baclofen so I could get a cheap script, but for the most part I'm still a self-medicator, although now it's with good stuff instead of red wine:thumbs:

I'd like to say I gradually and intelligently came up with this list based on the effects of each supplement. But that would be a lie. I just made a huge order from Vitacost and started taking everything all at once. I finally backed down on the Taurine after figuring out that it made me feel like I'd had a cup of coffee, which is something I no longer like the feel of.

Over the years I have tried just about every vitamin, herb, homeopathic remedy . . . Nothing ever seemed to make much difference, so I've never been a supplement taker, even though I was a vegetarian for 20 years and have also tried about every diet, cleanse, food protocol out there. All I can say is that L-Glutamine rocks! I mix everything together with water (sometimes w/ ReCharge for electrolytes) and drink it down first thing every morning. Yummm . . . .

And oh yes, Isolde - based on your rec I'm also taking Udo's w/DHA. I can stomach a lot, but I can't do the fish-oil thing, so I'm loving this option for EFA's. Thanks!

Ummm. . . that's all, I think.

[beatle]

Booktree on Baclofen

I've been doing the same kind of thing as RT for the last few years, and can concur. It takes a looong time to get to know about all the supplements, how they affect you, what works together, what works for you specifically, when to take what and in conjunction with what, and what to avoid while taking what.

I've shared my regimens over the years (on holistic healing), but everything keeps changing -- my body and my knowledge base -- so it's not easy to keep reiterating or backtracking.

[Bruunhilde]

Booktree on Baclofen

Welcome Book! Great to see your progress, keep it up!

Red, have you tried freezing your fish oil then taking it? It works great and you never have any feeling that you took in fish.

[Booktree]

Booktree on Baclofen

Wow, RT, thanks so much for generously documenting your supplement regimen -- that's amazing that the combo enabled you to quit both coffee and Zoloft! I made note of what you take, and I will definitely look into all of that.

I know what you mean about the fish oil thing (I can't deal with fish taste). I recently started taking Krill Oil--there is absolutely no yucky taste or aftertaste, and it supposedly has more bioavailable EFAs than regular fish oil. It is also PCB & Mercury free.

[electron]

Booktree on Baclofen

on the omega 3 dha/epa I take this: V-Pure website : V-pure
it's made from algae, not fish so no fishy taste and no mercury etc.

[Isolde]

Booktree on Baclofen

RedThread121057185 wrote:
And oh yes, Isolde - based on your rec I'm also taking Udo's w/DHA. I can stomach a lot, but I can't do the fish-oil thing, so I'm loving this option for EFA's. Thanks!

Great! I'm still taking my Tbsp. in milk every morning and loving it.

Booktree;1056032 wrote:
When you took the L-Glut, did you take it along with P-5-P and other amino acids, as for instance found in a protein powder? I was reading the thread that RedThread included about the Benefits of L-Glutamine, and at the very end it says that it "should always be taken with pyridoxal-5-phosphate which regulates the absorption, metabolism & conversion of all amino acids." Just wondering if that might make a difference in how well it works, if you decide to try it again.

All the reading that I did on L-Glut and that information somehow escaped me!! I've still got a tub of the stuff left, I'll definitely look into P-5-P and pick some of it up when I decide to try the L-Glut again.

RedThread121057185 wrote:
I take 20-30 mg l-glutamine divided into 2 doses/day; a heaping tblsp.of All-One; GABA and l-tyrosine in powder form; P-5-P; 5 HTP, plus extra Vitamin B3 and Vitamin D3. I add Taurine every other day or so - the recommended dosage is 1000 mg, but that seems to make me edgy, so I do a little less.

GABA gives me some kind of an allergic reaction. Every time I've taken it (and especially the times that I took 2 pills), my skin gets itchy from the inside, and I think it causes my BP to take a dip because I end up feeling like I'm going to faint sometimes. It does something weird to my head too. So I finally gave up on it. Maybe it was just the brand, but I didn't want to risk spending money on another type that might do the same thing.
They add Taurine to a lot of energy drinks, maybe that's the reason why!
I just recently added D3 into my regimen as well.

Thanks for sharing your regimen!

Book, I recently started taking krill oil as well. No fishy after taste at all! I figure between that and the Udo's EFAs, I should be doing pretty well in the Omega 3 dept. I also eat salmon once a week (found a GREAT easy recipe that I use every time now).

[bleep]

Booktree on Baclofen

Book, what's happening? Still taking your baclofen?

[Booktree]

Booktree on Baclofen

Hi Bleep! Thanks for checking in. It's been a while since I've posted anything. I thought for a while there that I was going to come off the Baclofen so I started to withdraw from the forums a bit. It's kind of complicated, but the main reason was that I wasn't having any cravings and talked to my psychiatrist about coming off of it because maybe I didn't need it anymore (and he had said he wanted to see me medication-free for a while). But then we decided that I should stay on it after all. Really there's not a whole lot to report. I'm taking 70mg a day and doing well on that dose. No cravings or thoughts of AL at all. No SEs. Have been AF as of Jan. 21. I decided to go into "lurker-mode" for a while and have still been reading people's posts and continuing to learn.

My next step is quitting smoking -- my quit date is March 15 and I am TERRIFIED that I'm not going to be able to do this. I am glad I'm still on the Baclofen, because I'm hoping that maybe it will help a bit (?) -- not that it has so far, but maybe I will increase the dose around that time and see...

Anyway, sorry for the silence. I am still around.

[Ne/Neva Eva]

Booktree on Baclofen

OH! Glad to hear you're doing so well.

I may join you in the smoke-free thing, if you want company!
I HAVE to for my prospective job, and contrary to some others' experience around here, I'm smoking A LOT more than I was pre-bac. Boredom, maybe?
How're you going to do it and what does your doc think?

[bleep]

Booktree on Baclofen

Cool Book, glad to hear from you!

Seems to have done the trick, by the sounds of it. What a simple journey if that's the case, well done!

I hear you on the smoking, I too am smoking way too much at the moment. Being awake so much more doesn't help either. Perhaps I'll join you...

[Booktree]

Booktree on Baclofen

Hi Ne! That would be great if you want to quit as well -- support is crucial!

I have smoked (off & on, mostly on) for 20 years. My biological mother died of lung cancer at the age of 46 (I was adopted... She died before I ever had a chance to meet her). I am now 41. I keep thinking about that... I try not to freak myself out too much, but it really is high time I quit.

I'm desperate to quit, but I'm desperately afraid of not being able to... I've gotten severely depressed in the past after attempting to quit.

Anyway, I'm reading Allen Carr's The Easy Way to Stop Smoking. I'm about 3/4 of the way through. I'm still not quite sure what his point is, nor what the "easy" way is. It doesn't seem "easy" to me at all. Have you read it?

I also might try hypnosis.

Other than that, I don't really have a plan. I'm working with a quit coach through my insurance company, with monthly phone sessions that last about 10-15 minutes and are pretty pointless. They just tell me to do deep breathing exercises, take a walk, chew some gum (duh!). How's that supposed to help me not feel absolutely suicidal when I ditch the smokes? I know it sounds weird but every time I quit, I feel a tremendous sense of mourning, grieving and loss. Like I've just lost my best friends. And the truth is, I don't have many friends (in the real world). So sometimes they feel like my only friends. That sounds pathetic, but it's true.

[bleep]

Booktree on Baclofen

The baclofen will definitely help, but at low doses I'm not sure how much. Definitely at my highest dose (450mg's), and even a bit lower, I could feel a decrease in desire to smoke. I would be in meetings and realise hours had gone by without a smoke. Not so much now though, at 300mg's.

I read EasyWay, didn't really help me. Got a bit bored of reading about the "evil weed" to be honest.

I've found it's all about getting your head in the right place. Without that, it's impossible. If you allow choice and debate to enter into your head, you're finished, at least in my experience.

There are supplements you can take that apparently help to mitigate cravings - I don't have the book available right now, but I'll try dig it up and see what I find.

Good luck, it's a worthy endeavor.

[Booktree]

Booktree on Baclofen

Hi Bleep. That's great to know about the bac at higher doses reducing the nicotine cravings!

Yeah, the Carr book just seems a bit overly simplistic (to me, anyway) to be all that helpful.

I totally agree about the need to get your head in the right place. I am hoping to get there by March 15, come hell or high water.

If you decide to quit again too, that would be great and we could all support each other!