Natural Supplements For Brain Cells

[NeuronTwist]

Does anyone know what good quality and effective natural supplements, vitamins/minerals, are good to stop or decrease super excitable nerve cells in the brain which are the main cause for neurological probems/symptoms from SSRI antidepressant withdrawal.?. I noticed when i take 2mg's of Klonopin it stops some of the head pains and neurological sensations, neurological symptoms assocated with SSRI withdrawal syndrome.

What do you guys recommend that is good high quality supplements or vitamins and minerals to calm down agitated or super excitable nerve cells in the brain.

Thanks.

Benzodiazepines are minor tranquilizers which affect GABA cells that calm down excitable nerve cells, but i don't want to get hooked on these psychiatric toxins because of withdrawal and long term damage ramafications. I'm looking for natural supplement route.

[NeuronTwist]

Originally Posted by altostrata

See the topics on fish oil, magnesium, whey protein isolate, etc. Acupuncture can also be helpful.

I've listed supplements, etc. in http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/...ad.php?t=23980

Be sure to get at least 30 minutes exercise per day (walking is fine), balanced nutritions, and as much sleep as possible. Cut out all stimulants such as caffeine and sugar.

Most of the topics in Methods of Wellbeing have to do with calming the nervous system.

Thanks for this info. Withdrawals sucks and i am in constant pain. Major head pains.

[Songbird]

You could look for natural GABA agonists, e.g. magnesium, taurine, theanine, valerian, and try the GABA diet that was mentioned here recently, oats and stuff. You can also help to calm the nervous system by encouraging the relaxation response with relaxation exercises - gentle yoga stretches, progressive muscle relaxation, guided visualisations, meditation, etc.

[silence4now]

I just don't know if these symptoms you are describing which sound like dysautonomia can be prevented. The nervous system and brain have to re-regulate and it takes time. It certainly doesn't hurt to practice healthy habits .... Work on your digestion. There is a connection to the neurotransmitters in your gut and in your brain. Some argue that serotonin in the gut doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier; but don't kid yourself. They work together. One thing that works for me when I have had a migraine for days is a Starbucks green tea latte. I can't figure it out, whether it's the natural antioxidants in the green tea or the fact that it's a warm beverage that gets everything moving in there. It may not work for everyone. You have to find that one thing that works for you. I only know of one herb I have heard of that works well for drug withdrawals - skullcap taken as a tincture several times a day. I have never tried it, but I didn't know about it until I was through the worst of my withdrawal.

[Mixter]

Maybe try White Tea? I will

[TryingtoGetWell]

Might be the natural theanine in the tea, Lisa.

But people still in w/d be warned that taking L-theanine in supplement form can make you feel better momentarily, but then backfire on you like most aminos. L-theanine didn't cause as much problems as even low doses of tryptophan, 5-HTP, etc. for me in acute w/d, but it still was more than I could handle.

I couldn't even drink tea for some time (doing fine with it now, though mostly drinking kukicha or white tea, all organic), but a cup of tea might help you, and if you start having bad reactions it would be minor and leave your system pretty quickly with no harm done.

[Songbird]

Originally Posted by silence4now

I only know of one herb I have heard of that works well for drug withdrawals - skullcap taken as a tincture several times a day. I have never tried it, but I didn't know about it until I was through the worst of my withdrawal.

That is interesting - how does it help?

[TryingtoGetWell]

Originally Posted by Mixter

Maybe try White Tea? I will

We posted at the same time!

I tried white tea earlier in w/d and had the same result as when I used other teas or even a tiny amount of L-theanine - felt better initially (first time or couple of times) then felt worse when taking it again. My nervous system must have been in total chaos at that time.

But now I'm fine with it, and trying it earlier in w/d might cause some increase in symptoms as I had, but that would be very mild and brief, and totally reversible.

[sheacarney]

I sometimes take taurine, in addition to a cal/mag supplement, fish oil, daily vitamin and probiotic. That's my routine. If I can't fall asleep I take .5 mg of melatonin, but I didn't start that up until about a year ago.

Taurine: Definition, Benefits and Supplements
Read to know more about the definition, benefits and supplements in which it is found.
Taurine, often referred to as an amino acid, precisely 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is not part of the human body’s structural proteins neither is an essential amino acid. It chemically reacts with glycine and gamma-aminobutyric acid as a neuroinhibitory transmitter and remains free in the tissues and bloodstream. Taurine is one of the amino-acid-like compounds that are found in abundance in the heart, the skeletal muscles and the nervous system. It is also found in bile, chenodeoxychloic acid where it functions like an emulsifier of dietary lipids in the intestine, boosting digestion. This is the scientific definition of Taurine. You might be interested to know the way Taurine functions in human body.

Taurine is a derivative of the L- Methionine. Most of the amino acids have L or D configuration, which means that the molecule when put into a solution would either rotate towards right or the left. Some derivatives of Taurine do not polarize; therefore they do not have an L- or D- configuration. Synthetic Taurine can be produced from Isethionic Acid, which is produced as the byproduct of Ethylene oxide and Sodium Bisulfite.

Taurine and Human body

Taurine has various physiological roles and benefits that have actually gained it the importance that it receives today in the food and health sciences all over the world. These are the few ways Taurine effects Human body.
As stated earlier that Taurine is a metabolic transmitter that has detoxifying effects and when the body undertakes excess physical exertion and the fails to produce any more Taurine and that actually is kind of a deficiency. It is a common ingredient in most of the health drinks though research says that it hardly gives any kind of energy. Probably it is added as an ingredient since it enhances cardiac contractility and also raises exercise capacity.
Taurine is found abundantly in the infant dietary supplements as those babies who are born premature lack the enzymes required to convert Cystathionine to Cysteine, thus become deficient in Taurine. It is also present in breast milk of most of the mammals.
It also plays a major role in the human brain and researches show that it can be beneficial for people who are patients of Bipolar disorder or in simple words, manic Depression. In some researches it is seen that Taurine has an anxiolytic-like effect and acts as a modulator or an anti-anxiety agent in the human nervous system. It is considered that Taurine can be found in the developing brain but its concentration declines after the process of development.
Taurine is also used to treat heart diseases and also helps those people greatly who suffer from congestive heart failure. They are recommended a dose of three to five grams everyday. Besides this, it also acts as a therapy for Hypertension and high cholesterol.
Studies have proved that the presence of Taurine also has decreased the level of blood sugar thus an effective medicine for Diabetes.
It also helps in treating people who are suffering from the addiction to alcohol. If given one gram thrice each day for seven days, then it might bring a huge change in the tendencies of alcoholic individuals.
Taurine also has a major role to play in the body of cats. Cats cannot synthesize this particular compound causing the cat’s retina to slowly lose its power, which results in eye problems and irreversible blindness. It can also cause heart malfunctions in the body of the cat. L-Taurine can be found in various food supplements in which capsules or tablets of the same are made wherein it is combined with several herbs and nutrients so that the effects can be enhanced.

There are various advantages of this compound but before intake it is better to consult a physician since it reacts differently in different individuals.

[TryingtoGetWell]

Just wanted to mention that taurine can cause nightmares in some instances. That certainly seemed to happen to me when I took taurine (and tried magnesium taurinate at one point) not too long ago. I mentioned it to my doctor and he's familar with the fact that it can do that (not as a w/d problem specifically, just can do that in some cases).

Interestingly, I used to take taurine regularly before w/d and didn't have any problems with it, and think it benefitted me.

I've been having a lot of bad dreams at this stage of recovery, but the nightmares were much worse when I was taking the taurine supplements, even in low doses, so had to stop.

Taurine is a good supplement and may be very beneficial in many cases, but if you get unusually bad/vivid nightmares, it might be the cause. You'll know if the nightmares go away or decrease in severity if you stop taking the supplement (and worsen if you resume it).

[jule1]

Taurine worked really well for me and I was deficient in it on tests done during withdrawal. I just haven't bought any lately since I spend so much on supplements now. Taurine is also in Sobe's Life Waters you can find at the grocery store.

[jule1]

I had no side effects from it.