What my doctors never told me?

Hi @tinolatin

Great to see you here and I believe this is a great discussion

My belief is that we need suppliments esp as if grow older or if we have other health issues that might cause us to have a lower update of what nutriments are in our diet - perhaps lack of nutriments in our diet - or are into sports - any or all of these things - and this is a great start

I think though to start with a warning - the doctors put us on medication for a reason which we may or may not agree with so it is a good idea to question what we are on and be careful of suddenly stopping anything - it is better to "quarter down" on some medications with the help of medical professionals

Still back to the idea of suppliments - this is a brilliant idea

We need what you have written here

Fish oil, zinc, magnesium, vitamin B6, B12 and other things

I haven't looked into nootropics or L-Glutamine but I will follow these up

To heal your intestine you need probiotics - before you do talk to your pharmacist or your doctor - these promote bowel health but giving us good bacteria that will improve our health from the gut up - the dose vary according to what you need and with anything it's a good idea to at least talk to the chemist - it's their job to know all about the stuff we feed ourselves

You are an athlete and therefore exercise and caring for your sleep habits as well - this is excellent -

I have been off my feet for a few months for various reasons ands now getting back to it I have learned the necessity of blood tests for all these things and find that we need to know the effects of exercise on good and bad colesterol - exercise and a diet with wholemeal and vegetables rich in roughage excellect too - along with the probiotics

We also need to have our blood tested for Vitamin D esp in areas where it is gloomy in winter - we may or may not need calcium to go with it so it is really important not to just get it off the shelf but to see our doctor about that

I am delighted you have decided to start this discussion - we can help each other out here

Of course people will still need a variety of different medications and therefore need the doctors - I am cautious about medications myself and think it's great to keep what we take to the minumum but to do so with the doctors' insight - we can always question what we take as I said before - and if what one doctor said doesn't fit with what we think or how we feel then listen to our doctor and our own body -

Great stuff - I am delighted to read what you wrote - you are open to healthy ideas and there is no sense in what your write about being intransient about anything but open to learning and practising new things

Dec

Hi @tinolatin

Thank you for the informative and interesting thread. Ironically I just learned from my GP today that I was seriously deficient in vitamin D - this amongst other tests were conducted as I had been struggling with chronic fatigue, back pain, insomnia and depression. This deficiency causes the latter amongst other things. It could also explain why many suffer "the winter blues".

So I am starting on high levels of compound vitamin D next week which should see my levels restored in a few months and reprieve from depression and fatigue. It's apparently one of the most medically overlooked vitamin deficiency, because it's taken for granted that in our warmer climate people absorb enough vitamin D from the sun - but with people staying indoors more and most using sunscreen constantly now prevents this essential vitamin from being absorbed. It was a real eye opener to me and I am looking forward to feeling better once my levels are restored.

Important topic.

I have taken most of the supplements you mentioned from time to time.

I have been on Fish oil and glucosamine for last 15 years. Each year I take a little Vit D and iron etc.

I managed my situation for 30 years without heavier psych meds but in last 2 years have simply needed them to be able to function. Perhaps it is the accumulation of stress over time. I keep doses as low as possible and hope to taper off them next year if my son is going along alright. I dont see it as a question of just myself but that those close to me are effected.

Thanks everyone for the responses, truly made my day when I most needed.

@Appleblossom I understand, it's not easy to manage without the meds sometimes, there are days I just pray for a better following day. Obviously life responsabilities does take a lot on us, and as much as I try to keep on track, not everyday is the same. I also do have a lot of questions and wonders sometimes if I'm doing better without the meds or not, but coming off Lamotrigine was like giving rebirth and learning how to do everything again, fixing gut and supplements was only an add-on to maintenance, healing and consistent well being.

I can only imagine it feels better to cleanse your system. @tinolatin It is a strong med.

The forum does not like us using names, so its best to keep it generic ... ie mood stabiliser ..etc

You are the best judge, unless you have difficulty recognising when you are psychotic. That is often the moot issue.

Best wishes for your complete health.

Apple