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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Christ_empowered on August 19, 2015, at 16:48:58
Yup. Year 5 on some form of Orthomolecular. The results...I dunno, lol.
See, some of the OM shrinks said that if you'd had problems for a while, it could take--wait for it, wait for it--5 years to get significant results.
At the 5 year mark, I'm usually calm, cool, and collected. No TD or anything from the Abilify, which is a blessing. No rashes or anything from the anticonvulsants. My symptoms have waned in intensity.
On the physical end...I'm remarkably healthy. Is it OM or...something else?...I dunno. I'd like to think that this massive supplement protocol has done something, is doing something...
Anyway, if nothing else, 5 years on OM has helped my meds work better, with no major side effects. I still whine about the 30mgs Abilify--I think its a bit much--but...like I wrote above, no TD, no EPS. The Wellbutrin seems to help w/ sedation and concentration and mood, so I'm able to do things (finishing my degree online, at long last).
I do think I can recommend OM to people with mental issues. It can only help you (b vitamins, c, e, selenium, etc.). It does seem to de-stress and I do sleep very well these days. Also, my meds do what they're supposed to do, without too many side effects.
Anybody else on lots of supplements?
Posted by Chris O on August 30, 2015, at 5:52:22
In reply to 5 years on orthomolecular, posted by Christ_empowered on August 19, 2015, at 16:48:58
That's awesome that OM has worked for you. I guess if you feel that OM is making you better, that is what is important in the final evaluation.
I have been taking high doses of vitamin D and B-12 for the last several years. (My levels of these two vitamins are chronically low when I go for checkups.) The B12 levels have gone up, but my vitamin D remains consistently in the low 20s. I have no idea if this low level of D affects my anxiety disorder, but taking high-dose D supplements does not seem to make me feel any better. I suspect the low D level has nothing to do with my anxiety disorder and depression, is insignificant, or is the result, not the cause, of my mental health issues.
Hopefully, you continue to see improvement with OM. Me, I'm at the point where if I'm going to take something (i.e. a psychotropic) or do something (i.e. a new treatment) long-term, I want real results (i.e. materially measurable benefits) in my life; for example, a full-time job that takes care of my financial needs, relationships that are non-toxic that I can manage effectively, property ownership (I'm serious), and a complete dissipation of the paranoia/codependency issues that dominate my being. I'm not taking an AP or SSRI or other psychotropic for like, 10% or 20% decrease in symptoms, with serious weight gain, triglyceride and blood sugar increases, future TD, and other "everything has risks" nonsense. I know too many people who have been on and off these meds with little or no benefit. Despite my incredible suffering and desperation, I find it increasingly hard to buy into something as bumbling and market-driven as psychiatry. Perhaps Calvinist neoliberalism will eventually produce the consumable object that will heal our of our childhood and genetic "wounds." But I doubt it. I have trouble believing that neoliberalism alone does much of anything (except endlessly promote the Horatio Alger myth) for those suffering the deepest economic and psychic wounds.
Posted by Christ_empowered on September 1, 2015, at 6:04:29
In reply to Re: 5 years on orthomolecular » Christ_empowered, posted by Chris O on August 30, 2015, at 5:52:22
hi. Yeah, the Horatio Alger myth has yet to die. I read somewhere that economic inequality flourishes in America because we all wanna be millionaires. Something like that.
Anyway, I can't blame your approach to meds. I keep hearing that I have "severe Bipolar I," and I'm fine w/ the meds (the supplements make them much, much more tolerable and I think effective, too), but...I have doubts, as always. When I was down and out, people said it was a "personality disorder" for which there was no hope. Now, people around me call "It" schizophrenia...I guess I"m not cool enough for Bipolar? But, hey...my treatment ppl call it Bipolar and say I'm in recovery, and that's good enough for me.
Posted by Hugh on September 1, 2015, at 11:11:07
In reply to 5 years on orthomolecular, posted by Christ_empowered on August 19, 2015, at 16:48:58
Stephan next turned to Autumn, whose mental state had been steadily deteriorating for years. Now she was psychotic, convinced she had a gaping hole in her chest from which demons emerged. Just released from the hospital where shed been on suicide watch, Autumn required 24-hour supervision to ensure she didnt hurt either herself or her 3-year-old son.
Stephan forced her to take the nutritional formula. After just two days of treatment, her rapid swings between mania and depression stopped. After four days her hallucinations vanished. I remember saying, Oh my gosh, my hole is gone, she recalls. By weeks end, she felt well enough to quit all but one of her five medications.
Nine years later, both Autumn and Joseph remain symptom free, medication free, and devoted to taking what they call the nutrients each day. Autumn Stringam, her married name, is an articulate woman with bright eyes who revels in being a full-time mother to her son and the three daughters shes had since getting well. I dont feel Im cured, she says. I feel Ive got something that allows me to manage and have a normal, functional lifemaybe even better than functional.
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