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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 12 of 12. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by ed_uk on September 9, 2005, at 16:11:17
Evidence for neuroprotection by fatty acid
US scientists report that they have found a possible mechanism for the neuroprotective effect of the essential fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Deficiency in DHA has been associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, but the reason why is not clearly understood.
Scientists have now discovered that administration of DHA to human neural cells decreases secretion of amyloid-ß, a peptide which is associated with the pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. They also found that DHA stimulates the synthesis of a molecule called neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), which inhibits cell death usually triggered by amyloid-ß.
Levels of DHA and NPD1 were found to be lower in the hippocampus region of the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease, a region involved in the neuropathology of the disease, but not in other regions of the same brains.
The scientists say that NPD1 appears to promote cell survival and that agonists of NPD1 biosynthesis or NPD1 analogues may prove to be a useful strategy to treat Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological conditions.
The paper will appear in the 1 October issue of The Journal of Clinical Investigation and is available online
Posted by linkadge on September 9, 2005, at 20:13:51
In reply to Omega 3 fatty acid neuroprotection, posted by ed_uk on September 9, 2005, at 16:11:17
Probably the only good thing I've done for myself is all the o3 I've popped consistently for 5 years.
Babblers know I've always given it a thumbs up.
I think it has helped me turn the train around a few times.
Linkadge
Posted by ed_uk on September 10, 2005, at 2:12:11
In reply to probably the only good thing I've done for myself, posted by linkadge on September 9, 2005, at 20:13:51
Hi Link,
I've been taking 5g fish oil for several months now.
~ed
Posted by Declan on September 10, 2005, at 2:59:59
In reply to probably the only good thing I've done for myself, posted by linkadge on September 9, 2005, at 20:13:51
Posted by Nickengland on September 10, 2005, at 5:18:13
In reply to Re: probably the only good thing I've done for myself » linkadge, posted by ed_uk on September 10, 2005, at 2:12:11
I take 2800mg of EPA & DHA omega 3 nutrients daily.
Including the fish oil its a total of 9.2g of fish oil with omega 3 daily (along with the other vitamins contained) its definitely made a positive impact on my mental health..
Along with the other supplements I take this one is probably the most important one ~ i've yet to add omega 6 evening primrose oil to see if I can get any further benefits.
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by linkadge on September 11, 2005, at 13:43:32
In reply to Re: probably the only good thing I've done for myself, posted by Nickengland on September 10, 2005, at 5:18:13
You said below that you have bipolar disorder. You mind giving me a brief overview of what happened.
You were 17/18 when getting all the SSRI's?, How old are you now, when did docs change precribing ?
Linkadge
Posted by Nickengland on September 12, 2005, at 16:06:14
In reply to Whats your story nick ?, posted by linkadge on September 11, 2005, at 13:43:32
Hi Linkadge,
>You mind giving me a brief overview of what happened.
No not at all :-)
>You were 17/18 when getting all the SSRI's?
Yep, it basically all began so to speak just after my 17th birthday, I fell into a very severe and disturbed, for want of a better word dark depression. I had never been on medication before or to see a psychiatirst so this was my first experience of mental illness. Before this time though I had been feeling very confident in my life at 16 years old and everything seemed to be going so well, which looking back I can now see was the hypomania before the crash.
The depression was absolutley terrible to say the least, I had to drop out of college and was at home for 8 months. During this time I was very close to going in hospital and really should have been in as I was that low it was dangerous ~ i did come close at one point to being admitted, but fortunately never was.
So I began at that stage with prozac, but I remember when I was first ill I never actually took it the first few months as it didnt make me feel well at all, but then I started to take it for afew months, but came out of the depression naturally as I recall.
I then was well for 6 months, only to relapse again with the previous symtptoms of before, albeit slightly milder as I knew what to expect this time round. Had the prozac again and took it this time for 8 months-ish ~ got well and came off it. All the time I was on it though I never felt it was helping me, the side effects were awful and in effect it made me worse, produced some kind of strange mixed state, but I came out of it as I reduced the medication.
So this pattern when round like this for over 5 years. I'd be well for 6 months, then down for 6-8 months.
I was always told by the doctors I had recurrent clinical depression and SSRI anti-depressants were the way to go.
After the 4th time though I tried staying well with st johns wort as I could not take the SSRI's longterm as the doctors suggested to prevent relapse as I felt they were generally no good and making me feel ill overall. So whilst being "well" in the cycle, I used st johns wort as maintanance treatment (with my psychiatrist aware) hoping that might prevent relapes. Of course always under the impression at that point I was dealing with recurrent unipolar clinical depression.
During that time my hypomania got more out of hand (even though I wasn't even using the st johns wort much at all as I was feeling so good) and I got involved in some behaviour that goes hand in hand with hypomania, pretty risky behaviour to say the least, money, debts etc..
I then eventually crashed and at that point, knew it had to be more than just depression.
All this time mental illness had never been knew to me in some respects, as my mother is a manic depressive also, she had more or less the same symptoms as me when she was 17 ~ was diagnosed manic depressive at the age of 18, but back then had ECT treatment and of course different drugs. Shes been on lithium for nearly 20 years and has remained in good health. The thing is I am under the same psychiatrist which treats her, we had both asked the doctor on several occasions in the past whether or not I was bipolar too, the answer was no (with a doctors grin like he knew everything) and at one time he said time will tell..Will this time (more or less this time last year I crashed from the hypomania) I put forward to the doctors that this was not depression and explained the other side of what had happened with regards to when I am 'well' This was actually about October / November at a second appointment, where during the past 2 months he put me on Effexor, then Effoxor XL, then Mirtazepine. He then gave the diagnosis which I had suspected and suggested of bipolar disorder and suggested/prescribed Sodium Valproate. Unfortunately the sodium Valproate did not work..
So with all the previous experience of the psychiatrist I then began suggesting to the doctor what I could try with him luckily prescribing it.
I tried Lamotrigine next (induced anxious mixed state)
So then I tried lithium as it has helped my mother so much we thought it would work, but failed.. (she is more classic bipolar 1 though where i am more bipolar 2.)
Then carbamazepine, again not so good but helped somewhat.
Then oxcarbazepine ~ which worked extreamly well, but I got terrible kidney pains as a side effect had to quit.
Now I have ended up with Gabapentin which works good for anxiety and sleep and Topiramate as my main mood stabiliser which is about as good as I can get compared to the success of Oxcarbazepine.
And of course the supplements too which help greatly...
I've just recently turned 23.
Kind regards
Nick
Ps I tried to keep it brief, but unfortunately..lol
Posted by linkadge on September 12, 2005, at 21:57:29
In reply to Re: Whats your story nick ? » linkadge, posted by Nickengland on September 12, 2005, at 16:06:14
Geez a lot of what you have said rings a bell. My mother too is bipolar and is on lithium.
I was diagnosed with depression at 17 (am 22 now)
I have mainly been diagnosed as unipolar althought bipolar has been thrown around once or twice.
There are a few possabilities. Either I am bipolar and I know how to hide it and controll it, or I am indeed unipolar and not responding well to treatment.
I don't have highs. I never feel "really" good.
Personally, I'd like to think I am unipolar with really crappy and inneffective treatments.
I never take my meds as prescribed. Prescribed SSRI after SSRI but I tinker so much with alternatives too (SJW fish oil Taurine etc.)
I have been on mood stabilizers (lithium, epival, tegretol, trileptal, atypicals) but I come off of them. They help to some degree, but I always come off of them because they all make me dumb and I can't do my schoolwork.
I mainly go through life just consideriny myself totally f'd up.
I'd like to commit to bipolar, but I don't have faith that would help.
Linkadge
Posted by linkadge on September 12, 2005, at 22:00:59
In reply to Re: Whats your story nick ?, posted by linkadge on September 12, 2005, at 21:57:29
The biggest problem is when you are dealing with doctors that only have 5 minautes a month, you don't get anywhere, you just go in circles.
Linkadge
Posted by Nickengland on September 13, 2005, at 15:36:47
In reply to Re: Whats your story nick ?, posted by linkadge on September 12, 2005, at 21:57:29
Hi linkadge
Our experiences do sound very similar indeed..
>I don't have highs. I never feel "really" good.
This is the thing that stopped me recieving a bipolar diagnosis for so long, as my highs were never really and have never been what could be considered full-blown text book mania. In some respects I was able to hide the 'highs' I was having for a few years and looking back at times they were not far up at all.
The last hypomania though, that was just something else, I felt absolutely on top of the world, although I wasn't psychotic or anything like that ~ I appeared very high functioning from the outside, but I felt very different on the inside, hard to describe as it was exactly like a feeling of slipping into a different mood state, but the oppsite of depression as it felt so good, it lasted about 5 months.
>I never take my meds as prescribed. Prescribed SSRI after SSRI but I tinker so much with alternatives too (SJW fish oil Taurine etc.)
I was like that, especially with the SSRI's I would only be able to take them for a maxium of about 6-8 months then through side effects and generally being made to feel worse rather than better I'd quit taking them.
I've always had time for the alternatives and found they have helped greatly towards recovery. The St Johns wort didnt go down to well, but lacked side efects so that was a plus, I also used ginseng before (not now though) 5-HTP, I tried that once when I was depressed but felt nothing..
Taurine and omega 3 have greatly helped - followed by magnesium citrate and recently zinc and the b-vitamins, b6 in particular. I think they account for at least 10-15% of the symptom contol I've managed to achieve.
>I have been on mood stabilizers (lithium, epival, tegretol, trileptal, atypicals) but I come off of them. They help to some degree, but I always come off of them because they all make me dumb and I can't do my schoolwork.
This is one negative effect I do get from taking 2 anticonvulsants even though I luckily respond to low dosages and purposely keep the dosages as low as possible to avoid unwanted side effects ~ that being the "slowed down" effect. I guess at the moment I finally feel I can take these drugs longterm for the time being, but am always on the look out to try and counter the side effects and keep myself as sharp as possible ~ but it can be diffcult at times.
>I'd like to commit to bipolar, but I don't have faith that would help.
I understand what you mean ~ if the current medications i'm taking cannot stop my mood cycle, then I will probably feel the same way. Only time will tell, at the moment I'm just taking each day as it comes hoping for the best that if I have to go through with taking these drugs daily ~ then they better work long term...
Kind regards
Nick
Posted by Nickengland on September 13, 2005, at 15:39:13
In reply to Re: Whats your story nick ?, posted by linkadge on September 12, 2005, at 22:00:59
>The biggest problem is when you are dealing with doctors that only have 5 minautes a month, you don't get anywhere, you just go in circles.
Very true indeed.
Posted by linkadge on September 13, 2005, at 16:04:04
In reply to Re: Whats your story nick ?, posted by Nickengland on September 13, 2005, at 15:39:13
The only thing with the SSRi's is that they do something, but the effect is always so muddled and hard to quantify.
Linkadge
This is the end of the thread.
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