![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 1:55:28
Well I broke down today(figuratively) at the organic market I work at and bought some New Chapter's SC27. I took one gelcap immediately. I am currently taking fluoxetine, 40mg. I'm not too concerned about mixing the two. I actually think they may work well together. I believe BB had success with this combination(another brand of SJW I think) in the past. So far I feel fine with little or no side effects. We will see how the next few weeks goes. I will keep everyone posted for those that are interested in using SJW as an adjunctive therapy. Wish me luck!
Other meds:
Lithium 300 mg
Zyprexa 2.5 mg
Depakote 500 mgOh yeah, I also took a great supplement today called Curamin. It is a combination of a more bioavailable form of curcumin, boswellia, and DLPA. I'm pretty sure I felt a very nice boost along with significant joint relief after taking this. I highly recommend it to anyone that has joint pain/discomfort and needs an extra lift(I think that is all of us here). Actually, all three ingredients can have an antidepressant effect-Boswellia being the least potent in this area.
Morgan
Posted by janejane on May 4, 2010, at 9:01:57
In reply to Starting New Chapter's SC27, posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 1:55:28
Please be careful. When I took a curcumin-containing product (zyflamend) for pain, it worked great at first, but after a couple days, I developed a monster headache, which for me is a sign of too much serotonin. (I've gotten similar headaches from prozac, tryptophan, and 5-HTP.) It probably would've been OK if I weren't already taking rhodiola, but the two together, even at relatively low doses, was too much. I just wanted to share this because even though things might seem fine at first, some nasty SEs could sneak up on you. Since you're talking about boosting serotonin 3 ways instead of just 2, I encourage you to be conservative in your dosing. It'd probably also be a good idea to limit yourself to adding just thing at a time so you know how each is affecting you.
What you say about the Curamin product is interesting. I wonder if it was the curcumin or the DLPA that improved your mood since both are good candidates. When I tried plain DLPA, my mood went from bad to worse, I think due to the extra dopamine opposing my already low serotonin levels. One thing I don't like about combo products is that it's hard to know what's doing what. The magic may be in the synergy or in just one component. Since it sounds like you also started the SJW on the same day, there may be some interaction there too, not to mention with your existing program.
Posted by Phillipa on May 4, 2010, at 10:56:42
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27 » morganator, posted by janejane on May 4, 2010, at 9:01:57
I defer to Jane and what she say's I've also read is true. Phillipa
Posted by bulldog2 on May 4, 2010, at 12:01:59
In reply to Starting New Chapter's SC27, posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 1:55:28
> Well I broke down today(figuratively) at the organic market I work at and bought some New Chapter's SC27. I took one gelcap immediately. I am currently taking fluoxetine, 40mg. I'm not too concerned about mixing the two. I actually think they may work well together. I believe BB had success with this combination(another brand of SJW I think) in the past. So far I feel fine with little or no side effects. We will see how the next few weeks goes. I will keep everyone posted for those that are interested in using SJW as an adjunctive therapy. Wish me luck!
>
> Other meds:
> Lithium 300 mg
> Zyprexa 2.5 mg
> Depakote 500 mg
>
> Oh yeah, I also took a great supplement today called Curamin. It is a combination of a more bioavailable form of curcumin, boswellia, and DLPA. I'm pretty sure I felt a very nice boost along with significant joint relief after taking this. I highly recommend it to anyone that has joint pain/discomfort and needs an extra lift(I think that is all of us here). Actually, all three ingredients can have an antidepressant effect-Boswellia being the least potent in this area.
>
> http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&ct=res&cd=1&ved=0CBYQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.curamin.com%2F&ei=r8TfS5StPJGi9QS-zf2qCQ&usg=AFQjCNFiHSkUFAWvhCJVRLFBGFpcvemllg&sig2=00LxVtaLdwew2MPHbXZK3g
>
> MorganI tried the product several years ago. Like an ssri and also developed cataracts while on it. Be careful.
Posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 13:03:20
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27, posted by bulldog2 on May 4, 2010, at 12:01:59
Bulldog, you developed cataracts while on it? I was interested in SC27 because of the low amount of hypericin in it, making it less likely to be phytotoxic.
Posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 13:24:32
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27 » morganator, posted by janejane on May 4, 2010, at 9:01:57
Janejane, thanks for the advice. I just took two of the Curamin, probably should have only taken one. I took fairly high doses of curcumin about a year and a half ago while on an SSRI and mood stabilizer and didn't have any problems then. My brain just does not seem to be as sensitive as it used to be. A few months ago I was on 100 mg of Zoloft and 30 mg of Prozac at the same time for about a month. I just don't think I vulnerable to excess serotonin issues at this time. It's really not a good thing.
Well right now I am feeling a nice boost in energy. I like this feeling. Feels more like I felt a few years ago. I will stop taking Curamin for a few days to try to determine if SC27 is having some impact.
Being that Zyflamed only has 110 mg of Tumeric and the small amount of curcumin in this is not easily absorbed, I would be surprised that is was just the curcumin in this product that gave you the headache. There are 9 other ingredients in Zyflamed, one of them could have contributed to your headache. Maybe you are just extremely sensitive and it takes very little curcumin to cause problems. Curcumin is one of the more likely ingredients in Zyflamed to cause the reaction you had. Who knows what was really going on at the time though.
Morgan
Posted by bulldog2 on May 4, 2010, at 14:15:48
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27 » bulldog2, posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 13:03:20
> Bulldog, you developed cataracts while on it? I was interested in SC27 because of the low amount of hypericin in it, making it less likely to be phytotoxic.
Yes I was quite disturbed to hear I had cataracts. It may have been coincidence. But I never had them before and three months after starting sc27 I developed cataracts in both eyes.
Posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 20:07:55
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27 » morganator, posted by bulldog2 on May 4, 2010, at 14:15:48
I'm surprised they developed that fast, if SC27 was the culprit. I wear sunglasses in the sun most of the time so I'm not too concerned. I'm sure it depends on the individual as well. I don't really want to take the risk though. I've read a lot about people taking St. John's Wort for quite a while and no reports of cataracts. The only report I read about was in an article about SJW and possible phytotoxicity.
Posted by janejane on May 5, 2010, at 11:00:14
In reply to Re: Starting New Chapter's SC27 » janejane, posted by morganator on May 4, 2010, at 13:24:32
Yes, I'm extremely sensitive, and it's very frustrating. It was definitely a serotonin headache (it's quite distinct, for me), so curcumin was the obvious suspect. Keep in mind, I get intolerable SEs with as little as 10 mg of prozac every other day.
Regarding cataracts, some believe it's a real issue. You may want to search for studies. I remember reading about someone taking it at night to reduce the photosensitivity SE (anecdotal stuff), but I honestly don't know whether timing makes a difference. A family history of cataracts is one reason I never gave SJW a good trial. It also interacts with a lot of meds. Some do very well with it, though.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.