Confusion about supplements

[Guest guest]

Hi and Kim,

I've been slowly introducing supplements into my body, starting with

my daughter's Flinstone vitamins LOL. I have Superior Amino 2222 Caps

by Optimum Nutrition, Sublingual Vit. B-12 5000mcg by Puritan's Pride,

Calcium (333mg) and Magnesium (133 mg) with Zinc (5mg) by Nature Made,

store brand Chewable C-500 mg, store brand Ginkgo Biloba-75 mg and

store brand fish oil softgels-1000mg concentrate with 180 mg EPA and

120 mg DHA. Are any of these useless, and should I add something else?

Also, does milk thistle help cleanse out the liver of any left over

drugs? And, aside from not taking the magnesium close to bedtime, does

it matter when I take the others?

At this point in my recovery, I suffer from periodic numbness and

swelling to various parts of my body, periodic burning, stinging,

itching and sensitive skin, and a strange pain deep in my muscles. I

drift in and out of a hazy fog and that derealization. And for most of

the day, I lack any drive or motivation and just want to stay in bed.

I still have anxiety and crying spells. This is day 19 drug free.

Any help you can give me is most appreciated.

Thank you very much,

Tonya

[Guest guest]

Hi Tonya,

You said:

<<I've been slowly introducing supplements into my body, starting

with

my daughter's Flinstone vitamins LOL. I have Superior Amino 2222

Caps

by Optimum Nutrition, Sublingual Vit. B-12 5000mcg by Puritan's

Pride,

Calcium (333mg) and Magnesium (133 mg) with Zinc (5mg) by Nature

Made,

store brand Chewable C-500 mg, store brand Ginkgo Biloba-75 mg

and

store brand fish oil softgels-1000mg concentrate with 180 mg EPA

and

120 mg DHA. Are any of these useless, and should I add something

else?>>

***I assume you already know that the Flintstones vitamins are

useless, for your daughter as well as yourself. They're cute,

but....

recommends certain brands of various supplements

because they have been analyzed and evaluated and we know from

experience that they perform well.

You can go into the FILES

(http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Withdrawal_and_Recovery/fil

es/) under supplements and find some good info. Take a careful

look at Basic Healing Protocols. It contains the information you

need to get started on an excellent supplement regimen.

It's hard to comment on the other things you are taking. We

recommend the things we recommend because we trust them and know

they work. Many people in this group will attest to that.

<<Also, does milk thistle help cleanse out the liver of any left

over

drugs?>>

***Generally, it's best to stay away from herbs in early

recovery. Herbs are potent healing agents that can be difficult

for a sensitive system to handle. The system of anyone who has

taken psychiatric drugs, and especially someone who has recently

come off them, must be considered sensitive.

<<And, aside from not taking the magnesium close to bedtime, does

it matter when I take the others?>>

***Have you had a problem with taking the magnesium at bedtime?

Most people find that it has a relaxing effect. There are some

few who find it can be excitatory--are you one of them?

It is usually best to take a full-spectrum liquid vitamin in the

morning, as it can pep you up a bit. Take the calcium separately

from the magnesium. I like to take the colloidal trace minerals

at night because they have a relaxing effect.

<<At this point in my recovery, I suffer from periodic numbness

and

swelling to various parts of my body, periodic burning, stinging,

itching and sensitive skin, and a strange pain deep in my

muscles. I

drift in and out of a hazy fog and that derealization. And for

most of

the day, I lack any drive or motivation and just want to stay in

bed.

I still have anxiety and crying spells. This is day 19 drug

free.>>

***All of these are normal symptoms for someone who has recently

gone through withdrawal. Given time and nutritional support,

they will improve. How quickly did you taper off the drugs, by

the way?

There is a lot of support for you here!! Take some time to read

through the Files and the archives--you will find a lot of

information. You will also read over and over again that things

do get better.

Hang in there!

Warmly,

Kim

[Guest guest]

Hi Kim. Thanks for responding so fast!

you wrote:

{I assume you already know that the Flintstones

vitamins are useless, for your daughter as well as

yourself. They're cute, but....}

* didn't know that. Thanks.

{Have you had a problem with taking the magnesium

at bedtime?}

* I havent' taken it yet. Ijust read that it might

keep people from sleeping. I have a formula that's

combined with calcium.

{It is usually best to take a full-spectrum liquid

vitamin in the morning, as it can pep you up a bit.

Take the calcium separately from the magnesium. I

like to take the colloidal trace minerals at night

because they have a relaxing effect.}

* I wish to order the Supralife. Who sells it?

{All of these are normal symptoms for someone who

has recently gone through withdrawal. Given time and

nutritional support, they will improve. How quickly

did you taper off the drugs, by the way?

* Some of those symptoms have persisted for months. I

originally stopped Effexor abruptly in March. Long

story short, I tried to restabilize to taper slowly,

but my body would have none of that. It was like I was

ODing. My doctors tried 3 other ADs, then finally I

started on Doxepin. I took it for just under 5 months.

The side effects were too much to bear. I tapered

slowly off of that one,even if it meant more time to

endure the side effects. I definitely didn't want

another fiasco like the Effexor. I've been off Effexor

for 9 months, off Doxepin for 20 days and off Xanax

for 26 days.

{You will also read over and over again that things do

get better.}

* This is what's keeping me going. I have it in the

back of my thoughts that if I just find the right

antidepressant for me, that this will all go away. I

get so tempted at times and have to remind myself of

the horrors caused by switching from drug to drug

earlier this year.

Thanks so much,

Tonya

=====

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Subject: Re: Confusion about supplements

" Hi Kim. Thanks for responding so fast!

you wrote:

{I assume you already know that the Flintstones

vitamins are useless, for your daughter as well as

yourself. They're cute, but....}

* didn't know that. Thanks. "

As long as we are discussing supplements, what are the good

vitamin/mineral supplements for children? I have a 2-1/2 year

old grandson and a 5-1/2 mon. old granddaughter. Grandson is a

picky eater (sushi and rice are his favorite UGH). Mommy gives

vitamins but she gets them at Wal-mart. I'd like to tell her

about supplements that are worth paying for.

--

Liz KS

Never be too open minded, your brains could fall out.

[Guest guest]

<<{Have you had a problem with taking the magnesium

at bedtime?}

* I havent' taken it yet. Ijust read that it might

keep people from sleeping. I have a formula that's

combined with calcium.>>

***Most people find magnesium to be calming and relaxing. See

how it feels for you--you might like taking it at bedtime.

<<Some of those symptoms have persisted for months. I

originally stopped Effexor abruptly in March. Long

story short, I tried to restabilize to taper slowly,

but my body would have none of that. It was like I was

ODing. My doctors tried 3 other ADs, then finally I

started on Doxepin. I took it for just under 5 months.

The side effects were too much to bear. I tapered

slowly off of that one,even if it meant more time to

endure the side effects. I definitely didn't want

another fiasco like the Effexor. I've been off Effexor

for 9 months, off Doxepin for 20 days and off Xanax

for 26 days.>>

***Thanks for the info. It's early days for you, and your body

is still trying to deal with the abrupt Effexor withdrawal. get

going on the supplements--don't forget the fish oil!--and let us

know how you do.

<<This is what's keeping me going. I have it in the

back of my thoughts that if I just find the right

antidepressant for me, that this will all go away. I

get so tempted at times and have to remind myself of

the horrors caused by switching from drug to drug

earlier this year.>>

***Keep reminding yourself. There is no right antidepressant,

and each one you try just compounds the damage. Working your way

through this process has many, many rewards, not the least of

which is the confidence you will gain from knowing that you can

handle things even as difficult as this. That in itself is worth

years of therapy!

You CAN do this. You're on the right track and doing a great job

already!

Warm blessings,

Kim

[Guest guest]

<<As long as we are discussing supplements, what are the good

> vitamin/mineral supplements for children?>>

***Supralife has a Kid's Toddy that was a good product the last time

I looked at it (it has been a while). It would be worth taking a

look around their website to see what they offer for children these

days. Liquids are more readily assimilated.

It's fantastic that your grandson favors sushi. Is he also eating

veggies? Now's the time to develop his taste for them.

I'm not sure what's appropriate for an infant. Breast milk should be

adequate if the mother is well-nourished and well-supplemented.