Psycho-Babble Alternative Thread 926797

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Supplements for bipolar/schizophrenia

Posted by Lao Tzu on November 24, 2009, at 8:14:06

First of all, if you have bipolar or schizophrenia, medication is necessary especially if you have psychosis. Some vitamin supplements do help as an add-on to standard treatment. I take a daily regimen of vitamins to combat mood issues and depression. The following have been very helpful to me:

1. Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
2. Vitamin B6
3. Vitamin B12
4. Vitamins E and C
5. Manganese and zinc
6. Fish oil
7. Borage oil (may or may not help)
8. Selenium

The key to using the vitamins correctly is to determine what dosages you can tolerate. For instance, I take vitamins E and C twice a day (200IU of E and 500mg of C twice a day). This might be too much for some and too little for others. Fish oil is very helpful for depression, but I can only tolerate 1500mg of fish oil per day. It depends on how your body metabolizes the fatty acids. Manganese and zinc are very important. I get at least 10mg of manganese per day and 15mg of zinc per day. You can actually take up to 50mg of zinc per day without problems. I find that when I have low energy 30mg of zinc helps energize my brain. Be careful, though. Some people actually get more depressed on zinc, so it might be better to start off at a low dosage and see how that affects you. Thiamine or vitamin B1 is absolutely indispensible to me. I feel depressed if I don't take it everyday. I need 100mg in the morning and 100mg at bedtime. I take 500mcg of B12 per day which helps with depression.
At bedtime, I take the following supplements for better sleep:

50mg B6
100mg B1
500mg No-flush Niacin, not regular Niacin
1mg melatonin
200mcg selenium
400IU vitamin E (very important)

I hope this helps some of you with bipolar or schizophrenia looking for an add-on vitamin regimen in addition to standard medication treatment.

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