Nutritional Supplements
Omega-3
SAM-e, St John's Wort
Acupuncture
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
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About Me
- John McManamy
- I am an award-winning author and mental health journalist. I have been writing about mood disorders since being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1999, ranging from a website, an email newsletter, a book, articles for HealthCentral, and this blog. More recently, I have been producing videos. Writing about my illness has played a very strong role in my healing and recovery. Writing allows me to come to terms with my past, gives meaning to my present, and gives me the courage to face the future with hope.
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2 comments:
I was diagnosed in 1993 and have been treated and been compliant with medication since then, although it is possible I have been bipolar since I was a teenager. I have taken most of the approved mood stabilizer drugs over the years. I am from Boston and was seen at the
Massachusetts General Hospital Bipolar Clinic for 5 years. MGH is like McLean Hospital, connected with Harvard Medical School. My MGH
psychiatrist, who has a national and international reputation, commented to me that pretty much everybody in the academic
community had panned Dr. Stoll's study as his
results were not able to be verified, ie duplicated. My pdoc gave me specially selected fish oil capsules from a specific
lab in terms of dosage, chemical content and
other criteria. I took the enteric omega 3
capsules along with my lithium and anti-psychotic med as prescribed. Despite my pdoc's dismissal of Stoll's research results,
I, personally noticed a different, a positive effect. This expereince made me very cognizant of the fact that fish oil and omega 3, and also omega 6, are truly potentially
powerful drugs for bipolar people, and should be treated with care and caution. The fish oil, in conjunction with the two aforementioned prescription drugs, was able to, imo, help push or lift my depression. I
stopped the fish oil as I was afraid that said
combination could not only life my depression, but flip me over into mania. Over the past 5+ years without taking any antidepressants and also no fish oil, I have
managed to control my depression. Howevever,
as I write this, I am, I believe, a little
depressed, with all the classic symptoms. I
never want to take prescription anit-depressants ever again, as I strongly
believe that they contribute to the viscous
circle or should I say bipolar cycles. I used to thoroughly take advantage of my manic
episodes by burying myself in work, literally
15 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now,I struggle to work less than 8 hours a day. I am waiting to hear from my current pdoc at
Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles to be
pdoc supervised as I take my current mood stabilizer, Lamictal, with Seroquel, and also the added fish oil. I want to be watched.
My primary care MD told me that he thinks the
fish oil is good for my heart and blood pressure issues I have, as I am over 50 and overweight. I read, cover to cover, two entire books on Omega 3, both by Harvard Med
MD's: Andrew Stoll's book and also Donald Rudin. One final word: make sure you take
the enteric coated capsules as the others
dissolve in your body and I had an overpowering taste of fish in my body that
made me want to expurgate. Thank you for your time. DS from Los Angeles
Two weeks ago I began using St. John's Wort for my depression and anxiety, which was getting to the point that I just could not handle it. The first few hours of the day were really bad, really panicky, lots of crying and suicidal ideations. These symptoms have all but disappeared.
I haven't told my doctor yet, but have a feeling she'll disapprove. Most doctors have a pretty closed mind about any treatment other than pharmaceuticals. But as these have been ineffective for years now, I have to do something. I can't live feeling as I had.
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