Can one of these supplements be helping my mood?

[marbel]

Every morning I wake up feeling anxious and depressed.  It's not serious enough (yet) for me to seek medical care, but it bothers me.  I have the typical worries any parent has, plus a few others -- in other words, my life is not horrible but it's not all shiny happy every day, either. 

 

Then, later in the day everything looks better.  I really noticed a difference today, how happy and content I felt in the afternoon vs. how sad and afraid I felt in the morning.  So I wonder if it's one of the meds/supplements I take:

 

Chlorthalidone - a blood pressure med, but prescribed for its diuretic properties due to history of kidney stones

 

Potassium  supplement

 

Vitamin D  (1000mg capsule every other day, when I'm out of those I'll switch to 500mg caps daily. This is per kidney doc's orders; I had been taking 1000mg per day, but after a blood test he told me to reduce it).  Now that I think of it, today was my Vit D day.

 

Vitamin B complex (bottle of tablets from Costco)

 

Digestive probiotic - but this is intermittent.   '

 

At night I take 400 mg of magnesium citrate to help me sleep and to stave off leg cramps.  Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. 

 

I don't expect to change anything - for ex, if someone says "it's the Vit D!" I won't start doubling up on the dose - and certainly not before checking with my kidney doc because I don't want to do anything to promote kidney stones.  But if it seems likely that one of those is helping, I may get better about remembering them each day. 

 

I also drink coffee.  :-)   But before I start that, I have at least 12 ounces of water with a big squeeze of lemon juice, and drink more of that throughout the day.

 

Any comments? 

 

[Rosie_0801]

The Vitamin B certainly would.

[fraidycat]

How long have you been taking the vitamins?. I suspect they might be helping, BUT I'd expect them to "help more" after long term use/supplementation to the point that you wake up without the bad feelings at least part of the time once you've had a chance to build up levels in your body.

 

Maybe it's just the caffeine.

 

Have you tried transdermal magnesium?

[Katy]

B and D would both make a huge difference.

[sbbulliv]

Yes B and D. I also wonder about blood sugar fluctuations.

[busymama7]

Both B and D affect my mood positively

[marbel]

OK, so I have never heard of transdermal magnesium or depression that changes over the course of a day, and never considered blood sugar  or fish oil.

 

I've been taking the B and D a long time though there are times I forget to take it - even for a few weeks at a time. 

 

I will try to be more regular with it and see what happens.  And I will look at the other ideas. 

 

It is awful to wake up every single morning feeling dread.  If I could fix it without a doctor that would be so nice. 

 

Thank Hive Ladies.  Always helpful! 

[Tiramisu]

I have gone through times where I get that feeling in the morning and it improves through the day, and I know several other people who have struggled with the same thing. I remember a member here who has since passed away give a medical reason for it. I wonder if I could dig up that old post and read her suggestions. 

 

Anyway, I think there's a reason that doesn't have to do with your supplements, though I think those supplements are good.

 

ETA: Maybe this is the post I was thinking of. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/380194-waking-up-grouchy-everyday/?hl=%2Bdioxide&do=findComment&comment=3904076

[Jean in Newcastle]

B, D and magnesium can improve mood and depression.  

[gardenmom5]

vitamin d3 levels should be at least 50 and it *does* affect mood.  (it affects many areas of general health too.  there are discussions in medical circles of redefining it as a hormone.)  it used to be 30 was the recommended level.  I take 4,000IUs (the USRDA is 400ius), but I dont' absorb it that well.  after doing that much for a year, my levels only rose 9 points. (I'm currently at 42)  my daughter uses drops because after doing 10,000IUs for six weeks under direction of her provider, her extremely low levels barely budged.

 

I used to take naturemade stress b complex from Costco. 2x per day.  It took a long time to notice they were helping, and then it was more if I wasn't taking them for a week.  (the longer without, the worse things got.)  it did help, and since b vitamins are mostly water soluble - I took 2x per day instead of just one.

 

If you are having such highs and lows, I would *strongly* recommend taking 1x/am and 1x/pm to help keep your levels - well, level.  (how's your blood sugar?)

 

and if you've had your gallbladder out . . . . you can't store b12.

 

I've since become a vitamin snob and don't rely on drs  to tell me which form is most bioavailable.  (I told my dr/md I wanted a rx for p5p/b6 - "oh yeah, that's what this is". no it wasn't. it was a precursor form and my body doesn't convert from precursor to the useable form very well. - it's genetic -  I actually wonder if all the conversion my liver was required to do from those b vitamins for years is a contributing reason I have liver problems. so now, I only go for the most bioavailable forms.) I do my own research.

 

folate can be very helpful with mood.  it is one of the b-vitamins.  and you want folate.

 

I now take a higher quality bioavailable b-vitamin brand - and boy did I notice a difference within 10 days of starting them. a light was flipped on.

 

I've also found 5-htp to be very helpful with mood support. I take it at night.

 

I buy my vitamins off amazon now.  

 

magnesium absorbs well through your skin in Epsom salt baths too.

 

 

[gardenmom5]

fraidycat, on 13 Mar 2015 - 3:15 PM, said:fraidycat, on 13 Mar 2015 - 3:15 PM, said:

How long have you been taking the vitamins?. I suspect they might be helping, BUT I'd expect them to "help more" after long term use/supplementation to the point that you wake up without the bad feelings at least part of the time once you've had a chance to build up levels in your body.

 

Maybe it's just the caffeine.

 

Have you tried transdermal magnesium?

if the levels are particularly low to start and stores are depleted - 12 hours can make a difference.

[maize]

vitamin d3 levels should be at least 50 and it *does* affect mood. (it affects many areas of general health too. there are discussions in medical circles of redefining it as a hormone.) it used to be 30 was the recommended level. I take 4,000IUs (the USRDA is 400ius), but I dont' absorb it that well. after doing that much for a year, my levels only rose 9 points. (I'm currently at 42) my daughter uses drops because after doing 10,000IUs for six weeks under direction of her provider, her extremely low levels barely budged.

 

I used to take naturemade stress b complex from Costco. 2x per day. It took a long time to notice they were helping, and then it was more if I wasn't taking them for a week. (the longer without, the worse things got.) it did help, and since b vitamins are mostly water soluble - I took 2x per day instead of just one.

 

If you are having such highs and lows, I would *strongly* recommend taking 1x/am and 1x/pm to help keep your levels - well, level. (how's your blood sugar?)

 

and if you've had your gallbladder out . . . . you can't store b12.

 

I've since become a vitamin snob and don't rely on drs to tell me which form is most bioavailable. (I told my dr/md I wanted a rx for p5p/b6 - "oh yeah, that's what this is". no it wasn't. it was a precursor form and my body doesn't convert from precursor to the useable form very well. - it's genetic - I actually wonder if all the conversion my liver was required to do from those b vitamins for years is a contributing reason I have liver problems. so now, I only go for the most bioavailable forms.) I do my own research.

 

folate can be very helpful with mood. it is one of the b-vitamins. and you want folate.

 

I now take a higher quality bioavailable b-vitamin brand - and boy did I notice a difference within 10 days of starting them. a light was flipped on.

 

I've also found 5-htp to be very helpful with mood support. I take it at night.

 

I buy my vitamins off amazon now.

 

magnesium absorbs well through your skin in Epsom salt baths too.

What do you buy, can you post links?

[phathui5]

Does your Vitamin D have calcium in it? While calcium can contribute to kidney stones, there's no reason Vitamin D would.

 

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/news/20131017/study-vitamin-d-supplements-may-not-raise-risk-for-kidney-stones

 

The research that was done that indicated that Vitamin D could raise the risk was done on raising both calcium and Vitamin D:

 

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247284.php

[phathui5]

These are two other options for mood. You might pick one and try it for a while; I wouldn't use both at once:

 

http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1053/

 

http://www.sourcenaturals.com/products/GP1254/

[fraidycat]

vitamin d3 levels should be at least 50 and it *does* affect mood. (it affects many areas of general health too. there are discussions in medical circles of redefining it as a hormone.) it used to be 30 was the recommended level. I take 4,000IUs (the USRDA is 400ius), but I dont' absorb it that well. after doing that much for a year, my levels only rose 9 points. (I'm currently at 42) my daughter uses drops because after doing 10,000IUs for six weeks under direction of her provider, her extremely low levels barely budged.

 

I used to take naturemade stress b complex from Costco. 2x per day. It took a long time to notice they were helping, and then it was more if I wasn't taking them for a week. (the longer without, the worse things got.) it did help, and since b vitamins are mostly water soluble - I took 2x per day instead of just one.

 

If you are having such highs and lows, I would *strongly* recommend taking 1x/am and 1x/pm to help keep your levels - well, level. (how's your blood sugar?)

 

and if you've had your gallbladder out . . . . you can't store b12.

 

I've since become a vitamin snob and don't rely on drs to tell me which form is most bioavailable. (I told my dr/md I wanted a rx for p5p/b6 - "oh yeah, that's what this is". no it wasn't. it was a precursor form and my body doesn't convert from precursor to the useable form very well. - it's genetic - I actually wonder if all the conversion my liver was required to do from those b vitamins for years is a contributing reason I have liver problems. so now, I only go for the most bioavailable forms.) I do my own research.

 

folate can be very helpful with mood. it is one of the b-vitamins. and you want folate.

 

I now take a higher quality bioavailable b-vitamin brand - and boy did I notice a difference within 10 days of starting them. a light was flipped on.

 

I've also found 5-htp to be very helpful with mood support. I take it at night.

 

I buy my vitamins off amazon now.

 

magnesium absorbs well through your skin in Epsom salt baths too.

Which brand do you recommend for B vitamins?

[gardenmom5]

maize, on 13 Mar 2015 - 10:01 PM, said:maize, on 13 Mar 2015 - 10:01 PM, said:

What do you buy, can you post links?

for vitamins - I buy emerald laboratories brand.  (I take b-healthy, and the 4x per day multi because taking 2x per day of those, is cheaper than buying the 2x per day formulation. you can also just take 1x per day and it will last four months.)  I buy from amazon as they generally will have the best prices. developed by a naturopath, using the most bioavailable forms. (meaning your body doesn't have to convert it to use it. vitamins are lost in the conversion process - so the more conversion that is necessary, the less vitamin available to actually use. and the more waste your liver has to process and get rid of.  it's a sensitive subject for me . . .I'm off my soapbox.) 

 

there are other brands that do the same thing, but I'm not familiar with them. 

 

as far as I know (I haven't done very much reading on it) d3 is generally the same across brands - so I use what Costco sells.

 

for 5-htp - it helps with mood (mthf mutations frequently lead to inadequate 5-htp levels) I use NOW (I take 400mg - my dr said I was fine up to 600mg, or was it 800mg?) - which is a good (enough for me) brand.  generally. I do read labels, and some of their products I don't use and find another brand.

 

 thorne is better (and pricier) + it has no fillers or flow agents.  It's the brand most NDs recommend.

I absolutely will only buy mthf (5-methyltetrahydrofolate) from thorne.  (except the rx form . . . but in those doseages, the rx form is much cheaper per mg).  we take it because of a genetic mutation that leads to a deficiency. sometimes a big deficiency with a host of inadequacies.

 

 

eta: there are some other things I am now at the point I will ONLY buy thorne.  e.g. niacin as a stand alone.

[fraidycat]

if the levels are particularly low to start and stores are depleted - 12 hours can make a difference.

Ugh! Lost my post! I'll try again.

 

I asked how long because that should make a difference. At some point between months vs.years of supplementing, one should expect that 12 hours won't have as significant an impact on levels as it does when you're just starting out.

 

If levels still drop dangerously low after a long period of supplementation, then more needs to be done. Perhaps methylated supplements, perhaps another vitamin or mineral added to help keep levels regulated, etc.

 

This is precisely what I wanted the OP to think about. I don't know if she started supplements last week, last year, or last leap year.

[mathnerd]

For me, the low vitamin D3 affected my mood drastically as well as affecting my immune system. I had a hard time with anxiety, depression and multiple chest infections until my deficiency was diagnosed. There was a dramatic change in all of those as soon as my doctor put me on a super high prescription dodge of D3. So, I would suggest that you get your D3 levels checked and get a prescription for higher doses if they are low.

[gardenmom5]

fraidycat, on 13 Mar 2015 - 10:40 PM, said:

 

 

I asked how long because that should make a difference. At some point between months vs.years of supplementing, one should expect that 12 hours won't have as significant an impact on levels as it does when you're just starting out.

 

If levels still drop dangerously low after a long period of supplementation, then more needs to be done. Perhaps methylated supplements, perhaps another vitamin or mineral added to help keep levels regulated, etc.

 

This is precisely what I wanted the OP to think about. I don't know if she started supplements last week, last year, or last leap year.

for me, it was YEARS of supplementing with average quality (Costco/drug store) b-vitamins before I stopped noticing a regression if I didn't take them for a few days.  while they helped, and were better than nothing, I regressed if I didn't take them.  they were betting than nothing.  I switched to a higher quality b-complex two? years ago and I can really tell a difference.  I also think high quality b-vitamins will reduce that time frame of upping the body's stores. (I have a genetic MTHF deficiency, and the emerald labs contain mthf. very, very few brands do.)

 

Maybe because I was under horrendous stress when I started. (stress eats up b-vitamins) - but that was also *why* I started taking them.

 

the biggest problem I think is finding a provider who takes it seriously enough to guide you (let alone *adequately* guide you). . . . . . . I had one allopath . . . .  it's still painful to think about.

 

I'm grateful to live in an area with a naturopathic school.  I started taking my son to one, and learned a lot just with his treatment.

[gardenmom5]

mathnerd, on 13 Mar 2015 - 11:00 PM, said:

For me, the low vitamin D3 affected my mood drastically as well as affecting my immune system. I had a hard time with anxiety, depression and multiple chest infections until my deficiency was diagnosed. There was a dramatic change in all of those as soon as my doctor put me on a super high prescription dodge of D3. So, I would suggest that you get your D3 levels checked and get a prescription for higher doses if they are low.

 

 

and make sure it is d3! 

 

some drs still use d2 injections (not sure why). while it will help short term, it doesn't up the long-term d3 levels.

 

d3 made a huge difference for my dd.  but her levels were like 10 or 11 . . . (30 was the *old* minimum considered healthy. now it's 50.) she was taking 10,000ius, and had to switch to drops.

[Pronghorn]

Perhaps it is not the vitamins but the light exposure. If so, a morning walk might help.

[LibraryLover]

Interesting!  I've been having a similar problem. I have to get right out of bed, or my mind races. The initial waking is like a punch to the gut. I feel so much better a couple of hours later. By  12-1 pm, life is good. 

 

I take some of the supplements mentioned. Except I waver on the B because of certain side affects. I probably have to be consistent in that. I also need a white noise machine or humidifier. My bedroom faces the street.  Being woken from a good sleep is awful.

[momto10blessings]

I've heard of D, B and mag being used for mood/depression

[LibraryLover]

So which B?  And why is only the morning affected?

[trulycrabby]

...could be cortisol, which might be low in the morning, then increases during the day.

[LibraryLover]

_{Cortisol makes sense.}

 

_{I think my cortisol levels are probably crazy high in the AM.}

[wapiti]

FWIW, LibraryLover, my ds is on a supplement that lowers cortisol, though he takes it in the PM (phosphatidylserine, per his naturopathic dr).

[LibraryLover]

Some things are so obvious. Why didn't I think of this? I have to work on cortisol levels.

 

Thanks for starting this thread, Marbel.

[marbel]

Does your Vitamin D have calcium in it? While calcium can contribute to kidney stones, there's no reason Vitamin D would.

 

 

That is a good question!  It doesn't say anything about calcium on the label.  "Vitamin D3 as cholecalciferol."  A quick look at that doesn't say anything about calcium...    

 

A few mentioned checked for D3 - that was included in my last check, but for once I neglected to ask for a copy of the report.  So I don't know my numbers. 

 

I've been working with the doc to get my chemistry right to avoid more kidney stones, after one lodged in (forgive my poor anatomy knowledge) the tube between my kidney and bladder, which caused an infection that ended up requiring emergency surgery.    So I am not keen on "disobeying" his orders, though of course I do want to make sure things make sense.  He is a well-regarded specialist and doesn't appear to have any problem with supplementation. 

 

Thanks!

 

 

[marbel]

Re: cortisol - there are a couple of conflicting posts.  Cortisol is supposed to be low, right?  Isn't that the thing that makes people eat more and gain weight when they are stressed out?     Fight or flight... sometimes that is how I feel when I wake up. 

 

I doubt I have been tested for cortisol levels... unless, of course it has to do with kidney stones.

 

Might be time for a general checkup and workup.  Last time I talked to my doctor about anxiety I got a script for xanax which just made things worse.  Oy. 

 

Thanks for all the comments.  

 

Now that the weather is better I'm going to try getting a morning walk in.  I used to do that, but I don't remember if it helped (or if I wasn't waking up anxious then). 

[Cottonwood]

Evening Primrose oil has been HUGE for both myself and my daughter for our moods.  It is very helpful for balancing hormones so if your mood fluctuations have anything to do with hormones, this would be a good recommendation.  http://www.amazon.com/American-Health-Brittany-Primrose-Softgels/dp/B00028ODVM/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1426445781&sr=8-7&keywords=evening+primrose+oil

 

Bachs Rescue Remedy is great for the racing feeling.  I got in bed the other night and the heart racing, mind racing, panic feeling started.  I took this and felt better:  http://www.amazon.com/Bach-LA-AM-FU-Rescue-Remedy-20ml/dp/B00016QT7Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1426445899&sr=8-1&keywords=rescue+remedy

 

Valerian Root capsules is also VERY good for calming.  I get mind from Frontier or Mountain Rose herbs.  Drug store and Walmart ones are crap b/c the dose is so low, in the end it costs a lot more for the miligrams you'd get in just one capsules of a high quality brand.

 

Blue Pastures Cod Liver oil is also extremely good for stabilizing all sorts of body systems.  SO many great food-source nutrients in there to bring levels up.  

With ANY supplements, if possible, pay the extra money to get the best quality you can afford.  Otherwise you may end up ingesting fillers and other unnecessary things cheap companies put in their products, which in turn could cause a bunch of other problems.