SAM-e and NOW's Mood Support

[Macster]

Hi,

Recently I've been getting some good results using NOW's Mood Support. It contains:

Thiamine
Niacin
Vitamin B-6
Folate
Vitamin B-12
Pantothenic Acid
Mg
Zn
Mn
St-John?s Wort Extract
Holy Basil Extract
Valerian 4:1 Extract
5-HTP
GABA
Taurine
L-Theanine

I've seen and previously bought many of these ingredients individually. One thing I notice a lot is that my muscle spasms are reduced and that in turn I get less bowel discomfort. Also I feel less like my body is locked in place. My movements during POIS seem much freer. All this having to do with muscles might be thanks to GABA, but its hard to tell with all these ingredients.

My main objective is to raise my level of serotonin. My doctor thinks POIS is caused by a dramatic drop in serotonin after O (so O => serotonin drop). I think that in reality it might be slightly different: O => auto-immune reaction => serotonin drop, but in any case, in terms of psychological symptoms I think it may help a lot by increasing the levels of serotonin.

I also began to use SAM-e. I think it's used somewhere in the production of serotonin, as I've seen that it is being used by individuals who have depression.

The combination of both of these has given me a period of almost no symptoms post-O. Has anyone tried any of these and observed a difference in symptoms?

NB: I'm also watching out to keep a very low-carb and low-fat diet as well as consuming a lot of fermented foods to help the gut flora. It seems to help in my fatigue, but I believe that the 2 supplements I wrote about above are the ones making the difference here.

Macster

[Quantum]

Hi Macster,

I am very happy that you have found something effective to help prevent and relieve your POIS symptoms :-)

The NOW Mood Boost formula is in line with what I personally prefer, that is, a low to moderate dose of many things, instead of large dose of a few supplements.  I have checked the concentration of the various component in it, at http://www.vitacost.com/now-foods-mood-support-with-st-johns-wort , and it seems very safe ( suggested dosage is 2 caps a day, but personally I have become very cautious with any supplement, and I would definitively start at 1 caps a day, to be safer).

You ask if anybody tried those supplements and had any good results.  I didn't tried SAMe, it seems an interesting supplement, as it is a good methylation support, and it's helping many useful biochemical reactions, but it is usually quite expensive. Since I have good results othersiwe, I go for a better cost/effectiveness formula  But on the other hand, the list of supplement I take before release in order to prevent symptoms is very similar to what is found in the Now Mood Boost formula  ( to see what I take, exactly, see the description of my pre-pack at http://poiscenter.com/forums/index.php?topic=2090.0 ).    The components used toward reducing anxiety  ( Mg, L-theanine, gabaergic supplements) and helping serotonin level ( 5-HTP)  are similar.   Some sources are similar but different:  I use turmeric as a source of rosmarinic acid instead of Holy Basil  ( rosmarinic acid is a gabaergic agonist, so it has a calming effect on anxiety, and is an IDO inhibitor, which help blocking the effects of the immune reaction, in my opinion ).  There are some elements I do not include, like b-vitamins, and other I use apart form my pre-pack, when needed, like valerian at bedtime, or Taurine as an additional NMDAR blocker, for anxiety.


Do you take it every day or only when you have POIS?   

Currently, I do not take any supplement on a daily basis anymore - I only take my pre-pack before release or just after, and everything else also as needed.  But I do stick to my healthy diet, yoga, meditation on a daily basis, and my weekly exercises, as well as my psychotherapy.

I totally agree that your healthier diet and your gut flora support is also an important part of your current success.

Keep us updated on your results !

Et continue sur cette belle lancée !

[Prancer]

I am trying the Mood Boost supplements (the 'now' brand, as in right NOW hehe). So far, nothing, but it's been only a few days. My guess is it will do very little, if anything, because so far no supplement I've taken has done anything worth celebrating. By the way, I have SO many supplements, I've even started giving some unopened ones away to some friends. I hide them away because I don't want people that I know to think I'm a freak if they see all of them at once.  I'm not as big a fan of suppies as I once was, let's just say that. But, I will still try the ones I deem worth trying out.

[Macster]

I've recently added l-glutamine to this list. I think it is a precursor to GABA. It really helps with my brain fog and anxiety as well as with my muscle spasms. I am also continuing to eat very little amounts of carbs and eating a lot of probiotics. My symptoms seem to have reduced to about 2 days length.

I was recently wondering if there is a possibility that part of the symptoms of POIS may be caused by type-1 diabetes. Lowering sugar intake seems to have helped me feel better and some of the symptoms seem to be similar:

? Being very thirsty
? Feeling hungry
? Feeling tired all the time
? Having blurry eyesight
? Feeling numbness or tingling in your feet
? Losing weight without trying
? Urinating more often (including urinating at night or bedwetting in children who were dry overnight before)

- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000305.htm

I'm thinking of maybe taking a test for ketones or blood sugar.

Quantum, I am using supplements only when I get symptoms, but I usually take them post-O except for niacin. Merci pour l'encouragement!

like they say in japanese: ganbatte! (let's keep working on it!)

[Quantum]

I've recently added l-glutamine to this list. I think it is a precursor to GABA. It really helps with my brain fog and anxiety as well as with my muscle spasms. I am also continuing to eat very little amounts of carbs and eating a lot of probiotics. My symptoms seem to have reduced to about 2 days length.

I was recently wondering if there is a possibility that part of the symptoms of POIS may be caused by type-1 diabetes. Lowering sugar intake seems to have helped me feel better and some of the symptoms seem to be similar:

? Being very thirsty
? Feeling hungry
? Feeling tired all the time
? Having blurry eyesight
? Feeling numbness or tingling in your feet
? Losing weight without trying
? Urinating more often (including urinating at night or bedwetting in children who were dry overnight before)

- https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000305.htm

I'm thinking of maybe taking a test for ketones or blood sugar.

Quantum, I am using supplements only when I get symptoms, but I usually take them post-O except for niacin. Merci pour l'encouragement!

like they say in japanese: ganbatte! (let's keep working on it!)

hi Macster,

It is a good idea for sure to be checked by your doctor for diabetes if you have symptoms like frequent urination, increased thirst and hunger, and weight loss.  Diabetes may be a contributing factor in your version of POIS.   Anyway, if you do have diabetes, it has to be managed and treated, regardless of it having a link or not with your POIS.


By improving our overall health, physical and psychological, it helps in reducing our POIS duration and severity.  I am happy for you that you are now down to 2 days of symptoms.

Like you have said, let's keep working on it !