Sunday, November 2, 2008

Sunday supplements and some saving grace

I took my Provigil today and it's working after not having taken it for weeks, getting more sleep, and not working at work so much. Good thing as I am finishing up sick bank leave stuff and things sound so much better today than yesterday. Plus, the sun is out and I am allowing it to shine on me because it's in the 40s out there so I am not overheating like I do in the summer.

My dad was in the emergency room for an emergency but now he is out. Thank you someone upstairs, and I don't mean the Indian couple with the son who seems to enjoy jumping rope repeatedly for hours indoors on my ceiling.

The paper work for the leave seems to be coming together okay now or at least I feel better about it. I have some compiling of papers to do today and then I should be good to go with those packets at the crack of dawn when I drive those plans in.

My kiddos at work have a state test in Social Studies in a few weeks so it's been rather challenging to try and get them prepared when it's not me doing the preparing. I'm a bit of a control freak about those d@mn state tests. But, I am learning to let some things go....

Which brings me to Sunday supplements!

Does anyone out there feel safe in telling me any non-MS meds you're taking, such as vitamins and supplements? I'd love to read what others are into as I am exploring all this new territory.

My freshman college roommate takes some different things: D3 at 10,000 IU daily, Quercetin 1,000 mg daily, Omega 3 fish oils 4,000 mg daily, and a multivitamin.

I am exploring the Quercetin and Omega 3 as a possible addition to my regimen of MS goodies. I currently take D3 2,000 IU daily (plus a once weekly 50,000 IU pill for the next 7 weeks), a multivitamin and some extra calcium.

Quercetin is a strong antioxidant (I think, I'm not sure) and I saw it advertised on my hotmail with Lance Armstrong and this product FRS that has quercetin as its main ingredient. Lance is out of retirement and training again for the Tour de France and he has a rocking body and he trains hard. I know its got to be clean if he's taking it but I suspect this is pricey as I didn't see it at Wal-Mart in just the quercetin form when I looked for it last week.

Anyone care to share what extra supplements they're taking and if they think they're working?

I'd appreciate any info you care to share. I so want my life back and I want to build up my strength so I can slowly run again and shake this fat off of me. Plus, I want to be an awesome teacher again who has tons of energy and enthusiasm. I want to be the me I was pre-MS!

8 comments:

Denver Refashionista said...

"I want to be an awesome teacher again who has tons of energy and enthusiasm. I want to be the me I was pre-MS." Amen sister.

I don't take anything but I am experimenting with diet. I'm gluten-free this month. I don't see changes yet but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Shaun said...

I only take a daily multivitamin. Since I take so many drugs for my MS (cymbalta, baclofen, Neurontin, Aderall, Nadalol, and one more I cannot remember the name of) plus I take two medicines for frequent diarrhea from gall bladder surgery and Pravistin for my cholesterol. I am also on Tysabri. Please forgive my spelling.
So, I hate to take any other drugs/supplements since most of them have not been studied well enough to know how they will react with all of my other drugs.
Have you asked your doctor about supplements?
Sorry for the long comment.
Love your blog,
Have a groovy week!
Shaun
www.roomswithaview.typepad.com

~Erin~ said...

Hey Weebs!

I've been taking a multivitamin with iron and Vit B complex. I've heard B12 is important in MS, in fact when I have my blood tests thats one of the things they check the levels of. My other meds are Cymbalta and lexapro (for depression), Copaxone, Neurontin, Trazodone (sleep), Relpax (as needed for migraines), Depakote (migraines), and now amantadine (fatigue). I've also been eating alot more fresh fruit.

Too many it seems, but hey, whatever helps me feel human I'm willing to try!

Muffie said...

I was told by my neurologist at my August visit to begin supplements. He has me on a multi-vitamin, calcium and Vit. D, and Omega 3 (be careful, it can be "binding"). He also suggested CoQ10, but it's too expensive for me right now. I'm not working (an educator, also) and just SSDI on which to survive. Good luck with all you're experiencing.

Unknown said...

I'm a naturopathic student and my boyfriend has MS so I've been doing some research into supplements. Most MDs know little about nutrition, but NDs get lots of nutrition education, so may be worth consulting an ND.

The short answer is:
Vitamin D - deficiency link to MS, disease prevention, mood
B vitamin complex - for energy, stress reduction
B12 (methylcobalamin sublingual or via injection) - for myelin health, energy, mood, etc
Fish oils - anti-inflammatory
Carnitine/Acetyl carnitine - for energy
Ginkgo biloba - for cognitive function, energy

The long answer is that there are lots of things to look into, including dietary guidelines, supplements, acupuncture, etc. If you have insurance coverage for natural healthcare (naturopathy, osteopathy, acupuncture, massage, etc) it would be well worth it to meet with some of these providers to get their full take on things.

Unknown said...

Also, about quercetin, it is an antioxidant and therefore anti-inflammatory. It is often used for allergies (it has specific action for this).

Fish oils (large doses good for MS) are also very anti-inflammatory and can have a major impact on mood. There is a doctor at Harvard (I think) who has successfully treated depression just with fish oils, B vitamins, and exercise and gets results superior to drugs. Fish oil probably cheaper than quercetin and you should see results in 2-3 weeks.

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