My health has not been great this year. I've been tired a lot, and dealing with a lot of brain  fog. I also seem to be having trouble sometimes with keeping my mood stable- that symptom in particular has been REALLY bad for the past several days.

Part of it is due to stress, I'm sure. My oldest daughter came home last Sunday after being in Israel for 10 months, and we're still getting settled in. Today is the last day of high school for my middle daughter. My 12 year old son has been INCREDIBLY draining lately; often refusing to go to school. We find something that works for a few days and then the problems start right back up again.

For this thread, I want to focus on my own needs. I often feel like things are *almost OK* and then all it takes is *one thing going wrong* and I'm falling apart again. I seem to need a lot of quiet time, and I never get enough of it. Sometimes I'll have a few hours or even a few days of quiet when I can focus on myself, and I start feeling better- but then inevitably something else comes up and I crash again.

I can deal with each individual "crisis" as it comes up, but I'm thinking about the bigger picture right now. WHY do I seem to need so much quiet time? It's literally been years that I've felt overwhelmed and "peopled out" just from my own kids. I've been struggling to find equilibrium and I never seem to keep it for long.

Is there some specific neurotransmitter I'm likely low in, that supplements could help with? Any herbs that should help? I've already been on SWAMI for several years and I've been taking B vitamins and magnesium even before I found BTD. I'm not sure what else to do.

Wonder if you have one of the MTHFR polymorphisms? Regular folic acid wouldn't be enough.

Have you had food sensitivity work done? Any obvious trigger foods?

Maybe just good old classic environmental allergies?

Hope you figure it out. Maybe take some rhodiola? Get more exercise?

Exercise is hard when I get dizzy and out of breath. I suspect that rhodiola is making me worse. I started taking it a while ago, then after a few months developed anxiety (which had NEVER been part of my symptoms of depression.) I stopped taking it for quite some time. A few days ago I started taking it again, hoping maybe it would help energize me and give me some focus to get through the day. In that week I've started feeling worse. Maybe the rhodiola is to blame.

I also take 100 mg of 5-HTP at night. I used to take 200 mg, then I tried to cut back because it seemed "un-natural" to rely on this product, plus it's rather expensive. I seemed to do OK on 100 mg, so I  tried dropping down to 50 mg. That did NOT go well, so I went back to 100.

Ruth you sound just like I have felt all winter, I've gained 20lb and don't know how, but I've felt tired, etc. I've decided it's all the pollen and the extreme cold.  I just added L-Tyrosine (700 mg) and CoQ10(100mg) because of something I read in the Live Right book. (I think) I've been doing so for almost two weeks and I'm feeling much better, more energized with less brain fog. Might what to look these up and see if they night be right for you.

Oh, thyroid would make sense! More kelp?

Low thyroid....L tyrosine would help

L-tyrosine is an amino acid precursor for synthesis of the neurotransmitters norepinephrine and dopamine.* By improving the rate of neurotransmitter synthesis, L-tyrosine stimulates the central nervous system.* It appears to function as an adaptogen by relieving physical symptoms of stress, such as mood swings.* Chronically stressed individuals may not efficiently convert phenylalanine to L-tyrosine, making supplementation with L-tyrosine desirable.*

L-tyrosine also serves as a precursor for the thyroid hormone thyroxine and melanin, the pigment responsible for skin and hair color and protection against harmful ultraviolet rays.* In addition, L-tyrosine stimulates growth hormone and is involved in adrenal and pituitary function.* L-tyrosine is also a powerful antioxidant, scavenging and neutralizing free radicals and inhibiting fat oxidation.*

Natural sources are found in many high protein foods such as soy, meat, peanuts, almonds, avocados, bananas, milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, lima beans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.

yeah, Chloe, that's what I read believe it might have been Doc D's fatigue book.

I've been eating kelp regularly. I ran out for a while (the HFS stopped carrying it in bulk form) but then I found another source and I've been eating that regularly. I think I recall reading that L-tyrosine can cause or exacerbate high blood pressure, which used to be an issue for me. Also, rhodiola is supposed to bump up dopamine and the rhodiola seems to be making me worse, so would the L-tyrosine be safe for me to try?

I use catechol and some exercise to help in those situations. but if in doubt as to what's wrong try polyvite O.

keep it simple.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

IAlso, rhodiola is supposed to bump up dopamine and the rhodiola seems to be making me worse, so would the L-tyrosine be safe for me to try?

Why not try  eating more high L tyrosine foods before supplementing with pills.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/foods-000087000000000000000.html

some do better with ashwaganda…
the dizziness (been there) is probably severe adrenal fatigue...

Ruthie, can you have spirulina? Contains tyrosine plus might give you the energy boost you're looking for.

http://www.naturalways.com/spirulina-analysis.htm

Spirulina is an avoid for O - at least it used to be. Sounds like Thyroid, my wife has had the same symptoms as you. On Medication right now, trying to find the right one (Type A)

I just checked my SWAMI- spirulina is a diamond. In fact, all sea vegetables are diamonds for me.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

I just checked my SWAMI- spirulina is a diamond. In fact, all sea vegetables are diamonds for me.

Yes, it is a diamond for me as well, I put it in a shaker and powder my eggs,

Quoted from ruthiegirl

I just checked my SWAMI- spirulina is a diamond. In fact, all sea vegetables are diamonds for me.

  This might be a perfect supplement for you for better energy, a little thyroid boost, also some natural tyrosine...

It's a diamond for me too....going to start taking it....good for detoxing...

http://www.herbwisdom.com/herb-spirulina.html

Hi ruthiegirl:

I'm getting less comfortable offering suggestions lately.  I just wanted to let you know that after this winter, I feel as though I regressed nearly back to my pre-BTD days.  I crave sleep especially, and I feel like going to bed in the morning after I finish getting ready for work.

There does seem to be a great deal of stress in your life right now, and that's probably having a strong influence on how you feel.  I hope things get better for you very quickly!

Jeepers Ruthie - really feel for you!! I'm guessing stress plus maybe adrenal fatigue plus the fibromalgia?
You do have an awful lot to cope with on your own, being a single Mum and no doubt the restrictions of your religious requirements can add to those demands at times (mean no offence)... Not to mention your Dad dying recently and now Jack's situation?! The grief from that would still be weighing on you I imagine and now the strain of having to care for your Mum (in some part) as well?!

My Mom doesn't need me to take care of her. She's turning 70 in a few days and she's WAY more energetic and healthy than I am! What does happen, however, is that she makes demands of me that are completely unrealistic for my health and energy level, because it just doesn't occur to her that what she's asking for is too much for me. I'm getting better about telling her when it's too much, but it's still another ongoing source of stress.

Quoted from ruthiegirl

I'm getting better about telling her when it's too much, but it's still another ongoing source of stress.

That's a good start.

If you are overstressed you are the one who can best control the 'optional' stress inputs. Not everything can be avoided but you need to do the best you can not to overdo it.

Hi Ruthie, I am sorry to hear that things have not been going well for you lately and that your health has suffered.  I, too, have been under tremendous stress in my life for the last three years from many different aspects of life.  While I would prefer not to go into my issues, I am happy to tell you some of the things that have worked for me and offer some suggestions.

First and foremost, if you can afford to go to someone who can test your hormones either by saliva or a blood test, I would highly recommend it.  Make sure it includes your thyroid.  You can also go to your PCP and have your thyroid tested.  Given your age and your stress level, it could be adrenal fatigue, thyroid issues, peri-menopausal issues or all of the above.  A lot of what you are describing sounds a lot like what I have been feeling and I agree with idea of adrenal fatigue as a start.  However, with hormones (whether they be adrenal, thyroid or reproductive) it is important to understand what you are dealing with so that you get it right.  Otherwise, it is important to understand that you could make things worse, which is why I recommend testing first and supplementing with the advice of a professional once you have the results.

The information above from misspudding about testing for MTHFR is also a good recommendation because this will help you to better understand how your body PROCESSES your hormones.  In other words, if you are abundant in certain hormones and your body cannot process them all, they can build up in your system and cause very significant issues.

I have just had my saliva tested and will get the results on Wednesday.  I suspect adrenal fatigue and menopausal hormonal issues as well.  My mother's thyroid issues started as a child.  She has been on synthroid for years and my sister is now taking it, so this is another concern of mine.  This is the 4th hormone test I have had in about three years and I am glad to get them.  While they can be expensive (about $180 each) I feel that I save money by not purchasing supplements that I am guessing will help but have no way of really knowing if they will solve the problem.  I am sure we have all been there - gotten a recommendation from someone we trust or heard about a great supplements, spent the money on them and found that they did nothing to resolve our issues.  I have an entire shelf in my closet filled with them.  Now I am trying to spend the money to test for the issues first and supplement once the results are in.  I take the supplements recommended for me.  Once I start to feel that things are not working well again I have them tested again and find that they have changed and I need to change my supplementation.  Our bodies are not static - they are dynamic and things change constantly.

Lastly, I have found a product called Kavinace to be very helpful for my feelings of despair and sadness.  It is expensive but I guess I figure it is worth it to feel less blue.  It helps with GABA and I am sure if Kavinace is out of your price range, you might be able to find another GABA product for less money.  I buy Kavinace at http://www.naturalhealtyconcepts.com
Maybe Dr. D makes a product that helps with GABA . . .

You are in my thoughts, Ruthie, and I wish you the best and hope you feel well soon.

What are you eating?

What past problems have you had?

What do you do for exercise? Anything? How long since you use to exercise in what manner?

Quoted from Patty H

Kavinace

Have you ever noticed any withdrawal symptoms if you stop using it? The main ingredient seems to be a derivative of GABA, as you have noted it is a GABA related product:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenibut

Quoted from ruthiegirl

My Mom doesn't need me to take care of her. She's turning 70 in a few days and she's WAY more energetic and healthy than I am! What does happen, however, is that she makes demands of me that are completely unrealistic for my health and energy level, because it just doesn't occur to her that what she's asking for is too much for me. I'm getting better about telling her when it's too much, but it's still another ongoing source of stress.

Quoted from Possum

...and now the strain of having to care for your Mum (in some part) as well?!

Which is exactly why I said "...having to care for...(in part)" And your answer confirms imo, that this is (not surprisingly) a stress for you
Another thought I had was - could you be starting peri-menopause? That definitely alters your mood and tolerance levels too...

catechol
listen to Dr D

http://www.4yourtype.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NP005
http://www.dadamo.com/media/rhodiola.htm