Hi everyone,

Sorry to take so long to reply but my social life has been so demanding, what with parties, bars and loose women chasing me...anyway, I'm here now.

Imahotep; I've done a fair amount of reading about antioxidants in general and GSE specifically and haven't found one report about adverse reactions, drug interactions or overdose, so don't think GSE will complicate anything.

Also, we see lots of commercials advertising everything from bottled water to hair dyes containing antioxidants; a lot of this antioxidant stuff is hype, reaching out to people who want to look 20 when they're 80 or have unlimited erections, but it does have real beneficial effects besides slowing symptom migration, so taking it daily will probably help in ways we will never learn.

Linmarie; I notice that I never spoke about my attitude about symptom migration, but the bottom line is that it scares the Hell out of me. I don't think I'd be willing to live with pain throughout my body; that I'd probably decide its too much for me.

When I suddenly developed inflammation in all four limbs, my response was immediate and massive: I jumped from 100mg to 300mg of GSE daily and smeared DMSO everywhere five times a day. The DMSO left me with flu-like symptoms, but I knew I would rather feel sick than have full body RSD. If that hadn't worked I would have increased the GSE even more and smeared DMSO ten times a day.

I would do whatever was necessary to stop what was happening to me, and I would begin just as soon as I noticed anything that even seems like new symptoms. The only weapons that I know of are antioxidants, so I would keep increasing dosages until I won or lost.

Artist; I think an I.V. antioxidant would probably be much better: our gut is loaded with OFRs and other reactive oxygens that help break down food molecules, so lots of the GSE is neutralized before they ever reach the body.

The problem is that no one has a clue about appropriate dosages or intervals, so a lot of experimenting would be necessary; experiments that will never be undertaken.

Liz (coachV) gave the most logical answer to your question. I started using GSE because it was what Wal-Mart sold. I read what I could about it and learned that the little information available reported it to be safe and effective so I kept buying it. Had Wal-Mart only sold pycnogonel, I would probably be pushing that.

It boils down to: If it works, don't fix it.

Shaman, a former BrainTalk Forum member, argued that the antioxidants in natural foods were enough to do the job, and I agree that they can help but once I was persuaded that antioxidants might delay symptom migration it seemed wisest to me to supplement what we normally eat. Since much of my diet consists of chocolate chip cookies and Hershey's Kisses, a supplement is probably best for me.

IHH; GSE is an antioxidant while vitamins C and E contain antioxidants. There was an article in Lancet describing how vitamin C prevented RSD in a study of wrist fractures, so there is support for this view. I didn't think much of the study design or their projected numbers, so I never cite it in my posts.

Anyway, I'm a bottom line kind of guy, and the bottom line for me is that I feel safer paying about $10.00 per month and being confident I'm doing all I can.

Desi; I get my GSE at General Nutrition Centers (GNC): a 100 count bottle of 300mg capsules is about $27.00, and thats as cheap as I've found anywhere. You have to buy a discount card ($15.00 per year) and can only buy it at this price during the first week of the month, but I can live with that.

BTW: I let a lot of people down because I took so long to write this thread. I know GSE helps but I kept it my secret.

used to be; my point exactly.

Liz; Of course your neuro, pain doc and family doc have different views; everybody seems to have a view. It would be nice if some doc would take the time to compare RSD symptoms with diseases that weren't discovered until after RSD. If anyone, besides me, did that, the answer would be obvious and we could talk about something else...Vic