Mari (& Bizi re: Zinc)

Since the b6 dosage is indeed mg, it is at the tolerability threshold, which, along with your other sources of b6 (food, etc) will put you over. please do not take it, period. do not give it to anyone else either. if pharmacies have special places for disposing of medications - throw it away there rather than in the trash.

if you really wanted to go overboard supplementing, you could take 3 or 4 mg (that is already 200-300% requirement!). Consider that b6 deficiency is rare, and you, personally, are not even in a risk group for it - you are not an alcoholic, not a heavy consumer of caffeine, etc. it is ok to take a little to ensure you get the basic amount, but on its own it is useless - better approach would be to take a good overall B complex with complementary vitamins, to make sure your body can utilize the available b6.

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navigating products from the b6 page, i found the zinc product description:

http://www.maxvite.com/851/1109/Solg...0/product.html

you click on ingredients to get the amount. it is indeed 50mg.

so, as bizi and i have both already said, that is also too high. please do not take this. i personally would recommend taking only 15-20mg. added to what you get in food, you'd be getting more than that anyway. one thing you might do to see if you can "use" these pills, is check with a pharmacist as to whether it would be safe to cut the pill in half... 25mg a day would be ok. i would skip it on days you consume foods high in Zinc.

~ waves ~

this is not a balanced supplement but it will work. when you finish it, i would seek out something more balanced.

please do not take more than 3 of these per day, ever. it has ridiculously high doses of some things per "serving" (ie per 6 tablets). the b6 in here is also very high, although within tolerability levels.

unfortunately taking only 3 tablets you only get 10 mg of Zinc.

that's better than nothing.

that also means you might be getting enough, considering food.

you could look into food sources and simply ensure you do get at least another 5mg through your food and you'd be fine.

alternatively, if you wanted to add a zinc supplement, you need to add a low dose. like another 10 mg which might be hard to find.

However you might be able to find a 15 or 20 mg supplement easily. do not go above that or you'll exceed 30mg, added to the multivit. in this case, i think it would be ok to take the multivit every day, and the added zinc every other.

if you decide to take more than that, although i do not see too much sense in it, you would need to take copper. my vote is for the dietary checking, and next choice a low dose of zinc every other day.

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the copper/zinc thing is not a bipolar-specific thing. Zinc and Copper are both stored in the body by binding the same compound. Excessive Zinc will displace the copper and cause copper deficiency symptoms - in all humans.

~ waves ~

p.s.

1. this has a ridiculously high amount of b12 - suspend your b12 supplement while taking this.

2. there is plenty b6 in here, as well as other b vits and complementary vitamins. do not seek out an alternative b6 supplement to add on, (i mentioned taking 3 or 4 mg in the post about suspending your b6... well 3 of these pills will give you 30mg!!!)

3. magnesium is needed too for correct nervous system function, and the multivit doesn't have a lot which is fine since you take that separately.

Waves,

I appreciate your analysis of the contents of my vitamin bottles.

M

This twitching seemed to start up again.

Maybe I can organize myself to take one or two of the vitamin pills (of the six called a serving) AND get some sleep sometimes.

M

It's probably stress related benign fasciculations, Mari.

I haven't caught up with your lack of sleep thread or some of this one either, but lack of sleep is so very, very stressful for the nervous system.

Emotional and physical stress can cause these little eye twitches or fascics. I've had them on and off from time to time. I think most people get them under stressful situations if they're that way inclined.

I'll post a thread that I started last year and received some really helpful advice from mrsD and others.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/th...plements Forum
Fasciculations and muscle cramps

I was in a pretty bad way and the twitches and cramping weren't helping my sleep problems either so was like a never ending circle. I thought there was something really seriously wrong with me at the time.

I figured I needed more magnesium and I was right as it did help although time and rest and a number of other things helped as well.

Hi,

I take magnesium. I am missing sleep.

Sleeping appropriately would improve my life in so many ways.

M

Mari

taking your supplements wouldn't hurt and might help, even with the originating problem being sleep-deprivation.

sleep deprivation places additional stress on the body in general. accordingly, your b requirement is probably higher than usual. magnesium alone will not work if there is a deficit in a complementary nutrient.

taking supplements (yours provide the b's and other complementary nutrients) should help you during the day and should improve your sleep quality, when you do sleep.

http://www.boxingscene.com/supplements/9649.php
this article focuses on single vits, but remember, the b vist work together and require other vits/minerals as well. so the multivit is a good integrative solution.

preferably, take the supplements during the daytime - say with lunch meal, not shortly before going to bed.

i wish you the ability to sleep more.

~ waves ~

Waves,

Perhaps I got overwhelmed by the vitamin talk.
I have a hard time focusing on the night meds. When I add ANYTHING to my routine (meds or anything else) I have to pay very close attention to the prescribed meds.

It's been a eleven months I think since I saw my internist. She is going to have a cow.

M

Dear Mari

i am sorry. i won't say anything more about vitamins.

~ waves ~

No. That talk is totally 100% ok. I am sorry.

I guess I should make more sense when I type.

I have not figured out a way to incorporate my multi-vit back into my regime.
Perhaps I can take it in the mornings --- far away from the night meds. Some mornings I take 0.25 Klonopin. I will need to eat food with the vitamin and most mornings I do not eat breakfast. . .
I can work out a way to take the vitamin; I have not yet.



M