Oh goodness. That's hard to read. I have been on it since my children were born. At least 18 years. And I swore I never wanted to feel that terrible feeling of severe depression again. However, it all makes so much sense to me now since I recently got a positive test result for the MTHFR c677t mutation. My pregancies were hard as well as post pardon. I will taper down though on the zoloft.

Yes, I am anemic. Cannot go without iron tablets or I plummet down.

But one more thing, do you think I need to supplement with magnesium and
D ribose (? spelling) for the potassium since potassium is required for the protocol? I take the magnesium baths. And I eat a great amount of potassium along with the supplements. So no potassium supplements? Food only? And one more thing, while tapering down on the zoloft should I expect a diminish in the twitching after a few weeks or few months? Thanks again. K

I am not sure about this question. I am going to send you a private message, so look for that.

People vary in their ease or difficulty with SSRI withdrawal. So it is hard to predict. Some people use l-tryptophan to help, as this bumps up serotonin synthesis. When the SSRI goes, the serotonin in the synapse goes. This is the withdrawal thing. When serotonin is always in the synapse, the cell stops making it. So when you discontinue, then there is a lull when the cells have to "wake up" and make it again. The l-tryptophan helps with this transition. But you cannot really use it when you still are on the SSRI... because there is a risk of serotonin syndrome. It is mostly for when you reach the end of your taper. Some doctors know about this trick and others not.

Whether your body is quick in fixing the dopamine lack, is also not predictable. But we have had posters here who felt much better with spasms, after getting off the SSRI.

Hi Ron,
CMT is just hereditary neuropathy, there are many variants, sometime the axons go first, sometimes the myelin, and onset and symptoms vary greatly, but if your mom has it too, you probably have CMT. Not everyone has deformity, I have very high arches, and my toes are more or less going their own way now that I can neither feel nor move them, but while extremes make for good pictures, they are not the norm.

Hello Mrs. D,
I was trying to send you a PM but I am able to send it. Maybe because I am not a "registered member". There is no send message on my page or yours for me to utilize. K

Hit reply to the mail I sent you... it may go thru that way.
I can send to you because I am a moderator. I can't do all things here, just some...

Otherwise we wait until you pass into regular posting status. It won't be long now. It is not that urgent anyway. What I will tell you in PM is not urgent..just important overall.

Just be careful tapering down off that Zoloft. Go slowly. Most doctors taper patients too fast. Drop the first 50mg for the first 2 weeks...and see what happens. If that is too fast you may have to do 25mg every 2 to 3 weeks. Tell your doctor and see if he can help... that is always a toss up with SSRIs though.

I do have PN too in my left foot and ankle. Mine is a dull ache at times, centered on the top of the foot going left. I do have swelling. I also get numb and pins and needles. I am taking B12 on a regular basis. I use a topical Lidocane patch, and a rub in with ketamine in it. When really bad I have other things that I try to avoid. The ache stays all the time. ginnie

I am going to try and explain why taking potassium supplements is not a good idea on your own...here on the board. This subject comes up now and then.

How the body handles potassium is quite sophisticated. Excess potassium in the blood is temporarily dumped into the large intestine, from which it is slowly reabsorbed if needed. This is why chronic diarrhea creates a low potassium level.

When you eat foods that contain potassium, it takes time to break them down enough to absorb the ions. Hence potassium does not flood into the blood quickly. But when you take a supplement (either RX or several of the 99mg OTC's at once), that potassium is absorbed quickly. If there is too much on hand and it has to wait to get secreted into the colon storage area or cannot be eliminated by the kidneys fast enough, it will build up and affect the electrical conductivity of the heart.

So getting potassium from foods is really the way nature intended.

The RX supplements are basically used to deal with potassium loss from the kidneys (damaged kidneys lose potassium or conserve it depending on the type of damage), or for patients taking diuretics. We see in hospitals and nursing homes commonly where doctors give too much potassium and end up having to prescribe ion exchange resins to remove it.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...s/a682108.html

People who take certain drugs daily... also can have potassium build up. These are ACE inhibitors, Dyrenium and spironolactone.

So I really caution people not to use OTC supplements, and if you think you need potassium, please consult your doctor and have testing. Eating potassium rich foods is much safer and is what nature intended.

My mother in law was on dialysis the last five years of her life. She was never without a banana and orange juice for the potassium, and my husband is also supposed to eat potassium rich foods, as he inherited the high blood pressure that caused her kidney disease. No doctor ever suggested supplements as it appears to be easily taken care of through diet.