I read some people add DMAE with it. Thoughts? Memory problems are my worst symptom at the moment and I came here today searching for something to add to my supplements. I wonder if this will affect my heart like magnesium which I had to completely quit taking. My doc said it was inflaming my heart lining.

So far, I am not seeing much in the way of "mental" improvements. In fact it makes me tense and irritable instead, at 50mcg in the morning daily.

So I skipped two days, and now am trying 1/4 tablet 25mcg today. There is a distinct improvement in my weakness however, and arthritis pain perception. I don't really need memory enhancement yet. I do also have some sinus congestion from the 50mcg dose.

Hubby is taking 50mcg daily after breakfast...and seems to be doing his outside working chores more easily (lots of oak leaves to remove from our property). He is working well on the restore discs for our new computer, and so far seems to process this supplement differently from me.

I am having lots of side effects from this even at the 25mcg dose.

I am reading that Hup A can accumulate in the body...so I am only taking it every 3 rd day now. Hubby has no side effects from 50mcg a day. So I have him taking it every other day, just in case.

I'm wondering how it's been going with the huperzine supplementation? I purchased the same one from Amazon, then read your thread and reconsidered taking it.

I am currently using dextromethorphan as an nmda antagonist, and it is working great, but I'm looking into more options. Anyone know whether taking 2 NMDA antagonists at the same time is either a good or bad idea?

Im looking into this. Lately I have made a lot of glaring errors that have led me to ask my partner to double check all my travel itinerary's. I've had some difficulty not only with memory but with processing information. Its only mild and most of the time Im OK buts its something that's creeping up on me and at 52 its probably the right age

However Im even more interested if its something that may help with Pn Pain.
Mrs D your issues are ,mostly muscular and arthritis based, or are you seeing improvement in nerve pain as well

I deal with I herb and they have it there. Looks inexpensive

http://www.iherb.com/search?kw=Huperzine+A&x=9&y=22#p=1

I've given it up... for now. Hubby is not asking for any either.
He took one 50mcg dose last week.

I've had to go back on my SAMe as my right knee has flared up.
Then my shingles pain came back... so it is 1 gram of Lysine a day. With those two, I am doing quite well actually. The SAMe really helps me with mood and dealing with pain. 400mg is what I am using right now daily. I used SAMe for over a decade while I was still working. I thought my knee was fairly normal so I finally discontinued it. So now I think it might be a lifelong thing for me.

The huperzine is difficult. It might be good for some people, but it seems to make me very tense and congests my sinuses, which then leads to pressure headache feelings.

Yes, zorro, that is the one I bought too. They break easily so you can adjust your dose from 25mcg to a full tablet. Keep in mind that it can build up in the body, so you may have to skip days or take "vacation" days from it.

@Breia-- yes, I use DM too. I did notice once when I had a bronchitis, that high dose DM did impact my feet. But now I don't really need that much. I posted here about it in fact.
Keep in mind that using DM is problematic with any antidepressants.

Magnesium is a good NMDA antagonist too. The new Morton Epsom lotion is wonderful rubbing into problematic areas. I use mine every day.

Our PD forum (and also MS) has posts about low dose DM being an agent to prevent neurodegeneration in the central nervous system (CNS). There are many posts about this aspect of it.
If you visit and search those forums, there are lengthy discussions about it. One of our members, Nide44, tried the high dose DM with his doctor's supervision based on some studies that came out several years ago...but it didn't seem to work for him. So I guess it is a highly individualized type of treatment, where some people do well with it, and others don't seem to benefit as much.

I use Robitussin DM at night for excessive sinus congestion or coughing (I used to use an ACE inhibitor which can cause a dry cough)...and did notice that it can help with PN pain. At least it seemed to help with burning when I had that symptom often at night. But I have found over time, that avoiding the nightshade veggies reduced burning for me much more efficiently.

Mrs.D,

I have been taking SAM-e for a long time now. I am taking the 600mg daily. It helps me with my left knee arthritis but I dont notice improvement in my fingers though. As for the mood, the effect on me is not consistent..sometimes it helps, sometimes it makes me irritable.

Mary

Yes, there can be an irritability factor with SAMe... but I find for myself, that it wanes, as time passes. The first 2 weeks to a month can be very energizing.

If you back off to 400mg a day or alternate 400 with 600 every other day you may find it less irritating. I think one should remain flexible because everyone has different neurotransmitter status, and these doses are very broad and there is not way to identify yet how much people would need, other than trial and error.

i just came across your post re: magnesium inflaming your heart lining & since i am one year post heart attack, i am concerned that the epsom lotion i use could somehow have a negative impact on my heart! how did your doc find out it was inflaming your heart lining? TIA!

I also would like documentation about
That doctor's statement.

Doctors are known for making weird
And sometimes inaccurate or stupid
Statements to frighten patients.

In fact LOW magnesium levels are common
And can lead to torsades de pointes... A fatal
Arrhythmia.

SlowMag in fact was formulated for doctors
To use for their patients. It has remained OTC in
fact.

Using the RDA dosing is all one needs..
High doses are not necessary for most people.
But studies show that up to70% of people
in the USA do not get the RDA for magnesium.