Vitamin Supplements
 

My daughter suffered her first concussion at the age of 11, with doctors approval went back to the sport and suffered another 7 months later in a freak accident. With a lot of dr. supervision and rest towards recovery 2 years later she still always feels tired and has constant headaches - not to the point she needs medication; but says they are always there- what she says is her normal now. Wondering what vitamin supplements people have had luck w/ for fatigue, headache and memory troubles (which have improved for her) may be beneficial for her. I have lost sleep over this and don't stop thinking about it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you

See Mark's posts re: vitamins/supplements
 

Here is a link to Mark's post 10-24-2012 in this forum, regarding vitamins and supplements that are helpful to the healing brain:

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread178683.html

It is post #8 in that thread of "Seeking Answers".

Hoping for all the best for your daughter and you.

Theta

I realized I left out a few things. Here it is again with the corrections.

The injured brain needs to do two things, First, it needs to cleanse itself of the toxic remnants of the injury. Second, it needs to regain strength (heal) in the damaged areas. B vitamins are the most important. I suggest:

B-12 (500 to 1000 mcgs daily)
a B-50 complex, for all the other B's so you get a good balance of B's
a high potency multi-vitamin like GNC Mega Women. Centrum and One a Day are too weak.
Some extra anti-oxidants, Vit C and Vit E
D3, plenty of this, 1000 to 5000 iu's
Omega 3, 6, 9 fish oil
Calcium with magnesium

I also have added
Curcumin (pricy but worth it) 950 mgs daily This is a Turmeric extract
DHEA, 25 mgs , a hormone that helps the body balance the other hormones, If your skin gets oily try 1/2 of a 25 mgs tablet
a Costco High Energy multipack (7 pieces) in place of the multi-vitamin


good meat protein for the amino acids, pork is the best or for vegetarians, there is a seaweed based spirulina extract that sounds pretty good. Most vegetarians do not like to eat the seaweed directly.
a good amino acid supplement including essential fatty acid and BCAA (broken chain amino acid). Vegetarian diets are usually deficient in these so they need supplements. Spirulina is suggested as comprehensive enough.
avoid trans fats.
No caffeine, alcohol, MSG, artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Nutrasweet, Equal, Splenda, sucralose), high fructose corn sweetener, and only moderate natural sugar.

My regimen based on the above costs about $1.30 to $1.50 per day including some non-brain supplements (arthritis).

I was started on the brain basics by a psychiatrist 30 years ago as a way to treat PCS depression and avoid medication. It was very effective. I am tempted to replace my paroxetine with 5-HTP but have not been able to find any conversion factors.

The B-12 and folic acid in the B-50 is important for repair of the myelin sheath that protects axon and dendrite fibers. The rest are for improving brain metabolism.

Just a note to top post this thread.

Repost to the top

Repost to the top for a newbie mom.

Just a note to Top Post for newbies.

I have a hard time with all new substances in my body. Vitamins have made me nauseous. Can anyone recommend a stomach friendly way to go on some vitamins and supplements? Any particular brands?

Take them with food.

That does not make a difference for me. They make me nauseous with or without food.

[QUOTE=wakey;937457]That does not make a difference for me. They make me nauseous with or without food.[/QUOTE

Try taking just a couple at a time before eating then put the food on top, if that doesn't work try it the other way, with food first and pills on top. Try different combos to find out which pills are the ones causing the problem, process of elimination. Some vitamins are more like that than others, just keep trying different ways until you find what works for you.

You can also try crushing the tablets and mixing them in yogurt or honey, etc. My wife does this because she has a throat obstruction from a thyroid lump. There are also liquid versions of many vitiamins and gummy versions. Or, maybe you have anxiety issues from a bad experience taking pills. Try eating some ginger cookies before. They might help the nausea. Or take them with a drink of ginger ale with real ginger.

I use carbonation to help them go down. Most of you would gag from just looking at the handfuls I take at once.

Just a note to top post.

Just a note to top post.