I have decided that I am going to get serious about my daily vitamin regimen. RDA seems to be a very subjective thing, and I am simply not sure how much of certain vitamins/supplements I should be taking to assist my brain in the healing process.

I will list all vitamins I currently have. If you have any recommendations or opinions, PLEASE let me know! I am asking for your help in the development of an unstoppable regimen that not only I, but other TBI sufferers as well can benefit from.

1. Multivitamin that contains A, C, D, E, K, and various minerals.

2. B-100 Complex.

3. Fish Oil/DHA.

4. C-1000mg

5. Magnesium - 500mg

6. Zinc - 50mg

7. Octacosanol - 5000mcg

8. Piracetam - 1600mg

I am also looking to supplement B-12 and possibly B-6 individually as well. Any insights are greatly appreciated in the development of my regimen.

I suggest you increase your B-12 to 500 to 1000 mcgs. 100 mgs of B-6 is probably adequate. You can get your blood tested for B-12 to see how well your body is absorbing it. You want to be at about 1000 ug/dL. Folic acid (folate) should be above 20.

Piracetam is of questionable value for the price. It is widely promoted by profiteers.

Octacosanol does not appear to have much validated research to support its use. It is primarily promotes for ALS and Parkinson's. Nothing indicates it value for mTBI. Like creatine, it is of most benefit in body building and muscle function.

You need a balance of D3 and calcium with the magnesium. Phosphorus is also important with this group of supplements.

Omega 3, 6, & 9 fish oil is the recommended way to get the Essential Fatty Acids. BCAA ( Broken Chain Amino Acids ) are also important. They can be found in supplements or in meat, especially pork. Bacon.... Yummmmm

Thanks for the very thorough response, Mark. I hope you have been doing well.

Through continued research, I have come to a similar conclusion about Piracetam/Octacosanol. I purchased Octacosanol after reading the following excerpt:

From William Walsh, Ph.D.

"I have met many persons who are in prison because of behavior changes following a head injury. A prime example is Bobby Joe Long who became a different person after a motorcycle crash, and now is on Florida's death row for murdering eight persons. I've tested his chemistry, and it is quite normal. I believe that approximately 5 percent of prison residents are incarcerated because of behavioral changes after a head injury.

Many years ago, the great Carl Pfeiffer told me that head injury patients often respond well to supplements of octacosanol (2,000 to 4,000 micrograms daily), taken together with zinc, B-6, and Vitamin C. He said that it helped repair damage to myelin sheaths in the brain. I've used this many times over the years with apparent excellent success, based on anecdotal case histories (which of course have limited scientific value).

A few years ago, we collaborated with a doctor from the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital which specializes in head and spinal injuries. We provided the above nutritional supplements to about a dozen persons with severe brain injuries. About 2/3 of them reported very nice improvements. One man who had been on a plateau after 2 years of Schwab's physical therapies was able to walk again after 3 months of octacosanol, etc. Another head injury client with aphasia was able to talk coherently after a few months."

It's also incredibly cheap. It's unlikely I will purchase more due to lack of scientific validation...but hey, I might as well finish the remainder of my supply.

Piracetam, on the other hand, seems like more of a waste of money to me. Good as a supplement for healthy people, perhaps, but not necessarily efficacious in reducing sequalae post-mTBI.

My multivitamin contains the following:

Vitamin A - 3500IU
Vitamin C - 90mg
Vitamin D - 400IU
Vitamin E - 45IU
Vitamin K - 20mcg
Thiamin - 1.2mg
Riboflavin - 1.7mg
Niacin - 16mg
Vitamin B6 - 3mg
Folic Acid - 400mcg
Vitamin B12 - 18mcg
Biotin - 30mcg
Pantothenic Acid - 5mg
Calcium - 210mg
Magnesium - 120mg
Zinc - 15mg

My B-Complex 100 is sustained release and contains the following:

Thiamin - 100mg
Riboflavin - 100mg
Niacin - 100mg
Vitamin B6 - 100mg
Folic Acid/Folate - 400mcg
Vitamin B12 - 100mcg
Biotin - 100mcg
Pantothenic Acid - 100mg
Choline Bitartate - 10mg
Inositol - 10mg
Para-Amino Benzoic Acid - 10mg

I just purchased a 2500mcg (2.5mg) B-12 supplement that I will take daily, as the 100mcg in my B-100 Complex is very weak.

Vitamin C - 1000mg

Magnesium - 250mg

Zinc - 50mg

1200mg of Fish Oil per day. Or possibly 2400mg per day. Thoughts?


So, in conclusion, this is my daily intake aside from food:

Vitamin A - 3500IU

Vitamin C - 1090mg

Vitamin D (In form of D3/Cholecalciferol) - 400IU

Vitamin E - 45IU

Vitamin K - 20mcg

Thiamin - 101.2mg
Riboflavin - 101.7mg
Niacin - 116mg
Vitamin B6 - 103mg
Folic Acid/Folate - 800mcg
Vitamin B12 - 2618mcg (2.618 mg)
Biotin - 130mcg
Pantothenic Acid - 105mg

Calcium - 210mg
Magnesium - 370mg
Zinc - 65mg
Selenium - 105mcg
Copper - 2mg
Manganese - 2mg
Chromium - 120mcg
Potassium - 99mg

Fish Oil - 1200-2400mg

Choline Bitartate - 10mg
Inositol - 10mg
Para-Amino Benzoic Acid - 10mg
Lycopene - 600mcg

Octacosanol - 5000mcg (5mg)
Piracetam - 800-1600mg

Any recommendations on how to make my regimen more sound are greatly appreciated. I am considering supplementing additional D and E, but I have not yet arrived at a decision on that. I also am aware that Calcium intake needs to be higher than that, but I think I get a fair amount of it in my diet. I feel like Howard Hughes in his later days battling intense health anxiety with obsessional tendencies.

You will have to take that extra B12 on an empty stomach or it won't be absorbed well.

Also make sure you are not choosing magnesium in OXIDE form.
This type is not absorbed either.

You might consider using more choline or a phosphatidylserine product. This nutrient helps build cell wall membranes.

Choline is plentiful in egg yolk. You could just eat more eggs and get far more that way.

Be careful with high dose B6.... some people get neuropathies from high dose B6. 100mg a day is about the upper limit for some. We've had people complaining on PN at 50mg a day and lower.

To all Vitamin Experts,

Is it possible to get all these sublingual? Bcuz my stomach is so sensitive and I have been trying to get something which doesn't make nauseous. My Neurologist told me to stop B12, B6, Biotin, Folic acid (all sublingual) and Vit D since I went overboard on Vit D and was reaching close to max range on B12 (900+). For my symptom wise not sure it did anything but atleast I am hoping for my fatigue it can help if I find the right one.

Lately I found Vitamin water (no sugar, no sodium, zero calories etc.,) doesn't upset my stomach too much and not sure how much I am supposed to drink everyday?

Any suggesions?

Cheers!

Very little is absorbed sublingually. Even B12 works orally better from studies using it orally.

You can take them with food, except for the B12 that you might choose separately. B12 is so tiny in amount, it never causes upsets.

Take the rest of them with lots of water. You can break them up, say 1/2 of them in AM and half at lunch.

Thanks mrsD. B6, B12, Folic Acid, Biotin and Vit D - I have no problem since I take sublingual on empty stomach which my body absorbed very well.

Problem is with other vitamins, minerals, omega 3s etc., Tried with food, before food and after food still it upsets stomach.

Cheers!

pcslife,

Did you mean that your doctor was concerned that your B-12 level was at 900+ and getting too high?

My doctor wants my B-12 at about 1000. The standard high of the targeted range is 960. Nothing wrong with 900 to 1000.

I don't worry about taking B-12 on an empty stomach. I just know that the way I am taking it, my blood level stays about 1000. If I am excreting some, that's OK because my blood level is still good.

If fish oil upsets you there are two ways around that:

1) buy the enteric coated type, which dissolves in the intestine.
2) switch to Krill oil, which is very easy to tolerate. 2 a day is enough as it is in a form which is absorbed better. MegaRed is one brand, available at Costco at a really good price. Amazon sometimes has it too, affordably...but drug stores charge almost double for it.

It is best to take oil soluble vitamins with food.

Food in the stomach absorbs B12 and makes passive absorption not effective. This is the same trait that happens to thyroid hormone and digoxin. Both drugs are in microgram amounts and lost in food present in the GI tract. Studies have shown this.

Poor digestion or irritation will clear up with time when you use Omega-3's. They enhance the lining of the stomach and most GERD or heartburn or reflux goes away. It did for us 10 yrs ago!
Omega-3's are involved in maintenance of stomach lining and lungs.

Thank you very much mrsD. I sure copy all this and try one at a time and see what works for me. I forgot to mention I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome (for 3 decades) which is what making things very complex. If Omega-3, Fish Oil etc., works in some way and doesn't upset my stomach I will be really happy.

Mark: You are right. My Neurologist thinks some way going 900+ may not be good. Infact I was getting toxic with Vit D. I was taking B12 1000mcg(?)/day, Vit D(10000 IU/day). He is supportive of all vitamins, B12s and he is an Integrated Neurologist who listens. I started again on B6, B12, Folic acid and Biotin (sublingual and in empty stomach) after 3 months break. Thanks for the info.


Sorry lindberg711 - I didn't mean to steal this thread.