James log

[Balaam]

first when I heard of Ray peat I thought he was crazy!!! but after reading some of his stuff it seems to make sense in a strange way.

I'm prone to depression and major anxiety attacks combined with over exercising sleeping like crap is a recipe for disaster so I'm hoping that ultilising some of peats dietary guidelines with maybe small amounts of supplements can help me manage my some problems better without medication and hopefully improve my oxidative metabolism.

 

[tara]

There could well be other things going on, but anxiety attacks can often be associated with low blood sugar levels and/or low carbondioxide levels.
I'm now sleeping through the nigh most of the time, but when I was waking up and having trouble getting back to sleep there were a couple of the things that helped me. One was increasing sugar through the day, at supper, and even a small snack as soon as I woke up. The other was keeping my mouth shut, including at night, to reduce CO2 losses from unaware hyperventilation.

 

[Balaam]

thanks Tara im currently going cold turkey off my meds which is venlafaxine been emotional mess first half of the day crying, light headed, suicidal thoughts and now back at work.

I took some aspirin last night before bed dissolved in water slept better than usual woke up a few times but went back to sleep straight away but woke up feeling a little hung over.

 

[Balaam]

been having brain zaps all day bloody meds

 

[tara]

Sounds rough. If it's too hard going cold turkey, would it be easier gradually cutting down drugs over a few weeks? Crying may help, but please keep yourself safe, get some local support if you can, and see if you can find something enjoyable and absorbing to do at least part of every day.

I looked up Venlafaxine, and they say it is an SSRI. If it increases serotonin, that is likely to cause trouble. Have you read Peat's article about serotonin? Peat doesn't seem to think descriptions about drugs and serotonin are necessarily reliable - more of a marketting catch phrase.

If you search the forum for 'brain zaps' you'll find some other experiences.

Take care.

 

[Balaam]

Cheers Tara yeah I have read Rays stuff but read Matt stones stuff first. Well I think I'm over the first hurdle in getting of the meds now I'm just experiencing fatigue, getting angered easily, getting light headed and just plain cold my fingers and toes are like ice and the skin between my toes are starting to crack.

The one thing I always loved doing was improving my strength and fitness (strength and BJJ) but I have no appetite and don't want to eat.

 

[Balaam]

I'm totally over the side affects of the medication now but the more I keep my emotions looked up the worse my body reacts and being able to see how much people care at work is refreshing.

 

[tara]

Do whatever you can to keep your hands and feet and body warm - eg thick socks, hot soaks, fingerless gloves, all over warm clothes, heat lamp/strong incandescents, warm bedclothes, and at least a little regular gentle exercise. Keeping warm is not just for comfort, but to keep everything working better.

One of the effects of cyproheptadine is to increase appetite. It is also anti-histamine and anti-serotonin. If your appetite consistently does not lead you to eat enough, it could be worth experimenting with. It is an old drug and one that Peat has spoken relatively favourably of. Even quite small doses can make a difference for some people. Eg I think Mittir was enjoying 1/8 of a 4mg tablet/day.