Side Effects Of Too Much Serotonin

[ginny-red]

I didn't take turmeric as a supplement, I cooked with it and put it in milk (1 tps typically). I used triphala at about 1g per day, any more and I would get a bloody nose. I dose 500mg in the morning and at around dinner. I made meadowsweet tea with about 800 mg of meadowsweet in a cup and I drank 1 cup. I did not consume meadowsweet regularly as though it did give me clear headedness and often caused a bowel movement it invoked a strange pressure (not quite a headache) in my head that concerned me. My diet is not too consistent but it does follow some general principals: medium-low fat intake and fats should be saturated, high fruit intake especially berries (and thus high antioxidant intake), at least 20g of protein every time I eat (as a low protein diet is detrimental to gut barrier function), a moderate amount of insoluble fiber such as carrots or bamboo shoots between most meals, and an avoidance of too much acidic foods or drinks. I drink a half gallon of goat milk every day but I don't drink it along with other foods as it dilutes stomach acid. I limit my muscle meat intake to twice a week and eat liver once a week. I eat cultural foods often especially Mediterrean dishes. I try to consume around 4000 calories a day and I'm 6'2 175 lb. I completely abstain from alcoholic beverages.

Thank you! And how long did you take triphala and cook tumeric? 3 months or still using this?
I'm 5'68 101 lb so I think that my doses of these supplements should be smaller.
What about dairy, do you eat cheese and drink cow milk? Or only goat milk?
How did you treat your anxiety, only by diet? Or did you take some supplements that calm down/increase GABA or something like that?
Regarding anxiety, did it last for 3 months? Really long time... And what about now, do you feel anxious sometimes?

I've just read that turmeric increases serotonin, won't it worsen symptoms?

 

[Jerimy Brown]

Hey guys, just wanted to come back and post again... Just a little update.

I am heading into week 7 of my recovery, and I am steadily getting better. I wanted to share some foods that seem to help, because I am always looking for more food choices, but seems like every time I get a little too experimental, I seem to experience a setback (I start feeling anxious again, or what I describe as vibrations in my muscles, and cold hands, but at least there is no more muscle twitching, that was really freaking me out).

I have had the most boring diet in the world lately(but it's really helping) because I have found that what seems to work best for me in terms of foods are the following things...

Bone broth(I was trying some powdered mixes, but I found natural liquid bone broth to be the actual turning point for me), white rice with butter and salt, steamed (until very soft) potatoes with butter and salt (sometimes I mash that up with bone broth and it's like having mashed potatoes and gravy ), I found jello was agreeable at first, but the then it seems like I over did it and my stomach got upset (I was mixing extra gelatin into it). I've heard people say you should get plenty of sugar, but I seem to get negative effects from it? I also make a soup with bone broth potatoes and carrot cooked until those items are very soft. I don't know if we should be mentioning specific brands here or not, but I am a working professional (i.e. do not have time to make my own bone broth, it's hard enough continuing to work with this), and if I had discovered these bone broths earlier, I might be further along in my recover now, so I am going to share them in the hopes they help others too? I have found the sprouts brand bone broth is the cleanest, but doesn't taste so great, but there is a brand found at sprouts or whole foods called kettle and fire, and they make a chicken mushroom that is pretty delicious, and from what I understand, mushroom is supposed to help, so I buy the cheaper sprouts brand and flavor it with the expensive kettle and fire chicken and mushroom, to make it more affordable. Again, sorry if I am breaking any forum rules, but I just want to help others if possible, and I am in no way, shape or form associated with the mentioned brands above.

Hope this helps someone else. So glad I found this forum, or I might be seriously contemplating my own sanity after 7 weeks of this... Thanks so much to all who have also shared their stories here, I am happy to see all the information that is on this thread now, I have some reading to catch up on here, but looks like some great info above as I scanned through it.

 

[ginny-red]

Thank you! And how long did you take triphala and cook tumeric? 3 months or still using this?
I'm 5'68 101 lb so I think that my doses of these supplements should be smaller.
What about dairy, do you eat cheese and drink cow milk? Or only goat milk?
How did you treat your anxiety, only by diet? Or did you take some supplements that calm down/increase GABA or something like that?
Regarding anxiety, did it last for 3 months? Really long time... And what about now, do you feel anxious sometimes?

I've just read that turmeric increases serotonin, won't it worsen symptoms?

@Constatine when you’ll be answering for my previous post, also I’d like to hear about your all symptoms now and before. How long did last your headaches and when your anxiety passed? How is it now? Do you still feel anxious sometimes or have headaches?
I don’t know why, but I eat healthy (from 4 days, it’s been 1.5 month from SS), from 2 days I’m taking triphala 1.5 mg daily and still have huge headaches all day and stomach pain, bloating etc... And fear, anxiety, still intensified.
Looking for your help, thanks.

 

[sladerunner69]

Dilated pupils
Goose bumps
High blood pressure
Hypomania
Mania
Rapid heart rate
Relaxation
Shivering
Restlessness
High body temperature
Eye Strain

Rapid heart rate? More like the opposite.

 

[Jerimy Brown]

@Constatine when you’ll be answering for my previous post, also I’d like to hear about your all symptoms now and before. How long did last your headaches and when your anxiety passed? How is it now? Do you still feel anxious sometimes or have headaches?
I don’t know why, but I eat healthy (from 4 days, it’s been 1.5 month from SS), from 2 days I’m taking triphala 1.5 mg daily and still have huge headaches all day and stomach pain, bloating etc... And fear, anxiety, still intensified.
Looking for your help, thanks.

I found that for the first 6 weeks at least, I was desperate to get better, but I was very sensitive to everything. I didn't turn a corner and start getting better, until I got really frustrated, and simplified my diet to plain white rice, and bone broth, at every meal for about a week, then things started getting better for me... It's very difficult to determine what is setting you back when intaking a lot of different things. I started a food diary early on (smartest thing I did through this whole process), and recorded everything I consumed, this helped immensely, because once the brain fog lifted a bit, I was able to read back through my food log, and start to piece together what things didn't agree with me, then when I did the week of nothing but bone broth and rice, I saw improvements, so I am now able to use that as my baseline, so if I am eating nothing but those two items, and I feel good, then I add one new thing at a time, and if I relapse, I can confidently say that one new item doesn't work for me yet.

Not sure my extreme analytical approach is for everyone, but I think in the beginning, in my desperation to feel healthy again, I was trying too much, too often, and doing more harm than good. I hope this helps in some way. Hang in there, things will get better as you figure out what works for you.

 

[ginny-red]

I found that for the first 6 weeks at least, I was desperate to get better, but I was very sensitive to everything. I didn't turn a corner and start getting better, until I got really frustrated, and simplified my diet to plain white rice, and bone broth, at every meal for about a week, then things started getting better for me... It's very difficult to determine what is setting you back when intaking a lot of different things. I started a food diary, and recorded everything I consumed, this helped immensely, because once the brain fog lifted a bit, I was able to read back through my food log, and start to piece together what things didn't agree with me, then when I did the week of nothing but bone broth and rice, I saw improvements, so I am now able to use that as my baseline, so if I am eating nothing but those two items, and I feel good, then I add one new thing at a time, and if I relapse, I can confidently say that one new item doesn't work for me yet.

Not sure my extreme analytical approach is for everyone, but I think in the beginning, in my desperation to feel healthy again, I was trying too much, too often, and doing more harm than good. I hope this helps in some way. Hang in there, things will get better as you figure out what works for you.

Thanks, so you ate only white rice with a bone broth for a week? Sounds like a challange.
And what caused your SS and when it was? How long do you cure yourself?
I’m wondering when will be times when I’ll be able to eat everything, as in previous times before SS. Or is it even possible...

Edit: I see your previous post. And what were your symptoms? Muscle twitching, headaches, anxiety, fear, feel of guilt, lack of self confidence - anything of that? I still feel these symptoms.

 

[Jerimy Brown]

Thanks, so you ate only white rice with a bone broth for a week? Sounds like a challange.
And what caused your SS and when it was? How long do you cure yourself?
I’m wondering when will be times when I’ll be able to eat everything, as in previous times before SS. Or is it even possible...

Edit: I see your previous post. And what were your symptoms? Muscle twitching, headaches, anxiety, fear, feel of guilt, lack of self confidence - anything of that? I still feel these symptoms.

I had all those things, general lack of motivation, major anxiety - the first 48 hours were very rough, felt like having a non-stop panic attack, I didn't sleep for the first 48 hours, was experiencing manic behavior, aggression, at times shortness of breath and elevated heart rate and blood pressure, confusion (that I didn't recognize until I stopped having it), heavy sweating at times, and at others chills and goose bumps. Basically I experienced every side effect there is, except diarrhea and dilated pupils, and I didn't get any of the more serous symptoms like high fever, Seizures, Irregular heartbeat, or unconsciousness, but man did I have the others.

I am still recovering, not 100% yet by any means... Next Tuesday will be the 7th week for me, so at this rate, it will likely be more than 2 months before I feel 100%, but at least I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel finally, I am starting to feel joy in listening to music again, finding myself laughing more often again, so slowly getting better, but I still have to be very careful when trying to add new food items... If I eat something that doesn't agree with me, I start feeling mild symptoms again, but they are milder now, and easier to deal with.

I also found drinking activated charcoal at night before bed would help me sleep, in some cases doing it a couple times a day helped, but I did it a little too regularly for a while and it seemed to irritate my gut, so now I just save that for if I am having a relapse or a really bad night.

Also, if you didn't see my other post above
Side Effects Of Too Much Serotonin
If you can't make your own broth, or the stores I mentioned there aren't available where you live, I know you can buy the kettle and fire broth online, so maybe you can get good bone broths shipped to you, because I feel like the natural bone broth is what really started helping me more than anything else has. Be sure to have some carbs (rice or potatoes) with the bone broth. I read on this forum that too much protein with no carbs can cause a stress reaction, and too much carbs with not enough protein can raise levels.

 

[ginny-red]

I had all those things, general lack of motivation, major anxiety - the first 48 hours were very rough, felt like having a non-stop panic attack, I didn't sleep for the first 48 hours, was experiencing manic behavior, aggression, at times shortness of breath and elevated heart rate and blood pressure, confusion (that I didn't recognize until I stopped having it), heavy sweating at times, and at others chills and goose bumps. Basically I experienced every side effect there is, except diarrhea and dilated pupils, and I didn't get any of the more serous symptoms like high fever, Seizures, Irregular heartbeat, or unconsciousness, but man did I have the others.

I am still recovering, not 100% yet by any means... Next Tuesday will be the 7th week for me, so at this rate, it will likely be more than 2 months before I feel 100%, but at least I am seeing light at the end of the tunnel finally, I am starting to feel joy in listening to music again, finding myself laughing more often again, so slowly getting better, but I still have to be very careful when trying to add new food items... If I eat something that doesn't agree with me, I start feeling mild symptoms again, but they are milder now, and easier to deal with.

I also found drinking activated charcoal at night before bed would help me sleep, in some cases doing it a couple times a day helped, but I did it a little too regularly for a while and it seemed to irritate my gut, so now I just save that for if I am having a relapse or a really bad night.

Also, if you didn't see my other post above
Side Effects Of Too Much Serotonin
If you can't make your own broth, or the stores I mentioned there aren't available where you live, I know you can buy the kettle and fire broth online, so maybe you can get good bone broths shipped to you.

And do you recommend gelatin from grocery stores or it won’t be so effective?
You’re saying that you had all of these symptoms - what about feel of guilt, intrusive thoughts, fear and lack of self confidence? These four + anxiety are worst for me.
Regarding broth, you mean chicken, beef or what? How can I make bone broth by myself? I’d be very grateful for tips and what to use.
And what about coffee, tea - do you drink them? Do you also eat fruits and vegetables? I think that diet should be varied in some way, because organism will be deficient in vitamins amino acids etc, and eating only rice with bone broth could be insufficient.

 

[Constatine]

@Constatine when you’ll be answering for my previous post, also I’d like to hear about your all symptoms now and before. How long did last your headaches and when your anxiety passed? How is it now? Do you still feel anxious sometimes or have headaches?
I don’t know why, but I eat healthy (from 4 days, it’s been 1.5 month from SS), from 2 days I’m taking triphala 1.5 mg daily and still have huge headaches all day and stomach pain, bloating etc... And fear, anxiety, still intensified.
Looking for your help, thanks.

Sorry, I didn't see the notification. I still use turmeric but I took triphala for about a month. Yes your dosages should probably be a bit lower considering your weight. I don't drink cows milk anymore but I do eat cheese in moderation. Unfortunately the anxiety lasted for three months but there were periods in those months it was better. Insoluble fiber from a carrot or bamboo shoots seemed to help my anxiety a lot. It is good for flushing out endotoxin. I don't feel anxious anymore except if I certain foods that seem to irritate me but the symptoms only last for a day. The active compound in turmeric, curcumin, has extremely low intestinal absorption rate so only a small amount gets into the blood stream. The vast majority of the compound resides in the intestines, which is one of the reasons its effective for ibs. Only if you increase its absorption with pepper should you have serotonin problems with it (at least in my case).
What do your headaches feel like? Did you have migraines before? When I first had SS (during the episode) my symptoms were: dramatically altered consciousness (difficult to describe but like my consciousness was shrinking and everything was terrifying and painful), feelings of doom, painful headaches, rapid tremors, intense confusion, rapid heart rate, blacking out, and feeling like I was dying. What persisted for months later was anxiety, muscle tremors, headaches, and moderate confusion (I would even sometimes forget where I was). I no longer have any of these symptoms but I do get anxiety and a mild headache if I don't follow a good diet and lifestyle. Triphala is not going to do anything for the serotonin symptoms directly, its to improve bowel health over time and to work as a mild laxative.

 

[ginny-red]

Sorry, I didn't see the notification. I still use turmeric but I took triphala for about a month. Yes your dosages should probably be a bit lower considering your weight. I don't drink cows milk anymore but I do eat cheese in moderation. Unfortunately the anxiety lasted for three months but there were periods in those months it was better. Insoluble fiber from a carrot or bamboo shoots seemed to help my anxiety a lot. It is good for flushing out endotoxin. I don't feel anxious anymore except if I certain foods that seem to irritate me but the symptoms only last for a day. The active compound in turmeric, curcumin, has extremely low intestinal absorption rate so only a small amount gets into the blood stream. The vast majority of the compound resides in the intestines, which is one of the reasons its effective for ibs. Only if you increase its absorption with pepper should you have serotonin problems with it (at least in my case).
What do your headaches feel like? Did you have migraines before? When I first had SS (during the episode) my symptoms were: dramatically altered consciousness (difficult to describe but like my consciousness was shrinking and everything was terrifying and painful), feelings of doom, painful headaches, rapid tremors, intense confusion, rapid heart rate, blacking out, and feeling like I was dying. What persisted for months later was anxiety, muscle tremors, headaches, and moderate confusion (I would even sometimes forget where I was). I no longer have any of these symptoms but I do get anxiety and a mild headache if I don't follow a good diet and lifestyle. Triphala is not going to do anything for the serotonin symptoms directly, its to improve bowel health over time and to work as a mild laxative.

Thank you! And did you take anything for anxiety (increasing GABA, decreasing serotonin) or just ate healthy?
I eat raw carrot with apple vinegar for breakfest, maybe I should change the time of eating it. Also I drink black tea with gelatin, do you think this could help?
My headaches feel like pressure mainly at the front of the head, I have always enlarged veins on my temples, they pulse strongly (sorry for my english but describing medical things is kinda hard for me).
I had migraines when I was younger (teenager), in previous 2-3 years only mild headaches. Now these headaches cause sometimes nausea.
Is it possible that I still have bloating, stomach ache even if whole day I eat only healthy things? Because of that I’m going to do some lab tests for bacteria, candida and food allergies... But maybe it’s still connected with this awful serotonin.

 

[Constatine]

Thank you! And did you take anything for anxiety (increasing GABA, decreasing serotonin) or just ate healthy?
I eat raw carrot with apple vinegar for breakfest, maybe I should change the time of eating it. Also I drink black tea with gelatin, do you think this could help?
My headaches feel like pressure mainly at the front of the head, I have always enlarged veins on my temples, they pulse strongly (sorry for my english but describing medical things is kinda hard for me).
I had migraines when I was younger (teenager), in previous 2-3 years only mild headaches. Now these headaches cause sometimes nausea.
Is it possible that I still have bloating, stomach ache even if whole day I eat only healthy things? Because of that I’m going to do some lab tests for bacteria, candida and food allergies... But maybe it’s still connected with this awful serotonin.

I don't do anything for GABA as I found even phenibut didn't work for my anxiety. I think the carrot works best between meals. Also you might want to try having a little coconut oil with it. I've heard some people have better success with bamboo shoots than carrots. Black tea should be good. Matcha green tea can also be very effective at reducing endotoxin induced sickness behaviors and it contains a much higher concentration of many beneficial compounds. It might reduce intestinal alkaline phosphate but it seems to be very protective otherwise. Gelatin powder can cause problems for many due to it's interactions with gut bacteria and it's high glutamine content. Glutamine is very neurotoxic to those with already damaged BBB are can worsen damage. Eating animal meats rich in collagen like the skin is much better than refined gelatin. What does your diet actually consist of?

 

[Jerimy Brown]

@ginny-red

I agree with Constatine here on the Gelatin, I would avoid it... It seemed to help me initially, but over time, I had a pretty bad reaction to it. Plus you can get what you need naturally from a good bone broth. Make sure it's bone broth, and not just broth... I buy my bone broth as mentioned before, because in order to make it, you need bone stock, and a lot of time. From what I understand, it takes 12-24 hours to make it correctly. I have never made my own, but I posted a link to one below . Also if you make it yourself, I would be careful with spices, I have found certain spices really effect me negatively, but that's probably different for everyone?

I have found that just about any flavor of bone broth works, I prefer to mix a beef, with chicken and mushroom because mushroom is supposed to be beneficial. You also have to be careful with certain fruits and vegetables.

Also if you are unaware, the point of bone broth is that it's one of the very few items on earth that has protein, without the tryptophan. Most meats and dairy are high in tryptophan, and tryptophan is the precursor to serotonin, so every time I have tried eggs or meat, I have had a bad reaction to those items.

Sample bone broth
https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-bone-broth-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-215311

Here's a good article you should read:
Reducing Serotonin Levels - 180 Degree Health

Here's some other forum post on lowering serotonin:
How To Reduce Serotonin
Help Me Reduce My Serotonin Levels

It's tough, I know I can't live on bone broth and rice forever, but as I get better I am able to try new things... I am able to eat potatoes, and carrots now, I stay away from most green veggies still, because there is a chemical in them that helps your body produce serotonin, I can't remember the name of it. I am making my own fresh juices now, and working on a batch of fermented beet juice as we speak. I recommend reading as much as you can and digging around on the forum... The best weapon you have to fight this is knowledge. I am still learning as I go, and finding that some things that work for others, don't seem to work for me.

 

[ginny-red]

I don't do anything for GABA as I found even phenibut didn't work for my anxiety. I think the carrot works best between meals. Also you might want to try having a little coconut oil with it. I've heard some people have better success with bamboo shoots than carrots. Black tea should be good. Matcha green tea can also be very effective at reducing endotoxin induced sickness behaviors and it contains a much higher concentration of many beneficial compounds. It might reduce intestinal alkaline phosphate but it seems to be very protective otherwise. Gelatin powder can cause problems for many due to it's interactions with gut bacteria and it's high glutamine content. Glutamine is very neurotoxic to those with already damaged BBB are can worsen damage. Eating animal meats rich in collagen like the skin is much better than refined gelatin. What does your diet actually consist of?

Thank you.
My diet contains raw vegetables (tomatoe, onion, cucumber, carrot, cabbage), meat (chicken, chicken liver, sometimes pork), fruits (strawberries, grapes, lemon, mango), rice (brown, white), whole grain bread, butter, coconut oil, apple vinegar, tea (black, mint, camomile), coffee, goat milk (sometimes cow), oatmeal, chia, fruit jam. What do you think?
So you’re saying that the best is bone broth? Where to buy good bone broth? And are all bones good for it or only special onces?
I’d like to ask about my headaches which I described in my last post - did you have similar symptoms?

 

[ginny-red]

And do you recommend gelatin from grocery stores or it won’t be so effective?
You’re saying that you had all of these symptoms - what about feel of guilt, intrusive thoughts, fear and lack of self confidence? These four + anxiety are worst for me.
Regarding broth, you mean chicken, beef or what? How can I make bone broth by myself? I’d be very grateful for tips and what to use.
And what about coffee, tea - do you drink them? Do you also eat fruits and vegetables? I think that diet should be varied in some way, because organism will be deficient in vitamins amino acids etc, and eating only rice with bone broth could be insufficient.

@Jerimy Brown could you please also comment on that?
Thank you for your advices. Could you please send me a link to bone broth which you buy? Or a name of manufacturer?
I’m wondering how long will it take to align all of neurotransmiters in gut and brain and if we will be able to eat everything someday.
You mentioned about fermented beet juice, how do you make it? And how do you eat bone broth with rice, do you add rice to it?

 

[benaoao]

Thank you.
My diet contains raw vegetables (tomatoe, onion, cucumber, carrot, cabbage), meat (chicken, chicken liver, sometimes pork), fruits (strawberries, grapes, lemon, mango), rice (brown, white), whole grain bread, butter, coconut oil, apple vinegar, tea (black, mint, camomile), coffee, goat milk (sometimes cow), oatmeal, chia, fruit jam. What do you think?
So you’re saying that the best is bone broth? Where to buy good bone broth? And are all bones good for it or only special onces?
I’d like to ask about my headaches which I described in my last post - did you have similar symptoms?

I’d work on less PUFAs and grains - chicken and pork are typically high in o6, whole bread brown rice and oatmeal could be subbed out for potatoes, yams, beets, carrots, maybe quinoa and buckwheat or more white rice. Chia is fine I think.

 

[Jerimy Brown]

@Jerimy Brown could you please also comment on that?
Thank you for your advices. Could you please send me a link to bone broth which you buy? Or a name of manufacturer?
I’m wondering how long will it take to align all of neurotransmiters in gut and brain and if we will be able to eat everything someday.
You mentioned about fermented beet juice, how do you make it? And how do you eat bone broth with rice, do you add rice to it?

In the beginning, yes, I found myself suffering from serious rumination, fear/anxiety, which would effect confidence, also major confusion.

I stopped coffee and tea, because I didn't like the jitters caffeine gave me, it made my anxiety worse. You may find that's not the case for you. Plenty of people on this forum swear by caffeine with coffee or black tea specifically. And, I have been considering reintroducing black tea now that I am starting to feel better, and I can eat more food, because I have since learned that you should drink those items with your meals to keep them from making anxiety worse.

In terms of Bone Broth, I buy a cheap clean broth from a grocery store here called sprouts (https://www.instacart.com/sprouts/products/17856186-sprouts-organic-chicken-bone-broth-32-oz), they make the cleanest broth I have found, and it's cheap, but it doesn't taste very good, so I order this (Mushroom Chicken Bone Broth - 16.2oz) online and have it delivered, because it tastes amazing and mushroom is supposed to help lower serotonin levels too. Then when I make a cup of broth, I put about 2/3 sprouts broth (cheaper/cleaner), with about 1/3 kettle and fire for better taste and the addition of the mushroom (expensive/great taste/more ingredients, that didn't agree with me as much in the beginning, but now I have found I can drink a cup of this no problem if I want to).

Fermented beet juice is easy to make and works as a natural probiotic ()

Also, when I look at the diet you mentioned above, I see a lot of high tryptophan items in there, and a lot of things that could be making your symptoms worse. IMO you should simplify your diet a lot for 1 week and see if you get better at all... Rice and bone broth for one week will not do any more harm than the symptoms you are living with... I believe tomato is high in tryptophan, so is most meat, I still have problems with bread and grains, from what I have read, you should stick to white rice and no brown, until you are feeling better. You should always have protein and carbs mixed together, too much carbs in one sitting would really set me off, especially when my symptoms were bad in the beginning. You will never know what agrees with you and what doesn't when your diet is that varied. As I have said before, I am at week 7 now, and finally starting to feel pretty good, and being able to try new things... This morning I just had a blue berry smoothie made with blue berries, coconut milk (canned and carton mix), and water to thin it out.I tried goat milk yesterday and noticed I started feeling some vibration in my muscles again, so milk is still problematic for me, which I also see in diet. Others have said that ginger is great, but it doesn't seam to agree with me, and I have found many spices don't sit well with me either, and before this I ate lots of spicy food. Every person is different on this forum, some swear by things that don't work for me. There is a thread on here, with another guy who is frustrated because all he can consume is bone broth, any food at all makes his symptoms worse, so I am just thankful I can have rice and potatoes, and the blue berries I had this morning seemed to be just fine, so that's a new item I am keeping in the rotation.

If you start simple, and keep a food diary, you will start to be able to make sense of what is working(for you specifically), and what isn't.

Activated Charcoal is good for sudden symptom flair up, or before bed to help with sleep (this should be done intermittently or could irritate the gut)
Aspirin seems to help now, but I didn't notice it much when my symptoms were really bad in the beginning.

 

[Jerimy Brown]

@ginny-red - one other thing to consider is bag breathing... Unfortunately for me, I just found out about this a few days ago, so I wasn't able to use this during the hardest part of my recovery, but I am using this method now. I am lucky enough to live in Colorado, so I live at a higher altitude, so if you don't, this could be even more beneficial to you?

Here is ray peat discussing this a bit, but besides the potential health benefits, it could have a calming effect too, some people recommend this for panic and hyperventilation.




And, here is more info on this forum about it:
Bag Breathing Questions
Bag-Breathing

More information on it:
Altitude and Mortality

 

[ginny-red]

Thank you.
My diet contains raw vegetables (tomatoe, onion, cucumber, carrot, cabbage), meat (chicken, chicken liver, sometimes pork), fruits (strawberries, grapes, lemon, mango), rice (brown, white), whole grain bread, butter, coconut oil, apple vinegar, tea (black, mint, camomile), coffee, goat milk (sometimes cow), oatmeal, chia, fruit jam. What do you think?
So you’re saying that the best is bone broth? Where to buy good bone broth? And are all bones good for it or only special onces?
I’d like to ask about my headaches which I described in my last post - did you have similar symptoms?

@Constatine I think that quite important information is that I’m taking birth control pills for about 2 years, maybe this somehow affects on how I feel and why I can’t get any better?
What do you think about supplementing Zinc? And maybe you know how estrogen/progesteron could affect on symptoms like that?
I think that these birth control pills may cause some lack of balance between progesteron/estrogen/testosteron, I must check it, also they can cause my gut problems because they induce candida and other bacteria imbalances.
I’m looking for your comment on that.

 

[ginny-red]

In the beginning, yes, I found myself suffering from serious rumination, fear/anxiety, which would effect confidence, also major confusion.

I stopped coffee and tea, because I didn't like the jitters caffeine gave me, it made my anxiety worse. You may find that's not the case for you. Plenty of people on this forum swear by caffeine with coffee or black tea specifically. And, I have been considering reintroducing black tea now that I am starting to feel better, and I can eat more food, because I have since learned that you should drink those items with your meals to keep them from making anxiety worse.

In terms of Bone Broth, I buy a cheap clean broth from a grocery store here called sprouts (https://www.instacart.com/sprouts/products/17856186-sprouts-organic-chicken-bone-broth-32-oz), they make the cleanest broth I have found, and it's cheap, but it doesn't taste very good, so I order this (Mushroom Chicken Bone Broth - 16.2oz) online and have it delivered, because it tastes amazing and mushroom is supposed to help lower serotonin levels too. Then when I make a cup of broth, I put about 2/3 sprouts broth (cheaper/cleaner), with about 1/3 kettle and fire for better taste and the addition of the mushroom (expensive/great taste/more ingredients, that didn't agree with me as much in the beginning, but now I have found I can drink a cup of this no problem if I want to).

Fermented beet juice is easy to make and works as a natural probiotic ()

Also, when I look at the diet you mentioned above, I see a lot of high tryptophan items in there, and a lot of things that could be making your symptoms worse. IMO you should simplify your diet a lot for 1 week and see if you get better at all... Rice and bone broth for one week will not do any more harm than the symptoms you are living with... I believe tomato is high in tryptophan, so is most meat, I still have problems with bread and grains, from what I have read, you should stick to white rice and no brown, until you are feeling better. You should always have protein and carbs mixed together, too much carbs in one sitting would really set me off, especially when my symptoms were bad in the beginning. You will never know what agrees with you and what doesn't when your diet is that varied. As I have said before, I am at week 7 now, and finally starting to feel pretty good, and being able to try new things... This morning I just had a blue berry smoothie made with blue berries, coconut milk (canned and carton mix), and water to thin it out.I tried goat milk yesterday and noticed I started feeling some vibration in my muscles again, so milk is still problematic for me, which I also see in diet. Others have said that ginger is great, but it doesn't seam to agree with me, and I have found many spices don't sit well with me either, and before this I ate lots of spicy food. Every person is different on this forum, some swear by things that don't work for me. There is a thread on here, with another guy who is frustrated because all he can consume is bone broth, any food at all makes his symptoms worse, so I am just thankful I can have rice and potatoes, and the blue berries I had this morning seemed to be just fine, so that's a new item I am keeping in the rotation.

If you start simple, and keep a food diary, you will start to be able to make sense of what is working(for you specifically), and what isn't.

Activated Charcoal is good for sudden symptom flair up, or before bed to help with sleep (this should be done intermittently or could irritate the gut)
Aspirin seems to help now, but I didn't notice it much when my symptoms were really bad in the beginning.

Thank you, I think I have to try these methods.
Could you please clarify how you know what make your symptoms worse? How long does it take afrer having a meal to feel better/worse? 1h or maybe 1 day?
Also, I’d like to add that I’m taking birth control pills, which can affect on my gut and hormones.
Maybe you know something about issues connected with taking this kind of drugs.

 

[Constatine]

Thank you.
My diet contains raw vegetables (tomatoe, onion, cucumber, carrot, cabbage), meat (chicken, chicken liver, sometimes pork), fruits (strawberries, grapes, lemon, mango), rice (brown, white), whole grain bread, butter, coconut oil, apple vinegar, tea (black, mint, camomile), coffee, goat milk (sometimes cow), oatmeal, chia, fruit jam. What do you think?
So you’re saying that the best is bone broth? Where to buy good bone broth? And are all bones good for it or only special onces?
I’d like to ask about my headaches which I described in my last post - did you have similar symptoms?

Yes I have those types of headaches but for me they have nothing to do with the SS. I have had migraines since I was born. Though I got rid of them about 4 years ago by avoiding trigger foods and by getting more sun exposure. My migraines returned after SS but went away shortly. Tomatoes and onions can be migraine triggers. I would test it by avoiding them for a few days. Oatmeal can cause endotoxin symptoms if not prepared correctly or sometimes even when prepared correctly. Not that these foods should be avoided but they should be watched closely.

@Constatine I think that quite important information is that I’m taking birth control pills for about 2 years, maybe this somehow affects on how I feel and why I can’t get any better?
What do you think about supplementing Zinc? And maybe you know how estrogen/progesteron could affect on symptoms like that?
I think that these birth control pills may cause some lack of balance between progesteron/estrogen/testosteron, I must check it, also they can cause my gut problems because they induce candida and other bacteria imbalances.
I’m looking for your comment on that.

Birth control pills can most certainly contribute to ibs or even cause it. Natural progesterone has a protective effect on brain function and the brain blood barrier and alters serotonin metabolism in a positive way. High estrogen can definitely worsen ibs but you don't want too low estrogen either. Many women find their ibs gets better during pregnancy and this is likely due to the dramatic rise on progesterone. I would avoid supplementimg zinc as it is hard on the stomach and can damage the brain blood barrier when supplemented. I would just get zinc through foods like oysters or meat (unless these foods cause you problems of course). I do think progesterone is worth a try, I have heard of people claiming it helped them with serotonin symptoms before. I have never tried it myself for obvious reasons (being male) so I can't offer my personal experience.