Side Effects Of Too Much Serotonin

Jerimy Brown

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Joined
Mar 18, 2018
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70
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.

Once I simplified my diet, to rice and bone broth, it was easy to see, within hours, or same day, when something didn't agree with me... I get a ringing in my ears, and a jittery sensation in my muscles when things don't agree with me, and if it gets really bad I start noticing a tightness in my neck and/or other muscles... these things were hard to notice when my symptoms were really bad, but now that I am getting better, and getting used to what to look for, it's pretty easy. Usually, if something isn't agreeing with me at the gut level, I notice it within an hour or two... If it's something that's increasing my serotonin levels, that can sometimes take longer, and will accumulate over days, if I keep ingesting the item that's causing it, so the first day I might feel a little off, or have a harder time sleeping that night, the second day it get's worse, and so on. That's why it's important in the beginning to simplify the diet IMO... You can see what's affecting you easily when you try one new thing at a time. But, what often happens, at least it did with me, is you are desperate to feel better, so you try everything, get worse, and don't know why, because you tried 5 new things on the same day, so how would you know what did it?

I keep a simple food/sleep log every day, and when I have a meal, I write down date/time and what I had, I always make sure it's got protein and carbs, and I come back to the log after 2 hours and write down how I feel after, unless I only eat stuff I know I am safe with, then I don't make notes on it.

Here is a sample of what a couple days in my log looks like for me... I have been doing this since the beginning, so it's easy to scroll back through and see my notes to myself, because the confusion I felt when symptoms were really bad made it had to remember things. Can't tell you how many times I would do something that seemed to mess me up, then go back through my notes to find I had made a note of it before and just forgot... That damn brain fog... I can not express how valuable this log has been in helping me sort out what's working, and what's not. Sample below...

04/23 - I am starting to notice that when I have broth by itself, that I feel a little off, & last week I made a note that too many carbs gave me symptoms, so start making sure to mix a little carbs in each time I drink a broth. Also found information on ray peat forum that seems to support this idea.

04/22 - 6:15am - Vitamins, Zinc, Broth - before workout

04/22 - best night sleep I’ve had since this started. Slept like 9 or 10 hours, which I’ve probably needed for some time, also, I feel like I could go back to sleep if I wanted, and haven’t experienced that since this started either.
DAY 2 - NO JELLO YESTERDAY AND SLEPT GREAT LAST NIGHT - BEST DAY YET

04/22 - 9:30pm - Broth before bed - felt a little off after this cup of broth, but it faded and now feeling sleepy
04/22 - 7:30pm - Rice, Broth
04/22 - 5:30pm - Broth
04/22 - 3pm - Rice, Broth
04/22 - 10am - Broth, Potatoes
04/22 - 6:15am - Vitamins, Zinc, Broth - before workout

04/21 - woke at 4 am and had to take more charcoal. Maybe aspirin did work last night? Last night I slept through the night. too much jello yesterday upset stomach. Stick to rice, potatoes and broth only today.
DAY 1 - AFTER TOO MUCH JELLO
04/21 - 8pm - charcoal before bed
04/21 - 6:30pm - Rice, Broth
04/21 - 4pm - Broth
04/21 - 2pm - Rice
04/21 - 1:15pm - Broth before workout
04/21 - 11am - Potatoes, Broth - Feeling much better since cutting jello out… All that gelatin in my system definitely upset things
04/21 - 9am - Potatoes, Broth
04/21 - 6:45am - Vitamins, Zinc, Broth - probably took these too close to charcoal flush, don't do that again, or you might as well not take them.
04/21 - 5am - 2 aspirin, broth
04/21 - 4am - charcoal
 

Jerimy Brown

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2018
Messages
70
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.

Constatine, I just have to say thanks again... I continue lurking and learning from you on all the answers you provide to others. I spent about 3 months getting myself in order, and thought I was 100%, got really complacent with the diet and seemed to relapse myself with alcohol and chocolate overuse. Honestly, it was mostly the chocolate I believe (I don't really drink often)... I was getting some really positive effect from dark chocolate in my mood, and started eating it daily. Apparently I still haven't learned that just because a small amount of something makes you feel good, doesn't mean you should just start plowing through a bunch daily ;). I've been spending time here just trying to educate myself more, and refresh myself on things. Also the first time I read all these threads I was suffering pretty badly from brain fog, which is mostly gone now, so I can make sense out of more of the info now, with a full mental capacity. This relapse I seem to be experiencing minor elevations in blood pressure when I eat things that don't agree with me, mild sleep issues, mild heat flashes. I am actually having pretty good success with BCAA's this time around too, which didn't agree with me at all the first time around. Anyway, I just want to share my appreciation of the help you have given ginny-red, and let you know it is helping others too ;)
 

Jerimy Brown

Member
Joined
Mar 18, 2018
Messages
70
@Constatine - one other thing. Maybe you have some ideas on this... I noticed on this relapse, at first when taking the BCAA's regularly, I felt great, now I have started lowering the dose, because I feel like if I take the full recommended amount, that I start to feel a little dizzy and start to feel a small amount of a tingling in all my extremities, as if it's lowering my serotonin too much or depleting something my body needs, and when I lower the dose I feel great again for a little while, then wash and repeat... Do you have any idea if there is something I should be replenishing and that's why I am getting some of those negative side effects after a period. The effects are very minor, but I am trying to treat everything with the appropriate amount of concern and listen to what my body is telling me.

Honestly, I would just stop taking them, if they didn't work so well, and they really help with sleep if I am having a rough night.

There is another thread I am following that's more BCAA related, so might post this question there too.

Also, this is the BCAA I am using, if this is helpful in thoughts
https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Machin..._rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=WA5NG1Y1D7NY3JM39QC3
 
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InChristAlone

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Sep 13, 2012
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5,955
Location
USA
I'm wondering if some of the SS symptoms are actually hypervitaminosis A. Which can cause a host of issues including panic, anxiety, mental confusion and a biggie would be intracranial hypertension which causes headaches/migraines. The fact that people do well limiting their diet to rice and broth is no surprise then.
 

m1210

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Joined
Nov 22, 2018
Messages
16
I'm wondering if some of the SS symptoms are actually hypervitaminosis A. Which can cause a host of issues including panic, anxiety, mental confusion and a biggie would be intracranial hypertension which causes headaches/migraines. The fact that people do well limiting their diet to rice and broth is no surprise then.

What makes you think that? Where did they get vitamin A from?
 

Peatogenic

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Sep 11, 2017
Messages
746
High cortisol and high estrogen can cause high serotonin....so it seems difficult to isolate what does what and what feels like what. If you look at other posts, a lot of the serotonin symptoms mirror high cortisol and high estrogen symptoms.

Nevertheless, I think you can start to isolate things personally. Also, I perceive that serotonin can feel good (MDMA?)....so even trying to isolate dopamine feelings seems challenging.
The only thing I've perceived is that the difference between a serotonin high and a dopamine high is that the latter has a clarity and sharpness and intelligence to it? The serotonin high might be that high which is more smile-hazy, all-encompassing, perhaps mildly delusional emotions....kind of that hippy vibe....for lack of a better word. I'm only perceiving this because I'm experiencing less and less of the serotonin high feeling in tandem with other improved health markers. It's really....scary...how much hormones create our identity and world view.
 
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