(This was curated verbatim from someone else’s thread in this community because it was in the wrong post topic. The mod team has neither approved nor disapproved its content.)
Category: Nutritional Support
not getting enough vitamin d3 which is different than vitamin D and is not normally tested for by hospitals. Unless you are taking these supplements then it’s almost certain that you are deficient, and the effects of that are that you get sick more often, stay sick longer, don’t feel as happy, and that your brain neurons cannot adequately ‘heal’ after trauma. This ‘sunlight vitamin’ has a host of effects on your mood, brain, and immune system. take 5000iu (125mg) of D3 each day, and you should too.
Here is some research to highlight some of these aspects that seem applicable here. These are things you can begin doing right now that will only make things better in the future. You may notice the helpful effects in only a few days. They have no real downsides and only positive effects when done correctly.
Vitamin D3
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/13/4/883
“This seems particularly crucial while considering the relatively high and often neglected prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in the general population and in specific groups, such as patients suffering from the most common type of MDs, which are major depression (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BDs).”- “In our opinion, the present findings strengthen previous research highlighting decreased vitamin D levels in bipolar patients and support the role of this pleiotropic hormone in BD”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11202759/
“Mental disorders are conditions that affect a person’s cognition, mood, and behaviour, such as …, anxiety, bipolar disorder” - “Research suggests that certain vitamins, including vitamin D, may influence the incidence and severity of these disorders;” - “results: The findings strongly indicate that vitamin D supplementation may benefit a range of mental health and neurological disorders. The magnitude of the beneficial impact varied by specific disorder, but the overall pattern strongly supports the therapeutic potential of vitamin D on these disorders”
These two are on the benefits of this in kids and youths, as most other ones are for adults, but the results are the same, you need to take d3 supplements
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4491165/
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7999324/
this one is a large random sample of people and shows improvements with the fish/algae oils and d3
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5899680/
this is not a study but it can’t hurt to read
Here’s an anecdote that I found online. https://www.depression-understood.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21803
You can get a liquid dropper and put it in a drink, easy peasy. No downside, only positive effects.
a vitamin B complex, just all the b vitamins
b vitamins are water soluble, you just pee out what you don’t use. I eat the costco kirkland brand b complex once a day but you can also take an extra 1 in the afternoon for a pick me up. Don’t eat more than 10 of these a day, but that should be easy.
they give you energy (they are what’s in 5 hour energy), they help your mood, immune system, and most of all they have neuroprotective effects and can help healing of damaged brains.
Due to the diet most people in the US eat, most people are not getting enough of these vitamins and that’s an easy fix
“the study of neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration, and mitochondrial function has contributed the understanding of bipolar disorder’s pathophysiology. Agents targeting these pathways could be a potential therapeutic strategy.”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6007750/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27655070/
“Vitamin B deficiency could influence memory function, cognitive impairment and dementia. In particular, vitamins B1, B3, B6, B9 and B12 are essential for neuronal function and deficiencies have been linked to depression”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33848753/
“Background: B vitamins have vital roles in the development, maintenance, and functioning of the brain, while severe deficiencies have been linked to increased psychological disorders”
- “Conclusions: This study suggests that a higher intake of dietary B vitamins, especially biotin, was associated with a lower prevalence of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0753332221013287
“Folate supplements especially levomefolic acid (L-5-methylfolate) demonstrated improvement in clinical outcomes in certain mental health conditions, such as … and bipolar affective disorder.”
https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-16073-9_6
“A substantial proportion of the global population does not meet the recommended daily intake of nutrients. Chronic diseases can arise from even marginal deficiencies.” - “Inefficient methylation can lead to hyperhomocysteinemia which causes systemic and vascular inflammation contributing to the pathogenesis of many other diseases. Here we present the effects of folic acid and vitamin B12 on the immune system for health and disease.”
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032719322347
" folate has been increasingly studied for treating for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder," - “Adjunctive folate appeared to be effective and safe for MDD and bipolar manic episode”
If you begin to feel more anxious (life caffeine induced anxiety) with the added energy then you might look into taking individual b vitamins
https://neurolaunch.com/can-vitamin-b-complex-cause-anxiety/
“The importance of B vitamins for mental health cannot be overstated. They are involved in the synthesis and regulation of stress hormones, the maintenance of myelin sheaths that protect nerve fibers, and the production of energy needed for optimal brain function.”
Another anecdotal experience of taking B + Mg
https://old.reddit.com/r/bipolar/comments/pwu46p/taking_magnesium_and_b_vitamins_have_calmed_me/
Heres a shit online article trying to sell you things but it does mention some other things to at least look into https://www.healthline.com/health/bipolar-disorder/guide-supplements#15
fish oil / algea oil but really it’s the EPA / DHA oils
https://psychcentral.com/bipolar/can-fish-oil-help-your-brain-and-bipolar-disorder
“The mood shifts of bipolar disorder aren’t your fault or something you can “try harder” to change. There are genetic, biological, and environmental factors that impact the way your brain regulates mood…Including omega-3 supplements as part of your treatment might also help”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4999787/
“The main evidence for the effectiveness of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) has been obtained in mood disorders, in particular in the treatment of depressive symptoms in unipolar and bipolar depression.”
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9398217/
“Human studies suggest low n-3 red blood cell PUFA concentrations and correlations with clinical severity in studies of plasma concentrations in symptomatic bipolar disorder. Results of published n-3 PUFA dietary supplementation trials for bipolar disorder indicate efficacy in treatment for mania or depression in 5 of 5 open-label trials,”