Vitamin tip from Neurologist for those with Memory problems

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kotshka, I'm pretty sure that leafy veg such as spinach and watercress have high levels of iron.

B12 vitamins are expensive here, but I'll have a look around and see if I can find some reasonably priced to try. While we're on the topic of vitamins and minerals, does anyone else here have high levels of magnesium? Whenever I go for a blood test I'm always told that I'm anaemic and need to take more iron supplements but that I have high amounts of magnesium, considering it's supposed to be trace amounts. Perhaps it's just me.

Thanks a lot for the information! I have health insurance that allows me to go to one specific clinic for foreigners, but I have to miss a day of work to go because they're only open on weekday mornings and early afternoons, so I avoid going to doctors when possible. I'll get the vitamins today and try it out and see if there's any improvement. There's nothing severe yet, but I'm definitely at the "worrying" point. I had a period of use of psychedelic drugs over a year ago which I was wrongly informed were safe, and since then I've been afraid of possible schizophrenia, but over a year later I'm still able to function independently, so I haven't hit the panic button yet. The hallucinations and other signs are pretty mild (trails, items looking warped or still objects appearing to move, seeing someone walk by out of the corner of my eye then realizing there was no one there, not being sure if I'm awake or dreaming sometimes, general brain fog and memory issues, disjointed flow of information in my brain) and so far none have caused any interference in my life, but I'm monitoring myself very carefully. If things don't improve with the vitamins, I will find a doctor.

I do get plenty of protein by the way, from beans and tofu and such. I should get iron from green vegetables as well (I eat LOADS of veggies), but when I start to notice I'm bruising a lot, I take a supplement for a few days. I do also eat eggs pretty regularly, but I have to limit my egg consumption because I have a very mild allergy to them and if I have too much, I get an upset stomach.

Since we're on vitamins, I also have really horribly poor circulation. My hands are almost always cold and they turn blue when I get out of the shower. Is there any chance this is also related to a vitamin deficiency? I'm open to suggestions!

Thanks a lot for all the info!

Kotshka, it sounds like you should get your thyroid levels checked if you haven't already. Cold hands, feet, brain fog and memory problems are all symptoms of a thyroid disorder. It really sounds like you need to get time off work to see a doctor.

Also, I hate to break this to you, but taking psychedelics (and even just marijuana) can trigger schizophrenia (or other psychotic disorders) in people with AS or others at risk for mental illness. I would get yourself under the care of a psychiatrist ASAP. The problem with schizophrenia is that at some point the patient looses awareness of their own illness, and will no longer cooperate with doctors and things go downhill really fast. So if you are starting to get that, you need to get it under control before it gets so bad that you are unable to take care of yourself. I would try Geodon at night first, and if that does not work, Abilify. All the other anti-psychotics cause serious weight gain and increase your blood sugar levels, so they are last resort measures. And if an anti-psychotic doesn't stop the hallucinations, stop taking it. If it does work, keep taking it even if you're feeling all better. Some of these drugs can actually induce psychosis in people with AS, so you have to be super careful using them, and keep the number of psych drugs to an absolute minimum.

I wish you the best for getting through this.

I've had my thyroid tested many times. Growing up there was always concern over my low blood pressure and low weight despite my healthy appetite, but tests always came back normal. The conclusion was always just that I had a really fast metabolism and poor circulation. If there's another underlying cause, no one has been able to find it yet.

You're not breaking anything to me regarding the drugs, I'm aware of that fact now. I just wasn't aware of it when I tried them. It has been over a year and these symptoms have remained relatively stable. They definitely have not gotten worse and some of them have gotten better. You say things can go downhill quickly, but there has been no quick change of any kind. The worst of it (paranoia) went away a couple of months after the traumatic final lsd trip that caused me to stop taking the drug. I think the vitamin deficiency is actually more likely in my case. I will try the vitamins first. I have had terrible experiences with medications in the past. I'm allergic to so many, and I had a terrible time with various antidepressants (one of which nearly triggered a suicide attempt). I always seem to get just about every possible side effect on the label - if a drug has the potential to actually cause psychosis, I am likely to be the lucky one in a million who has that happen. So I only use any kind of medication as an absolute last resort.

I have a very good group of close friends who I am very open with. They know about my current issues and are keeping an eye on me. We've discussed that if I ever seem to be losing my grip, they are to drag my ass to a doctor immediately, regardless of whether I accept it or not. I trust them enough that I'm not worried about anything terrible happening. Most people who know me well seem to agree that my issues were likely triggered by using too much of those drugs in too short a period of time, then suddenly stopping due to a really terrible experience that traumatized me for a short time. After that, there were some really unpleasant things that happened in my life which raised my stress levels to problematic levels. In fact, it's quite likely that much of my problems are a combination of HPPD and derealization brought on by stress, both of which are basically harmless, although distressing. As I solve the problems in my personal life and spend more time doing tai chi, my stress levels are slowly coming down, and some of the problems are resolving themselves. If you assume HPPD and derealization, my only real problems are memory issues and disjointed flow of thoughts, both of which could be explained by a B12 deficiency, which is quite likely given my diet.

Anyway, thanks for your concern. I'll keep it in mind. For now I'll try the supplements and see if things improve. If they don't, I promise to see a doctor.

Kotshka,

Thank you for your reassurances. I have just had such horrific experiences with my mother getting paranoid schizophrenia after taking diet pills when I was a kid, my daughter having a psychotic disorder for 3 years till she was hospitalized for 3 weeks, my fiance having serious thyroid problems, and myself having horrible brain fog from ADHD and whatever else is causing it, that you hit on all the major illnesses I've been dealing with in my life except cancer. I've learned so much about all this stuff (the hard way), that I hate to see others suffer needlessly due to lack of information. Though obviously in your case you seem quite well informed already. I'm sure if you could somehow see an alternative medicine nutritionist, they could recommend useful supplements in addition to the B12, but that can get very expensive very fast. Oh, and my fiance told me that if sublingual 2500mcg B12 does not help within one month, it's not working so don't waste money on buying more.

On a side note, my fiance also has the same problems with you regarding low weight, low blood pressure, fast metabolism, brain fog, cold extremities, etc. in addition to low blood count, and until he turned 55 he never had a bad thyroid test. Just through experimentation he started taking some herbs many years ago intended for thyroid functioning, and they greatly helped him. Now he takes actual thyroid medication, and it's made a huge difference. I'm sure he'll be interested in hearing about someone else with such similar symptoms.

Well, I am glad to hear you have friends watching out for you, and I wish you the best in your recovery.

Wow, sounds like you've been through a lot! Thanks to your help I am now better informed, particularly about the vitamins. I will take the supplements for a month, carefully monitoring myself in the obsessively analytical way that makes me happy, and if there isn't improvement by then I promise I will seek further assistance. Best of luck with all your difficulties!! ! And extra thanks for taking what you've learned and sharing it with others. Most people are content to have the information they need without thinking to volunteer to share it with others who might be having troubles as well. If B vitamin deficiency turns out to be my problem, I might owe you my sanity! : )

I got an important B-12 tip last night from my fiance that's the professional vitamin expert. He said that unless a blood test shows that you have a B-12 deficiency, it's best to try the sublingual 2500mcg B-12 for one month to see if it helps you. If it does, keep taking it, if it doesn't, you are probably wasting your money on it, though it won't do any harm.

interesting ill look into this

Maybe that's why I crave a steak every once in a while .

I hear oatmeal is also a good source of Iron. I eat some every week.

Good. That's what Sam's Club had. I'm trying it now to see if I'm more "focused" than usual.

i found a bottle of expired b-12s in my house do you think they would still be good?

It's all making sense now! Before I found out about aspergers, I kept running into the "lack of b12 causes stuff" problem. Dream problems, Depression, Brain fog, etc. Lots of different problems I had been having all had the same recommended "cure". Which is to say basically vitamin b (12 and 6).

Then this shows up. Vitamin B definitely helps.

Ran into this too, except I wasn't aware cold hands/feet were also part of it...