garyfritz
Senior Member
- Messages
- 599
Hi all,
I don't think I have ME/CFS (I hope not!) but I found this forum while searching for information about B12. This seems to be the motherlode of knowledge about B12 and related nutrients, so maybe someone here can shed some light on my situation.
Background: 57 yr old male
I have nearly all symptoms of hypothyroidism except weight gain -- my weight hasn't fluctuated more than +/- 4-5 lbs in the last 40+ years. I'm pretty thin, 6'4" and 175 lbs. Other than that I have low energy, low body temp, cold sensitivity (though that seems a bit better lately), dry/flaky skin, brittle nails, high cholesterol, thinning hair, low libido, the works. My TSH/etc are borderline low, but I never responded to any of several thyroid supplements (Synthroid, Westhroid, etc).
I show many characteristics of ADD, though not the hyperactive flavor. (Difficulty focusing on tasks, distractibility, low productivity, etc.) So do my mother, probably her father, and my two teenage sons.
I've had occasional Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) since I was a kid. It has never been debilitating, just maddening.
About 20-25 yrs ago I started having trouble sleeping, due to agitation and muscular twitching/jerking. At first I could control it with calcium/magnesium, but over time it got worse and the cal/mag didn't help nearly as much. At one point I experimented with several forms of high-dose magnesium (mostly topical), but that didn't help a lot.
About 5-7 yrs ago my MD did a broad-spectrum blood test and determined I was low on L-glutamine. I started taking L-glut and slept like a baby! For about a week. Then it was back to the twitching. My then-wife was complaining that I kicked and jerked in my sleep.
By last summer it was getting really bad. I was feeling tension/agitation even during the day. During the day, and especially in the middle of the night, I often felt like I needed to crawl out of my skin. It sometimes felt like the surface muscles on my thigh were vibrating, almost humming, though I doubt you could have felt it externally. But between that and the I-can't-stand-my-body feelings it was definitely crazy-making. If fingernails-on-a-chalkboard drive you insane, imagine that feeling for hours at a time. Plus in the night my muscles were jerking like I was getting poked with a cattle prod. Every night I was thrashing and twitching for 4-5 hours of nightmarish torment. It really, really sucked.
While trying various things, my naturopath had me start taking B12. I started taking Readisorb B12 last fall, and suddenly -- I slept through the night! Night after night, for six months!!! It was miraculous. I hadn't slept that well in 20 years.
I took a vacation in Mexico in early March, and I didn't sleep great there. Then when I came back the twitching/agitation started coming back. Eventually I realized I had accidentally omitted the L-glutamine from my nightly regimen for a few weeks. I started on that again and that helped. Meanwhile I had also switched to a cheaper B12 that I could buy at the local Whole Foods (still methyl B12). A week+ ago I went back to the Readisorb, and my sleep started improving. For the last few nights I have slept through the night. Huzzah!
Oh, and my RLS is greatly improved, and I very seldom suffer from the agitation/jump-out-of-my-skin feelings I had last summer.
I've had many cases where adding something helped my symptoms for a while, but it always came back and got worse. I'm REALLY hoping the B12 was the key and it stays fixed this time.
Does this sound familiar? Can anyone guess what's going on, and suggest any additional regimens that might help or additional sources of knowledgeable people? I've seen bunches of doctors and naturopaths over the last 20 years and none of them had a clue.
Thanks for any help!!
Gary
I don't think I have ME/CFS (I hope not!) but I found this forum while searching for information about B12. This seems to be the motherlode of knowledge about B12 and related nutrients, so maybe someone here can shed some light on my situation.
Background: 57 yr old male
I have nearly all symptoms of hypothyroidism except weight gain -- my weight hasn't fluctuated more than +/- 4-5 lbs in the last 40+ years. I'm pretty thin, 6'4" and 175 lbs. Other than that I have low energy, low body temp, cold sensitivity (though that seems a bit better lately), dry/flaky skin, brittle nails, high cholesterol, thinning hair, low libido, the works. My TSH/etc are borderline low, but I never responded to any of several thyroid supplements (Synthroid, Westhroid, etc).
I show many characteristics of ADD, though not the hyperactive flavor. (Difficulty focusing on tasks, distractibility, low productivity, etc.) So do my mother, probably her father, and my two teenage sons.
I've had occasional Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) since I was a kid. It has never been debilitating, just maddening.
About 20-25 yrs ago I started having trouble sleeping, due to agitation and muscular twitching/jerking. At first I could control it with calcium/magnesium, but over time it got worse and the cal/mag didn't help nearly as much. At one point I experimented with several forms of high-dose magnesium (mostly topical), but that didn't help a lot.
About 5-7 yrs ago my MD did a broad-spectrum blood test and determined I was low on L-glutamine. I started taking L-glut and slept like a baby! For about a week. Then it was back to the twitching. My then-wife was complaining that I kicked and jerked in my sleep.
By last summer it was getting really bad. I was feeling tension/agitation even during the day. During the day, and especially in the middle of the night, I often felt like I needed to crawl out of my skin. It sometimes felt like the surface muscles on my thigh were vibrating, almost humming, though I doubt you could have felt it externally. But between that and the I-can't-stand-my-body feelings it was definitely crazy-making. If fingernails-on-a-chalkboard drive you insane, imagine that feeling for hours at a time. Plus in the night my muscles were jerking like I was getting poked with a cattle prod. Every night I was thrashing and twitching for 4-5 hours of nightmarish torment. It really, really sucked.
While trying various things, my naturopath had me start taking B12. I started taking Readisorb B12 last fall, and suddenly -- I slept through the night! Night after night, for six months!!! It was miraculous. I hadn't slept that well in 20 years.
I took a vacation in Mexico in early March, and I didn't sleep great there. Then when I came back the twitching/agitation started coming back. Eventually I realized I had accidentally omitted the L-glutamine from my nightly regimen for a few weeks. I started on that again and that helped. Meanwhile I had also switched to a cheaper B12 that I could buy at the local Whole Foods (still methyl B12). A week+ ago I went back to the Readisorb, and my sleep started improving. For the last few nights I have slept through the night. Huzzah!
Oh, and my RLS is greatly improved, and I very seldom suffer from the agitation/jump-out-of-my-skin feelings I had last summer.
I've had many cases where adding something helped my symptoms for a while, but it always came back and got worse. I'm REALLY hoping the B12 was the key and it stays fixed this time.
Does this sound familiar? Can anyone guess what's going on, and suggest any additional regimens that might help or additional sources of knowledgeable people? I've seen bunches of doctors and naturopaths over the last 20 years and none of them had a clue.
Thanks for any help!!
Gary