Posts by Brenda Parker5

A quick look at my collection.

https://postimg.cc/gallery/q6MmzMz

I’ve mentioned this before, but I keep lithium tucked away as my absolute heavy hitter—my ultimate fallback. It's easy to forget that a huge chunk of depression cases actually stem from deficiencies in inositol and lithium levels in the brain.

My go-to stack would be pregabalin mixed with myo-inositol, then an hour later hitting the lithium and NAC together—followed by ALA, benfo, and sublingual methyl B12 about an hour after that.

If things happen to spiral even a little bit out of control, I'm switching exclusively to this.

Look, realistically speaking, lithium is the best tool we have because it touches basically every neurotransmitter and provides neuroprotection. Lithium and inositol? That’s basically an elixir for the brain.

The only real headache with LO is that it dumps way too much dopamine, so you have to pull an immediate counterattack with some NAC.

analogmarlin4 said:@Mathematicar mentioned that NAC didn't really move the needle for him in terms of visible changes. So yeah, it’s totally one of those things where it depends on the individual and how long you're actually sticking with the pills. It’s definitely not some magic bullet for everyone.

Honestly, it all comes down to the dosage. I take one 1g tablet—but the catch is I'm also on two other prescription meds, so it's pretty tough to pinpoint exactly which one is doing the heavy lifting.
There are basically three variables at play here.
Pod 1. pregabalin worked the best and just completely overpowered the other two
Pod2. cymbalta either did a little bit or nothing at all
Pod3. NAC was working in synergy with the pregabalin to absolutely kill it

If he stops taking the NAC and things start sliding backward even a little, then he'll know exactly what the deal is.

To be real with you, when I take NAC, my brain goes from being totally hyper to just... chill. It feels like there's a literal breeze inside my head—I swear, at a 1g dose, NAC has this unique way of triggering dopamine.
Looking at the big picture, NAC provides multiple benefits acting as an antioxidant, a dopamine antagonist, and an anti-glutamate. Realistically speaking, it's an incredibly powerful tool in your arsenal.

I’m gonna take this chance to talk about some other supplements and nootropics besides just NAC.

Honestly, what myo-inositol has been doing for me lately is basically the best drug ever—hands down. I’ve been taking 2x2.5g in powder form, morning and night, alongside my pregabalin.
It just quiets the nervous system so much that almost all my symptoms either drop off significantly or vanish entirely.
I deal with this weird small fiber neuropathy thing, and the only things that actually touch it are stuff for insulin resistance and antihistamines.

Then there's alpha lipoic acid paired with benfotiamine (I just grab those 90-count combo bottles where they’re already mixed together).
I have a confirmed B1 deficiency. One of the big red flags for low B1 is that tingling sensation in your head—though that can also be caused by carnitine deficiency.
These three components—inositol, thiamine, and carnitine—are absolutely vital for how neurotransmitters communicate with your nerves.
If something goes sideways there... you're fucked.

Also, myo-inositol is an incredible remedy for OCD. A lot of people stack myo-inositol with NAC, and it’s widely considered one of the best therapies out there for OCD. For me personally, it also completely kills my anxiety.

MYO-INOSITOL IS HUGE!!
TOTAL GAME CHANGER!

I probably spent hundreds of hours scouring Reddit just trying to find a solution for that one critical situation I was in.
It was pretty straightforward—I searched by symptom to see what might work, and honestly, hearing from people who have fought similar battles for years is the most valuable thing you can find. People out there generally have more resources to stay informed and run deep research. I even consulted with a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic, and after keeping track of everything, I started picking up supplements one by one. Things started getting drastically better, whereas I had totally plateaued while stuck on just pregabalin and Zoloft.

Thank God, because I managed to successfully taper off that Zoloft garbage without any fallout.
Pregabalin is a different beast entirely; even though it masks symptoms, it works on the CNS by blocking excess calcium influx. There’s a massive difference between treating the actual cause of pain versus just messing with the perception of pain—something most neurologists here in the States don't seem to grasp, with a few exceptions.

At one point, I was popping something like 35 pills a day.
Probably the most intense stack I ever ran was 150mg of pregabalin combined with 500mg of rhodiola and 1g of lion's mane.

Another killer combo was pregabalin with lithium orotate and NAC.

NAC is still at the top of my list; for me, pairing NAC with extra glutamate is basically my foundation.

I could probably write a ton more, but I'll leave it at that depending on what you guys want to hear. Catch ya later.

Betty Alvarez47 said:Alright, Jacob Lopez51, I'll go ahead and lift that ban.

Much appreciated.

I really need to hash out some important info in my own thread with you guys.

I promise I won't go spamming everyone else's posts—just staying in my lane from now on.

Thanks

Jacob Lopez51
*I clock in at 6:30 PM, so I'm planning on killing some time on here while I'm at work. XD

Slowly making my way back after dropping from 200lbs down to 155—dealing with some pretty messy medical guesswork right now, too. Basically, I've got lesions on my brain, fibromyalgia, and small fiber neuropathy, though nobody’s actually given me a definitive diagnosis yet. The only thing I’ve agreed to take is Pregabalin; doctors kept trying to push a whole handful of different SSRIs or SNRIs on me, but I'd rather stick to supplements and nootropics whenever possible. So far, so good—I'm really trying my best here.
Currently sitting at about 172lbs.
https://ibb.co/mBfLhht

Gregory Evans said:When taking NAC—what else should I be adding to the mix (besides Vitamin C) to make sure my body actually uses it effectively?
Should I take it on an empty stomach or after eating? I'm seeing totally different advice all over the internet.

Glycine. You can grab the powder version super cheap.
A good multi with active B-complex and selenium too.

And OptiZinc (basically zinc with a little bit of copper mixed in).

Nicholas Myers said:Based on what’s being said here, it’s clear you haven't actually been diagnosed with RLS. Yet, you're offering advice by framing it as if you're managing this and other conditions, which is just misleading everyone else. It's unacceptable.

I’m asking politely: please stick strictly to the topic you started.

Alright. Look, I was just trying to help, but apparently some people don't deserve it—so fine, go ahead and just follow whatever your doctors tell you since it seems like those "results" are working so great for you. XD
Btw, half of all autoimmune issues and neurological symptoms can be traced back to EBV. For instance, we've known in the US for years that EBV is linked to MS. I was actually writing about this last year, and people just laughed at me because they claim 90% of the population carries it.
You really have to distinguish between acute EBV and the reactivating kind. Take Cher, for example—she's been famous for dealing with reactivating EBV since '96.

https://rachelsnourishingkitchen.com...tein-barr-ebv/

Nicholas Myers said:Watch your tone. So far, from what I can see, everyone jumping into this thread is being completely off topic and hasn't offered a single valid argument. We aren't discussing back pain, Parkinson's, or neuropathy here!

As for suggesting or pushing supplements, I've already said: stick to the subject you actually opened this thread for.

The symptoms for RLS are exactly the same for me—honestly, I feel way better when I'm moving around. If that crawling sensation, tingling, and constant urge to move isn't RLS, then I must have been dreaming during my half-hour chat with a neurologist from the Mayo Clinic.

Nicholas Myers said:I have no idea what you were trying to accomplish by quoting this study, but anyway...

The data shows that ALA yielded greater mean improvements compared to ALCAR. Even if the gap between the groups didn't hit that statistical significance mark...

That doesn't support the point you're trying to make. 🤷

And not a single word about RLS, which is the entire point of this thread! 🤔

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15616239/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12455197

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2689385/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18078936

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5228439/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/labs/articles/9030365/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15948540

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16039110/

http://www.europeangeriaticmedicine....003-7/abstract

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2430690/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4353712/

I've actually got about 50 studies saved up on R-ALA—plus a few on myo-inositol and maybe ten on benfotiamine.
If you really want them, I can drop them all here, but just a heads-up: it's going to be a massive wall of text.

Nicholas Davis4 said:You should have a neurologist you can actually talk to; you shouldn't just be picking up anti-epileptic drugs on the black market based on a whim.
Anti-epileptics aren't something you play around with, much like dopamine agonists.

For me, alpha-lipoic acid didn't really make a difference—I tried it, but I didn't notice any real change. Still, everyone responds differently.

So, if you're dealing with RLS, did your neurologist prescribe you gabapentin or perhaps pregabalin, or one of those?

This advertisement focuses on peripheral diabetic neuropathy—which isn't the same thing as RLS at all.
It even explicitly states they haven't found studies linking this supplement to RLS. It's just a way to splash money around for marketing.

Alpha-lipoic acid is only stable in the R-ALA form—so if you weren't taking that, you basically threw your money down the drain. Btw, R-ALA combined with ALCAR is absolute magic.
My neurologist prescribed me Pregabalin 75mg for BFS (benign fasciculation syndrome) and potential SFN (small fiber neuropathy). You can't officially prove SFN unless you do a biopsy.

I deal with fasciculations, twitching, tingling, crawling sensations, all that good stuff...

Between the Pregabalin, R-ALA, ALCAR, and benfotiamine, I feel like a new person. Maybe do a little homework before jumping to conclusions.
With just Pregabalin alone for four months, maybe I felt 15% better at most. With this combo, though? It was a literal game-changer.
I also started a B-complex—specifically B12 and folate in their methylated forms.

advanced forms of B-vitamins, including benfotiamine (thiamin/vitamin B1), pyridoxal 5-phosphate (P5P/vitamin B6), methylcobalamin (vitamin B12), patented Pantesin(R) (pantethine) and 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (folate). These superior forms offer higher bioavailability for reliable supplementation.

This was a randomized, double-blind trial conducted in a hospital setting. A total of 64 consecutive patients (mean age 61 years; range 29-85) with acute backache and moderate sciatica were recruited. The 33 patients in group received 1180 mg of ALCAR daily for two months and the 31 patients in group 2 received 600 mg of R-ALA daily for the same period. The researchers measured changes in clinical signs and symptoms as measured on the Neuropathy Impairment Score in The Lower Limbs (NIS-LL) questionnaire, the Neuropathy Symptoms and Change in The Lower Limbs (NSC-LL) questionnaire, and the Total Symptom Score (TSS) questionnaire. The next level of improvement was how successful were the supplements in improving neurological deficit (as measured by electromyography) compared with baseline.

Both treatments showed significant improvements from the start regarding neuropathy (nerve pain) on electromyography by day 60. While the ALA group saw slightly better mean improvements than the ALCAR group, the difference between the two wasn't statistically significant. Notably, 71% of those on ALA said they needed fewer painkillers, compared to 45.5% of those on ALCAR (p < 0.05). The study is published in The Journal of Clinical Drug Investigation, 2008;28(8):495-500. Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.; research indicates that pairing ALA with ALCAR might boost results significantly. Furthermore, a recent study in the Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine suggests that combining ALCAR with ALA enhances energy production, antioxidant activity, and cellular repair at concentrations 100-1000 times lower than when used individually in studies involving human brain cells and protection against Parkinson's disease.

Give this a shot—it honestly felt like a total game-changer for me when I was dealing with those foot neuropathy issues and that weird electric zapping sensation.

https://www.peoplespharmacy.com/arti...ses-nerve-pain

Doctors usually prescribe Gabapentin or Pregabalin, which definitely does the trick, but adding some R-alpha lipoic acid and benfotiamine into the mix can make a massive difference. Hope this helps you out, good luck.

Alright, look. I might have had some form of SFN myself, but for sure it was anxiety mixed with symptoms of fibromyalgia and BFS.

The stuff that actually helps—like, seriously puts me into remission—are these supplements and nootropics I take alongside my pregabalin.

1. Benfotiamine 300mg
2. R-ALA 100mg
3. ALCAR 1g
4. TAURINE 3g
5. Magnesium glycine 200mg before bed along with 200mg L-theanine (Suntheanine).

Just a heads up—if you have amalgam fillings, using R-ALA isn't exactly recommended. If that's the case, swap it out for NAC instead.

There's a link between SFN and thiamine deficiency or elevated glutamate levels—maybe even heavy metal toxicity too.

*Supposedly Lion's Mane is also a total miracle for neurological symptoms like this. I can't say much since I just ordered some yesterday, but watch out—only about two brands actually sell the real medicinal Lion's Mane with beta-glucans, so be careful where you shop.

placidstag7 said:I find myself agreeing with Nicholas Davis4. My psychiatrist actually prescribed me Pregabalin. I have an appointment at the pain clinic this coming Friday, so I plan to bring up my RLS issues with them as well. For me, it isn't exactly a feeling of tension; rather, it’s more like a buzzing sensation—almost like a swarm of bees—coursing through my legs. It offers a momentary reprieve if I move my legs around, which makes me think this is primarily a physical sensation. That said, alongside that buzzing, there does seem to be a slight sense of tension, though I suspect that might just be a byproduct of that constant urge to keep moving my legs.

For real though, Brenda Parker5 was the one who prescribed you that Pregabalin.😁

Zachary Johnson3 said:I picked up some NAC from NOW, but they're the 600mg ones—is that right? It says to take one pill twice a day.

Does that version have selenium in it? Personally, I stick strictly to the 1 gram NAC tablets from NOW.
The only real issue I see with those mixes is that you might end up overdoing it on the selenium if you take them long-term—even though they say up to 75mcg a day is safe.
Just take it on an empty stomach in the morning, then wait about 2-3 hours after lunch. Or, if you prefer, just take two at once in the morning.

Pairing NAC with whey protein and glycine works wonders—though honestly, getting glycine through magnesium glycinate is usually a better deal.

Let’s be real—it’s never going to happen. Big Pharma would lose like 80% of their drug market if they actually fixed things. It's a massive business, especially when you look at psychopharmacology.

The World Health Organization is basically predicting that depression will be the number one illness by 2030—so naturally, the lobbyists are dumping billions into antidepressants because they see a massive payday coming... instead of actually treating the root causes, they're just getting rich off everyone else's misery.

medical review article

medical review article: this article reviews the current evidence for the promising use of N-acetylcysteine in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. N-acetylcysteine shows potential to be able to modulate several neurological pathways, including glutamate dysregulation, oxidative stress and inflammation to bring about relief from the troubling symptoms of addictions and substance abuse disorders, schizophrenia, obsessive-compulsive and related disorders, and mood disorders.

Since it’s got an amazing safety profile and it's super easy to get and cheap, N-acetylcysteine might actually turn out to be a game-changer for tackling the mental health epidemic hitting the US right now. scientific conclusion.

Check out this NAC study for SLE
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411859
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00775476

PubMed/ClinicalTrials.gov
This pilot study suggests that NAC safely improves SLE disease activity by blocking mTOR in T lymphocytes.

regarding MS
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...020.00088/full
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05122559

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.c...study-reports/

“The current study using FDG PET imaging suggests that NAC might positively impact cerebral glucose metabolism in MS patients, and this appears to be associated with improved symptoms related to cognition and attention,” the researchers said.

clinical study description

“This study is an important step in understanding how NAC might work as a potentially new avenue for managing multiple sclerosis patients,” said Daniel Monti, MD, director of the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University, and the study’s first author.

“The NAC appears to enable neurons to recover some of their metabolic function,” Monti concluded.

Brenda Alvarez24 said:Don't just send me links to stores; if you're quoting a scientific study, link to the actual study.
Marketing fluff doesn't mean anything to me.

Where did you even dig up that quote you sent me in my DMs? — honestly, if it’s actually useful, just post it here in the SLE thread so everyone dealing with lupus can see it—it shouldn't be a secret, right? — I don't know, but from the little bit of text I'm seeing, it looks like an animal study. That is definitely not the same thing as results in humans.
Also, I’m not just grabbing every supplement out there—I have zero interest in taking something that boosts the immune system when I really don't want to cause more harm to myself.

By the way, what’s your actual diagnosis, anyway?

I'm replying to you here because you aren't engaging in the main thread, and I don't really get why me specifically you're sending this stuff to — if you think this matters for people with lupus, then put it out there publicly. Unless, of course, you've got some kind of business interest in this.
I do notice, though, that you seem to be pushing this for everyone and everything.

Sorry for hijacking the thread a bit.

Lmao, seriously, people are such idiots sometimes—when you're genuinely trying to help someone, they just bite your head off.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411859/

https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00775476

PubMed/ClinicalTrials.gov
This pilot study suggests that NAC safely improves lupus disease activity by blocking mTOR in T lymphocytes.

https://www.reddit.com/r/lupus/comme...at_nac_safely/

Look, if something works for millions of people out there dealing with autoimmune, neurological, or psychiatric issues, it's worth noting. I've been following all this for 20 years—back five years ago, Reddit already knew MS was linked to EBV and heavy metals.
If I were making even 5% from a company like NOW Foods, I'd probably be a millionaire by now since they're a top 5 player in the supplement industry. Man, that wouldn't be a bad life.

My own diagnosis: chronic anxiety with fibromyalgia symptoms, some inconclusive brain lesions, and benign fasciculation syndrome. Ever since I added 1 gram of NAC to my regimen alongside my regular meds, I feel like a totally different person—like my entire body and brain were replaced. A total game-changer.

I posted this in the MS and fibromyalgia threads, and to you (since you only post about lupus), but there are studies and thousands of positive comments for all three conditions regarding use for these specific issues.
https://postlmg.cc/mPmNBkJR

David Flores68 said:Can someone please help me make sense of these results?



I'm a 33-year-old guy—ordered these tests because I've been getting these weird bumps popping up on my right fingers, though I've also dealt with some undiagnosed GI issues for years now. Honestly, I can't tell if my doctor ordered this because of the skin stuff or the stomach trouble.

As far as I can tell, the rest of the numbers look normal, but maybe they're hinting at something—like maybe they rule certain things out—so here they are:
upload photo

Your Vitamin D is chronically low, and man, that causes a massive ripple effect—one of the biggest issues is that it automatically tanks your glutathione levels.
Start supplementing with 5000 IU of D3 paired with K2.

Offtopic

Man, this Aco Skarsgård guy in *The Northman*—seriously, he looks more ripped than Yoel Romero ever did. Just impressive.
Btw, killer movie.