Posts by frozenbear9

Melissa Taylor said:A few years back, after cycling through several different types of antidepressants because none of them actually helped me "get back on my feet" despite all my effort, I went in to get my serotonin levels tested. Turns out, they were non-existent—my results were basically zero compared to the standard range.
We’ve been switching up my medications, but honestly, I feel worse with each new one. Right now, I'm just waiting on some new lab work to see if anything has actually developed.
Has anyone else dealt with something similar?
I try my best to stay upbeat and just push through my daily responsibilities—you know, living life and all that—but no matter how hard I try, I can only manage about three good days before things fall apart again for the next five.
On top of everything, I've been struggling with insomnia for decades. I've tried pretty much every alternative method under the sun alongside my prescriptions.

I hope those labs have already been completed. If not, you should check your Vitamin D, B12, thyroid, and iron levels. Who actually ordered that serotonin test for you? Whose idea was it, and how did they explain that such a test would actually improve your health? I ask because, from a clinical standpoint, testing serotonin levels like that doesn't make much sense or serve any practical purpose.

pensky said:Don't buy into the whole serotonin imbalance myth, because it simply doesn't exist. It’s a manufactured theory designed to move pills. Deanxit is extremely dangerous and banned in half the countries in the world. There's a reason for that. You need to find the actual root causes of your symptoms and address them directly, rather than just suppressing the effects with hazardous substances. The only "serotonin imbalance" that actually occurs is the one triggered by antidepressants; you'll feel it when you try to quit, feeling worse than ever because your brain loses its ability to function independently. It takes years for things to stabilize again once that happens.

Bravo! I wish I had come across this post sooner. I sign my name to everything written here. It took me far too much time and immense suffering to finally realize this truth.

The idea of a serotonin imbalance is nonsense. You can't measure or even see the levels in the brain, and measuring what's in the blood tells you absolutely nothing about neurological function.

Jacob Lopez51 said:My Vitamin D levels were chronically low. Around 15...
First, I checked my B12. That was fine at 479.
I dealt with severe anxiety—and still struggle with it, though not as intensely. The symptoms were so varied that I actually wondered if I had been hit by Lyra.
It’s hard to say how much damage the Vitamin D deficiency caused regarding muscle fasciculations, occasional tingling, and general unease. I've been taking 5000IU capsules for a month now, and I'm seeing some slight improvements.

I know your story. I have been following your progress closely.

I want to be blunt about my conclusion.

You suffered from a severe Vitamin D deficiency. Rather than addressing the deficiency and resolving the anxiety it triggered, doctors put you on psychotropic medications. Those drugs likely caused the very symptoms you were searching for an explanation for. You aren't a hypochondriac. And it isn't Lyra either.

You did the work and ran all the tests. I respect that persistence. But the root cause seems to be the medication. I experience some of those same symptoms myself, and I know where they originate. The key is tapering off those drugs carefully. If you don't transition slowly (a common recommendation among experts is to reduce the dose by roughly 10% every four weeks), the withdrawal symptoms can be quite diverse. I suspect that is the core of your issue.

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Nicholas Mendoza60 said:What counts as the threshold for B12 if we're looking at the standard reference range?

The scale goes from 175 to 650. If a patient sits at 250, does that count as a deficiency just because they're closer to the bottom end of the spectrum? And what about folic acid?

Ideally, you’d want to be closer to the upper limit. Some doctors insist on that, while others don't seem to care.
My lab results show a deficiency if anything falls below 104, yet my actual level is 290. I honestly don't know how to interpret that.
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Sam Ortiz said:Typical B12 levels range from 200 to 900. A reading of 250 puts you on the lower end of that spectrum, which is enough to trigger symptoms. I'd recommend picking up some 1000 mcg sublingual B12 and taking it once daily.

The numbers look different in Europe versus the USA because the measurement units aren't standardized across both. What you're looking at doesn't follow the standard guidelines used here in America.

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Your Vitamin D levels are way too low. You should be aiming for at least 80. It’s worth noting that mental health struggles can often be triggered by a deficiency like that.

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Deficiencies in Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D are deeply linked to mental health. It’s a significant connection. In my view, these levels should always be checked and corrected before starting someone on psychiatric medication.

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Joseph Bailey41 said:Honestly, this situation isn't even worth the headache. 🤷

From what I can tell, Emily Rivera45 is against legal drugs, yet seems to enjoy playing around with illegal ones... I wonder which kind?

My situation is the exact opposite... and that has proven just as dangerous for me. 😵

Laura Castillo6 said:Are you currently in therapy, and if so, do you feel like it’s actually helping?

Do you use psychotherapy, and does it work for you?

I think a lot of people wonder why famous, wealthy individuals end up taking their own lives, and they never quite find the answer.

But honestly, the answer is pretty straightforward. Mental health struggles hit them so hard that they just couldn't carry the weight anymore.

I agree... and I would add that sometimes the very medications intended to treat these disorders can exacerbate the condition. The warnings are there in the fine print, but ultimately, the risk falls on the individual.