14 replies to this topic

[castillo]

Can anyone help?  I'm really nervous because I am dealing with protracted benzo withdrawal and feeling congested like this makes my brain do loops.  I hate the mucous and congestion this cold from hell is causing. I had a congested nose so bad that I couldn't get a sliver of air in at all.  Now my nose congestion has moved down to the chest.  I was really interested in using Quercetin to relieve the mucous but worried that it might interact with something like Benylin Mucous which contains guaifenesin (thins mucous) if I needed to take both.

 

Should I just scrap Quercetin all together and stick with Benylin Mucous?  I just read that Quercetin has so many interactions with other meds that it made me anxious to use.  Then I am skeptical of these claims because I'm sure plenty of people out there unknowingly take it along with their prescription meds because it is a natural product that comes from food.  Or they take it along with a long laundry list of other supplements.

 

My only worry was that because I have high histamines, that this cold could have caused me to produce higher histamines and I wanted to address the issue.  It would be perfect if I could use both Quercetin and Benylin together.  If anyone with knowledge could answer as soon as possible..my anxiety would thank you.

 

PS.  Any other suggestions for congestion would be helpful too, Keeping in mind that I am sensitive to most things cause of withdrawals.  Steaming my nose hasn't helped much.  Ginger in hot water has helped somewhat bring phlegm up but keeps it thick still in chest.  Sleeping semi-inclined to prevent mucous from strangling me.

Edited by castillo, 24 September 2018 - 12:33 PM.

[Phoebus]

 

(OMNS March 18, 2014) A middle-aged male had success rapidly reducing fast-acting alprazolam (Xanax) dosage by taking very high doses of niacin, along with gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA) and vitamin C. The individual had been on 1 mg/day Xanax for two years, a moderate dose but a long duration. As a result, he had been presenting increased anxiety, personality changes, and ringing in the ears (tinnitus), all side effects likely due to long-term alprazolam use. Typical withdrawal from this drug would involve substitution medication, about a 10% dose reduction per week, and take a matter of months.[1] A fast withdrawal is a 12.5 to 25% reduction per week.[2] On very high doses of niacin, vitamin C, and also GABA, this individual reported being able to cut the dose 60% down to 0.4 mg in one week. The dose was reduced by 90% (to 0.1 mg/day) in less than a month. He reported residual anxiety, but that it was substantially less than when fully medicated. After a total of five weeks, the medication intake was zero, with minimal residual anxiety.

 

Dosage

Niacin doses were between 6,000 and 12,000 mg/day. The individual reported reduced anxiety when taking the highest levels of niacin. Bowel-tolerance levels of vitamin C were taken daily, along with 750 mg of GABA twice daily. The individual also drank a quart of beet/cabbage soup broth daily for the first week, took 400 mg magnesium citrate/day, and took sublingual methylcobalamin (hi-absorption B-12), 5,000 mcg twice a week. During the initial total withdrawal from alprazolam, intake of GABA was 750 mg three times daily. The patient experienced side effects of daily but manageable anxiety. He also reported occasional nausea, possibly attributable to the GABA and almost certainly attributable to the extremely high niacin intake. He experienced increased frequency of urination, especially at night. Evening niacin doses as inositol hexaniacinate (a semi-sustained release, no-flush niacin) reduced nighttime urination. The individual used regular flush niacin about three-quarters of the time; inositol hexaniacinate constituted the balance. Dosage was divided into eight to ten 1,000 mg 8-10 such doses in 24 hours. Niacinamide was specifically not used, as its nausea threshold is low (under 6,000 mg day).

https://riordanclini...ical-rationale/

[Phoebus]

couple good threads here 

 

https://www.longecit...aba-regulation/

 

and

 

https://www.longecit...nzo-withdrawal/

[castillo]

Thank you.  I think I have read those before but I will give them a look over again.  My main concern at the moment is just getting this mucus to thin out. I hope the guaifenesin in Benylin isn't stimulating.

[Skyguy2005]

Just saw this but probably "scrapping things" or making radical changes mid-cold seems like a really bad idea.

 

I would maybe take 1-2 zinc tablet and 1-2 iron tablet, maybe some B-vitamins, for the immune system. Ginkgo Biloba is much better than Quercetin, but I would wait to get better from the cold before trying any radical changes.

[castillo]

Thanks Skyguy2005 for the suggestions.  I may want to look into the B vitamins, especially B6 and B12.  I just realized that quercetin may not be a benefit after all.  I have a slow COMT gene mutation and it would further slow it down.  I believe Curcumin is also not an option.  Due to the inflammation I am experiencing due to withdrawal healing and cold, I'm not sure what would be a good option.

[John250]

Thanks Skyguy2005 for the suggestions. I may want to look into the B vitamins, especially B6 and B12. I just realized that quercetin may not be a benefit after all. I have a slow COMT gene mutation and it would further slow it down. I believe Curcumin is also not an option. Due to the inflammation I am experiencing due to withdrawal healing and cold, I'm not sure what would be a good option.

Is your COMT one mutation or two? I’m heterozygous on both COMT’s so wouldn’t quercetin be good for getting more dopamine and norepinephrine?

Edited by John250, 04 October 2018 - 08:15 PM.

[castillo]

Sorry I’m a newbie to all the genetics stuff. All I know is the report states COMT A/A.

[Skyguy2005]

Doesn't that just mean you're supposed to worry about things?

[castillo]

I guess I’m worrying about things by being here. Do you know whether there are other options for histamines with a low COMT gene?

[castillo]

Is your COMT one mutation or two? I’m heterozygous on both COMT’s so wouldn’t quercetin be good for getting more dopamine and norepinephrine?

 

I've been trying to find the answer to this question but my test results don't offer much info.  But I found this online

 

"Lower activity levels of COMT protein, higher dopamine levels in the prefrontal cortex (brain) (AA)"

 

"AA is considered the 'risk' or 'bad' allele in part because people don't do well with stress and because lower COMT can create issues with methylation and not breaking down estrogen byproducts (catechol estrogens)."

 

So it's an increase of dopamine and low serotonin for me.  My question is still would Quercetin further inhibit COMT.  Are there people out there with low COMT and take quercetin with no issues or should all low COMT people avoid Quercetin.

 

Right before this cold hit (it turned into bronchitis) I had been put on high dose birth control for a month for female issues.  I went certifiably crazy with anxiety/fear/depression.  I've been off since August 30th and fear/depression is still with me.  I suspect the elevate estrogen is impacting the low COMT hence I am in a place of deep sh*t right now.  And with this bronchial phlegm on top of everything to boot.  Not sure what I can do to alleviate this if I can't use quercetin or curcumin.  Fish oil??

Edited by castillo, 22 October 2018 - 04:21 AM.

[Mind]

In recent years, the way I deal with a bad cold is to make sure to get  good night's sleep. In the past, when I was coughing or congested and the air was dry, exacerbating the pain in my respiratory system, I would have a very tough time sleeping. A few nights of no sleep seemed to drag out the cold. Now I just take something to "knock me out" at night and mask over the symptoms. A large dose of nyquil usually works well. I find that if I get a few hours of decent sleep a couple nights in a row, the cold goes away a bit faster. 

[castillo]

thanks for the tip but Nyquil gives me palpitations.  This cold has been with me for almost 2 months now so I doubt a couple of good nights sleep will help it go away faster.  I've been steaming daily my nose and chest for about 10 mins each time.  It is being really stubborn cause I think my immune system is trashed.  Any other suggestions?

[airplanepeanuts]

Try Astragalus and Carnosine. 

[spike]

What's your Vitamin D level? I had a severe deficiency and sometimes had a month long cold or even longer, I don't remember exactly. There are some studies that link Vitamin D to a weak immune system, WebMD: Low Vitamin D Levels Linked to Colds

Another thing that helped: wear a turtleneck that covers most/all of your neck all day long every day.

 

Edit: Sorry, I've just read that the cause of the cold is benzo withdrawal, so my advice probably not going to be helpful

Edited by spike, 24 October 2018 - 04:13 PM.