Stressed? Anxious? Depressed? Take Some B Vitamins First.

[Note: this post is still pretty rough - and I apologize - but the info is too important for me to hold off posting it. I'll edit it up and fix it later. Tell everyone you know who may be suffering from depression/anxiety issues about this...ESPECIALLY COLLEGE STUDENTS! For now, scroll down to the block quotes for the hard info on the vitamins, and links to other websites.]

I've been dealing with some debilitating anxiety and depression (as well as having zero energy and sleeping problems) for well over two weeks, struggling even to finish up and distribute applications for retail jobs. I had just about had it yesterday. I was really in the pits and also had a headache so awful that I was ready to throw up - which is extremely rare for me. I got desperate for headache cures, and while I was at the grocery store I grabbed pretty much everything I could think of to help ward it off: gatorade powder (dehydration and a lack of electrolytes have caused plenty of headaches in the past), chocolate (for the caffeine), and chewable multivitamins (I hadn't taken any in weeks, and my nutrition had been AWFUL).

In addition to those, I also had a bottle of B vitamin complex at my apartment. I figured that the B vitamins are water soluble (meaning that a trip to the bathroom resolves any potential 'overdose'), so I took one of those in addition to everything else. Suffice it to say, my headache was gone within an hour - and within 2 hours, my mood lifted considerably as well!

On a hunch, I did a search this morning on 'B vitamin depression' and was BLOWN AWAY by what I found.

From an article on about.com (go here for it):

Vitamin B1 (thiamine): The brain uses this vitamin to help convert glucose, or blood sugar, into fuel, and without it the brain rapidly runs out of energy. [A deficiency of B1] can lead to fatigue, depression, irritability, anxiety, and even thoughts of suicide. Deficiencies can also cause memory problems, loss of appetite, insomnia, and gastrointestinal disorders. The consumption of refined carbohydrates, such as simple sugars, drains the body's B1 supply.

This is what the article says on just vitamin B1. I couldn't believe it. I pretty much had a holy grail to my depression problems - in the form of a six to ten dollar bottle of vitamins that would last me two months. Finally, my Paxil AND Adderal have a shot at doing their jobs. As I type, I can feel explosive energy that I haven't felt in months.

College depression rates are absolutely alarming; in 2000, reports were that 10% of students were suffering from depression and as many as 15% show symptoms. More recently, other studies have shown that up to 30-35% of freshmen feel totally overwhelmed. This is from articles from the U of Michigan and the USA Today.

There's a LOT going on while students are in college, there's no doubt. There are many stressors placed on college students these days - and the pressure is just getting worse. I have no doubt that this is a major factor - but depression makes what could be normal ups and downs into staggering difficulties. It is impossible to describe what the struggle is like if you haven't been to those lows. The worst part about it is that it drags everyone around the sufferer into the vortex of misery.

What I noticed missing from the two articles I linked to above are mentions of nutrition...college students are INFAMOUS for malnutrition. It's highly unlikely that someone is going to get all the nutrients they need from a well-balanced diet consisting mainly of ramen noodles, spaghetti, fast food, and mac & cheese - even if that mac & cheese is fortified (as a matter of fact, I think most of them are).

I have to wonder just how much of the depression rates in the US (which are higher than most first world countries) could be contributed to B vitamin deficiencies. Yes, there are still other, serious causes of clinical depression and anxiety - causes that MUST be addressed for someone to get healthy - but to a broke, desperate student (note: 40% of college graduates are without health insurance), this is by far the simplest, most readily available possible solution (in addition to being the most likely cause). In my opinion, it's totally worth it to experiment to find out if this is the root cause. It's a cheap fix.

Ten bucks (if that) at a 24 hour drugstore will get you B Vitamins at ANY time, and if you're wrong, you'll quickly know - and you'll only be out that $10. By comparison, anti-depressants are expensive, require a doctor visit and a prescription, and can take weeks to start kicking in - and even then, side effects could potentially make the problems even worse. I personally found that the vitamins started working within 3 hours. If you feel NO relief after 2-3 days, then this is probably not the cause - you need to seek professional help.

Some other articles:
MotherNature.com:
http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/10/51.cfm
Psychology Today:
http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20040726-000014.html
"B Happy":
http://www.archure.net/salus/bhappy.html

The B Happy site lists some toxicity info for a couple of the B Vitamins - which is important to know:

Optimum Daily Intake
Andrew Weil's "Eating Well for Optimum Health" says (pg 126) "The recommended daily allowances (RDAs) set by government agencies were determined only with a view to preventing deficiency states, not to promoting optimum health or treating specific medical conditions". levels.

Dr Shari Libermans "The Real Vitamin and Mineral Book" suggests that the Optimum Daily Intake should be.....
B1 25-300 mg (milli grams)
B2 25-300 mg
B3 25-300 mg
B6 25-300 mg
B12 25-500 mcg (micro grams)

So get the 100 mg size and take up to 3 per day

TOXICITY LEVEL for B-6 Pyridoxine and B-3 Niacin
Warning: do not take 2,000 mg of B6 Pyridoxine daily (nor greater), else you could get Temporary nerve damage (Shari Lieberman specifies it as "Temporary"). You would have to take 20 tablets per day of the strongest B Supplement to do that (keep it to 10 or less per day to be safe).
However, I am of the opinion that B-6 may be Cumulative, and 500 mg or higher on a permanent basis, might be what caused my foot cramping (however, I already had a foot problem, this just might have triggered the already existing problem. I could find no documentation on this, but I did cut back on B-6 by taking B-1, B-2, B-3, B-12, and Folic Acid in separate pills for a week or so, and the problem went away, then I found I could take a 100 mg size of multi B, but if I went over it would start again, and after a couple of months I was able to take at least 200 mg per day

FLUSHING & TURNING RED IS NORMAL & HEALTHY: 250 mg of Niacin (B3) makes you Flush, Itch, and Turn Red (around 30 minutes after you ingest it, or sooner or later), this is normal, OK, and is excellent for cleaning out fat deposits in your arteries and blood veins, however, Niacinamide (also B3) does not Flush and Itch (however, it does not clean your arteries and blood veins), so opt for Niacin, not Niacinamide

NO TOXICITY LEVEL for B-1 B-2, and B-12, The Sky is The Limit
There is no toxicity level known for B1, B2, and B12, and a few manufacturers make a separate B12 with 500 mcg, 1,000 mcg, 3,000 mcg, and even 5,000 mcg (take 1 to 3 times daily, stick under your tongue and let it dissolve underneath your tongue for more efficient absorption). I get at least a total of 5,000 mcg of B12 over a 24 hour period (used to take 20,000 per day for a while), and have notices that my musical abilities and coordination have greatly improved since I have been taking the larger dosages, as B-12 helps ones "Mental/Physical Coordination" (good for musicians and athletes). Many people take a separate B12, in addition to a "multi B" (As the amount of B12 in a B-100 is so small, typically only 100 mcg or 0.1 mg).