Vitamins for cognition

[Loveblue123]

Hello, my adult son has cognitive/short term memory difficulties following a TBI. He takes omega 3, B12, vitamin D and magnesium supplements and it's difficult to know if they are helping or not. I wondered if any of you could advise which supplements have been helpful to you. Lions mane and ashwaganda have also been suggested and I wondered if anyone has tried these? Thank you x

[Beachlovingkiwi]

yes I take lions mane and noticed a difference straight away! Which I was surprised about. Just had a clearer head - not foggy or cloudy. I too take magnesium at night to aid sleep. But have also taken executive vitamin B at times too which aides the nervous system 😀

[Loveblue123 in reply to Beachlovingkiwi]

Thank you for this. Which lions mane do you take and what dosage? I looked on Amazon and there are quite a few to choose from! 😊

[73Estelle73]

hi, I have been using lions mane for a while and feel it definitely helps you think better/quicker and clears up some of that brain fog, I personally find that the powdered capsules work better for me than the tiny tablet. I use magnesium to help in getting some sleep, ashwaganda KSM-66 complex with L theanine, zinc and B vitamins. Vitamin D.

[Loveblue123 in reply to 73Estelle73]

Thank you 😊

[Beachlovingkiwi]

this one

😀

[Painting-girl]

Vitamin D is good, it can be quite hard to get sufficient amounts from sunlight (in the UK it means being out for 20 - 30 minutes between 11 and 3pm in April - September with uncovered arms) and from food - oily fish, eggs, dairy. So many people are insufficient or deficient in D without realising. While I was a commuter pre MTBI an NHS consultant I went to for an allergy problem, found I was vit D deficient. Deficiency makes you feel absolutely exhausted, so it's not a good one to have in the mix with brain injury fatigue. Try and get a blood test from your GP to check.I've also been told that if you're already deficient in D that is harder for your skin to manufacture it in sunlight.

[Loveblue123 in reply to Painting-girl]

Thank you 😊

[pinkvision]

Hi, I just read through a few science articles on Lion's Mane, here's the latest one in full:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

It does have an effect on improving cognition in 'neurologically compromised' people and seems to work by promoting the production of BDNF, a protein/ growth factor, produced in the brain.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain...

The second major benefit is that Lion's Main also works to reduce emotional reactivity and stress, in other words it's an antidepressant, although the mechanism is not understood.

I wonder if Lion's Main is a better option than antidepressants because antidepressants are linked with early onset dementia while Lion's Mane is also thought to reduce dementia.

Just thought I'd share this info for people who may be skeptical, (I was but thought I'd check it out in the science literature and now my mind has been changed).

[Painting-girl in reply to pinkvision]

Hi PV - I think exercise, and possibly even chocolate, are also meant to increase BDNF - I posted on here a while back.

Small study on Lions Mane, that advises caution with interpretation PV, though I appreciate a larger study may not be forthcoming.

It's very hard to find a drug that works better than a placebo, so if a 'food' supplement does actually work better than a placebo, the active ingredients are likely to have side effects in just the same way as any prescribed drug.

[pinkvision in reply to Painting-girl]

If the information is shared for everyone to see then they are free to decide for themselves.

Side effects of Lion's Mane (eating the mushroom) are gastric issues and a skin rash for a few.

No side effects reported from the extract.

[moo196 in reply to pinkvision]

Some disbenefits are stated in the research.

[pinkvision in reply to moo196]

Do they outweigh the benefits?

[moo196 in reply to pinkvision]

I'm not medical. Just wanted to ensure people don't assume there are not any

[pinkvision in reply to moo196]

Medically salts, sugars and fats are all toxic. But there are recommendations for safe use when consuming them (if you only ate burgers, chips and chocolate you will get ill and die) the supplements talked about here are licensed products with safe consumption levels.

[Loveblue123 in reply to pinkvision]

Thank you for taking the time to look into this, it makes very interesting reading and sounds worth a try 😊

[moo196]

I'd be concerned about the possibility of negative side effects. Definitely research more.

[Loveblue123 in reply to moo196]

Will do, it's quite confusing as it comes in different formats and doses 😬

[Pairofboots]

I would definitely talk to your GP or pharmacist regarding supplements. Many commercial supplements are expensive and are either the wrong level, the wrong form to be absorbed. In many cases there is little evidence to support the claims on the label. These may appear to be relatively cheap, but can quickly add up. Be cautious of influencers, commercial advertising claims. Supplements can also interact with prescribed medication, and can have adverse reactions, it is best to find out what the body really needs.

[Loveblue123 in reply to Pairofboots]

We have an appointment with our Neurorehab Consultant in May so will ask him for some feedback 😊

[Painting-girl in reply to Pairofboots]

Good advice PairofBoots.

Plus I noticed that some of the research by Tim Spector and his associates tends towards cutting out all supplements.

[gr33nmind]

I take Methylocobalamin B12. It is an antioxidant that works on the brain. After a TBI oxidants form around our dead neurons. These oxidants block signals and slow messages down even more then the missing neurons do. You can get MB12 only two ways naturally. Either by eating meat or seaweed. Not surprisingly scientist's believe that mankind brains began to grow , at about the same time they started to hunt. I’ll put one under my tongue when I playing a chess game, or engaging in something stressful. It will travel up my tongue sublingually, and go directly to my brain. It works.

[Loveblue123 in reply to gr33nmind]

Thank you, I've not heard of this before so will look into it 😊 My son is vegetarian so won't be getting MB12 naturally!

[moo196 in reply to Loveblue123]

I get monthly B12 Injections from my GP

[gr33nmind in reply to moo196]

B12 is a different vitamin then Methylcobalamind B12 (aka MeB12)

Your doctor might be injecting you wt MB12, but probably isn’t.

[gr33nmind in reply to gr33nmind]

I also recently began using Lions Mane. I haven’t noticed any improvements yet, but will try and report if I have any.

[Loveblue123 in reply to gr33nmind]

Thank you, I'd be really interested to know how you get on 😊

[gr33nmind in reply to Loveblue123]

Everyone is different. I feel no difference, using Lions Mane. I also recently tried some some CBG isolate. A friend who has a TBI, I play chess with, recomended it to me. He said it would increase my attention. It costs a lot. I get a discount through Lazerus Naturals, and it still was $120 for a little .7 oz container. I took a chance, but no change.

I also used to use Ginko Biloba probably 20 years ago. All that I noticed was a headache. Still one thing I have seen over the years, that while I don't get headaches a lot, during one I usually experience enhanced cognition. I don’t why, but I now have a theory. Perhaps it is my brain building new pathways, and destroying old useless ones. Mayhe I was too injured 20 years ago to be able to notice a change. So I may give Ginko Biloba another go.

[Trevor78]

I take vitamin D 4000iu, Magnesium Glycinate 200-400mg, K2 (Mk7) 90-180 ug & Zinc 15mg daily - all as immune system support rather than memory enhancer. My unqualified advice though would be do your own research, paying particular attention as to whether certain vitamins interact with each other or deplete other minerals within your system? Most importantly, taking note of any interactions with medication that you are taking. If you find any issues of concern then your first action should be to stop taking supplements or not too start if you haven't as yet.

[Loveblue123 in reply to Trevor78]

Thank you, this is really helpful 🙂

[Ideogram]

Also interested in this. I'm generally pretty sceptical of this sort of thing, but I'm now on a cocktail of supplements as I'm mostly vegan so need them anyway, but worried about the effect of any shortfalls on recovery (apparently vegans can recover slower from concussions... But so can people with a history of bad migraine, depression, being female... I'm waiting for my badge :D).

My supplements include the Vegan Society one (which has things like B12 and several others); a vitamin C one; omega 3; and a calcium/magnesium/zinc one. I'm prescribed iron.

I couldn't really tell you if they have any benefit or not to be honest - I've had too many other meds and illnesses messing with my symptoms too. I did notice that there can be interferences between the magnesium/calcium/zinc one and iron that I'm prescribed (blood tests found me a bit low). Not yet worked out the workaround for that, but one for the pharmacist.

Getting your GP to check what you might be low on (eg vitamin D, iron, B12 etc) sounds sensible.

[gr33nmind in reply to Ideogram]

If you are Vegan, look into Methlycobalamine B12. MB12 isn’t just B12. Most B12 supplements, are CB12, or Cyancobalamin. It is derived from Cyanide. They claim it’s safe, but IDK about that. Methylcobalamin or MB12, can only naturally be found in meat and a small amount in seaweed. Seaweed is a cross between a plant and animal. It is a powerful antioxidant that will helps remove oxidants that form around dead neurons. These oxidants cause even more disruption of signal, then the brain injury does.

Some scientists believe that when people first started hunting for meat, that's when our brains began to grow, because oxidants also form around healthy neurons. Luckily MB12 can be made in the lab, w/o animal involvement. Still a funny thing about it, is the purer the pill form you take, the closer to blood red it is. If you are a vegan with a TBI look into MB12. I use 5000 MCG, and put one under my tongue. I let it be absorbed sublingually. They also come in 1000 MCG, and they are pink. Unfortunately the 1000 MCG’s barely do anything.

[Loveblue123]

Thank you everyone for your comments, it was really interesting to read your different experiences and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. I asked the neurorehab consultant about it on Friday and he said that it is difficult to predict how a damaged brain will react to supplements etc especially so I don't think we'll risk it just now.

[Mike442]

I’ve found that no adaptogens like ashwaganda have worked for me - but from blood tests I’ve had, my cortisol is quite high, so that’s maybe why they don’t have a substantial affect on me. One supplement I can’t recommend is curcumin, based on how it made me feel. The only way I can describe how it made me feel is ‘numb’, almost emotionless.

I notice a positive impact when I’m taking omega 3, D3, K2, magnesium, zinc, copper and potassium - but the supplement I swear by is creatine (5g a day is usually standard). It’s usually marketed towards athletes for physical performance, that why I first started to use it when I was younger - but it’s got cognitive benefits - and when I’m not taking it - I personally notice a big decline.

Obviously you should ask your doctor about these kind of things and read the labels if you decide to try something new.

[Trevor78]

Although seeking medical advice on supplements always needs to be said for safety, I'd be interested to know if anyone has mentioned the subject to a doctor and got a positive response? My general perception is that they steer clear of anything outside of the mainstream.

[Loveblue123 in reply to Trevor78]

Agree it would be interesting to hear other people's experiences 👍