Testing copper levels and/or plasma ceruloplasmin

[Lor]

Have just been reading about high copper and testing plasma ceruloplasmin in regard to OCD symptoms. I'm wondering if anyone has a doctor who has ordered a copper or ceruloplasmin test, and if so which one... hair or blood test? My 10-year-old DS has PANDAS OCD. On reading about treatments to reduce copper levels (if he would have one) it seems that symptoms can become worse with increased zinc if it isn't replaced just right. I have read about 2 doctors on the Internet who offer testing and supplementation for a fee. Has anyone had any experience with either of them? I appreciate any info.

[LNN]

We tested DD with blood test. It isn't the most reliable but it was the easiest way to get a pulse on things at the time. We used a small amt of EDTA plus a zinc supplement (she has borderline pyroluria/zinc deficiency). Hard to say if we saw negatives - she was fighting EBV at the time and we had an undiscovered methylation problem that, in the end, was more at the root of the problem.

 

When you chelate any metal, your biggest challenge is to get the metal to bind to something and stay bound all the way through to excretion. If you use a weak chelator, it may move that metal from where it started to a different place but not all the way out. The big debate as I recall is what's the best dosing schedule to minimize re-distribution and assure excretion.

 

Using zinc to rebalance copper makes sense but go slow and do some research about things that will bind to the copper. If you see negative behaviors, reduce your schedule or dosing and if at all possible, do this under the guidance of a doctor who has experience with it. In my own experience, copper played a part in bipolar behaviors more than OCD.

[kos_mom]

I understand the best way to test excess copper is through a 24 hour urine test. Definitely not convenient! Excesss copper can be a sign of Wilson's disease, which can have neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Dr. L just had my DD, 19, do this test as part of a very wide net casting to determine what's going on with her. There are specific drugs used for chelation (which can be a difficult process) and zinc is used for maintenance. You can read about them by looking up Wilson's.

[nicklemama]

DS had the urine test done. It wasn't 24hrs though. I think it was 10hrs and I had to catch the first morning urine and then drive it in.

 

Guess I should clarify, the urine was for copper and ceruloplasmin is a blood draw. My DS has excess copper. He had bipolar type behaviors but treating PANDAS has helped tremendously and we haven't seen those behaviors in a very long time (knock on wood). We only found out about the copper in Mar when I took DS to see a biomed doctor.

Edited September 26, 2012 by nicklemama