Problems with Taurine and loss of appetite

[Caryn]

Hi everybody,

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been silently lurking. Hope you all have had a great summer. My question is to Chemar and anyone else that has been using taurine.

We noticed that it is making our 4 yr old lose his good appetite. We have been giving it after breakfast and after dinner twice a day. The doc prescribed two doses of 325 mg each. Our ds weighs 40 lbs.

He tends to eat less during the day when we give the taurine then he would if we omitted it. He has very mild symptoms and was blinking a bit the 1st week of school despite the taurine doses. Now he is back to his old self since the anxiety of starting something new has subsided. Blinking is gone except if he stays up a little after bedtime and gets tired.

Does anyone have a similar experience? Should we just omit the taurine?

Caryn

[Chemar]

Hi

 

650mg of taurine for a 40lb child sounds high to me? My son was well over 100lbs when he was on 500mg taurine once a day. I havent ever noticed an appetite suppressant action of taurine

 

also, is magnesium being given with that?

[faith]

Hi Caryn,

Yes, I would say maybe reduce the amount of taurine too, maybe cut that dose to half and see.

 

I havn't used taurine for some time, since beginning of this year when I started all over with our naturopath. I had given that for a time when things were not too good around that time and it didn't seem to be one of the things making a difference, so don't know..........my feeling is that sometimes its good to stop or cut back on certain things when it doesn't seem to be working anymore, maybe the body doesn't need so much anymore and then it starts having the opposite effect? Also, maybe you could research what type of supplements seem to have the effect of INCREASING the appetite if you are worried about that? Are you giving zinc? Not sure if that is one that will do it but I am soon to add 25 mgs. of that and curious if others are using that.

 

The blinking thing seems to be what you described for my son too, I see that here and there, short lived for the obvious reasons like nervous talking to an adult, having to stand in front of room, tired watching tv at night, etc.

 

Regards

Faith

[Caryn]

Thanks Chemar and Faith.

I will cut back on the taurine starting tomorrow. My son is no longer blinking either. I think it was anxiety over starting a new school year. It is so strange how the tics can just reappear even though you are doing everything "right" as far as diet and supps, then all of a sudden disappear just as fast, as if it never happened. I suppose that is just all part of TS. Faith and Chemar, we do have our son on zinc and magnesium. I think you guys are right in assuming that the dose was too high. If he is not currently ticking again I may just stop the taurine for a few days and see what happens.

Thanks again.

Caryn

[faith]

Caryn,

Not to confuse the issue, but was thinking how you came to think it was the taurine that seemed to decrease your son's appetite. Is it possible it's the GABA and not the taurine? I think you mentioned he was also taking GABA? Don't know why I was looking this up, but some things I have read suggest that GABA has something to do with fat metabolizing and could act as an appetite suppresant. Maybe you could look into that? Here is where I read that....

 

http://www.thewayup.com/products/0285.cfm

 

 

Faith