Curious to see what others think of this article

[Dedee]

Primary Psychiatry - Treatments in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

 

 

I found this article while doing a search on using NAC to treat OCD. I haven't started my son on NAC, but I have thought about it since Dr. Murphy had mentioned that it could be used for neurtoxicity. Since then, I have read a few short things about it being under investigation for use in OCD. I have my son almost completely off of his celexa and I am concerned that we may start to see some OCD symptoms return after this is completely out of his system. So I am just looking for safe alternatives. Anyway just found this very interesting.

 

Dedee

[LisaM]

Dedee,

 

Have you done any research on Inositol for OCD ?? - I've recently happened upon several articles about it in my search for help with separation anxiety and kept running into Inositol for anxiety / OCD. - fairly high doses in trials with children from what I remember.

[Chemar]

Inositol has been a "staple" in natural ways to treat OCD for some time

 

as it is in the B vitamin family (aka vitB 8) it is a safer way to at least begin to help with OCD and other mood/behaviour issues.

 

methionine (or the more expensive samE) are also helpful

 

 

Dedee, I confess I didnt read thru all on that article, but they may well be onto something re the glutaminergic receptors etc

 

however, it seems that they are suggesting another medication for treatment, which again brings the chance of unwanted side effects

 

honestly, cognitive behavioral therapy(CBT) plus the careful diet and supplements were what finally brought my son's raging OCD to controllable levels

 

we had him on 5HTP for a while (l-tryptophan wasnt available then as it is now, and it is a better choice IMO)

and also the methionine and inositol

 

he now only takes inositol for OCD, 500mg per day, and has maintained a stability in his OCD for which I am very thankful (and of course he has eliminated the food colors and the other yuck, including the MSG=glutamate that can trigger OCD so badly)

 

I do however firmly believe that the CBT was the stepping stone to coping with OCD for him, and laid the foundation on which our other modifcations could work

[LisaM]

Cheri,

 

I have been researching for a while for an appropriate dose of inositol for a 5 year old and have not found nothing consistent. Would you have any idea? Something in the low range but more than the 50mg she is getting in the Bontech vitamins??? I suppose I could just try minimal dose increases and take it from there as well. From what I have read even the 500 mg for your son, given his age, is actually pretty low. I have seen as high as 18 grams for children in trials.

 

thanks, Lisa

[Dedee]

Actually I have been using Inositol for my two younger children who have OCD tendencies for about 6 months now. I have not seen any huge differences, but I do notice that they rest better at night after their dose. The part of the article that I found most interesting was the part that refered to the amino acid NAC as that is such a safe supplement to try. It stated:

 

".......If glutamate is indeed dysregulated in OCD, one might hypothesize that pharmacologic agents that directly modulate glutamatergic neurotransmission would be beneficial in its treatment. Candidate agents include drugs that decrease presynaptic glutamate release, increase glial uptake of glutamate, or attenuate the postsynaptic effects of glutamate.................The amino acid N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is widely used for its antioxidant properties and as treatment for acetaminophen toxicity; however, recent preclinical studies suggest that NAC also modulates CNS glutamate. NAC is converted to cystine, a substrate for the glutamate / cystine antiporter located on glial cells. The uptake of cystine by glia causes glial release of glutamate into the extrasynaptic space, where it appears to stimulate inhibitory metabotropic glutamate receptors on glutamatergic nerve terminals and thereby reduces the synaptic release of glutamate. Systemic administration of NAC has been shown to reverse the susceptibility to reinstitution of compulsive cocaine use in a rodent model by restoring re-establishing normal extracellular glutamate concentrations in the nucleus accumbens.

 

In addition to attenuating synaptic glutamate release, NAC may enhance clearance of glutamate by glial cells at the synapse. Elevated levels of glutamate deplete glutathione within glial cells, impair cystine transport, and thereby increase the vulnerability of glia to oxidative stress. Preclinical studies demonstrate that NAC protects glial cells against glutamate toxicity, repletes levels of glutathione, and attenuates toxic levels of glutamate.

 

The authors of this article hypothesize that NAC, through its inhibition of presynaptic glutamate release and protection of glial function, may be beneficial in disorders of glutamatergic dysregulation. If effective in OCD or other disorders, NAC would be an attractive treatment option because of its benign safety profile and low cost. Therefore, a small number of OCD patients have been treated with NAC, and evidence for benefit in compulsive behaviors has been found in two preliminary case reports. As noted above, NAC also reduces the tendency toward relapse in a rat model of cocaine abuse, suggesting that it may have more general efficacy against compulsive behyaviors and maladaptive habits. This agent merits further investigation......"

 

So the article just made me wonder if people are taking NAC anyway as an amino acid for its anti-oxidant effects, what harm could it do to try it if needed for some flare ups in OCD behavior? Like I said I have been kicking it around a bit. It seems to be a very safe alternative. I may try it to first. Of course we aren't having any problems now (knocking on wood). Just thinking ahead.

 

Dedee