SweatyHands

A few weeks back in a thread about withdrawal and insomnia, Dee reminded us all that reccomending supplements or otc medications to people in recovery is considered giving medical advice and should not be done. I took this at face value and did not offer any more advice on supplements.

Well, fast forward a few weeks... I had been taking an amino acid supplement to help with cravings early in sobriety. I started to have a slow descent into depression and anxiety, which I just attributed to early sobriety and my pre-existing anxiety disorder. Then last week, I had two days when I couldn't even get out of bed, including a dissociative incident when I didn't know where I was for about two hours. Yesterday, I went in to my pharmacy to pick up a prescription, and I gave my pharmacist a list of supplements that I take to check for possible interactions. As it turns out, that amino acid supplement is known to cause mania and psychotic episodes in people with neurological and psychological conditions. Anxiety disorder is one of those conditions.

So now a few days later, and a day and a half without putting that supplement in my body, I am beginning to feel like myself again. Fortunately, my wife encouraged me to stay out of bed and get some food and exercise over the weekend, which probably sped up my recovery.

But, the point of all of this is, the desire to self medicate without regard to the risks went beyond my addiction, and it got bad enough that I was almost taken to the psych er. So find out from a professional what you are taking before you take it. The human body is delicately balanced already, and adding in withdrawal/recovery makes it even more sensitive to new chemicals.

Be safe.
Be sober.