“…adding a vitamin where there is no deficiency will not cure a disease that has a different source.”Sooner or later, it seems like many parents of mentally ill teens ask themselves this question. When the medicine seems to bring only miserable side effects, it’s natural to ask ourselves if maybe we’ve missed the obvious. Even if the medicine has brought your teen relief, you may be dissatisfied that it hasn’t brought greater improvement.
A couple of summers ago, I browsed through a book on holistic medicine while I was visiting my mom. It said that people with bipolar disorder don’t absorb sufficient B vitamins, especially B12. Since my son has bipolar disorder and I was always looking for new answers, I went to the health the food store and bought some vitamin B. After all, how could it hurt?
The B-complex I bought was called something like “Stress Tabs.” The irony of the name was lost on me until about a month later when my son complained that his anxiety was worsening. After a month of no improvement, I became suspicious of the vitamins and removed them. Within a couple of weeks, his anxiety had come back down. I’m glad I didn’t buy him a B12 shot as the book had suggested! The following summer, I had all of my son’s vitamin B levels checked during his blood work. To my surprise, they were all on the high side–including the B12. Lesson learned. I should have started with blood work and gotten some real information before rushing to buy something that seemed harmless.
Severe vitamin deficiencies can cause all sorts of symptoms. But adding a vitamin where there is no deficiency will not cure a disease that has a different source. If you suspect a deficiency, ask your doctor to test for it during blood work.
“Do not be afraid to spend an extra week or even month titrating if it makes it easier on you.”