N-acetyl Cystein It's Helping A Lot!

[Rick]

My understanding is it restores intracellular levels glutathione.  I have also heard it wears off after a while.  Would anyone know why it would mitigate the effects MD?  Does anyone know additional supplements which might enhance the effects of NAC?

[Ecstasy]

Hey there, could you tell me the Brand of Nac that was most successful for you? there are a 150 different brands, and I want to take one that is reliable. Thanks

Als0, you could look into these three prescripton drugs – memantine, lamotrigine and riluzole. They work in a similar way to NAC – by reducing the effects of Glutamate or the Glutamatergic System in the Brain. There are 20 to 30 reports on NCBI of each drug being proven to treat OCD, various Compulsive behaviours and Addictions just like NAC. However, none of these drugs have been FDA approved for OCD, Compulsive behaviours or Addiction yet, the amount of evidence supporting there use for these related disorders is overwhelming.

[Will]

"It seems like i can only use once every week to experience any benefits."

No, I thought that too. I take it on an empty stomach and I've increased the dosage. I went from 1200 mg to 1800 mg.  I take it an hour before each meal and at least 2 hours after a meal.  I think its very important to take it on an empty stomach are you doing that? I'm currently trying to figure out how high of a dose is right.  At 2400 I started to have some stomach issues, but I'm going to ask my doctor about it. It may be easier to tolerate as time goes on... I also notice that it seems to take about an hour or more to kick in after taking it...

[Rick]

Yeah i agree about the caffiene.  It too gives a stronger urge to MD.  I bet your right about the glutathione.  Good info you have.  Unfortunately the effects of NAC wore off for me after a week.  It seems like i can only use once every week to experience any benefits.   Thx for the post.

[Will]

This has been helping me too!  I noticed it working after just 3-4 days of taking it. Its not perfect, but its the first thing that actually worked, and I've tried a lot.  One thing I can say is try taking it on an EMPTY STOMACH.. it absorbs into your body better, otherwise the other proteins in the food you eat complete for absorption with it.  I'm not a professional, but I think the reason it works on MD is more due its reduction of glutamate (the second action listed below) than its effect glutathione.  I wish I knew of some other supplements that would enhance its effects/moderate glutamate.  One thing is for sure, I make sure to stay away from caffeine. Caffeine makes my MD worse.  How about you?  From what I've read, caffeine has the opposite effect on glutamate than nac, it increases its activity... Good luck!

Antioxidant activity. With regard to antioxidant activity, the cysteine component of NAC combines with glutamate and glycine, all of which are precursors in the production of glutathione.8 In the production of glutathione, cysteine is the rate-limiting step.5 Glutathione, in turn, is a major endogenous antioxidant.3 In fact, it is the most generic cellular antioxidant in the body.8 Because of its antioxidant activity, glutathione is essential for the immune system to exert its full potential. While glutathione is commercially available, its oral bioavailability remains controversial.9 Therefore, its precursor, NAC, has been a more promising avenue to pursue in clinical investigations.9 In terms of clinical implications, oxidative stress has been empirically associated with a number of psychiatric disorders,10 including schizophrenic11 and bipolar, depressive, and anxiety disorders.12 Therefore, NAC may be a useful intervention for these psychiatric disorders—a postulation that is now being supported by preliminary research.

Glutamatergic regulation. In addition to its role as a general antioxidant, NAC supplies cysteine as a front-end substrate for the glutamatergic system. In this important second metabolic role, NAC influences or modulates the glutamatergic system.13 The glutamatergic system is related to reward-seeking repetitive behaviors (i.e., reward, reinforcement, and relapse).13,14 These processes may contribute to psychiatric syndromes characterized by impulsive/compulsive behaviors, such as substance abuse and gambling. These two distinct metabolic pathways and their corresponding roles are outlined in Figure 1.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3036554/

[Rick]

I found an interesting article on NAC right here.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201201/...