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“I’m a believer!”
Monday, 27 May 2002
On 600 mg GuaiLife since May 8 (3 weeks)
I can't believe what a good mood I've been in the last few days. My FM
depression was compounded by my husband's death almost two years ago, and I
was walking around in a cloud for months. I had a really happy day now and
then, but since GuaiLife (only 3 weeks) I hardly feel depressed at all. I
also have more energy, although some of my symptoms are aggravated (which is
expected because of cycling).
My 16-year-old son had been taking 1200 mg of the Amibid (a prescription
brand of timed-release guaifenesin) for a few months and really couldn't
tell any difference, so he also switched to GuaiLife and says he has more
energy and his brain feels more focused. Like the song says, I'm a believer!
Friday, 31 May 2002
400 mg GuaiLife
For over three years I was taking 1800 mg of Amibid (prescription brand of
guaifenesin). While I did see some improvements which made it worthwhile to
keep taking it, I was not satisfied with my progress, and in the last few
months I've felt I was regressing back to where I started. The depression
and fatigue were almost unbearable.
I would have had to wait until August to see Dr. St. Amand, so I got the
name off the website of the only doc in Arizona who uses guai for FM
(including for himself), Dr. Penniston in Tucson, and drove 100 miles to see
him three weeks ago. As soon as I got there Robyn, the office manager, put a
tablet of the Amibid in a glass of water to see how it dissolved, and when I
left over an hour later it was still pretty much intact. Dr. Penniston uses
his own brand which dissolves quickly.
He also mapped me, and I am just covered with lumps and bumps. Not even my
left thigh has cleared. GuaiLife tablets are 200 mg each, but Dr. Penniston
recommended that I start out with one GuaiLife for each 600 mg of the
prescription that I was taking or else I might wind up cycling too hard. He
said that I could always increase if I need to. Within a couple of days I
was having worse headaches, worse insomnia, and pains that I hadn't had in
years, but I was also able to walk two miles without my legs stiffening up,
and when visiting friends for dinner I was able to carry on a conversation
while only losing my train of thought once and without saying anything
incoherent. In the last two weeks my fatigue has increased, but I am also
thinking clearer (at times) and my depression is definitely milder.
Since most of us have digestive problems, it's very important to have a
brand of guai that dissolves easily, or else you're just spinning your
wheels.
July 1, 2002: on GuaiLife 8 weeks.
I just got back from my second appointment with Dr. Penniston in Tucson. My
right thigh shows some clearing, and I've had some major improvements
already in just two months. I had been on 1800 mg Amibid (prescription brand
of guaifenesin) for over three years with only minimal improvements, and
even that disappeared during the last several months and I felt I was back
to square one.
Dr. P. follows the protocol but has a formula that disintegrates rapidly as
opposed to the long-acting prescription formula. I started on 600 mg, which
is one of his tablets for each tablet of the Amibid, but had to cut back to
400 mg because I was cycling too hard. My IBS, sleeping and sciatica are
worse, but I have less headaches, my neck is less stiff, there are days when
I have enough energy, and -- drum roll – I am no longer depressed. It's
totally, totally gone. My brain is working better too. I didn't realize how
depressed I was until it disappeared.
I've been diagnosed by three different doctors with a "major depressive
disorder," but I always thought they just said that because some of the
symptoms of depression and FMS overlap. I am no longer irritable - for years
I thought I was a bitch, but I was just depressed. Now I care how I look
when I go out, and I've lost weight. I can carry on a conversation without sounding incoherent,
and I can read something and understand it. I was going to audit two classes
at Arizona State this fall, but now I'm going to take them for credit.
Sincerely,
Terry Louis
Age 51
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