The other day I posted a photo on Instagram of all the tablets I take and I wanted to take some time and write about them because I’ve found some of them damn near miraculous in how much they have helped me.
A tiny bit of history
I mentioned in my last post that things were bad from October – March with regards to coming to terms with how much cancer has changed my life right? Well a big difference I noticed during that time was my mood.
I kept my ovaries, so I still ovulate (for now) and I still have all those hormones going around just like I always have – I have not started menopause yet. I still get PMS but my mood swings were getting noticeably worse… To the point that I was grumpy and snapping for no reason so often it couldn’t be stress or some outside trigger, it had to be something internal.
I couldn’t keep going like that, it was awful. So I started doing some research to see what I could do to help.
CBD Oil
I had been hearing good things about CBD oil for ages, as I’m sure everyone has! I was intrigued about it and read personal reviews to find out why people were using it and how it was working for them. There comes a time where the only way to find out is to try it!
There was a penny sale at the health food shop and miraculously CBD oil was included in that so I ended up getting two bottles of 5% oil for the price of one. BARGAIN! I started with 5% because I wasn’t sure whether I’d get on with it or if it was even going to do anything to help.
I started with 2-3 drops twice a day, in the morning and in the early evening, usually around 8-9am and 7-8pm. The first thing I noticed after I started taking it was better sleep.
I’ll get to more on what else I think it helps with later because I started taking this at the same time as the next one I’ll discuss.
St John’s Wort
During my CBD oil research I also read up on St John’s Wort. It’s noted as being really good for stabilising mood and that was exactly what I needed. So I got some at the same time as the CBD oil and started taking it the same day, Valentine’s Day in fact!
Outcomes
Within a week of taking both of these I noticed a massive difference. My mood swings were much less volatile. I felt calmer and less anxious in general. My sleep had improved, I was actually falling asleep instead of lying in bed with thoughts racing through my mind for ages, which had been happening a lot in January and February.
Honestly, I felt like a different person and I knew it hadn’t been long so I kept taking them to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
Four months down the line and I still taking them. I’m on a stronger CBD oil now (10%) and most days only have 2-3 drops once a day. Sometimes I do have it twice, when I’m noticing I’m feeling more on edge or anxious (like currently, but that’s another topic altogether).
The CBD oil has helped my anxiety a lot. Anxiety isn’t something I talk about often and honestly I’m not sure why I’ve never highlighted it as much as my depression, they just seemed to go hand in hand. I get anxious about so many little things it’s too long a list to detail right now, but the oil has helped manage my anxiety with those smaller things so I can focus on bigger things that need my attention. It’s helped my sleep as mentioned above, I’m just overall calmer and I feel better equipped to handle stressors than before I was taking it.
There have been days here and there where I’ve not had the oil and it’s no big deal. I don’t notice a huge difference if I skip a day or two.
If I miss a day or two of St John’s Wort, though? I notice. My mood isn’t quite as stable or I may snap at Hubby (who is a freaking SAINT let me tell you). I still get typical mood swings while taking it, but they are not nearly as bad as they were before and are usually linked to my hormones so I know why I’m feeling angsty.
These two things have been game changers for me. I still get depressed, but it seems now more because of things that upset me not some random trigger that doesn’t make any sense and is hard to identify. Game. Changers.
Other Supplements
As the photos show, I do take quite a few more things than just those.
B12 / B Complex
In 2015 I was diagnosed with anaemia and put on iron tablets for six months until my iron levels were back to normal. Hubby, saint that he is, did research for me then and found that B12 apparently helps iron stay in your blood so I started taking B12 time release daily tablets every day after my iron tablets stopped.
I noticed a massive difference in my energy levels when I didn’t take the B12 and have taken it ever since. Currently I’m taking a B complex tablet because they didn’t have any B12 when I went last time, but it’s doing the same thing – except my wee is bright yellow because I have a lot of B vitamins going on!
Inositol & Berberine
With my diagnosis of PCOS and the research I’ve done for ways to help with managing the symptoms I’ve come across these.
Myo-inositol and D-chiro inositol came up frequently and I won’t get into specifics, mainly because I couldn’t even if I tried, but they are supposed to help with metabolism. I did have both separately for a while but now take a generic inositol tablet so I don’t have to worry about how much/often I’ve had different ones.
Berberine can be promising in helping manage pre- and early diabetes, like metformin. With PCOS, insulin resistance is something that comes up often so I’m still reading about how this can benefit or help manage that side of things. I’m not taking this regularly enough yet, still mainly in research mode.
Do your own research
These things are not a quick fix and do not replace prescribed medications that you may be taking for anything!
As always, this is only my opinion and my experience of how these things have helped me. If you’re thinking of adding anything new to your supplement routine it’s important to do your own research, talk to your doctor if necessary, and make sure it’s safe for you.