Thiamine (B1) - Anyone Using?

[mtatum4496]

My doctor has me taking a B complex vitamin every day, as part of my treatment process. I recently came across a reference to thiamine that indicated it was also helpful with sleeping problems.

One of the situations with my GAD is that I have not had a full eight hours of sleep in as far back as I can remember. While I have gone from 3-4 hours a night back in February when I started seeing my current doctor to around six hours a night, I couldn't seem to go any further with it.

What I read in the vitamin book I was reading is that a therapeutic dose of thiamine (100 - 200 mg) could help improve both the duration and the quality of sleep. Since I was already taking a little thiamine in my B complex anyway, I figured it was worth a shot.

I have been taking an extra 100 mg of thiamine for three days now. Saturday night, I slept just over seven hours. Sunday night was also slightly over seven hours. Last night, I was bad and stayed up later reading a novel, but still logged in just under seven hours of sleep.

I'm excited about this, as I feel if I can begin to consistently get a decent amount and quality of sleep, it will make a positive impact on my anxiety. At the same time, I am trying not to get my hopes up too much.

Along with the sleep, I usually also feel more balanced and mellow about a half hour after I take the 100 mg of thiamine. While the effect does not last long (maybe a half hour to an hour), it is a pleasant and welcome event. So far, I have not noticed any side effects with the therapeutic dosage.

Has anyone else had experience with taking extra thiamine? I have toyed with the idea of going for 200 mg, but am hesitant to do so right now.

[panicpete]

I take extra Thiamine. Doesn't seem to hurt and it probably helps, but I can't say for sure.

I had read people with anxiety are more sensitive to lactate and b1 can help reduce elevated lactate levels.

My 2 cents.

[mtatum4496]

Thank you Panic Pete. I am still taking the extra 100 mg of thiamine and I notice that in addition to keeping me around the seven hour mark with nightly sleep, I seem to be dreaming more frequently - or at least recalling dreams with greater regularity.

I have taken to going with 50 mg after lunch and the other 50 mg in the evening shortly before I retire and that seems to work well for me.

I can't be a hundred percent positive, but it also seems that some of the "mind chatter" and sense of something tugging at my sanity has dropped slightly this past week. This may only be wishful thinking on my part, so we'll see what the coming week brings.

At the very least, I am grateful that I seem to have reached another milestone in my journey back to getting a decent night's sleep.

[Krakers]

Hi there - I was presecribed 100mg Thiamine by my doctor on top of B-Complex. The Thiamine was to restore my B1 levels as I was drinking an excessive amount of alcohol daily.

Alcohol reduces the amount of Thiamine in your body and therefore brain, and as Thiamine is a B Vitamin, a deficiency in one B can lead to the other B's not functioning correctly as they are linked.

It made no difference to my sleep pattern at all, however when I stopped taking it I did find it more difficult to sleep. I wouldn't say that it was a direct correlation though, as I'd also given up alcohol which in itself plays havoc with your sleep.

BTW, I'm not sure what you consider a "theraputic" dose to be, but the RDA of Thiamine in normal individuals is 1.4mg. 100mg = 7,143% of your RDA. I suffered no ill effects from mine though and my doc assured me it was helping greatly.

Krakers.

[mtatum4496]

BTW, I'm not sure what you consider a "theraputic" dose to be, but the RDA of Thiamine in normal individuals is 1.4mg. 100mg = 7,143% of your RDA. I suffered no ill effects from mine though and my doc assured me it was helping greatly.

Krakers.

Hi, Krackers - as noted in my original post, the overview of the uses of thiamine in the vitamin book I was reading listed a therapeutic dose as between 100 and 200 mg.

According to the same book, there are a number of items that deplete B1 levels in the brain, liver, and heart. You of course mentioned alcohol; others include caffeine, stress, use of tobacco products, excess amounts of processed sugar, muscle relaxants and sulfa drugs.

I did smoke off and on for several years, and used to be a fiend for any type of sweets. Seventeen years in a stressful line of work probably did not help, especially the last two and a half where there was a great deal of drama in and around the company I worked for. While never much of a drinker, I do miss my occasional glass of wine. Since I am taking Xanax on an as needed basis, I choose to not drink anything for now.

Hopefully, now that I am established in a less stressful line of work, tobacco free, eating balanced meals and getting some exercise each day, the thiamine along with my intake of other B vitamins, Vitamin C, calcium, magnesiu, and zinc will do their thing and allow me to keep moving along the road to feeling good once more.

[Krakers]

Hi there - just noticed you live in the States. The RDA I quoted was for the UK. Theres often a big discrepancy in the amount of elements the governements say we can take between different countries.

A recent one of particular note was the "Farmed Scotish Salmon" scandal. The US recommended two portions a year because of a published report, wheras the UK FSA stated two portions per week was fine.

Can be a little confusing.

Krakers.

[mtatum4496]

Hi, Krackers - when it comes to the official recommended daily allowance for B1, I don't believe there is much difference between the UK standard and the US standard. If memory serves me correctly, in the United States the RDA is set as 1.2 mg per day.

Of course, this presumes that the usual amount of this water soluable vitamin is retained in the brain, heart and liver, and that the individual is getting proper nourishment each day. I think therapeutic doses usually come into play not for maintenance purposes (which I understand is the function of the RDA) but when there is an imbalance that needs to be corrected before permanent damage is done.

[applewine]

There is a special Thiamine derivative called Thiamine TTFD (sold as "Allithiamine" on the front of the bottle in western countries).

This form of Thiamine is used for treating Thiamine deficiency or for Therapeutic treatment, not used for pure prevention.

Thiamin TTFD was developed by the Japanese in the 50's or 60's as a better alternative to Thiamine for treating deficiency. It is better because it does not have an absorption limitation. It also goes into the central nervous system.

If you are interested in Thiamine I suggest you look into Thiamine TTFD (Allithiamine).

[B1 believer]

In addition to better sleep, my vision has improved. Was starting to see incomplete letters i.e. "n" instead of an "h" or "o" instead of "g", and my center of vision was not clear. Sterted taking thiamine 100mg twice a day, and my vision problem cleared up immediately. eye doctor visits have confirmed this three years in a row so far. Much relieved.