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dan1986
01-11-2007, 12:52 AM
Hey everyone, just wanted to introduce myself.

I'm Dan. Been living with stuttering since about age 4.
I did speech therapy nearly every year from kindergarten to grade 12. It usually never had any beneficial effect outside of the therapists office. However, there was one year where it basically cured my stutter (including blocks) for a few months (even during a presentation), and then relapse followed.

The only substance that has helped my stuttering to date is alcohol, which isn't a solution for obvious reasons. Anti-depressants make it worse, as does stress. I tried Zyprexa 5mg also, which probably didn't have much more then a placebo effect. I'm currently on Magnesium, Manganese, L-Taurine, L-Glutamine, vitamin B6, omega 3-6-9, and a multi-vitamin/mineral. This has decreased anxiety a little. It did decrease stuttering at one point, and I'm playing around with dosages to try and see what happens. Interestingly enough, a couple days after I started taking the supplements, I was talking to myself and swore that something was different in the way I was hearing myself speak. My voice sounded different, and it was almost as if I was hearing a tiny echo. It felt like my hearing was kicking in quicker after speaking. My breathing was much deeper. However, these changes weren't as apparent when talking to other people. However, I think the stress from starting a new semester at school may be worsening my stuttering.

I'm also on Luvox for depression. Voluntary stuttering helps with anxiety, but only after much practise. In the beginning, it increases anxiety. It is a very hard technique to maintain, and my will power isn't high enough to maintain it. My speech therapist actually overcame his stuttering blocks with voluntary stuttering, but he really had to work at it.

I have been viewing the forum for some time, and decided to join in order to talk to other people with the same problem. I am very interested with alternative medicine, not just for stuttering, but for disease in general, and will share anything that helps for my stuttering. I'm looking for supplements that have a similar effect on the brain as alcohol, but without the side effects. I believe high levels of dopamine are an after-effect and not a cause of stuttering.

For anybody else researching stuttering supplements, it may help to look at tourette's syndrome, since they are similar disorders, and there is a lot more info on tourette's supplements then on stuttering supplements.

I'm glad to be a part of the forum. If anybody has any questions, feel free to ask.

jak
01-11-2007, 02:47 AM
hi dan ,alcohol does relax you and may help your speech but its just not pratical to walk around drunk all the time then you lose your job get a dui then the drinking becomes worse then the stuttering .Iv used herbs,vitamins and supplements and they have little if any effect on stuttering ,theraphy seems to only have short term results for most ,and alot of these therapists just want your money and do not stutter themselves .stuttering is the cause of your depression because you beat yourself up when you stutter making yourself depressed ,you just must accept you stutter and live your life

Standingtall
01-11-2007, 08:25 PM
Welcome Dan, good to meet you. I still enjoy a drink every now and then. Cheers. At a time I was a happy drunk but later turned into an miserable SOB drunk. I almost went into rehab. Once again, welcome.

divisi
01-14-2007, 10:35 PM
Hi Dan! I tried medication once, and for less than a week: I didn't like it at all, so dropped it and never tried it again. Regarding alcohol, I'm not sure if it helps to reduce stuttering: I still stutter with alcohol, and I think it's not less than without it.

Jamester
01-21-2007, 04:31 PM
Oh Yeah, better living through chemistry. I remember those times.

Welcome aboard! Please keep in mind as you experiment with the vitamins and such, there can never be a cure until the cause is found. Supplements may help to give you a feeling of well being which may produce more fluent speech, but I do not believe any medicatrion has a direct effeet


Just my 2 cents,

Jamie

3FingerBrown
01-24-2007, 08:35 PM
Hi Dan,
Welcome to the forum!!

I'm interested in why you take the glutamine for your speech? Does it help synthesize GABA or something like that? (among other things) Glutamic acid could maybe help with this too, I know that its the most common excitatory (stimulating) neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and that it may improve cognitive performance but for stuttering?

I know that taurine may act as a neurotransmitter in some areas of the brain and retina but I never heard of it being applied to stuttering either.

I fooled around a lot with amino acids when I was working out. I'm not all that good when it comes to moderation, I tend to always go that extra mile. :)
I started studying excercise physiology hoping to work hard and smart.

My only warning is that many amino acids compete with other amino acids for absorption and very few act alone.

Please don't misinterpret my curiosity as criticism.

Welcome aboard!
Ari

dan1986
01-24-2007, 09:25 PM
Ari,
Glutamine and Vitamin B6 are supposedly the precursors to GABA. Those two did reduce my anxiety, but had no effect on stuttering.
Taurine binds to the same receptors as GABA, and therefore has similar effects to GABA. This too has reduced anxiety, but also had no effect on stuttering.
Although I have not come across any information regarding these amino acids in stuttering, I still decided to try them because of their effects on GABA. I have no problem fooling around with over-the-counter drugs provided that they do not have any severe side effects.
The only other amino acid that I am thinking of trying is Theanine, but I have other ideas of things I want to try first.
The most interesting type of drugs I have come across so far are nootropics (smart drugs). They do not act on neurotransmitters. Instead, they act directly on neurons and ion channels, therefore modifying excitability and electricity flow (perhaps similar to deep brain stimulation). They also improve blood flow to the brain (shown to be reduced in stutterers). But what intrigues me the most about nootropics is their distinct ability to facilitate cross-hemispheric communication... it has been shown that stutterers are using the wrong hemisphere of their brain while speaking. Also, nootropics have been shown to repair certain areas of the brain. There are hundreds of studies available on these drugs. I have ordered Piracetam, the most common and widely studied nootropic, and will report my results within the next couple of weeks. What is interesting also is that these substances have virtually no side effects, and in fact are considered safer in studies than the placebo. Furthermore, scientists have failed to find any toxicity level.
I realize that there is next to no information on alternative stuttering medications, but I am willing to try things out for myself, and hopefully find something that provides some level of relief for the time being, provided that my safety is not compromised in the process.
I haven't received Piracetam yet, but will report any results I notice.

Lawyer
03-07-2007, 12:21 AM
Ari,
Glutamine and Vitamin B6 are supposedly the precursors to GABA. Those two did reduce my anxiety, but had no effect on stuttering.
Taurine binds to the same receptors as GABA, and therefore has similar effects to GABA. This too has reduced anxiety, but also had no effect on stuttering.
Although I have not come across any information regarding these amino acids in stuttering, I still decided to try them because of their effects on GABA. I have no problem fooling around with over-the-counter drugs provided that they do not have any severe side effects.
The only other amino acid that I am thinking of trying is Theanine, but I have other ideas of things I want to try first.
The most interesting type of drugs I have come across so far are nootropics (smart drugs). They do not act on neurotransmitters. Instead, they act directly on neurons and ion channels, therefore modifying excitability and electricity flow (perhaps similar to deep brain stimulation). They also improve blood flow to the brain (shown to be reduced in stutterers). But what intrigues me the most about nootropics is their distinct ability to facilitate cross-hemispheric communication... it has been shown that stutterers are using the wrong hemisphere of their brain while speaking. Also, nootropics have been shown to repair certain areas of the brain. There are hundreds of studies available on these drugs. I have ordered Piracetam, the most common and widely studied nootropic, and will report my results within the next couple of weeks. What is interesting also is that these substances have virtually no side effects, and in fact are considered safer in studies than the placebo. Furthermore, scientists have failed to find any toxicity level.
I realize that there is next to no information on alternative stuttering medications, but I am willing to try things out for myself, and hopefully find something that provides some level of relief for the time being, provided that my safety is not compromised in the process.
I haven't received Piracetam yet, but will report any results I notice.

Anything to report? I am awaiting a piracetam supply as well.