Guest guest Posted January 7, 2012 Report Share Posted January 7, 2012 My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even though my son has very high glutamate levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect. However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of georgiasand32Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Namenda My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even though my son has very high glutamate levels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Pamela, was your child on Namenda because of elevated glutamate levels? If so, how are you addressing this issue without Namenda? At normal levels, glutamate aids in memory and learning, but if levels are too high, glutamate appears to overstimulate nerve cells, killing off key brain cells. I am not all together certain what creates dangerously elevated glutamate, I have read studies linking it to mercury poisoning, head trauma etc. All I know is my son's is very high and this is linked to brain cell death so it is very upsetting. I would be interested in finding a natural alternative to lowering glutamate rather than keeping him on Namenda indefinitely. > > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect. > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. > > Pamela > > From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On > Behalf Of georgiasand32 > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM > To: mb12valtrex > Subject: Namenda > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even > though my son has very high glutamate levels. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Isn't this a drug for Alzheimers? I. DeVos, Certified Nutritional Practitioner Certified Live Cell Microscopist Certified in Electrodermal Screening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Have you looked into Dr. Amy Yasko's work? One of her first recommendations is to lower glutamate and balance gaba. She also recommends controlling calcium. You might find her information helpful if you are dealing with high glutamates. Cathy > > Pamela, was your child on Namenda because of elevated glutamate levels? If so, how are you addressing this issue without Namenda? At normal levels, glutamate aids in memory and learning, but if levels are too high, glutamate appears to overstimulate nerve cells, killing off key brain cells. I am not all together certain what creates > dangerously elevated glutamate, I have read studies linking it to mercury poisoning, head trauma etc. All I know is my son's is very high and this is linked to brain cell death so it is very upsetting. I would be interested in finding a natural alternative to lowering glutamate rather than keeping him on Namenda indefinitely. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Yes. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of Cathy Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 11:39 AMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Namenda Isn't this a drug for Alzheimers? I. DeVos, Certified Nutritional Practitioner Certified Live Cell Microscopist Certified in Electrodermal Screening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Gaba lowers Glutamate in our kids. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of georgiasand32Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 11:35 AMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Namenda Pamela, was your child on Namenda because of elevated glutamate levels? If so, how are you addressing this issue without Namenda? At normal levels, glutamate aids in memory and learning, but if levels are too high, glutamate appears to overstimulate nerve cells, killing off key brain cells. I am not all together certain what createsdangerously elevated glutamate, I have read studies linking it to mercury poisoning, head trauma etc. All I know is my son's is very high and this is linked to brain cell death so it is very upsetting. I would be interested in finding a natural alternative to lowering glutamate rather than keeping him on Namenda indefinitely.>> We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect.> However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it.> > Pamela > > From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On> Behalf Of georgiasand32> Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM> To: mb12valtrex > Subject: Namenda> > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose> each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first> couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more> hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing> with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the> maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even> though my son has very high glutamate levels.> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Yes, Namenda is used for Alzheimer's. How much Gaba is equivalent to Namenda? Or, how much Gaba would be used to counter very high glutamate levels? > > > > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect. > > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. > > > > Pamela > > > > From: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > [mailto:mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> ] > On > > Behalf Of georgiasand32 > > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM > > To: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > Subject: Namenda > > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose > > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more > > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing > > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even > > though my son has very high glutamate levels. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 This is a really interesting site that discusses the dangers of high glutamate, something I never knew until recently to be concerned about: http://arizonaadvancedmedicine.com/articles/msg.html > > > > > > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect. > > > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. > > > > > > Pamela > > > > > > From: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > [mailto:mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> ] > > On > > > Behalf Of georgiasand32 > > > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM > > > To: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > > Subject: Namenda > > > > > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose > > > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > > > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more > > > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing > > > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > > > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even > > > though my son has very high glutamate levels. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 I study Alzheimer's ,this drug is useless for A.D. I. DeVos, Certified Nutritional Practitioner Certified Live Cell Microscopist Certified in Electrodermal Screening Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Vinpoctine, enchances cerebral blood flow, acts as a neuroprotector in CNS, enhances memory, and cognitive function No known side effects. if you use this supplement its advised to start at a low dose and move up over time, given with meals. ( I do not know any results, just been reading up on it recently) HTH's > > > > > > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect. > > > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. > > > > > > Pamela > > > > > > From: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > [mailto:mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> ] > > On > > > Behalf Of georgiasand32 > > > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM > > > To: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > > Subject: Namenda > > > > > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose > > > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > > > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more > > > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing > > > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > > > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even > > > though my son has very high glutamate levels. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Youtube has some info about Namenda's use in ASD. Dr. Woeller recommends it as well. He is a DO and DAN! doctor.To the original poster, my son has seizure activity and Dr. Woeller recommended Namenda a couple of times. I was considering it however we found a good response to some other things.We have my son on GabaPlus, which is a combo of Gaba, Inositol and Niacinamide. We also are using B6 and magnesium. These have brought about great improvements, in mood and behavior and impulsivity. His primary dx is ADHD with seizure activity / " epilepsy " and at his worst was selectively mute and had ASD-like behaviors (elopement, stimming)  I study Alzheimer's ,this drug is useless for A.D.  I. DeVos, Certified Nutritional Practitioner                                Certified Live Cell Microscopist                                 Certified in Electrodermal Screening  -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find info about Vitamins and Minerals:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543521682565 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find links to info about the Low Oxalate Diet :http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543495292565 ------Toni------Mind like a steel trap...Rusty and illegal in 37 states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase calmness? Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this drug? The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. The two big ones are: 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as efficiently as they should. Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. I hope this helps.Yours in health, Dr. Mike A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACANDefeat Autism Now! Clinician Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology115 Eileen Way, Suite 107Syosset, NY 117911085 Park Ave, Suite 1ENew York, NY 10128www.NYCFutureDocs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Dr Mike, So in your opinion, it is better to remove the excitotoxins from our children's diet than putting them on namenda? Am I understanding it right? Should every child be given a trial of gaba? Do we need to run any specific tests to see if the child is deficient or has insufficient GAD? What kind of behaviors in a child indicate that GAD is not doing the job it is supposed to do? Is non-stop stimming a result of excessive glutamate? This is a new topic for me so I would love if someone could give some more details on it. Other parents might benefit also. is > > It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda > for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase > calmness? > > Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, > which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. > My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's > brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by > using this drug? > > The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated > by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, > which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they > use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. > > The two big ones are: > > 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. > This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long > lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest > being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are > often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. > > 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as > efficiently as they should. > Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten > sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts > Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid > Decarboxylase)Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 > > I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their > doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. > > I hope this helps. > > Yours in health, > > Dr. Mike > > A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN > Defeat Autism Now! Clinician > > Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology > > 115 Eileen Way, Suite 107 > Syosset, NY 11791 > > > 1085 Park Ave, Suite 1E > New York, NY 10128 > > _www.NYCFutureDocs.com_ (http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 8, 2012 Report Share Posted January 8, 2012 Good point. I don't think I mentioned that my son has seizure activity and was already GF and on gobs of GABA to get a response. Also, had eliminated excitotixins and were on low oxalate diet.The gobs of GABA, etc, did not help as much as the GabaPlus and B6 and magnesium. B6 and mag being other natural ways to calm the brain and seizure activity.I only considered Namenda as an alternative to the anti-seizure meds the neurologist was pushing, which had severe side effects.Now, thank goodness we have not had to do any of the RXs for him. Georgiasand, and is, hope you find your answers. :-) Hope I didn't derail this thread. PS Thanks for the reminder, I am going to see if I can get the doc to pull a GAD blood test.  It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase calmness?  Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this drug?  The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this.  The two big ones are:  1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to.  2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as efficiently as they should. Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues.  I hope this helps.Yours in health, Dr. Mike  A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACANDefeat Autism Now! Clinician Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology115 Eileen Way, Suite 107Syosset, NY 117911085 Park Ave, Suite 1ENew York, NY 10128www.NYCFutureDocs.com -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find info about Vitamins and Minerals:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543521682565 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find links to info about the Low Oxalate Diet :http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543495292565 ------Toni------Mind like a steel trap...Rusty and illegal in 37 states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 We used vinpocetine for about 2years. starting at only 5 mg per day then going to 5 mg 2 x a day. The one thing that improved for us was hearing. His hearing tests significantly improved after about 4 - 6 weeks of being on this. For some reason we have not used it for the past two years. (we used it for for at least years, maybe 2 1/2 years ) No side effects, but I was cutting back on supplements due to income and that was one I let go. I haven't noticed any regression in his hearing since stopping it. Patty T- mom to www.caringbridge.org/md/myjesse Namenda > > > > > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose > > > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > > > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more > > > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing > > > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > > > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even > > > though my son has very high glutamate levels. > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Great post. -Tammy To: mb12valtrex Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2012 11:08 PM Subject: Re: Namenda It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase calmness? Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this drug? The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. The two big ones are: 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as efficiently as they should. Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase) , you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. I hope this helps.Yours in health, Dr. Mike A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACANDefeat Autism Now! Clinician Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology115 Eileen Way, Suite 107Syosset, NY 117911085 Park Ave, Suite 1ENew York, NY 10128www.NYCFutureDocs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 5htp and theanine particularly theanine i have read help with glutamate regulatation....those two things were amazing for my son...also valerian (high in gaba) worked to a lesser extent.. when those didnt work i looked into food infractions like mike suggested or pathogen overload.. also im loving neuroprotec and PS... im thinking that what causes the glutamate receptors to not turn off can be microglial activation or inflammation.. channa To: mb12valtrex Sent: Sunday, January 8, 2012 11:34 PMSubject: Re: Namenda Dr Mike,So in your opinion, it is better to remove the excitotoxins from our children's diet than putting them on namenda? Am I understanding it right? Should every child be given a trial of gaba? Do we need to run any specific tests to see if the child is deficient or has insufficient GAD? What kind of behaviors in a child indicate that GAD is not doing the job it is supposed to do? Is non-stop stimming a result of excessive glutamate? This is a new topic for me so I would love if someone could give some more details on it. Other parents might benefit also.is>> It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda > for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase > calmness? > > Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, > which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. > My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's > brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by > using this drug?> > The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated > by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, > which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they > use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. > > The two big ones are:> > 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate.> This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long > lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest > being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are > often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to.> > 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as > efficiently as they should.> Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten > sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts > Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid > Decarboxylase)Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 > > I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their > doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues.> > I hope this helps.> > Yours in health,> > Dr. Mike> > A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN> Defeat Autism Now! Clinician > > Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology> > 115 Eileen Way, Suite 107> Syosset, NY 11791> > > 1085 Park Ave, Suite 1E> New York, NY 10128> > _www.NYCFutureDocs.com_ (http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/)> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 Gaba is usually dosed according to the child's weight. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of georgiasand32Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 9:53 PMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Namenda Yes, Namenda is used for Alzheimer's. How much Gaba is equivalent to Namenda? Or, how much Gaba would be used to counter very high glutamate levels?> >> > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect.> > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it.> > > > Pamela > > > > From: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com>> [mailto:mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> ]> On> > Behalf Of georgiasand32> > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM> > To: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > Subject: Namenda> > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose> > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first> > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more> > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing> > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the> > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even> > though my son has very high glutamate levels.> >> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 This was far from a first line therapy for my son. Thank you for your input. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of summate1@...Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 11:08 PMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Namenda It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase calmness? Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this drug? The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. The two big ones are: 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate.This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as efficiently as they should.Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. I hope this helps.Yours in health,Dr. Mike A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACANDefeat Autism Now! Clinician Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology115 Eileen Way, Suite 107Syosset, NY 117911085 Park Ave, Suite 1ENew York, NY 10128www.NYCFutureDocs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I am really confused. It seems from the earlier post from the doctor, that you would not want to add more GABA but use GAD, which I have never heard of as a supplement, in order to use up the excess glutamate to turn into GABA.....right? Since my son is doing well on Namenda would not want to stop it unless it is replaced with something else that as effectively takes care of the damaging glutamate. > > This was far from a first line therapy for my son. Thank you for your > input. > > Pamela > > From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On > Behalf Of summate1@... > Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 11:08 PM > To: mb12valtrex > Subject: Re: Namenda > > > It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for > a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase > calmness? > > Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which > means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My > question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to > a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this > drug? > > The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by > glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, > which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they > use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. > > The two big ones are: > > 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. > This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long > lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest > being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are > often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. > > 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as > efficiently as they should. > Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten > sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts > Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid > Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the > brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. > > I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their > doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. > > I hope this helps. > > Yours in health, > > Dr. Mike > > A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN > Defeat Autism Now! Clinician > Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology > > 115 Eileen Way, Suite 107 > Syosset, NY 11791 > > > 1085 Park Ave, Suite 1E > New York, NY 10128 > > www.NYCFutureDocs.com <http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/> > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 i sent a post that i think got lost in cyberspace...i wanted to mention....5htp and theanine work great in calming over excited glutamate receptors in my sons brain for some people like my son. also to a lesser extent valerian (high in gaba) also i really like neuroprotek and PS, those are for brain inflammation....but of course you always start with the diet! removing offending foods like gluten and in my sons case many other foods and if that doesnt help look into pathogen overload being the culpirit channa To: mb12valtrex Sent: Monday, January 9, 2012 2:17 AMSubject: Re: Re: Namenda Good point. I don't think I mentioned that my son has seizure activity and was already GF and on gobs of GABA to get a response. Also, had eliminated excitotixins and were on low oxalate diet.The gobs of GABA, etc, did not help as much as the GabaPlus and B6 and magnesium.B6 and mag being other natural ways to calm the brain and seizure activity.I only considered Namenda as an alternative to the anti-seizure meds the neurologist was pushing, which had severe side effects.Now, thank goodness we have not had to do any of the RXs for him.Georgiasand, and is, hope you find your answers. :-) Hope I didn't derail this thread. PS Thanks for the reminder, I am going to see if I can get the doc to pull a GAD blood test. It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase calmness? Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this drug? The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. The two big ones are: 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as efficiently as they should. Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. I hope this helps.Yours in health, Dr. Mike A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACANDefeat Autism Now! Clinician Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology115 Eileen Way, Suite 107Syosset, NY 117911085 Park Ave, Suite 1ENew York, NY 10128www.NYCFutureDocs.com -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find info about Vitamins and Minerals:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543521682565--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find links to info about the Low Oxalate Diet :http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543495292565------Toni------Mind like a steel trap...Rusty and illegal in 37 states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 It makes a huge difference for some kids and lots of doctors are using it. You might want to read what Yasko says about glutamate for another perspective - she doesn't use namenda as she is an ND. She says glutamate is the gun and calcium is the bullet. And yes some disagree with her. > > It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda > for a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase > calmness? > > Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, > which means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. > My question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's > brain to a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by > using this drug? > > The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated > by glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, > which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they > use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. > > The two big ones are: > > 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. > This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long > lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest > being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are > often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. > > 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as > efficiently as they should. > Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten > sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts > Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid > Decarboxylase)Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 > > I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their > doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. > > I hope this helps. > > Yours in health, > > Dr. Mike > > A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN > Defeat Autism Now! Clinician > > Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology > > 115 Eileen Way, Suite 107 > Syosset, NY 11791 > > > 1085 Park Ave, Suite 1E > New York, NY 10128 > > _www.NYCFutureDocs.com_ (http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/) > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 I am not sure you can use a GAD supplement. Â I am really confused. It seems from the earlier post from the doctor, that you would not want to add more GABA but use GAD, which I have never heard of as a supplement, in order to use up the excess glutamate to turn into GABA.....right? Since my son is doing well on Namenda would not want to stop it unless it is replaced with something else that as effectively takes care of the damaging glutamate. > > This was far from a first line therapy for my son. Thank you for your > input. > > Pamela > > From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On > Behalf Of summate1@... > Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 11:08 PM > To: mb12valtrex > Subject: Re: Namenda > > > It is key to understand why a doctor would prescribe a drug like Namenda for > a child on the spectrum. Is it to reduce hyperactivity or to increase > calmness? > > Namenda is used in Alzheimer's disease as an NMDA receptor antagonist, which > means it blocks the NMDA receptor from being turned 'on' by glutamate. My > question is, do you realize that you are shutting down your child's brain to > a certain degree and not allowing it to grow, expand and learn by using this > drug? > > The NMDA receptor is the main 'on' switch for the brain. It is activated by > glutamate. In pathological situations, it can be turned on and kept on, > which leads to excitotoxicity and eventually cell death. That is why they > use Namenda. By why would a child with ASD have a situation like this. > > The two big ones are: > > 1. They are being exposed to excitotoxins that mimic glutamate. > This would cause overstimulation of the NMDA receptors. There are long > lists of things easily found on the web that are excitotoxins. The biggest > being MSG and Aspartame, but there are many names for these and they are > often hidden in many foods that we are exposed to. > > 2. The next is that they can't naturally convert glutamate to gaba as > efficiently as they should. > Look at Gluten sensitivity. The antibodies that are built up against a > gluten in a person with this sensitivity (now 1 in 3 people are Gluten > sensitive) have been found to attack GAD which is the enzyme that converts > Glutamate to GABA in the body. Without sufficient GAD (Glutamic Acid > Decarboxylase), you are left with increased glutamate levels which keep the > brain excited and not enough GABA which shuts the brain down. > > I hate to see kids put on meds as a 1st line therapy, especially if their > doctor has not considered all of the biochemical reasons for their issues. > > I hope this helps. > > Yours in health, > > Dr. Mike > > A. Gruttadauria, DC, DACAN > Defeat Autism Now! Clinician > Diplomate of the American Chiropractic Academy of Neurology > > 115 Eileen Way, Suite 107 > Syosset, NY 11791 > > > 1085 Park Ave, Suite 1E > New York, NY 10128 > > www.NYCFutureDocs.com <http://www.nycfuturedocs.com/> > -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find info about Vitamins and Minerals:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543521682565 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find links to info about the Low Oxalate Diet :http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543495292565 ------Toni------Mind like a steel trap...Rusty and illegal in 37 states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2012 Report Share Posted January 9, 2012 We dosed based on effectiveness. Doses are crazy in the range of effectiveness. Like 50mg up to 3000mg. My son was on everything in that range. LOLThe combo we have him on now with the lower dose of GABA is more effective than the high dose GABA was... I think because it must help recirculate it or sustain the reaction or something versus 3000mg at once being used as much as it can be and then excreted??? All just anecdotal... but I think a lot of what we have going on now works on the GABA production and such... so anyway the point is that we are happy with what we are doing now which seems a bit less intrusive than the RX. But then, everyone has to choose for themselves and their family. We are taking quite a bunch of pills and that might not be doable for all familes!!  Gaba is usually dosed according to the child's weight. Pamela From: mb12valtrex [mailto:mb12valtrex ] On Behalf Of georgiasand32 Sent: Sunday, January 08, 2012 9:53 PMTo: mb12valtrex Subject: Re: Namenda   Yes, Namenda is used for Alzheimer's. How much Gaba is equivalent to Namenda? Or, how much Gaba would be used to counter very high glutamate levels? > >> > We tried Namenda years ago. We initially saw a nice, calming effect.> > However, it did not last beyond the first month. We eventually dropped it. > > > > Pamela > > > > From: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > [mailto:mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> ] > On> > Behalf Of georgiasand32> > Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2012 3:21 PM> > To: mb12valtrex <mailto:mb12valtrex%40yahoogroups.com> > > Subject: Namenda> > > > > > My son is on the one month trial of Namenda and slowly increasing the dose> > each week. It is up to us at what dose we would like to stay at. The first > > couple of weeks have been great. Just increased and he seems more> > hyperactive, but still good. Curious to know what other people are seeing> > with Namenda and at what dose they have settled on? I am not sure if the > > maximum dose of 10mg in the a.m. and p.m. is necessarily the best even> > though my son has very high glutamate levels.> >> -- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find info about Vitamins and Minerals:http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543521682565 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Click to find links to info about the Low Oxalate Diet :http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=10150543495292565 ------Toni------Mind like a steel trap...Rusty and illegal in 37 states. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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