Ditched the Quercetin. It's not for me.

[carolm]

Hi all,
Three weeks ago I started taking Quercetin, thinking that i was having some mast cell issues that were giving me abdominal cramping. Plus, I have other allergies and thought it might help those too.

I don't have a good track record with supplements in general. I've had more negative effects than positive. For example when trying Ginko several years ago, it gave me vicious headaches.... comparable to migraine headaches and I very rarely get headaches. They stopped as soon as I stopped the Ginko.

For the first week I didn't tell much difference with Quercetin. After 10 days I felt 'down' one day but didn't think much about it. That was on a Thursday. On Friday and Saturday (one week from today) I was kinda flat and neutral in my mood-- thought I was just stressed. Sunday, I absolutely melted down, started crying and could not stop. Tears still rolling out after a couple of hours for no apparent reason. Truely this is not like me. I felt despondent, like EVERYTHING was too hard, including eating, etc. I decided it might be the Quercetin, even though I had done my research and there are virtually no negative effects reported. I stopped taking it last Sunday. On Monday I was still moody. Tuesday was better. Weds I felt like my old self again and now, after another 3 days, I really feel like my old steady self (which is very good because my husband was hospitalized Weds with atrial fib and was just released today).
Since I stopped Quercetin I found one study that talked about it potentially interfering with dopamine uptake. Hmmm. That could be problematic for sure. Maybe that's where I was at.

Clearly Quercetin was not helpful for me. Keep in mind this was just my experience and others may find it to be helpful. I've found it to be more beneficial to drop histamine foods from my diet instead.

Carol

[Gloria]

Wow - that was a pretty dramatic reaction to Quercetin. I'm glad you suspected it as the cause right away.

I hope your husband will be OK.

You've had quite an eventful week. Enjoy your weekend!

Gloria

[tex]

That sure was an extreme reaction. It demonstrates once again how differently we all respond to medications.

I hope your husband's episode wasn't an indication of a serious issue, and I hope you both enjoy smooth sailing from here on.

Tex

[wmonique2]

Hi Carol,

I was eagerly awaiting your experimentation with quercetin and DAO. What a surprise that quercetin made you so sick! It's a bioflavonoid? Apples are loaded with quercetin...I've been having like 3 apples a day (juicing them with carrots and pears), I guess that'll be my quercetin. It could be that quercetin taken as a supplement influences the body differently that getting it directly from food. (The dopamine thing is interesting...)

Hope your hubby is doing good. Best.

Regards,

Monique

[carolm]

Hi Monique,
I don't think I'll be jumping on the DAO bandwagon just yet either. As I said my track record with supplements has not been good, either before or after LC. Since DAO is derived from pig and I react to pork, I have some hesitations there too.

In terms of quercetin, maybe it's a matter of degree. Maybe occurring naturally in foods it's not as potent or we just handle it better but throw in another 500 mgs and it's too much and starts getting in the way.

I have a theory that if you take a supplement or med and it works with virtually no side effects, then your body needs it and is using it. IF your body doesn't need it and isn't using it up then it will give you problems/side effects. At least that seems to be my experience.

Carol

[carolm]

Thanks for the kind words wishing my husband well. Unfortunately they tried 2 meds to get his rhythm converted and neither worked. Then they tried cardioversion (the 'shock' that will convert your heart to the correct rhythm) and that didn't work either. In fact they shocked him 3 times and it wouldn't hold. They are referring him to a group that specializes in electrical problems of the heart, and reducing the potential for stroke with meds to control his heart rate and to keep his blood thinner. It was stressful for both of us, but I didn't melt down during any of this..... so I truly believe it had to be the supplement.

Carol

[wmonique2]

Hi Carol,

I agree with your theory about the body rejecting what it feels it doesn't need. That is the philosophy behind Chinese medicine--that the body has its own intelligence...and is not composed of spare parts that work separately and independently of each other. We are, indeed, the sum of all our parts.

Good that you held up well during this event with your husband. I hope all goes well for both of you.

Regards,


Monique

[Christine.]

Carol
I hope your husband feels better. I'm sure they will regulate the rhythm.
Chris

[brandy]

Wow, Carol, you've been thru a lot! Thanks for the update on the quercetin. Hope you husband feels better. Please keep us posted, Brandy