Manic sugar craving?

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Manic sugar craving?
6
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 10:55am

I get hit by this big time, along with salty/crunchy craving, but the sugar carving is the worst, even with low level mania.


Just ran across a book for Parents of BP Children, that suggested giving kids 200mg of chromium picolinate a day to help with sugar craving--although it didn't specify why and whether it should be taken just during mania or regularly.


Has anybody heard of this before?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-22-2003
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 11:31am

Marci, I believe chromium picolinate is the same ingredient in certain diet supplements. It basically, if I understand it right, balances blood sugar and makes you feel full. It convinces you that you don't want it. I'd love to hear more of what you find.


I'm a little leary of diet stuff related to mental illness. My dad's a psychologist (not practicing) and my mom's a holistic nutritionist. They work together on these types of issues. My dad, even with all his schooling, still says that if I would just eat right and take the right supplements that the BP would go away without meds. Burns me up!!!! Mom and Dad have mental health issues, but they refuse to deal with it. They're just guilty because they know they haven't and I am dealing with it. I tune them out when Dad gets like that. I recognize it plays a part, but diet alone won't cure a physical imbalance. It is what it is. I'm resigned to the fact I have to take meds for life. Diet can help, true, but can't cure it. It's a part of me, but not who I am. The whole diet issue bugs me. I've had it pushed down my throat my whole life, not just for mental illness, etc, but for general "information." Never allowed to make my own choices. That's why I became a sugar addict. I'm probably borderline diabetic now because sugar is my alcohol, my drug, my addiction. I'm trying to break it, but I don't really care. It's my way to rebel. I get to make the decision about it, nobody else. My way to do what I want and nobody can make me do anything different. It's the good, sweet thing in my life when all else is crap.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2005
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 11:46am

I agree with Kristin about the Chromium picollinate(sp?) DH takes it for diabetes along with is other meds, it is supposed to help control his blood sugar levels, and I have taken it before with different dieting episodes. I think it is possible it would help, and I think it would have to be taken everyday because it doesnt cause an immediate drop in blood sugar levels from what I understand. Another thing that lowers blood sugar levels that REALLY works ....I have heard Dr's tell DH it works and he told me himself it works....and its not a medication or any of that....is cinnamon. He takes like 800mg a day in teh capsules and then eats it on oatmeal or whatever he has that would taste good with cinnamon on it. His blood sugar w/o meds and just with the cinammon and the chromium and alpha lipoic acid is close to normal, I mean its high for you or me, but for him its extremely well considering it is unmedicated. SO I know those three work to help blood sugar leves and they work well.

Hope this is helpful

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Sat, 03-04-2006 - 3:44pm

I have heard similar things about chromium...it is actually one of the ingredients in my "One-a-day Weight Smart" multivitamin...I think it is supposed to help with both appetite and cravings, but I don't know the details. I hope it helps if you decide to try it...when I've had sugar cravings in the past, I haven't done a very good job of resisting them, so I know it's so hard!

Rose

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-30-2002
Sun, 03-05-2006 - 3:08am
Thank you so much for this info. My so is not craving sugar right now but he is taking a multivitamin supplement regularly and he's not manic. I'll check out the ingredients. Good info on the cinnamon too.
Interesting you mention salty things because I remember him mellowing out a bit on the sugar when I was using a seaweed based seasoning while cooking. Trace mineral maybe?
See I knew you guys would have an answer/advise.


iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Sun, 03-05-2006 - 3:42pm

Didn't find much about this on my regular drug/supplement site.

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-21-2005
Sun, 03-05-2006 - 8:48pm

Marci,
I talked to DH more about the cinnamon he takes and how it affects his blood sugar and all that. He told me that when he was first diagnosed with diabetes his A1C level(thats the 3 month average blood sugar level that his doctor tests for everytime he goes to see him...its supposed to be 7-7.5)was 12. The time he went before starting the cinnamon and just taking medications his A1C was 9. Then the next time he went back without changing anything else except taking the cinnamon his A1C was 7.5. Thats without any real exercise at all. Just trying to watch what he eats,which he isnt very strict about and taking the cinnamon...right now he is off his meds completely..because of insurance bs...so I told him to check his sugar levels since now he is just doing cinnamon and a diabetic multivitamin, so that will be interesting to see.

Anyways, thats the long short version of the blood sugar levels. Last time he went to the doc, he saw the nurse practicioner instead of the doc and he told her about the cinnamon, and they dont actually prescribe it for him, they just said it is known to work and wont interefer with anything he was currently taking so its fine to use it, she also said it has been shown to help prevent diabetes if you are at risk, so she told me that it wouldnt be a bad idea if I wanted to take it too. He takes 2000mg a day of the cinnamon capsules and if hes eating something that would taste good with cinnaomon in it he eats it on there. He also takes a multivitamin called "alpha-betic" Its specifically for diabetics and has chromium piccolinate in it and alpha lipoic acid, both are said to be helpful for controlling blood sugar levels. He takes that twice a day. Its kind of expensive but since he was taking another vitamin anyways, and buying the chromium and alpha lipoic acid on top of all that it ended up being cheaper to just buy the vitamin. I think its like $16 for 100 pills which lasts almost 2 months if you take 2 a day.

Thats about all I can remember right now, if you want anymore details then post and I will go ask him :)

Love you
Rebekah

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