Combination Chromium and Prozac

Hello again, Dr. McLeod.

I wrote you about a year and a half ago when I started taking chromium. I'm still on it and doing very well. The difference still astonishes me in how much better I am on the combination of Prozac and chromium. The carb cravings are a lot less and my energy level stays stable through the day. I've been able to lose 25 pounds so far, hopefully with more to come. I still need to lose another 30-50 pounds, but the chromium has been a big help so far. My blood pressure has dropped significantly as the result of the weight loss, my blood pressure has dropped from 130/90 to 118/80. I will have to stay disciplined, as even with the carb cravings diminished, I do still love to eat. My GP is pleased that I'm on chromium with my family history of type 2 diabetes, even though I show no clinical symptoms yet. He also treats both of my parents' type 2 diabetes. We've talked about possibly starting me on a low dose of glucophage as a preventive, as since I'm already responding to the chromium, there's already insulin resistance present. One of my friends who has similar depression to mine has started taking it and has had good results and I finally got my dad to start taking it. We both come from a long line of people with depression. He is feeling better too, and our doctor was ecstatic at his last checkup for his type 2 diabetes at his blood sugar and A1C levels. They've dropped significantly since he's been on the chromium.Thanks again for all of your research and work to publicize this treatment. It has made such a big difference in my life.
E.L.

Can chromium reduce need for diabetic drugs?

I have received numerous emails from people that suggest that chromium might be useful in lowering the dosage of drugs used to treat diabetes. This is not proven, but it certainly is an interesting area for research.
I'm pleased to read that the person is studying this matter with the help of her physician. I would never recommend otherwise.
Here is the letter:

Dear Dr McLeod

Thanks to chromium picolinate (600 ug daily) my mood so well improved. As well as my diabetes 2: Now I am taking only half dose of my oral anti diabetic drug ( Metformin + pioglitazone) under supervision of my physician. And my fasting blood sugar is better than before !. Thank you for all you have discovered.

I am looking forward to your next book.

Best regards
C. A.
France

Another depressed person responds to chromium

I have received hundreds of emails that support my discovery that chromium is useful in the treatment and prevention of the type of depression associated with carbohydrate craving. Here is the most recent account:

Dear Dr. McLeod,
I came across your website and your book after trying to look for the connection between chromium and depression on the Internet. I was looking to see if there was any information about the connection, because I in fact knew that there was through personal experience, even though I hadn't until today read anything to confirm it. I first started taking Chromium about 2 or 3 years ago in an attempt to stop sugar cravings and lost a bit of weight. I was certain that -- as well as giving me more energy and motivation -- chromium also improved my moods! I suffer from mild Dysthymia and despite knowing why at times I feel 'down and depressed', other times I am simply taken over by feelings of despair, sadness and absolute emptiness. At times these are due to my hormones, I have very high oestrogen, but at other times the feelings just come and go with no reason at all! I can definitely say that Chromium stabilises these feelings and has a 100% positive effect on depression which I recognised a few years ago now. I then stopped taking it, partly because I was feeling better and partly because of the apparent side effects, however for the past 8 months I have gone back to feeling very depressed and just started taking them again today; I can feel the difference already.

Your book will inform many people about the benefits of Chromium, if taken sensibly and with an informed mind set! You may publish my response to chromium on your blog. I hope it will be useful to others. Doctors should suggest chromium instead of anti-depressants which mask feelings!
Best Wishes,
E.N.

Another person with atypical depression responds to chromium

Dr. McLeod,
I wanted to share with you my story about Chromium Picolinate. I've dealt with very strong sugar cravings most of my life, and on a random recommendation from someone, I decided to try chromium picolinate to see if it would help. Little did I know what it would do for me.
Within two days, I realized it was having an effect on other symptoms that I've struggled with for over 20 years, and have seen doctors about, but to no avail. I've dealt with insomnia (difficulty in falling asleep and being very restless) and fatigue most prevalently; but I've also felt depressed at times and have had mild social anxiety issues for as long as I can remember. I figured the last two were more of a personal failing than biological, but I had been seeking solutions for the first two for quite awhile (medicine, change of diet and exercise, etc.). Some success, but things never quite felt right. So I started taking CrPic, and all of these symptoms cleared up within two days. I felt like I went to sleep and woke up in a new body. This was so odd that I did some research on "chromium and depression" and found your book. I felt like I was reading about myself in your descriptions of atypical depression. It never dawned on me that perhaps there was a description that encompassed the symptoms I've had. I've been waiting for the effects to die off, but fortunately they haven't. My carbohydrate cravings have all but disappeared. It's literally been a life-changer for me. Although I've learned to cope pretty well, I know that my work and social life have felt the effects. And here's something strange that I don't know if you've run into: I've had a habit of biting my nails for over 25 years and I've never been successful in kicking the habit. In the last two weeks, the impulse behind that action has disappeared, and I haven't bitten them since. I don't know if there's a connection to a less anxious and stable mood, but I feel as if there is a biological connection as well. I'm more "settled" internally, such that it seems to have short-circuited the impulse.
One last observation: when I was seeing the doctor about my fatigue awhile back, I had some blood work done and he mentioned that the tests showed that my blood sugar levels were in the pre-diabetic stage. This was another piece of the puzzle that seemed to correspond to atypical depression, and that CrPic was a genuine solution, and not just a placebo.
Thanks very much for your research in this area. I'm convinced it's helping a lot of people.

Name withheld by request


Dear Sir,

Thank you so much for contacting me and telling me your story. I have had many patients who shortly after beginning to take chromium picolinate have responded exactly as you describe, with rapid lifting of carbohydrate craving, lifting of depression, improved sleep and less anxiety. You are the first person who has reported cessation of nail biting. Your explanation – that stopping nail biting is the result of less anxiety—sounds plausible to me.

Again, thank you for sharing your story. I will post it on my blog with the hope that others will see themselves in your account and will derive benefit from CrPic.

Malcolm N. McLeod, MD

Chromium helps carb cravings in atypical depression

Dear Dr. McLeod
I have been struggling with atypical depression for years. Depression, binge eating due to overwhelming carb cravings, weight gain, oversleeping, debilitating fatigue, extreme sensitivity to rejection... all worsening over the months and years in severity and eventually leading to suicidal ideation. I went on Lexapro which helped keep me alive and allowed me to function from day to day, even though I never felt whole and healed. And it never touched the carb cravings. I eventually added therapy and noticed concrete, steady improvement and the possibility in my mind of eventually achieving long term mental health. Oh, but still those carb cravings. They really wouldn't budge.Then I read an article on Chromium for atypical depression and I decided to try it... 600 mcg qd. Within days I noticed a difference. Within two weeks I had cut my Lexapro from 10 mg qd to 5 mg qd. Within 5 weeks I quit taking the Lexapro altogether. On a scale of 0-100, my carb cravings have dropped from a raging 100 to a very manageable 10. It is the most liberating experience. I thank God for freedom from those chains. Willpower never even entered into that equation. I continue with the therapy, will probably be there for several months more. But thanks to the Chromium I feel I now have real hope, a chance to go forward, do the work I need to do, heal and find real peace. In short, the effect of Chromium on my mental health has felt nothing short of miraculous.Thank you for your work and for allowing me to share that. VC

Dear VC

Thank you so much for contacting me. I have observed reduction in carbohydrate cravings in atypical depression in many patients, and this finding has been confirmed by a large, placebo-controlled, double-blinded study. Moreover, many of my patients, like you, have been able to decrease their antidepressant medications. You might want to add exercise to your regimen.

I read your report to a psychiatric resident whom I supervise. (A resident is a medical-school graduate who is specializing in a particular branch of medicine.) He was impressed and asked, "Why don't more people take chromium?" I told him it's because chromium is not an expensive drug that is "hyped" by big pharma.

I hope your testimonial and that of others will help the word "get around" so that others can be helped. For that reason I wrote Lifting Depression. The second edition will hit the shelves in July of 2009.

Thank you again for contacting me.
Malcolm McLeod, MD

Where Can I Find Chromax?

Hi Dr. McLeod,

I was recently diagnosed with type II diabetes, with a fasting glucose of 150. I am working to control my BG through diet and exercise, and do not take any medication or insulin. I recently added 200 mg of Chromium Picolinate to my vitamins I take daily, and have been shocked to see my blood glucose drop into the non-diabetes range for a few hours whenever I take the supplement. After doing some research online, I am very interested in switching to Chromax to get the full benefit of CrPic. However, I have found in searching online that I cannot find Chromax at Costco, Target, Walgreens, etc, even though these stores are listed on the Chromax website. Is there a shortage of chromax due to its popularity?

Thank you,
M

Dear M,
I'm pleased that your blood sugar is being helped by chromium picolinate. Nutrition 21 recently started packaging Chromax under the label Nutrition 21 Iceland Health Chromax, so if you look on the shelves of many mass retailers, you will see Iceland Health Chromax. Try Walgreens. If you can't find it, please get back in touch and I'll see what I can do.
Malcolm McLeod

Does Chromium Cause Diabetes?

QUESTION:
Hello,

My coach told me to take 400 mcg of chromium picolinate every night for one month to support weight loss. However my family have the history of diabetics type 2, I am not sure about taking chromium as weight loss supplement. It might make me diabetic? please help me out.

Thanks and Regards
S K

ANSWER:
Your coach is correct that chromium supports weight loss. Several of my patients have lost many pounds after beginning to take chromium. I think that's because chromium gives them more energy and enables them to exercise more.
Your coach is not correct on two points: 1) chromium does not cause diabetes. In fact there is some evidence that chromium delays or prevents the onset of diabetes. 2) Take chromium in the morning. If taken too late in the date, it may cause some difficulty in falling asleep.
Good luck, and thank you for contacting me. I would appreciate a followup.
Malcolm McLeod, MD