Agmatine and Lithium for Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a disease process that involves seizures as a defining feature. It affects about 1% of the global population. The development of epilepsy is believed to occur when hyper-excitable epileptic tissues are formed. According to this model, tissues then form networks that synchronize and propagate the abnormal hyper-excitability to tissues that are normal.Can epilepsy be cured permanently? Why 30% of All Epilepsy Patients Worldwide Are Spontaneously Cured...
There are other models of epilepsy as well that are worth noting here. For example, neurocysticercosis, is actually the leading cause of seizures throughout the world, though this curable disease is not acknowledged in western conventional medicine as worthy of consideration by doctors. Neurocysticercosis is caused by a tapeworm infection that impacts brain tissues. People who are diagnosed with epilepsy who actually have neurocysticercosis may experience a spontaneous cure. Or they may choose to treat the disease process and take control of curing their disease. In any case, about 30% of epilepsy cases worldwide spontaneously resolve due to the fact that they are caused by a parasite infection that is treatable and in some cases, time-limited.Click here to read more about the misdiagnosis of epilepsy and neurocysticercosis cures.
In this article, we discuss agmatine as a natural cure for epilepsy that may help get rid of seizures whether they’re caused by a parasite infection or by electrical hyper-excitability of brain tissues.
Agmatine as a Natural Cure for Epilepsy
Agmatine is a polyamine that is produced in the body naturally when the enzyme arginine decarboxylase decarboxylizes L-arginine. As a natural neuromodulating substance in the body that is also biologically active as an oral supplement, agmatine has generated a lot of excitement in the scientific community as an agent that can control a diversity of different central nervous system disorders.
Agmatine was first detected in the brains of mammals, but shortly after that, scientists found it in practically all other organs of the body. Indeed, the concentration of agmatine is lower in the cerebrum than in other organs like the stomach, small intestine, and the largest blood vessel in the body, the aorta. In the brain tissues, agmatine is found in the following structures:
- Cerebral cortex
- Midbrain
- Lower brainstem
- Frontal brain
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
All of the regions of the brain listed above correspond to endocrine and organ control, emotion, pain perception, and cognition. Recently, studies have shown that agmatine is made in both the brain and in the spinal cord. Some scientists believe that agmatine may actually be a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that works to modulate brain activity and control issues like the hyperexcitability of brain networks.
Pharmacological treatments for epilepsy generally aim to enhance the seizure threshold without any proven anti-epilepsy effects. And even when patients are medicated, 20-30% of those with epilepsy continue to experience seizures. As a natural epilepsy supplement, agmatine has been used effectively to reduce seizures which is extremely important given that, over the past 15 years, almost no progress has been made to reduce the symptoms or incidence of epilepsy.
Nutricost Agmatine 100 Grams - Pure Agmatine Powder 100 Servings (Agmatine Sulfate)
How Agmatine Works to Treat Epilepsy without Medicine / Pharmaceuticals
Agmatine is a substance that the brain and body produce naturally. As we mention above, agmatine is regarded by some experts as a neurotransmitter as well as a neuromodulator. It reduces inflammation, one of the main contributing physiological processes that lead to seizures. And agmatine also protects the brain against pyroptosis, another physiological process that leads to seizures.In studies, agmatine has been able to disrupt the kindling process to decrease seizures while preventing damage to the hippocampus.
Agmatine and Lithium for Epilepsy
Lithium chloride, a synthetic pharmaceutical form of lithium that was developed in a lab, has been studied in terms of its anticonvulsant effect. Both lithium chloride and lithium carbonate are toxic drugs, but there is a natural, non-toxic form of lithium that works similarly to lithium chloride and lithium carbonate except without the side effects and high toxicity. The non-toxic form of lithium is known as “lithium orotate”. Like agmatine, lithium in all of these forms plays a neuroprotective role in the central nervous system.Both lithium (as a drug or in its natural form, “lithium orotate”) and agmatine have the ability to reduce the frequency of seizures. Also, both agmatine and lithium have the ability to enhance the effects of different antiepileptic drugs. And both modulate the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway in the body. Studies have shown that agmatine and lithium work together synergistically to prevent seizures naturally via the L-arginine / nitric oxide pathway.
In one study, while pretreatment with a large dose of lithium chloride (30 mg/kg body weight) increased seizure thresholds, pretreatment with a low, sub-effective dose of agmatine (3 mg/kg body weight) strengthened a sub-effective dose of lithium chloride (10 mg/kg body weight).
Agmatine for Epilepsy, Cognitive Impairment, and Depression
Agmatine supplementation can help reduce seizure severity naturally while also treating depression and cognitive impairment according to studies.Agmatine and Lithium Orotate Dosing:
Click here to read more about what agmatine is, what it does in terms of human health, and agmatine dosing recommendations.Start with a low dose of agmatine sulfate(under 500 mg per day for adults) and a low dose of lithium orotate (5 mg per day). Increase the dose of agmatine and lithium orotate incrementally to find the proper amount that works to reduce seizure frequency and severity.
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