Re: Has anyone been diagnosed with pyroluria?

I'm really glad to hear some people have had success with this.

I ran across this disorder recently after I figured out I have had a deficiency in zinc since I can remember (bad, horizontal ridges on my nails especially my right thumb - I remember they popped up when I was about five years old). It was after taking zinc that the ridges completely disappeared. I was shocked! Imagine having something for over 40 years and then it suddenly disappears when you take a new vitamin. That's when I became really "sold" on vitamins. Before that, I never really knew if they worked, you know?

However, me it took me running out of zinc to figure out that it was the zinc and not vitamin D3, which I had started taking about the same time (I upped my vitamins after I came down with severe fatigue and Depression after very traumatic, chronic event). I decided I had adrenal fatigue since I had all of the symptoms, started seeing an integrative doctor, and she agreed (she moved and I changed doctors since). That's when I put it together that I have had problems with estrogen dominance and PMS (with bad anxiety and depression) since I was 18. When we're stressed, we don't produce as much progesterone so if you're already estrogen dominant, you get much worse. Tri-Levlen 28 seem to keep me somewhat balanced for many years, although stress would usually cause all my symptoms to be worse. Over the years, I noticed my ability to handle the stress just kept getting worse.

Going on bio-identical progesterone when the fatigue became severe (I pretty much lived on my couch) "saved my life." My fatigue went from severe to moderate so I was at least more functional. For a while, I was on a low dose of thyroid and my energy became even better, but they won't put me on it again because my thyroid test is normal now.

However, my energy and Depression got much worse after another very stressful incident 2-3 months ago. I didn't realize that I had also run out of zinc 6 months ago and forgot to replace it! I realize now that that is when I started to slowly get worse.

Since then, it has been a vicious cycle and I'm not so sure going off the zinc didn't make the stressful event more stressful! The Depression makes the stress worse and the stress makes the depression worse. when I get stressed I feel very overloaded emotionally and then either cry or get snappy. They finally wanted to put me on an antidepressant. I told them that the SSRIs made me worse (i'm very sensitive to medication), but they talked it in me into it and so I went on Paxil for a week and ta-da - I felt worse! This is why I've always looked for other solutions to my depression, etc. also read a lot and no one thinks that serotonin or even norepinephrine are the "problem." Antidepressants are like all medications: a Band-Aid to help relieve symptoms but not a cure of the deficiency or toxicity that's going on in the body.

I just reordered and started taking zinc again a week ago. I'm only taking 50 mg right now since I don't know what is safe for me (I read zinc toxicity is very easy and too much can raise your copper levels). But I feel very hopeful and hope to update you later on what the new integrative doctor says and how the treatments go!

I should mention that I've also had several other symptoms that are listed with this disorder. Weird ones like teeth-overcrowding in the upper jaw (actually widened my jaw as a kid!); stretch marks for no reason (get them all the time without any significant weight gain or loss - dehydrated skin?); dry skin (and easily dehydrated - which is probably related - even though I drink at least a 1/2 gallon of water a day -no joke - always thirsty since I was a kid). Tweet