Anyone think they reduced their # of seizures by taking Taurine?

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I know there are a number of posts about Taurine but most of them seem to be lists of supplements members are taking. If you are taking Taurine how much are you taking each day?
 
I take

it with fish oil, 3 times a day--with meals. It helps control one form of E that I have, so I can actually get more sleep.....go figure......I take a 500 mg tablet each meal with the fish oil capsule.
 
Taurine is one of several supplements that my wife takes and has taken for some time. It was recomended by her doctor.

I always recommend to anyone who wants to experiment with vitamins/minerals/supplements to keep a diary/calendar to track what's happening with their seizure activity and overall functioning both before and after introducing a supplement. It helps you see the impact (if any).
 
Excellent advice, Bernard.

I think it also helps to add only one new thing at a time, so you can see what is affecting what, and what's working and what isn't. It takes some patience, though, since it can take a couple of months for results to show up.

Hey, where do all of you buy your Taurine? It makes me nervous that it's a chemical process, with huge margins for variation - much more than would occur in an herb, I think. I want it to come from a source experienced in chemical manufacturing.

Taurine is naturally produced in the testicles of many mammals. Urban legends surrounding the source of taurine have included bull urine extract and bull semen.[10] While it's true that taurine is found in both sources, taurine in the pharmaceutical or food industry is chemically synthesized ... Synthetic taurine is obtained from isethionic acid (2-hydroxyethanesulfonic acid), which in turn is obtained from the reaction of ethylene oxide with aqueous sodium bisulfite.[65] Another approach is the reaction of aziridine with sulfurous acid. This leads directly to taurine.[Wikipedia]
 
I get many of my supplements from Puritan. But to be honest I have no idea how reliable their products are -- the nutraceutical biz is fairly loosely regulated and monitored.
 
I just started taking 500mg of Taurine (empty stomach) twice a day and 4 capsules of Magnesium Glycinate. My acupuncturist recommended these.
 
Rebecca use to take Taurine. This is a good reminder to consider adding it back into her "stash". It brings back a memory of when we were at UCLA and they wanted to know about the supplements that Rebecca was taking. The pharmacist there had "never heard of Taurine". RED FLAG!
 
This is another one of those instances where you might want to consider getting a blood test done to find out if you even need a taurine supplement. Taurine occurs naturally in most meat and fish so, unless you are a vegan, there really should be no need to supplement. There have been some studies that indicate it is beneficial to any number of diseases/illnesses but the same number of studies indicate that a balanced diet would be as well.

Vegans and cats are the only creatures with taurine issues normally. There isn't a vegetable on the planet that has taurine in it so vegans must supplement. Cats are the only animals known that cannot consume a synthesized form of taurine and taurine is vitally essential to their health (why you cant feed a cat dogfood). Taurine for cats always comes from a meat source, this includes any taurine supplements for cats.
 
What dosage of taurine do all of you take?

Has anybody had a naturopath recommend a dosage?
 
:roflmao: The "zoo" in my nick is there because of my long animal history, I've worked with just about everything except large exotic mammals. I had a cat with severe food allergies and had to feed him a raw diet...got a long lecture from the vet on the importance of taurine.
 
Endless said:
Got on the internet and did more research. Here's a couple of really good articles on taurine and supplementation. Based on this Dr's recommendations, I'm going to ask my primary care doc for a test for taurine levels.

http://www.bodyecology.com/06/11/16/deficient_in_taurine.php
http://www.bodyecology.com/06/11/23/deficient_in_taurine_part2.php

The test will tell how much I should be taking.
Click to expand...
I"d be careful of this doctors suggestions, maybe they're accurate but he is the medical director for ReNew Life Formulas so his suggestions may also not be totally objective.
http://www.renewlife.com/about-smith
 
Thanks... Bias is always a concern, for sure. Some people pick and choose only studies that support their position.

The wikipedia article on taurine backs up his info, and so does a truckfull of articles on Pubmed. I think he's on pretty firm ground on this one. Taurine is one amino acid that's been studied extensively. I wonder why? It can't be patented so drug companies have nothing to gain. I wonder who funded the research?
 
The only taurine i've ever had is a red bull-vodka cocktail ... which makes me feel like a zombie. the vodka makes you sleepy but the red bull won't let you. :D . Don't know about supplements though . will look online.
 
What the heck does this mean?

We measured plasma and urinary taurine in 41 epileptic and 68 control subjects and found plasma concentrations among epileptics to be comparable in general to those of controls, but that two or three classes of plasma taurine concentrations, possibly genetically regulated, occur in both epileptic and control subjects. Our previous studies and data from the present study on taurine excretion revealed three excretion classes under genetic control. The principal finding is that epileptics include disproportionate numbers of low excretors (high reabsorbers), who are presumptive homozygotes for the allele effecting higher reabsorption. If confirmed, these findings suggest that the transport of taurine, rather than absolute taurine concentration, may explain the efficacy of taurine administration in some epileptics but not in others. The locus involved may be one component in the polygenic diathesis to the idiopathic epilepsies.
Click to expand...

http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/reprint/26/3/414.pdf

http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/abstract/26/3/414
 
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I'll take a stab:

The study showed that blood levels of taurine were not significantly different between people with epilepsy and those without. But there did seem to be a higher number of the folks with epilepsy for whom taurine would stay in the body longer (low excretors/high re-absorbers). This suggests that for those with genetic links to epilepsy, the genes that control taurine metabolism may be one "cause" or marker for the predisposition to epilepsy.

[Note: in the study "idiopathic" is used to refer specifically to those whose epilepsy is genetic in origin.]
 
I think I'm having a bad day today. Nakamova, I'm not sure I completely understand your translation, either. What does "transport" mean in this case?
 
"transport" refers to the movement of the taurine across the cell membrane.
 
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