welcome to the CAM Forum Jasmine.

I have not heard of the particular supplement you mentioned.  But that does not mean anything.  I would look into the company that makes it and see if you can find anything about how they formulate their products and what sort of quality control they use.  One problem with supplements is that there are a lot of products out there that do not actualy contain what they say they contain.  Regulation of supplements is very poor.  That is one reason that you hear so many people using products from a company like Truehope, because they work closely with researchers and I am told put a lot of effort into quality control for their product.

One thing I noticed is that your son is on two products Prozac and Intuniv, that could potentially be making his irritability worse rather than better.  If he is Bipolar these are not particularly good medications for him, especially without a primary mood stabiizer on board.  You might want to check out the treatment guidelines on this web site for more information regarding medication management for a child with BP.

--

Jistac
Mother of 3 (23,20,17) with a variety of mental health issues. Been involved with using Empower as a treatment since 2003

The Prozac and Intuniv could be causing mood instability and irritability.

Taking 5-HTP is contraindicated while taking an SSRI product such as Prozac as 5-HTP is a building block of the Serotinin. Our psychiatrist warned us of the potential for serotonin syndrome, although looking back, most of his advice to us about supplements were fear/ignorance-driven (He wasn't afraid of Seroquel, and even prescribed Risperdal to two-year-olds, but was afraid of melatonin).
Here is more about the 5-HTP: http://www.thebalancedmind.org/connect/forums/complementary-and-alternat...

As for the Tyrosine, here are some discussions full of info about it, to help you decide (it is a building block for dopamine):
http://www.thebalancedmind.org/connect/forums/complementary-and-alternat...
and something about Tyrosine and Intuniv: http://www.thebalancedmind.org/connect/forums/medications-and-psychother...

--Jeanie aka "Naomi"
It's Not Mental-What is Recovery?
Older dd: formerly(?) teen-onset bipolar (morphed into ultradian cycling): "Recovered" after over 13 years - stable off psych meds almost two years. Now fine on just diet changes and higher thyroid levels (after healing - addressing gut issues/Candidal overgrowth while using EMPowerPlus and other supplements). She added a little EMpowerPlus back on as a multivitamin simply because she feels better on it - gets sick less often.
Younger dd: formerly(?) Childhood-onset schizoaffective, TS, OCD, anxiety, PTSD, migraines. After over 15 years, is now "recovered" for almost 5 years after treating endocrine issues, food sensitivities, gut issues, sleep issues, nutritional/mitochondrial needs.

Thanks. He is no longer on the intuniv or prozac, but he had been on it for a long time. Just back from the doc tonight and he is now going to be taking the .25 Tenex 2/day and 2mg Abilify. I talked with her about the supplement, though she is more on the pharmacudical side of things. She warned that the ingredients were listed, but the amounts per ingredient were not specified, so she would caution against it. She also questioned how much of the amino acids make it past the stomach. So I need to research some more.

We are doing liquid nutritional supplements (from Sisel International) and are going to start an Omega 3 and see how the Abilify works for a bit.

Thanks. I'm sure I will have many more questions as we head through this maze further!

--

Jasmine: mother of 3, teacher, keeper of peace....sometimes.
DS 11, very bright but a bit anxious; reminds me of me as a child;
DD 4, full of spunk and everything girly;
DS 8, diagnosed with ADHD and GAD at age 6. Tried many meds, stuck with Prozac and Intuniv for 1 1/2 yrs., but still very irritable. Probably bipolar, but not yet diagnosed. As of 1/23/12, only on .25 tenex 2x/day, to establish what 'baseline' is for him...it's not going well!

Jasmine,

I hate to tell you, but the Tenex has exactly the same active ingredient as Intuniv (Guanfacine).   As far as supplements, I'd suggest either getting a really good doctor on board, or just start with the True Hope products. 

Brian

--

Daughter 7 BP/violent rages. Unsuccessful with multiple meds. Now reasonably stable (now with fewer and less intense regressions) on Risperidone + Restrictive diet + EMPowerPlus + AminoPowerplus + NAC + Q10 + low dose lithium + melatonin + inositol (no more Intuniv)
Son (5) Normal
Wife (CathyK now also on TBMF) BP, & trying to wean off the meds.