In this post from 2020, I recommended a supplement called N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) for all suffering limerents. It’s rare that I recommend supplements, as I’m a strong proponent of a nutrient-dense, balanced diet. And what you can’t get from a healthy diet, you probably don’t need.
However, NAC is an outlier because it really seems to work. Peer-reviewed research implies that it calms excessive excitation in the brain, while also decreasing inflammation and optimising the activity of neuromodulators like dopamine and serotonin. This lends it extremely well to conditions involving mood fluctuations and emotional stability, which limerence certainly does… in equal parts.
However, I’ve received many emails from limerents struggling to find NAC, both online and in their local health stores. Puzzled, I took to Google and discovered something surprising.
It turns out that the NAC availability is waning, due to recent advice issued by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In recent years, the FDA has issued warning letters to some companies that market dietary supplements containing NAC, stating that NAC is not a legal dietary ingredient.
This isn’t because NAC is dangerous, or because it doesn’t work. To the contrary, it’s safe at moderate doses, has minimal side effects (far less than mainstream antidepressant medications do), and is still legally prescribed for a range of conditions at high doses- proving that the FDA are not concerned about its safety.
However, it’s no longer legal to sell NAC as a supplement – because supplements are considered ‘dietary ingredients’. And the FDA has a set of criteria that any substance must meet to be considered a legal dietary ingredient, including that it must be a natural substance or an extract from a natural substance. NAC is a synthetic derivative of the amino acid cysteine, and as such, it does not meet the FDA’s criteria for a legal dietary ingredient.
Here are the conditions that NAC can be legally prescribed for as a medication:
- Acetaminophen overdose: NAC is used as an antidote for acetaminophen (paracetamol) overdose, which can cause liver damage or even liver failure. NAC helps protect the liver by increasing levels of the antioxidant glutathione.
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): NAC is sometimes used as a medication to help improve lung function in people with COPD, a chronic respiratory disease that makes it difficult to breathe.
- Cystic fibrosis: NAC prescribed as an aid to help break up and loosen thick, sticky mucus in the lungs of people with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that affects the lungs and other organs.
- Angiography: NAC can be offered as a medication to help protect the kidneys from damage during angiography, a medical imaging procedure that involves injecting contrast dye into the blood vessels.
Why don’t we see any psychiatric conditions on the list, describe bodies of evidence framing NAC as a safe way to balance neurotransmitters and improve mood? Because mental health research is remarkably underfunded, with all existing funding going towards drugs that can be marketed and sold at a premium. NAC is a widely available, cheap, protein-based supplement. Pharma companies wouldn’t be able to cash in on it, so they have no incentive to demonstrate that it helps bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, and obsessional conditions like limerence and OCD.
This is the reality of how the pharmaceutical industry works. If you’re interested in learning more, I suggest reading Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre. The industry saves lives, there’s no doubt about it – but it’s also incredibly financially incentivised, witholding information from both doctors and patients about what is really best for our health as humans.
If you’re reading this, the chances are that you’re either in the agonising, active throes of limerence, or you’re dealing with remnants of symptoms and still in need of some help. While I sympathise with you entirely, I assure you that you don’t need NAC (or any supplements) to recover. Your golden ticket to freedom lies in doing the real work, which I cover exhaustively in my three limerence books (available on this site).
So, I’m not going to suggest that you try to acquire NAC creatively, as that would not be ethical on my part at all. But, I am going to provide you with an alternative supplement that has the potential to soothe the limerent brain while you engage in the real work: magnesium.
Magnesium is a mineral that plays a critical role in many bodily functions, including muscle and nerve function, energy production, and bone health. Magnesium has been studied for its potential benefits in promoting relaxation, reducing anxiety, and improving sleep, making it a potential alternative to NAC for addressing conditions like limerence and soothing brain excitation. Here are some of the ways magnesium may benefit the brain and nervous system:
- Promoting relaxation: Magnesium has been shown to promote relaxation by regulating the activity of the neurotransmitter GABA, which helps to calm the nervous system and reduce feelings of anxiety.
- Reducing brain excitation: Magnesium can help regulate the activity of the neurotransmitter glutamate, which can become overactive in conditions such as anxiety, depression, and chronic pain.
- Enhancing sleep: Magnesium has been shown to improve sleep quality by promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. Magnesium can also help regulate levels of the hormone melatonin, which is important for maintaining a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
- Calming the nervous system: Magnesium has been shown to have a calming effect on the nervous system by reducing the release of stress hormones like cortisol.
Some of the most bioavailable forms of magnesium include magnesium citrate, magnesium glycinate, and magnesium malate. These forms are well-absorbed by the body and are less likely to cause digestive side effects than other forms like magnesium oxide.
One type of magnesium that is known to cross the blood-brain barrier is magnesium threonate. Magnesium threonate is a form of magnesium that is specifically formulated to enhance the absorption of magnesium in the brain, making it a potential option for addressing conditions that affect the brain, including anxiety, depression and limerence.
I encourage that you take 400mg of magnesium threonate two hours before bed, if you are dealing with mental health symptoms that you want to escape. It won’t cure you of limerence, but I know I don’t need to tell you that – you know that you need to do the real work, and that there’s no substitute for that. But, magnesium will help you soothe your dysregulated nervous system, lessen repetitive thought loops, and sink into a good night’s sleep.
I have been free from limerence for over a decade, yet I still take magnesium two or three days a week before bed. It’s fantastic when you feel that you need to both physically and mentally de-stress. I can be a perfectionistic workaholic, and sometimes develop harmless eyelid twitches when I’m really burning the candle at all ends.
Magnesium stops these overnight, and imbues my body and mind with a real sense of calm. I’d only recommend what I take myself. I bear the risk of my own advice, always. And there is really no risk when it comes to a low dose of magnesium.