#4

You’ll be fine at first and finer later :slight_smile: I’m a newbie too, I’ve had three full doses after starting with 1 and coming up to 5 mg. I take it on Monday morning with nothing else. Here’s a good discussion -

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#5

I did a quick search but couldn’t find anything negative here about Astaxanthin. What is the concern?

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#6

What concern? Is there any? I just started taking it, hoping for relief for dry eyes. …(Restasis and xiidra are simply unaffordable - 600-900 a month even with insurance.)

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#7

Safety profile in those doses safer than paracetamol. However, you’ll get a rise out of any GP you tell of your adventures … probably a lecture also! However, let them know you’ll be around to attend their funeral unless they jump on the Rapa Train.

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#8

Out of interest what do you all say to a medical professional when they ask you what medication you take ? Are you honest and say Rapamycin?

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#9

The question about what to tell your regular doctor… regarding your rapamycin use, has been a topic frequently discussed. I recommend you review this thread: Do you tell your doctor you are taking rapamycin?

The recent Bryan Johnson interview with Mark Hyman, Bryan mentioned having to go to an ER doc when he fell hiking and I think injured his leg which needed stitches. When asked, Bryan Johnson started telling the doctor about his medicine regimen and of course, the doctor was freaked out… rapamycin, metformin… it can take quite a bit of explaining I suspect.

There may also be insurance repercussions (in the USA) if you tell your doctor and it goes into your permanent medical record… Declined Part B Supplemental insurance due to Sirolimus

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#10

You say you can’t afford the blood tests, but can you afford a finger-prick glucose monitor? With a lot of discipline, you could keep a glucose monitoring diary before and after starting rapamycin. That would give you some insight into what impact (if any) rapamycin is having on your blood glucose.

Edit: even better, get a CGM. They’re expensive, but probably less so that paying for regular bloods.

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#11

Kidalondon wrote above

#12

Umi I am taking sea buckthorne for dry eyes and really like it.

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#13

I take astaxanthin and have collected many articles that justify my choice in taking a course of this (two weeks ) every now and then and especially in summer. Its really helped me in a lot of ways from skin and brain fog. I dont know a negative if from a good source-mine is 12mg from Green Nutritionals.

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#14

I take 5 mg. Also arcabose 25 mg. And berberine once a day. If I get sick for some reason I skip that week. Also started lithium which I cut in half about 12 mg. Any thoughts on my regimen is welcome. Thank you

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#15

I’ve skipped on sick weeks too. I just wondered, after skipping, do people start again at low dose and build up or go straight to the usual dose?

#16

I’ve stopped berberine for the time being, till I get my first post Rapamycin blood work. I want to know the lipid profile without any influences if that makes sense.

#17

Just taken my first 1mg tablet. Won’t lie, I was nervous. Will monitor how I do throughout the day and as I’m away next week I’ll probably stick to 1mg for an extra week.

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#18

Follow up to this: my total cholesterol is up from 199 to 240 after starting Rapamycin and pausing berberine. Also in spite of having a really healthy diet totally free of added sugars and alcohol, non smoker, exercise and lift regularly, I am chunky (post Menopausal abdominal fats that come from nowhere;), and yesterday’s blood work shows I am now prediabetic. Arrghh. Quit Rapamycin? Start taking various supplements?? This is so much. :face_with_spiral_eyes:

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#19

I had a very similar experience with very similar numbers, going from high 180s to around 240 after regular and higher dose rapamycin (I am typically around 8mg/week).

I can’t tell you what you should do, but I can tell you what I’ve done.

I started a statin, and that got my LDL down from around 240 to around 136. In the past week I’ve added ezetimibe and bempadoic acid as I’m targeting around 60 for LDL. I go in tomorrow for a blood test and will report back.

See these other threads:

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#20

I think the frequency at which people take rapamycin is an issue. (Then again I am perhaps a bit biased that way). Rapamycin will chronically increase glucose and cholesterol. However, we don’t want to increse autophagy all the time. It is best done intermittently.

How frequently do you take Rapamycin?

I am doing a blood test later today after a particularly high dose of Rapamycin on Sunday. I will monitor what happens to my HbA1c and LDL-C figures over the next few weeks.

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#21

Do you mind clarifying what you mean by ‘I am chunky’ despite doing regular exercise? Are you saying taking rapamycin has brought this on? Also how much Rapamycin are you taking weekly and why not take Berberine on the days your not taking Rap?

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#22

I haven’t taken the plunge yet, so my suggestion doesn’t come from experience.

You said earlier you would start with 1mg and work up to 5mg. Couldn’t you just lower the dose and retest later?

#23

Total cholesterol is not a good biomarker. You’d want either the non-HDL-c by substracting HDL from it, LDL, or for the best measurement apoB.