New to Rapamycin? Start Here

[RapAdmin]

Rapamycin is considered by most longevity scientists and geroscience researchers to be the “gold standard” of longevity drugs; with healthy lifespan improvement typically in the range of 15% to 30%, and as high as 37% when combined with another longevity drug “Acarbose”. While these results have been in animals, there are many early indications that these benefits may also translate to people.

BUT, rapamycin is a serious drug that can have serious side effects if you dose too high, and other factors. This is not a risk-free drug. If you are considering using rapamycin BE SURE to spend a few months reading all the information here and elsewhere on it so you can make an informed decision, ideally working in concert with a doctor. Don’t just rush into taking rapamycin because you heard a podcast or news story mention it.

Its important to note that dosing for longevity purposes as recommended by doctors today is currently only once (1 time) per week, or in some cases once (1 time) every two weeks. People are, however, experimenting with many different dosing regimens to find out what works best for themselves.

If you are new to Rapamycin you likely have questions… such as:

• What has research shown about Rapamycin for healthy life extension?
• What age is the best to start Rapamycin?
• What are the benefits people are seeing with Rapamycin?
• What are the side effects people are seeing with Rapamycin?
• What are the risks and dangers associated with rapamycin?
• Why do people dose rapamycin only once per week when taking it for longevity?
• What are typical dosing levels people are taking of Rapamycin for longevity purposes?
• What are common food / drugs / supplements that can cause issues with Rapamycin?
• How do I get a rapamycin Prescription?
• How do I buy Rapamycin and what are good prices for Rapamycin?
• Can Rapamycin slow Skin Aging?
• Can Rapamycin help hair growth, reverse gray hair?
• What are people’s results so far with Rapamycin? What percentage keep taking it?

Click on the Link Below For Answers…(and be sure to register for this forum to get weekly updates on the latest longevity drug news and information).

Start Here: Rapamycin Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

Note: if you have specific questions in mind or topics, you can use the search button in the top right corner of the screen (the magnifying glass) to search on our forums for past discussion topics.

[Engadin]

What a fantastic, thoughtful with present and future rapafans, broad and deep in knowledge guide into the geroprotective world of rapamycin/rapamune/sirolimus.

Needless to say, thank you for your time and effort moderating this site in an always science based way and to all posters feeding it with enthusiasm and hope in a more close than far away elongation of our lives in a truly healthy manner.

My congratulations to you all.

[Maximum]

I’m new to this forum and thought I’d introduce myself.
I’m a 76 year old white male in relatively good physical shape. I’m 5’10" and around 180 pounds.
I met with Dr. Green in late December 22 and he started me off on 6 mg of rapamycin once per week. I’m about 6 weeks into the program with very few side effects. I woke up one morning with a bloodshot left eye that is rapidly disappearing. I’ve also noticed that I have more trouble swallowing. I can feel supplements working their way down my esophagus. Other than that, I’ve had no visible side effects.
I’ve had a long history with antiaging interventions. Up until I met with Dr. Green, I had been taking twice daily HGH shots for close to 20 years. Also, I use testosterone gel twice a day.
Dr. Green felt that HGH use was worrisome so I stopped and I haven’t noticed any impact.
My most pressing concern is my heart calcium score of 880! Not quite sure what to do about that. Hoping rapamycin will help.
My daily rituals keep me sane. I go to the gym almost every day where I lift weights and walk on the treadmill. I come home and stand in front of my full body infrared light while meditating at the same time. I then go into my infrared sauna for 20 minutes at around 140 degrees. Finally, I wrap it up with a shower and I’m good to go for the day.
I own a company so I’m still working with most days plopped on my butt in front of a computer.
I love reading everyone’s comments and the amazing progress you’re making. I hope to learn and contribute as time goes on.

[Agetron]

Hello… and welcome Robert!

You should see some good changes at the end of 3 months.

You wrote… my most pressing concern is my heart calcium score of 880!

Definitely a problem. Will be curious if rapamycin can undo some of those 880 points.

Some say its impossible to undo calcium plaque… others say well wait a minute… maybe.
My veins have opened thick and clear due to Rapamycin. My Coronary Calcium Scan score zero… big protein, carb , eggs and whole milk diet.

Will be curious to see you your numbers come down a bit.

Took pic of veins… lol - been rested all morning.

[Steve_Spencer]

It sounds like you have a great routine. I’m 67. I’ve been taking rapamycin regularly for about 3 months. I still work out too but it sounds like your routine is much more consistent than mine.

And, like you, I own a company which also means I’m sitting at the computer all day.

[4000_Year_Old_Monkey]

Atherosclerosis (and associated calcification) doesn’t occur in venous structures. It occurs in arterial structures. Please don’t spread misinformation.

@Maximum , with a CAC score of 880 you may need some pretty aggressive lipid-lowering therapy. Statin with possible addition of ezetimibe would be good. Get an lp(a) checked. Probably take a daily baby aspirin to prevent MI/stroke, although this is more debated these days depending on the features of the plaque.

Rapa could help – we don’t know – but it won’t reverse the calcification. The calcification is just evidence that you have atherosclerosis, and in some of those plaques there’s been time for the body to calcify in that area into what is basically an intravascular scar. Your CAC score will likely go up over the next 5-10 years even if you completely stop new atherosclerosis, since it takes time for old plaque to calcify.

This is not to discourage you from taking rapa. Just saying that your concerns regarding your calcium score are easily addressed by tools we already have access to, and you probably shouldn’t rely on rapa to rectify your preexisting disease.

[Agetron]

I definitely agree that a Coronary Calcium Scan score of 880 is a huge concern.

Let me clarify what I meant by opening my veins… and reduction in varicose veins.

Prior to Rapamycin my veins were not as prominent. And, there were obvious little kinks in the veins every inch to two inches. I am sure there is a medical name… after being on rapamycin 6 months… my veins started to pop… a sign of low body fat and good health not only my veins but the subcutaneous structures are visible. And, all the kinks straightened and were gone. That is how they opened.

My veins are always pumped 24/7.

Varicose veins just after rapamycin… improved… but not great.

Me 7 years ago… no pumped veins to be seen… lol. My question is how can I in this obese state have a calcium score of zero? Heart under 35 years old. Did rapamycin the previous 2 years help repair… when it was straightening my kinked veins? I don’t know.

Rapamycin can stop the advance of arthrocleurosis… but can it reduce arthrocleurosis? Somewhere it said possibly. Need to hunt that up.

Rapamycin-Loaded Biomimetic Nanoparticles Reverse Vascular Inflammation

• Christian Boada
  , * [Assaf Zinger]

Abstract

• Download figure
• Download PowerPoint

Rationale:

Through localized delivery of rapamycin via a biomimetic drug delivery system, it is possible to reduce vascular inflammation and thus the progression of vascular disease.

Objective:

Use biomimetic nanoparticles to deliver rapamycin to the vessel wall to reduce inflammation in an in vivo model of atherosclerosis after a short dosing schedule.

Methods and Results:

Biomimetic nanoparticles (leukosomes) were synthesized using membrane proteins purified from activated J774 macrophages. Rapamycin-loaded nanoparticles were characterized using dynamic light scattering and were found to have a diameter of 108±2.3 nm, a surface charge of −15.4±14.4 mV, and a polydispersity index of 0.11 +/ 0.2. For in vivo studies, ApoE−/− mice were fed a high-fat diet for 12 weeks. Mice were injected with either PBS, free rapamycin (5 mg/kg), or rapamycin-loaded leukosomes (Leuko-Rapa; 5 mg/kg) once daily for 7 days. In mice treated with Leuko-Rapa, flow cytometry of disaggregated aortic tissue revealed fewer proliferating macrophages in the aorta (15.6±9.79 %) compared with untreated mice (30.2±13.34 %) and rapamycin alone (26.8±9.87 %). Decreased macrophage proliferation correlated with decreased levels of MCP (monocyte chemoattractant protein)-1 and IL (interleukin)-b1 in mice treated with Leuko-Rapa. Furthermore, Leuko-Rapa–treated mice also displayed significantly decreased MMP (matrix metalloproteinases) activity in the aorta (mean difference 2554±363.9, P=9.95122×10−6). No significant changes in metabolic or inflammation markers observed in liver metabolic assays. Histological analysis showed improvements in lung morphology, with no alterations in heart, spleen, lung, or liver in Leuko-Rapa–treated mice.

Conclusions:

We showed that our biomimetic nanoparticles showed a decrease in proliferating macrophage population that was accompanied by the reduction of key proinflammatory cytokines and changes in plaque morphology. This proof-of-concept showed that our platform was capable of suppressing macrophage proliferation within the aorta after a short dosing schedule (7 days) and with a favorable toxicity profile. This treatment could be a promising intervention for the acute stabilization of late-stage plaques.

[4000_Year_Old_Monkey]

It’s great to hear that you feel rapa has had such a profound impact on your vascular health. There’s a lot we still don’t know, which is why I was telling @Maximum not to rely on rapa to rectify what is already a very serious case of coronary artery disease. I want to make it clear that I’m also not arguing against the possibility that rapamycin can prevent progression of atherosclerosis.

My gripe was that you were invoking the experience you’ve had with your veins to suggest rapamycin could “open” arteries that are already diseased. You are lucky to have a CAC score of 0 – I guarantee it has nothing to do with taking rapamycin, but rather genetics and possibly lifestyle.

The main reason I commented was because I didn’t want @Maximum to get the idea that it was reasonable to rely on rapamycin to address the situation he’s currently in. Sure, take rapa, but by FAR the most evidence-based approach we have for halting atherosclerosis and preventing MACE is aggressive lipid-lowering +/- antiplatelet therapy (aspirin). The time to take rapa to prevent atherosclerosis, at least for him, would’ve been decades ago. Perhaps it will help prevent progression moving forward, I just don’t know, but that’s not a gamble I’d want to take if I were in his shoes.

[Agetron]

Exactly, so much we don’t know about his medicine… but we do know it fools every cell into thinking there is no available nutrients and to find remove and clear out all the crap in every organ. With MTOR knocked down cleaning starts - why not plaque in the arteries… time will tell. But, we are all flying blind - making our best guesses for interventions based on our individual phenotypes and lifestyles.

On it almost 3-years and seeming not to have advance at all in age, I do believe rapamycin is making a huge impact on my body’s organs… and it isn’t placebo (Matt Kaeberlein said as much too on his frozen shoulder issue - resolved by 8 weeks on rapamycin).

[Maximum]

Thank you for all the messages and concerns about my calcium score. I’m not relying on rapamycin alone for help. In fact, tomorrow morning I’m going in for a stent procedure recommended by my cardiologist after multiple tests. Pretty severe blockage without many symptoms but I hope it helps.

I’ve been on rapamycin now for close to 5 months and the main thing I’ve noticed is rapid weight loss. I started out at about 186 lbs and yesterday I was at 171.3. There was no effort involved just a lack of appetite. To me, this is great news but my wife is not so sure. She thinks I’ve lost some of my presence, whatever that is. I was never considered fat but losing the weight makes me realize how much extra poundage I was carrying around. Just got back from a 5 day speaking engagement with lots of people around. Nobody noticed, but my pants fit better and I think it’s a better look, not to mention a healthier one.

I’m a little nervous about the stent procedure but it was clear I needed to do something. In 76 years I’ve never been in a hospital overnight so I guess that streak is over. Again, thanks for the messages of concern and I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

[4000_Year_Old_Monkey]

I don’t think anyone is claiming that rapamycin’s effects are placebo. What I’m saying is that transient mTOR inhibition, even if it leads to favorable changes in vascular health – possibly including prevention of atherosclerosis – is almost undoubtedly insufficient to remove what is essentially a calcified, intravascular scar. The endothelial wall involved in atherosclerotic plaque is irreversibly changed, and it’s highly unlikely that mTOR inhibition via rapamycin would be enough to meaningfully reduce plaque volume. Inducing autophagy and halting smooth muscle hypertrophy within the endothelial wall will likely lead to a more stable phenotype, possibly even with mild regression of plaque volume, but – again – to claim that you can use the appearance of your veins as evidence that rapa is capable of inducing plaque regression is probably a stretch.

Interesting study that you shared. It’s in line with what we already know about drug-eluting stents, which have rapamycin to impair rethrombosis and smooth muscle hypertrophy surrounding the stent. It still doesn’t suggest potential for rapamycin to reverse atherosclerosis.

[4000_Year_Old_Monkey]

I’m glad to hear you’re getting the care you need, @Maximum. Angiography and stenting is typically quite safe – I look forward to hearing about your progress, and I hope that this is a first step toward long-lasting cardiovascular health.

I’d suggest sharing with your cardiologist that you’re receptive to more aggressive lipid-lowering therapy if you are wanting to completely halt your disease progression. Often you will only be treated with high-dose statin therapy, which could get you into a reasonable range of LDL/apo-B, but adding ezetimibe may get you even lower, and could provide meaningful benefit if we’re looking 10 years down the line. Sometimes they are reluctant to ask patients to take even more meds, so may not offer it, but you’d probably benefit from an LDL <50 mg/dL and that may only be achievable by doing high-dose statin + ezetimibe.

Source: not a cardiologist; just a medical student who does research in this area and will likely go into cardiology.

[Agetron]

Exactly - the placebo comment was floated because it is hard to determine what rapamycin is actually doing – since each person has their own genetic and phenotype make-up and all people age, but we do age differently in various degrees.

I do wonder about the vein and pulse changes. Curious if any others on the site have seen this happen.

Also, when I take my dose (typically before bed) - I can literally feel my pulse throbbing in my head, neck, arms, chest - it is amplified during my initial dosing. I know a few on here have mentoned it.

In the dog studies it is said to improve the left ventrical area of the heart consistency.

Link: Rapamycin persistently improves cardiac function in aged, male and female mice, even following cessation of treatment - PMC
Link: https://www.aaha.org/publications/newstat/articles/2022-12/dog-aging-project-learning-to-live-better-and-longer-with-dogs/

I am sure we will know much more in a few years. It is so early in study and even the elective use by healthy humans as an anti-aging medication.

[4000_Year_Old_Monkey]

Absolutely. Am extremely curious to see where the research goes as well.

Also, I want to apologize for using some rather strong language in my previous reply (since edited a word). I’m just very sensitive to people being misled about their health due to information on online forums, having seen multiple preventable MIs occur in people who refused to take statins due to misinformation. Your claims are absolutely not at that level – just wanted to recognize I was a bit confrontational.

[Agetron]

Hahaha… thanks buddy, but I am good with fair challenges and exchanges… something that is lacking more each day it seems… Language often fails… were being in the moment is often much better.

I have a tough skin… and much thicker now… and less elasticity - I think due rapamycin.

One of the hopes with aging populations is that rapamycin can improve thinning skin and muscle loss…sarcopenia.

Seeing improvements in both.

[Maximum]

Yesterday was a long ass day! Got up at 4 am to drive to hospital for heart stent procedure. They said there were 2 that they were going to fix with various levels of blockage up on the top part of the heart. While they were in there, they found another artery with 100% blockage. They fixed that one and another and left one to do later.

The worst part of the day and night was in the recovery room. I was told to lie flat on my back. I couldn’t raise up or lie on my side. Well, after a while my lumbar area started to hurt. Not a little but excruciating pain that was unrelenting. Finally, begged the nurse to give me something. 2 Tylenol was my only relief. Nurse told me it’s a common complaint.

Hope all this pain results in a healthier heart.

[Maximum]

Good news. Just got BP results after surgery. 109/62. I think that’s the best ever.

[blsm]

@Maximum, congratulations and best wishes for a speedy recovery!

[Old_Doc_AL]

Maximum, I hope your recovery has been awesome and no bumps in the road for you. Safe Journey.

You are probably getting excellent medical care, but my 2 cents, for thought. I am good at this I think! Maximal Statin tolerated, Rosuvastatin 40 mg daily and fck the “side effects.” Less than 5% get muscle aches, but the Nocebo (reverse of Placebo, Negative side effect that isn’t there) is 35-40%. THAT, COVID Vaccines and the Patient Portal is proof god hates doctors!!

Very safe and in their case your best friend for the rest of your life. Do not use weaker statins like pravastatin or red yeast rice, If your doctor isn’t prescribing this, I would look for a new doctor. Also, evidence shows the benefit of Aspirin 81 mg daily for CAC over 100 outweighs the risk of bleeding, etc. Addition of Ezetimibe is good thought as well, although outcome data is lacking. If that does not bring your LDL below 70 then add a PCSK9 Inhibitor. Also a must for the 5% in your situation that cannot tolerate statins. I know the Drive is big on Lp(a) testing but this is not affected by any current treatments, so of no additional value. Apolipoprotein B is valuable since it tells you your LDL partical size and should be below 70 after treatment.

This is what I would do and does not represent personal medical advice to you. I would be extremely aggressive in lipid management since you have very valuable information about your health with the CAC score.

You can still play with Sirolimus but I would avoid testosterone supplementation if it isn’t necessary.

This is what I would do, but I am not giving direct medical advice to you. Best health to you!