I think the issue you mention is exactly my logic for a 50 hr level, it represents absorption, redistribution and metabolism, and we know that from the hour your took it until the blood draw, your levels are above the result you get - and all the testing for T1/2, peak level, etc … are clever, but add nothing to my decision on how to dose.
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adriank
#204
I’m on 4mg per week with 750ml of GFJ. My 12 hour level is about 23.9ng/mL. I’m going to keep this going for a while to see the effects.
I also take 25mg of jardiance every morning. I’m starting to feel like I’m lack of sugar 
. With so many things on my list it is a worry. I’m thinking of halving the dose after my next blood work.
But on the bright side, I have not suffered much arthritis pain anymore. My blood work is improving.
I’m hoping LDN will get rid of the soreness for my joints.
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Interesting. I’m moving in the opposite direction. The 12.5 mg/day empagliflozin (Jardiance) for over four months has done jack for my glucose control according to the blood tests. Nor do I feel any effect. I will therefore escalate the dose to a full 25mg/day, which might or might not have any impact. If there is no improvement, I am considering adding pioglitazone 30mg/day, at least for some time to see if there is some impact - I produce plenty of insulin 14.2 ulU/mL fasted. Yet my A1c is 5.8 and FBG 108mg/dL. Clearly, I’m insulin resistant (despite exercise, diet, lifestyle, BMI 21.4 etc.). Hence pioglitazone, insulin sensitizer - I’m not 100% set on it yet (though I have already purchased 18 months worth), because I’m still studying it in the context of my situation and other drugs I am taking, chasing down papers etc., the process takes me months to validate and incorporate a drug into my health regimen.
As to LDN - I have not had a chance to explore it. Takes me months to study any drug/intervention, so that’s something I’ll look at maybe next year.
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adriank
#206
Hba1c at 5.8 is still ok. What is your target? 5.3?
The minimum is at leadt to get out of the prediabetic range, so 5.6. But yes, I’d like to get it to 5.2 - 5.3 if I can. Seems not too ambitious. I figure if I hammer it with with empa and pio, I might get there, but who knows.
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adriank
#208
With 25mg daily I feel like I don’t have enough sugar. Anyway I’ll have my hba1c test soon. I drop 0.2 within 1 month of jardiance. I’m on rapamycin weekly.
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I feel your pain. My HBA1C is stuck in the 5.8-5.9 range. 12.5 mg of Jardiance didn’t move the needle. I take 500 mg Metformin daily and have added dihydroberberine. I’ll see if that can move the needle for me. I’m not interested in the pioglitazone due to the bone side effects.
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I hear you. Pioglitazone has risks associated with it. Bone health is a big one. Basically, it’s a calculated risk. My take is that it’s a time dependent risk. The longer you are on it, the more the risk grows. Also, the risk is higher for people in their older years, especially past 70. And if you already suffer from low bone density, osteoporosis or osteopenia, the risk is higher. For me, my calculation is that the risk is worth it to me, perhaps taking it for a limited time, possibly shifting away from visceral fat, and once that is accomplished hoping for some persistence of insulin sensitivity benefits. A gamble. I’m still studying it, and possibly might decide on whether I’ll implement it toward year end.
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Beth
#211
@DrFraser & @RapAdmin: drum roll….
I got my results and my 104 lb self taking 6mg at 50 hours was only 2.1 ng/ml !!!
Perhaps this means I should take more?
I don’t have any particular protocol of what I have with it when I take it. I just live my life and take my 6 pills each Saturday when eating my regular diet.
After seeing your result, @CronosTempi, I was not expecting it to be this low.
@DrFraser You said you see wildly different results and suspect it’s an issue with gut absorption. This tracks because the ZOE gut test said I have a pitiful gut (I realize their test might not be accurate). Perhaps this all ties together and explains why someone with my diet/lifestyle never felt quite well before rapa and a million supplements? … or not…
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Right. If you’re looking to get repeatable results, it’s probably necessary to standardize your protocol, otherwise you never know how much how fast you’re absorbing with all the changing food and supplement regimens. It matters less what it is, as much that it’s consistent.
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You don’t do GFJ? I’m only taking 4mg with GFJ. My 12 hour results are about 23.9ng/mL. I weight about 110kg so I am a lot heavier than you.
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Beth
#214
I haven’t tried the GFJ trick yet. My rapa is sooo inexpensive that it never occurred to me to bother learning if it will affect my other medications etc.
I’m trying 8mg today, so stay turned!!!
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I believe that taking higher amount of rapamycin is not as favourable as taking less but increasing the absorption. This is based on my higher amount needed with the siroboon brand for almost a year. As soon as I swapped to a lower amount but with GFJ to achieve the same ng/mL, I have less side effects. The problem is we never know what happened to the portion that was not absorbed and how it affects other parts of our body or the microbe in our guts. Anyway that is my 2 cents. Of course if it hasn’t affected you … it is fine.
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Beth
#216
I appreciate your 2 cents!!
I made a note to discuss the GFJ option at my next doc appointment to see if it’s something I should do, and if so, how. (I don’t understand it enough to do that on my own)
And yeah, at 6mg weekly for a year, I never felt anything other than I now sleep better (no small thing!!) and a couple of rashes. I took 8mg yesterday and still feel normal… stay tuned!
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the only thing is that GFJ might interact with your other medication… so if you are going to use GFJ, after taking GFJ, 2-3 hours later is the most potent time for Rapamycin and presumable other medication and after that it starts to decline. The amount of GFJ also affects my blood concentration of rapamycin. So far online the half life is about 12 hours. I personally do not think it is that long as the blood concentration of rapamycin result drops by almost 20% between 3 hours and 3.5 hours. I would decrease medication affected by it but that is me or take it like 3 hours before taking GFJ.
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