Supplements?

[CrunchBerries]

Last year I was having a near-mental breakdown. My college studies were seriously ramping up and I had tremendous pressure to achieve decent marks. I wrote my first chem mid term and felt like i failed, as it didnt go very well. Anyways I went into a "shakes" mode where i felt like everything was falling appart. After about 4-5 days i just couldn't shake it.

I did a bit of research, and went and got a magnesium complex supplement. I took two chewables while still in the pharmacy parking lot, and started to drive away ~3pm). Once I got home I started feeling slightly more at ease.. anyways by the time I went for my evening run, I felt at peace.

Anyways, i am just wondering about this because I dont think it would have happened that fast.. most likely just placebo.. but still, it was a pretty solid bout of anxiety.. they never disappear like that.

Any experienced/informed peeps here? Do multivitamins and supplements do anything? Do they only work when you are deficient?

Whats the deal?

Thanks bros

[itchyfingers]

Just a word of caution, CB: It can be tough to lump "supplements" and "vitamins" all together. There is no FDA oversight or regulation on these types of products, so pretty much any company can compound a powder and sell it to you as whatever they claim it is. For example, a significant amount of weight loss supplements from China actually contain methamphetamine - no wonder it works! I'm sure there are reputable companies out there, but again without anyone policing it, its kind of a wild west industry. I deal with FDA regularly for work and hear about this kinda stuff with importation all the time.

Honestly, I would recommend increasing your intake of cruciferous (read: broccoli) and leafy green vegetables (read: "mmm, you can't even taste the kale in this green smoothie") right off the bat. The vitamins and minearls in those cannot be faked!

Good luck, dude.

[BroSlinger]

****I'm not a doctor. Don't do anything I say.****

I LOVE vitamins and supplements. I probably take too many. It's probably a placebo. It's probably my personality. etc.

BUT......I can usually tell if I haven't been taking my stuff.

I think it was more of an issue after I had a nasty bout with salmonella. I don't think my body was absorbing nutrients from food very well for a few years.

My rules:

1. Don't buy supplements from Thailand/China/Phillipines/etc. on ebay. Pretty sure I got an infection from that shit.
2. Be careful with straight up herbs, especially from reputable companies. They are more powerful than you think. Use for a few weeks, then stop. See what changed.
3. Everything from Swanson is loaded with fillers like Rice Flour. They don't work. I'm talking their house brand. You can buy reputable brands from them, but Amazon is usually a better deal.
4. You can't out-supplement poisoning yourself if you smoke/dip/drink/do drugs/etc. constantly.. Fix the root problem first.
5. Brands with which I've had luck =
Jarrow.
Solaray.
Nature's Way.
Double Tree.
Best Naturals.
Source Naturals.
BRI Nutrition.

FWIW, I definitely like taking minerals every day. Especially potassium and magnesium. I usually feel better immediately from these two.

If you are feeling anxious and overwhelmed, try some amino acids like DLPA, *5HTP or tryptophan, GABA, etc.

(Note: 5HTP does nothing for me, but tryptophan improves my mood when I'm hopeless. For some people, it's the exact opposite. But DON'T TAKE these if you take any depression meds)

I'm not a doctor. Don't do anything I say.

[newholland]

i've had really good luck. magnesium's really central to a lot of stuff in humans-- a lot of it suppressing calcium buildup and regulating blood sugar.. so definitely keeps anxiety down! worked that way for me as well.

only supplements i end up using are a food based multi, magnesium glycinate, taurine, fish oil, and vitamin d, as well as the stuff i eat-- which itchy already got at... sticking to plenty of veg, and for me, fermented foods. between those things and exercise.. keeps the demons at bay

it's awesome that it helped though... so much better than meds!

[GuitarBilly]

I've been taking a multivitamin in the morning for most of my life. No idea if it works, it's just a habit of mine and it certainly doesn't hurt.
I should stop it for a while and see if anything changes but meh.. It's just part of my morning routine like brushing my teeth etc so

Recently I've also been taking extra vitamin D because I've heard it helps with the coronavirus. Not sure if it's true either but whatever.

Tl;dr: I take them, not sure if they work.

[fretless]

I take Magnesium , it's one of those kinda miracle things for the body . It does so many different things for the body I'm not surprised to hear it's helping you here .

[ajaxlepinski]

Three supplements that I know work....

1) I had reoccurring, painful, tumorous zits around my ears and at the bridge of my nose. A friend told me to try zinc. He said, zinc is used by your body to absorb vitamin A and vitamin A is what is used to heal your skin. If you are low on zinc, you will not receive the benefit of any A in your diet. He also mentioned that American soil is low in zinc so, just about everyone in the US has zinc deficiency. I took the zinc every day for three months and the zits went away. I cut back to one-half a pill, two or three times a week. When I ran out of zinc, the zits came back about 4 months later. Went back to one zinc pill every day and two months later, the zits were gone. I told two other people about zinc, as a remedy for bad skin, and they also showed good results.

3) In my late 20's, my gums bled after brushing my teeth. I never ate citrus fruit and I never drank OJ (not even in cocktails) and I did not take vitamin C. With no internet (in the late 80's) I went to the library to look into bleeding gums and I discovered that they could be caused by a lack of vitamin C. I started taking vitamin C and a few weeks later, the bleeding stopped. Apparently, I had scurvy!!! Arrrrr!

3) My older brother turned me on to tryptophan as a sleep aid. I worked like a charm (for both of us)... to bad it was banned by the FDA!

[BroSlinger]

tryptophan ban was undone. That was an isolated incident where it killed everyone.

[ajaxlepinski]

tryptophan ban was undone. That was an isolated incident where it killed everyone.

HOLY CRAP!!! I'm stopping at the Vitamin Shoppe on the way home from work!!!

...and I'm texting my brother!!!

[BroSlinger]

tryptophan ban was undone. That was an isolated incident where it killed everyone.

HOLY CRAP!!! I'm stopping at the Vitamin Shoppe on the way home from work!!!

...and I'm texting my brother!!!

Source naturals.
Jarrow.
BRI Nutrition.

These have all worked really well for me. FWIW, If I take too much, it makes my neck hurt. So, I only take one in the middle of the day, or less if I'm in a really good mood.

[ajaxlepinski]

tryptophan ban was undone. That was an isolated incident where it killed everyone.

HOLY CRAP!!! I'm stopping at the Vitamin Shoppe on the way home from work!!!

...and I'm texting my brother!!!

Source naturals.
Jarrow.
BRI Nutrition.

These have all worked really well for me. FWIW, If I take too much, it makes my neck hurt. So, I only take one in the middle of the day, or less if I'm in a really good mood.

Duly noted. Cheers!

[Ry Manchu]

This is what I take:

Turmeric
Black Seed Oil
CoQ10
Omega-3
B-Complex
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
CLA
L-Glutamine
L-Carnitine
L-Cysteine
Alpha Lipoic
Magnesium
Zinc Glutonate
Ashwagandha
Apple Cider Vinegar
Green Tea
Probiotic

I don't take a multivitamin, because I had an analysis done by a dietician. I concur with Gene on Nature's Way, Solaray and BRI. Also NOW, Nature Made, Puritan's Pride, Vitamin Shoppe and Kirkland are good. I take the pills in the morning and the liquids when I get home from work. If I don't take the Turmeric, Ashwagandha, Green Tea, Probiotic, Magnesium or Black Seed Oil, I notice a difference pretty quickly. The others I don't really notice a difference if I don't take them for a week.

[Ostinato Rubato]

Know where you're sourcing it from and make sure it's a reputable supplier.

But otherwise yes. Supplements are the missing ingredient for many westerners. There's a lot of vitamin and mineral depletion in our mass produced foods and also just the diets we maintain.

I use several. 5HTP, ZMA, fish oil, vitamin D3, and a multi vitamin. I sprinkle in some other things too like glucosmine/chondroitin/msm and a mushroom supplement blend.

Research down the supplement rabbit hole. There are several that are useful and others that don't do much or are gimmicks. But overall, yes... supplement.

[BroSlinger]

Fwiw, here’s what I take:
Vitamin b complex
Vitamin c
Vitamin d
Vitamin k2
Quercetin
Olive leaf
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Magnesium
Potassium
Dlpa
Gaba
Tryptophan (as needed)
L Arginine
Cordyceps
Bromelain
White willow (as needed)
Cod liver oil
Zinc

[Ry Manchu]

I used to take bromelain, but stopped because I didn't think it was doing anything. I try to cook at least two meals a week heavy in garlic.

Gene, you shouldn't need very much white willow. I would take a baby aspirin and supplement with msm, ginger, curcumin, , tart cherry, ginger, boswellia, and/or spirulina. It's none of my business what you take the white willow for, but be careful on the dosage, too much can causes ulcers. I have an ankle with a tear that gets seriously inflamed. A buddy of mine that used to pitch in mlb, recommended msm, fish oil and turmeric and it works.

[BroSlinger]

I used to take bromelain, but stopped because I didn't think it was doing anything. I try to cook at least two meals a week heavy in garlic.

Gene, you shouldn't need very much white willow. I would take a baby aspirin and supplement with msm, ginger, curcumin, , tart cherry, ginger, boswellia, and/or spirulina. It's none of my business what you take the white willow for, but be careful on the dosage, too much can causes ulcers. I have an ankle with a tear that gets seriously inflamed. A buddy of mine that used to pitch in mlb, recommended msm, fish oil and turmeric and it works.

Interesting.

I've been taking white willow for headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, etc.. Using it as a more natural alternative to aspirin/Ibuprofin.

You're saying it's bad news? I guess I'll just have to go back to NSAIDs.

MSM gives me wet farts that ruin my day.
boswellia didn't do anything for me.

[Ry Manchu]

Interesting.

I've been taking white willow for headaches, neck pain, shoulder pain, etc.. Using it as a more natural alternative to aspirin/Ibuprofin.

You're saying it's bad news? I guess I'll just have to go back to NSAIDs.

MSM gives me wet farts that ruin my day.
boswellia didn't do anything for me.

Originally Bayer took aspirin from the white willow. They probably make it by a chemical process these days, who knows. 240mg/day of salicin has been proven safe short term. But it's probably much better for an occasional headache relief, not long term usage.

I would be careful about the quantity of NSAID too, as they can be tough on the digestive track. I used to take 800 mg. of advil per day and my biome was wrecked. Headaches can be a tricky one to find supplements for. But for the neck and shoulder pain, try a turmeric capsules with a high curcumin content. Make sure your fish oil has omega-3, alpha lipoic and gamma lipoic. Keep taking the quercetin and try adding vitamin E. If there is a certain time of day that the pain is worse, try to take the turmeric an hour before that. For headaches, if you can keep it to 750mg of Tylenol 3X per week, then Tylenol should be safe, unless you are allergic. If you need more Tylenol than that, don't use Tylenol as it damages the liver. Also you can try Sam-E for headaches and neck pain, but it's expensive. It also helps with seasonal affective disorder. If it makes you anxious, stop taking it. I ordered some tart cherry from Amazon yesterday. I will let you know if it does anything.

[Ostinato Rubato]

yeah SAM-E is good stuff but expensive so I never bring it up.

[BroSlinger]

I tried sam-e. Either it made me anxious or did nothing. I forget. I have it sitting in a forgotten supplement box in the basement.

[EndTime]

This is where I buy most of my stuff these days.

https://ishoppurium.com/collections/quick-shop

It’s expensive but the quality feels really top notch. Discounts come in when you buy in quantity, which I do.

Some of my faves are
Super life formula
Power shake, pretty much a greens supplement
Super Amino 23
Apothe Cherry
Biome medic
Bee energetic
American White Ginseng

From more regular plAces like vitamin shoppe I take a liver support
Curcumin
And CBD oil

And I soak in Epsom salts for magnesium. It’s been the most effective at getting magnesium for me

And occasionally I take a vitamin c and D

[VTM]

sage tea

[Pepi]

Fwiw, here’s what I take:
Vitamin b complex
Vitamin c
Vitamin d
Vitamin k2
Quercetin
Olive leaf
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Magnesium
Potassium
Dlpa
Gaba
Tryptophan (as needed)
L Arginine
Cordyceps
Bromelain
White willow (as needed)
Cod liver oil
Zinc

This is very close to my setup. I had to quit taking the Zinc. Made me sick as a dog for around two hours. The brand I stick with now is NOW. Oh yeah, and the HEMP is great

[CrunchBerries]

Fwiw, here’s what I take:
Vitamin b complex
Vitamin c
Vitamin d
Vitamin k2
Quercetin
Olive leaf
Apple cider vinegar
Garlic
Magnesium
Potassium
Dlpa
Gaba
Tryptophan (as needed)
L Arginine
Cordyceps
Bromelain
White willow (as needed)
Cod liver oil
Zinc

Any of those come as complexes or multis? Thats quite a fist full of pills lol

[K-Bizzle]

I used to take quite a few throughout different times in life.

These days I'm down to Krill Oil, Vitamin D, and L-Theanine (taken with coffee).
I guess you could also count creatine too since thats part of my standard regimen.
So much of this stuff just doesn't seem to stand the test of time and/or peer reviewed studies.

For the most part I've just found that diet, varied exercise, sleep, and spending time outside/relaxing to matter much more than any supplement.


That said while its not a supplement the one drug that I'm on that has been fucking life changing is TRT. I've been on for the better part of the last 2 years after I hit my mid 30s. Night and day improvement with my daily energy levels, mental clarity, focus, and just general interest in life. Also doesn't hurt that I've got 2X per year bloodwork that helps me keep things in check and will help my notice when things go bad.