how are we supposed to know what you are missing and what's already too high?

I’m 27 years old, 5’11” tall, and weigh 57 kg. I don’t do weightlifting or any other form of strength training, but I run five times a week.
I don’t take any supplements regularly. However, my vitamin B12 and vitamin D3 levels were very low, so I started taking both supplements today.
Given my age, height, weight, and exercise routine, should my testosterone level be higher, or is my current level sufficient for a 27-year-old?

Every magnesium discussion here turns into a war. Someone swears glycinate fixed their sleep, the next person says it made them feel like shit. Creatine, fish oil, ashwagandha, same story.

I’ve spent months testing and changing my own stack, and one thing I don’t buy anymore is the idea that a supplement works the same way for everyone.
So which supplement do you think people here are completely wrong about? Something everyone swears by that you think is overrated, or something that gets trashed for no good reason?

I’m interested in what you’ve actually experienced, not what somebody on a podcast promised.

I am going gym and I am taking supplements. I also hiding this from my parents because they will say that this is very dangerous and that this is weed or something, idk. I don’t know what to do with all of this empty stuff, should I keep it or throw away?

Hey guys recently (about a month ago) bought the vitamin C capsule from Sports Research through iHerb. I just finished my vitamin C from another brand and finally decided to open the one from Sports Research. Was surprised to find lots of white crystal residues on the inside of the bottle and when I touched it, it felt like dry crystal residues. It’s my first time having vitamin C through capsules so I’m not sure if this is just part of the manufacturing process or something.

If there’s anything wrong with it I’ll just try my best to get a refund

EDIT: Sacrificed a capsule by opening it but the texture was more like powder compared to the crystal like texture shown in the picture. And it’s covered like all the way down when I titled the bottle to check so I’m a little worried now 😬

This self-test results are tricky, and I’m having a hard time interpreting them. What’s your take? I know I should confirm with a lab test, but I can’t get one for another 6 weeks, so I wanted to check in on how things look in the meantime.

A survey I came across said 63 percent of 18 to 24 year olds who'd stopped a GLP-1 only started taking supplements after coming off it. For people who are on one now or have stopped, what did you actually try, and what did you notice?

Protein, fiber, electrolytes, magnesium, B12, something for nausea, digestion, cravings, energy, hair, anything else.

want to hear what worked and what didn't..

I have been using Redcon MRE for about four years now. I have always loved it. Whey never seem to work well with me, as I didn’t like the taste and it would usually cause digestive issues

This stuff is made with a bunch of real whole foods and also has a great amount of calories in. That’s perfect for me because I have a super fast metabolism, so having one or two of these shakes a day on top of three meals puts me in a good spot to gain weight

To make it even better, they taste phenomenal and dissolve really well. Company has always been good to me, and has had great customer service.

I know they changed their formula a few months ago when I bought the vanilla and saw the package and noticed a few things that were different, but it still tasted the same.

But when I got the blueberry cobbler, I was extremely disappointed and then took a closer look at the ingredients.

These are two different flavors in the pictures, so one is chocolate chip and the other is vanilla, so just ignore those ingredients, but everything else is the same ingredients regardless of flavor, and you can notice the difference like they took out the beef protein isolate and a few other things on the new one. Which is the one with 480 calories

So it had me thinking, could I just source these ingredients and flavor it myself? I imagine I’ll save money in the long run, but I just wanna get it right in the beginning so I don’t have to waste a lot of money or product

The main things would be beef protein isolate, Pea protein, brown rice protein, chicken protein, egg albumin or some sort of egg protein, salmon protein, dextrose, and then they have other stuff in there like potatoes, yams, pea starch, and then the flavoring as well

It doesn’t have to be that exact recipe, especially if certain ones outweigh others. For example, maybe it would just be OK to do the beef protein and the rice and some of the veggies and then add flavoring

Is this possible, or should I just accept what I have for now and move on?

But it also gives me energy and helps me focus. What should I do?

Hi all! Just got some routine bloodwork done and my PCP recommended adding a Vitamin D supplement. I'm a middle-age woman battling severe brain fog from perimenopause (plus ADHD & taking meds for that).

PCP recommended dissolvable B from Thorne, but I don't see a dissolvable or liquid option on their website. I'm also a bit leery since I know they've been recently bought out.

I'm taking other supplements from Sports Research and have been happy with them so far, but they also don't have dissolvable options.

Any certain kind you like? Does dissolvable or liquid make a difference to you? I'm seeing differing opinions online; I'm assuming PCP recommended dissolvable to give me a much needed boost? Thanks in advance!

so I took Paxil for ppd and ppa I started from 10mg to 40mg but I was still dealing with anxiety so I switched to Paxil cr 37.5mg in like 2 months on this dose I got stable. I was almost a year out ppd and ppa so I thought I could get off Paxil cr. I went from 37.5 to 25mg for a month then 12.5mg a month then zero. Had terrible withdrawal went back to 12.5mg helped with withdrawal but anxiety was still there went up to 25mg. I’ve been on 25mg for 3 months . I definitely see improvement I did get better but anxiety is still there chest tension it isn’t as intense as it was but it’s still there. Mood got better but still down. My sleep is still bad too I wake up 2-3am and wake up early like 7am I get like 5-6 hours of sleep even thought I take Paxil cr in the morning. I think it’s a cortisol issue cause as soon it hits 8pm I’m normal no chest tightness no anxiety. So I went up to 37.5mg my doctor told me that’s the dose I got stable on so I did. I’ve been up my dose for 4 weeks I see improvements but still has some chest tightness and overthinking. I added 300mg ashwagandha every night 2 weeks ago it has helped my sleep so much but I wake up all day with kinda hangover feeling, head tension and some what headache. I also moved my Paxil cr 37.5 to taking it at 7pm instead of the morning cause I was too tired but it caused vivid dreams. I still wake up during the night like 2-3 times but I drift back to sleep all the time. I get 7-8 hours of sleep. I wanted to know if there’s something else that is similar to ashwagand

For people who take or have taken both these supplements, What are the main differences between them as for the affects they give? Is it worth trying them both out?

HELP A GIRL OUT!! im 16 days delayed but no negative pt results

I've been taking protein for the past year pretty regularly, and I've realized that my gut has not been doing very well since then. Initially, I thought it was due to lactose, which is why I started taking lactose-free milk, which helped.

In order to help my gut, I also switched from regular whey protein to isolate protein and am currently using IsoPure Creamy Vanilla flavor. My gut was doing fine for a couple of months, but lately I have started having the same issues as before. I don't have clean bowel movements and never feel fully empty.

When I stop my protein intake for 2 to 3 days, I instantly feel better, and then it goes back to the same way as soon as I start my protein. I usually take two scoops a day: one as soon as I wake up and the other at around 7 pm after my workout.

Are there any tips to help with gut health when taking Isopure Isolate protein.

Currently in the trenches and I think it could be due to creatine. Obviously everyone’s going to have a different experience with different supplements, but I thought I would share my experience for anyone looking to jump on the creatine train.

For reference, I am a 31 year old female.
My current supplement stack consists of, Omega-3, magnesium, multivitamin, OPC3.
I’ve been using these supplements for a few years now. I take them all in the morning. They come in powder form and dissolve in water.
I’m in the gym 4-5 times per week. Pilates, Barre, and aerial arts.
My BMI is about 18.5
I eat fresh, Whole Foods a good 90% of the time.
I would say I’m a “flexitarian”. I don’t eat a lot of meat solely because I don’t really like it, but have it maybe once a week. Yes, I do keep up with protein in other ways.
All this to say, I live a pretty healthy lifestyle.

I recently went back to school and have been feeling a bit unfocused. I began looking for a supplement that would help me feel more energized physically and mentally . I wasn’t necessarily looking for gains, but thought it would be nice to try something that would help increase my endurance during workouts as well.
Enter Creatine.

I began taking creatine around 2 weeks ago(Sports Research- 5g/day). Kind of forgot about it until today because it seamlessly blended into my current routine of drinking my supplements.

For the past 10 days or so, I’ve been feeling like utter crap. Completely lethargic. Absolutely no motivation to do anything. My face has been breaking out when I typically have very good skin. My mood has been all over the place. Minor annoyances have sent me into a rage. Completely out of character for me. I’ve had difficulty remembering words and have been losing my train of thought constantly. I’ve gained 4 lbs. I’m falling behind on school work.
I’ve been feeling so mentally/physically down that I been unable to get myself to the gym more than twice a week. While there today, I wasn’t even halfway through my workout before I wanted to curl up in ball and cry. It’s usually the part of my day that leaves me feeling happy and energized, even when it’s difficult.

I sat down today and thought about the past couple of weeks trying to figure out why I feel so unreasonably horrible out of nowhere. The only thing about my life/routine that I could think that has changed in the last couple of weeks was adding creatine to my stack. It just hit me today that it could be the culprit. I know for sure it’s not a placebo affect because I had completely forgotten that I had even added it to my routine.

I found some other threads on here of others having similar adverse reactions. I’m curious if anyone that has had these affects eventually had them subside or did you just have to stop entirely?

I’m going to stop taking the creatine for the rest of this week to see if that helps me feel normal again and report back.

Anyways, let me know how creatine worked for you.

I’m also looking for some recommendations for supplements that help with cognitive health. Creatine aside, I had been struggling to stay focused on studying and retaining information.
I’m not into lions mane or the other typical nootropics (other bad reactions). I’ve wanted to try bacopa, but was worried about the similar feeling of anhedonia that I’ve been feeling with creatine.

Wondering where you all get your bloodwork for nutrient levels. Do you go somewhere local? At home testing?

The closest place to me that does bloodwork is LabCorp and it’s pricey. Also seems like a small analysis.

$239 Micronutrient test covers vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, magnesium, iodine and zinc.

$485 “Custom” micronutrient test covers folate, vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, iodine, magnesium, and zinc.

Why am I looking into this? I am male 37. My overall health I would say is poor. LDL is at 165, A1C was 5.8, and a couple other things that are sitting right on the border of not good.

I know supplements themselves aren’t a magical cure which is why I’ve started switching up my diet and have added exercise (biking) into my daily routine.

I want to check my blood work to see where my nutrient levels are so I can supplement those instead of blindly throwing multi-vitamins, all the Bs, and Omegas at my body while I work on a healthier lifestyle.

Hey guys, is the above brand from Costco a good one. Is it early digestible as lot of magnesium supplements cause diarrhea so thought to ask here if anyone has tried it and found it good. I was thinking to buy dr best chelated magnesium as it has really good reviews but thought to ask about the Costco one as I have an executive membership.

Pretty underweight (always been) 20M. For the past 4 months, I have been experiencing a constant feeling of unreality. It feels as though I am drunk/high or half-asleep, as if I am on autopilot and everything around me feels somewhat unreal. I have searched online, and my symptoms seem to resemble derealization.

In addition to this, I experience fatigue even when I sleep well. The fatigue does not seem to depend on whether I do physical activities during the day or not. However, over the past few weeks, I have started sleeping poorly and waking up early in the morning.

I also experience headaches, pressure in my head, and neck pain. I have tried muscle relaxants and massage therapy for the neck pain, but neither has helped. Also at the start of this i sometimes felt like fainting when walking but it has gone away. I also have noticed one singular eye floater on my right eye.

What could be causing these symptoms? They do not occur in distinct episodes, and the headache is not particularly severe. It feels more like a tension-type headache.

I have tried triptanes, but they did not help. My thyroid function is normal, as are my vitamin B12, B9 and vitamin D levels. My ferritin level is 37. And it has been changing from 49 to 24. I also havw crohns disease which is in remission.

My neurologist prescribed escitalopram as a trial, which I took for two and a half months, but it did not help. She also did head mri and there was nothing wrong.

I have no history of trauma, no panic symptoms, and generally do not experience much stress, apart from the stress caused by these symptoms themselves.

My symptoms started in the final days of my new job in car repairshop where i was moving car tires and lifting them. Im not sure if this can be linked to that because i didnt have any symptoms expect the final days. I have not been working at all during this 4 month period.

What could be the underlying cause of these symptoms?

I’ve known vitamin D comes labelled for daily or weekly use, but I only recently stopped to unpack this contradiction.

Same vitamin. Weekly formulations usually start at 20,000 IU. When I spread that weekly total across 7 days, the daily equivalent dose lands lower than what many standard daily vitamin D provide.

I’d always assumed daily dosing was standard because the body needs steady day-to-day replenishment. If weekly high-dose options work, then I’m not sure why daily versions are still the default.

My guess is the dosing schedule mostly comes down to which routine someone can stick with long-term.

Then why stop at a week? Where are the monthly options?

Which option are you using, and why didn’t you pick the other?

If you’ve switched between daily and weekly, did you notice any real difference?

Has anyone here seen an over-the-counter vitamin D bottle marked for monthly dosing, or longer intervals? What other supplements come in once-weekly dose formats?

I couldn’t tolerate regular fish oil, I would always get headaches, agitation, anxiety ect. I believe it’s the histamine.

However there are people here who always said the reason fish oil causes those symptoms is “high acetylcholine”….

So I decided to go down that route and test it. I bought forskolin because it supposedly reduces it. Worse idea ever. These brain chemicals aren’t really to be messed with. Got panic attacks and insomnia for a week from just taking it a few times.

Finally discovered algae omegas and what a game changer. They feel amazing I feel all the benefits without any side effects! I’m willing to pay more to get something that works without the the issues of dealing with rancid pills ect from fish.

Tldr, people are wrong that said acetyl is high… at least in my case, because it got proved by taking omegas that are not derived from fish…

Does flat walking for 30 to 45 minutes effective enough for stubborn body fat burning with the supplement during a fast? I've heard in the past you need to do a slow jog or high incline walking for Zone 2 cardio

been taking c60 power most mornings for about a year now. i also started lifting and taking magnesium around the same time, so it's hard to say what's doing what. i feel good though.

for people who've stuck with it a while, what did you actually notice, and how did you work out what came from what?