Consult your doctor?

Rhodes54

New member
"As always, consult your physician before......taking this herb, supplement, nootropic that my GP has probably never heard of?

How do I find a licensed MD in Austin TX that can consult on any or all of the supplements, stacks and routines that get discussed here (and also takes insurance)?

Am I missing something? Is there a specific tag I should be looking for like naturopathic, homeopathic, paleopathic, etc?

Thanks,
 
Whichever doctor prescribed meds to you that could have interactions.

Or diagnosed you with a condition that could be potentially be worsened by supplementation.

If you have no issues and are in good health you should be fine.
 
I think I need a greater depth of consultation than that. The doctor who has prescribed me NuVigil and Adderall has never heard of DAA, bacopa monniera, DMAE, aniracetam, tongkat ali, sulbutiamine, etc; all of which are commonly discussed, praised and criticized on the forum. I need an informed discussion on my specific goals/concerns regarding supplementation. Is there a name for that kind of medical practitioner? 'Naturopathic Endocrinologist'?

Or maybe I just need a big wall poster of herbs, minerals, aminos, nootropics, vitamins, thermagenics which spells out dosages, x per day, potentiators, contraindications, testimonials, warnings and whatnot. Is there a FAQ that everyone but me has access to?
 
mr.cooper69 said:
Some doctors can take electives on supplements. But yeah, it's a tough find
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This.

My wife had a run in with some quack a few weeks back.....she came home mad as fk that the fat burner I gave her to take was "going to kill her".

We don't see that Dr anymore.....she is messing with my grand plan :P
 
McCrew530 said:
Do you not have access to google?...
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Right. It's just Google. Best FAQ there is. Or the search function here on AM, lots of good threads and advice abound (but always do your own research and don't trust a bunch of random strangers on the interwebs...). There's a thread stickied here called "Do your research here" that has some other good links. PubMed, Google Scholar, etc. Check out Examine for some good compilations of science and explanations on many ingredients.

Let's be honest, there are very specific reasons why supp companies put that on the label. My experience suggests independent research is the best approach. I've never encountered a doctor who has ever heard of anything I take, let alone would suggest I continue taking it - even if its safe. If you find such a doctor who knows his supps or is willing to read the studies, then even better.
 
TheNietzsche said:
Right. It's just Google. Best FAQ there is. Or the search function here on AM, lots of good threads and advice abound (but always do your own research and don't trust a bunch of random strangers on the interwebs...). There's a thread stickied here called "Do your research here" that has some other good links. PubMed, Google Scholar, etc. Check out Examine for some good compilations of science and explanations on many ingredients.

Let's be honest, there are very specific reasons why supp companies put that on the label. My experience suggests independent research is the best approach. I've never encountered a doctor who has ever heard of anything I take, let alone would suggest I continue taking it - even if its safe. If you find such a doctor who knows his supps or is willing to read the studies, then even better.
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Very few Docs would endorse supplement use, however it would be negligent to leave that statement off the bottle; if someone used a supplement that caused an adverse reaction then at least the company could say "well we warned them".
 
I've been googling for months, seeking answers for depression, fatigue, bodybuilding, longevity, cognitive enhancement, recreation, bio-hacking, etc.. I ended up with a rather long list of substances, any of which might have positive effects toward my goals if only I had the correct instructions on "doing them right".

What I lack is consistent information on scheduling, dosages, etc. Some things are obvious; e.g. avoid DS-Craze and white strains of kratom before bed and don't take phenibut more than once a week.

For all I know, I could have become "Limitless" by now (or at least happier) on oxiracetam or L-Tyrosine or rhodiola rosea, but haven't been taking them with/without food or not enough/too many times per day or without something to act as a transport. I read multiple posts describing incredible results about an herb/amino/nootropic and then left wondering why it's not working for me. (Or maybe it IS working but the effect is too subtle to notice.)

I'd be happy to pay some kind of medical professional to take down my concerns/ goals and then have a go at my list:

"Ok, let's see what we got here....hmm..
A will work for your depression, but don't take it with B.
C here is very effective for anxiety, but you need to give it a few weeks to kick in.
D is bunk, don't waste your money.
E is a great memory enhancer but only if you take it with a protein source.
F will increase libido, but G will cancel the effect.
H, I and J are redundant, because you're already getting the same benefit from K.
You won't notice anything from L unless you take it 3 times a day.
M will give you a great pump in the gym, but only on an empty stomach.." etc ad infinitum...

Maybe there isn't some great guru MD or rosetta stone of supplements with all the answers consolidated.....but I at least had to ask.
 
Examine.com is the closest thing to the Stone you seek, that's one of the first places I check before heading deeper. I always assume "D is bunk" unless I have reason to believe otherwise.

Starting with the basics.. Do you have a diagnosis, are you on prescriptions? What have you tried and what else is on your list? You seem to have a broad list of concerns...
 
The closet thing you are going to get an effective recommended dose is to take the info on the back of the bottle and compare it to peoples logs. You also have to remember that people react differently to each compound. So while one thing may be a god send to one person it could be bunk to another. Its all about trail and error and making an educated decision on what you put into your body. I always take the approach to each new supplement like it is going to have zero effects with 100% of the sides and go from there. Never start out with more than the min. Recommended dose for fear of an adverse reaction and slowly build up. All while making mental notes of how the supplement is effecting you.
 
No medical professional is going to be able to tell you how your supplements are going to interact with each other esp if you're taking like 10 of them.
 
TheNietzsche said:
Examine.com is the closest thing to the Stone you seek, that's one of the first places I check before heading deeper. I always assume "D is bunk" unless I have reason to believe otherwise.

Starting with the basics.. Do you have a diagnosis, are you on prescriptions? What have you tried and what else is on your list? You seem to have a broad list of concerns...
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Thanks much for the examine.com link! I'm 53 years old and in pretty good shape (I can stand from sitting on the floor without using hands, knees or elbows-I think that's supposed to be some kind of fitness indicator. I can also squat, deadlift and (almost) bench my bodyweight and do 10 pull-ups easy enough) My last blood panel was 5 months ago and nothing on it caused any concern for my GP. (I won't include it here unless someone asks for something specific)

I've had dysthymia (dysthymic disorder) since my 20s. Been on at least 10 different AD meds that I can remember. I finally quit Cymbalta 9 months ago, believing there must be a better way. Judging by the symptoms, I probably have ADD, although that's never been officially diagnosed.

I have a huge stockpile of various herbs, nootropics, supplements etc that I ordered after I quit Cymbalta. I’d started reading threads on anabolicminds, Longecity, erowid, bluelight, drugs-forum and then went on a crazed ordering frenzy, convinced that if I just find the right stack at the right dosage, I could become focused, 'bulletproof', depression-free and “Limitless”. I'm not under a doctor's supervision for any medication since I left Cymbalta. I have a scrip for Adderall, but no longer use it daily as prescribed. Only as needed, maybe 1 a week?

Please note, I’m definitely NOT taking ALL of these ALL the time. Feel free to comment or cross any off this list that you think are worthless hype:

(in no particular order)

Bulk powders:

ALCAR
D-aspartic acid
Taurine
L-Tyrosine
Lysine
L-Theanine
DMAE
Sulbutiamine
Choline Citrate
Noopept
ZMA


Bulk herbs:
Green tea extract
Mucuna
Kava
kratom
Terris Tribulus
Horny Goat Weed
Tongkat Ali
Ashwaganda
Valerian
Rhodiola Rosea
Bacopa

Others:

Methylene Blue
DHEA
Glucosamine
Armodafinil
Adderall
I tried pira-, ani- and oxi- racetams, but maybe was doing it wrong.
 
Keep in mind to that most products only work with continued use save for things like kratom and phenibut
 
OP: Supplements may contribute to good health and have other benefits, but I think you may be expecting far more from them than is realistically possible.
 
All MDs essentially go through similar training..

In other words, if you went to an MD about a supplement, there's a 99% chance they wouldn't know a damn thing about it and so they'd have to get online to read into it.
 
Yep, sadly enough my chiro and my wife's MD often ask MY opinion on supplements. That should reinforce TypeO's statement as well as make you nervous,lol. I used to be angry about this but in reality, MD's already have so much information dumped on them regarding biology, chemistry, drugs, etc, that one cannot reasonably expect them to be supplement experts as well. Our community dwells on "supplementology", but we are obsessive freaks.
 
PharmAnalyst said:
OP: Supplements may contribute to good health and have other benefits, but I think you may be expecting far more from them than is realistically possible.
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I try not to get too excited reading posts confidently declaring that this or that stack/supplement has changed someone's life. I'm as skeptical as the next cynic, but after doing so much reading, I start to wonder if one of these things might not work for ME. Then I get disappointed when I don't achieve "dramatic results". I also have to wonder how much worse off I'd be if I stopped any of my daily stack (Fish Oil, D3, Multivitamin, DHEA, Melatonin at night)

Only two* 'supps' I've found that absolutely have a pronounced, immediate and reproducible effect on mood, motivation and energy are adderall and kratom. In my experience, adderall loses it's benefit with daily use, which is why I stopped. The jury is still out on long-term kratom use (I only 'burn' plain leaf; never extracts and try to keep it below 10g per day) I don't know how I would have survived the last few months without it. (Just as common as "consult your doctor" is "ymmv")
*(actually, yohimbe would fit into that category, but I haven't figured out a way to take it without the heart-racing side effects. Stack it with Theanine? Valerian?)


I deeply appreciate everyone's responses I've gotten to this post.
 
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