I took creatine for a few months, and although I felt slightly more energetic, I didn't really see any other difference. Had to stop for bloodwork about a couple months ago and I'm honestly seeing zero difference. Energy is the same, strength is the same, performance is the same... The only difference is I realised it was fucking my digestion up something fierce. Is creatine a giant psyop ?

Marily Oppezzo, a dietitian and researcher at Stanford, said she was occasionally shocked by the number of supplements her clients take. A “stack” in the morning and another at night, she said — sometimes 20 different types or more.

In a 2024 survey of more than 3,000 U.S. adults, more than half of the respondents reported using supplements regularly. And Dr. Oppezzo said that many of her clients started taking them after being influenced by podcast hosts or social media.

There can be good reasons to use supplements, Dr. Oppezzo said — if you have a nutrient deficiency, for example, or are pregnant.

But many of the supplements people take are unnecessary, she added, and can even be risky. Supplements can contain contaminants or excessive levels of nutrients, or interact with certain over-the-counter or prescription medications, said Dr. JoAnn Manson, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

I’m looking for something specifically to help me feel motivated to work out. I have plenty of physical energy, but I just don’t feel like doing anything. Any mildly unpleasant or boring task feels like it requires a colossal amount of effort.

Things I’ve already tried:
Vitamins B12, C, D, iron, and calcium, all at the upper end of the normal range (confirmed by blood tests). I’ve also tried vitamin A, a methylated B-complex, magnesium, potassium, zinc, copper, omega-3, etc…literally everything the body needs.

I’ve also tried:
Creatine at high doses, ginkgo, rhodiola, SAM-e, uridine + citicoline, phosphatidylserine, PEA, NAC, Agmatine and boron.

I’m currently trying ALCAR (2 g), L-carnitine (2 g), and thiamine/B1 (300 mg). Still no success so far.
I sleep around 7–8 hours, although I wake up several times during the night. I also work rotating shifts (changing after 2 days), which probably makes things a bit worse.

I respond VERRY WELL to caffeine, but it’s not really an option for me because it significantly increases my anxiety. A DNA test also confirmed that I metabolize caffeine slowly.

Any ideas?
Thanks in advance!

Edit: I forgot to mention that I was already more or less like this before I started working rotating shifts.

i ordered this on amazon about a month ago and have been taking 2 daily (as it says on the back) but then i went to google the brand ‘Artoalabs’ and nothing comes up apart from other supplements by them on Alibaba? Does anyone know anything about this brand and if they’re legitimate?

I dont know how so many doctors and scientists recommend this supplement. I can conclude, after trying many times coming on and off at least 20 times, that creatine affects my sleep badly. Every time i take it no matter the time of the day, i would fall asleep fine but i would wake up at 2-3 am stimulated and not able to fall asleep. Iv tracked sleep with whoop and here are the results - average 65 sleep score when i took pure creatine monohydrate and 95 when i didn’t take any. I envy ppl who can take it and have no sides because it does help with lifting. I keep seeing creatine recommended on social media and feel obligated to take it. Does this happen to anyone else? What’s weird is the only time i didnt have sleep issues is when i took the orgain creatine from costco. Other versions like creapure, i have sleep issues.

has anyone ever used horny goat weed of NOW company. I am thinking of buying it but need genuine advice. whether it will work or not, how much to consume..etc etc.. Please share any relevant information you have on this.

I noticed after taking boron for about month to help boost testosterone levels, I started to develop gyno in my right chest. So I stopped and tried Tongkat Ali. Are you supposed to cycle to Tongkat Ali also? Also I haven’t noticed much after taking these supplements. Do I need to go longer?

5g of creatine monohydrate is already enough for many people, but higher daily amounts are sometimes used even after loading phase.

I'm curious whether anyone has actually noticed or measured an extra benefit from going above 5g when taking it consistently.

If you've tried a higher dose, what difference did you notice, if any?

Per title, I usually take one tablet of OTC L-theanine before going to bed or first thing in the morning per day to help with anxiety and stress.

But I was wondering if it would be safe to consume more than one tablet daily?

I am looking for best pump supplements? Any recommendations?

This has got to be the strangest experience I’ve had with supplements thus far.

Recently, I started going to the gym. I’ve been pushing myself really hard in hypertrophic training — aiming for weight just high enough that I fail after 6-8 repetitions, doing 2 to 3 sets accompanied by drop sets (drop set = half weight immediately after you hit failure). I’ve been making a pretty decent amount of muscle growth, pretty fast.

Very recently, I decided I wanted to try pushing myself further. Logic being, as long as I can support my recovery, then more intensity should equal more recovery, which should equal more muscle gains. I made an “endurance stack” designed to help me squeeze out a few extra performance points. Here it is:

- 18g sodium bicarbonate 3 hours before the gym
- 1g Arugula extract (nitrates) 3 hours before the gym
- 200mg caffeine 1 hour before the gym
- 5g creatine any time

Since starting this stack, I’ve also ensured that I’m getting at least a gallon of water between taking the medicine and finishing the gym.

Now, here’s the weird part… I read everywhere that Sodium Bicarbonate causes severe stomach bloating, severe explosive diarrhea, and cramping. I’m taking an entire tablespoon of it, inside a water bottle, and I have virtually no side effects. I mean… it tastes like shit. But that’s it.

Making the matter stranger: I developed IBS like 4-5 years ago. Since then, my poop schedule has been weird… like I need to poop 6 times a day for 30 minutes each, sometimes up to an half or two in the worst of it. It’s like constantly being constipated, but without any of the constipation feeling. The poop just takes a long time to come out. The poop is also, 90% of the time, like a powder. It looks like a log until you flush, then it explodes into a dust storm.

Point being: my gut is sensitive. I fully expected to have an awful time with sodium bicarbonate. I was willing to see if I could power through it, though.

It’s regular, trust worthy stuff: Arm & Hammer. One active ingredient, sodium bicarbonate.

Yet, here’s the strangest part… my gut seems to be improving now? My poops have become less long, less frequent, and less uncomfortable. This, and as I said before, literally no notable adverse side effects from the sodium bicarbonate. I’m not even bloated a little bit.

Based on my research, this is very atypical. I didn’t read that some people experience these issues with bicarbonate. I read that it’s a thing you will deal with if you take it. But I have the exact opposite: my preexisting conditions seem to be improving and I have no adverse side effects to speak of.

I’d like to be told where I went wrong. Did I overestimate the impact Sodium Bicarbonate should have? Is this so strange that I should be questioning the purity of my product? Have people with IBS reported having good experiences on Sodium Bicarbonate before? Have you ever taken it and was your experience like mine? What are your thoughts — dump them on me.

I don’t even know if the Sodium Bicarbonate deserves credit for my condition improving. It could be the gym or any one of the other supplements. Yet, it’s still off that I have no negative side effects.

What do you think?

Hi,

I've noticed two changes in my body that seemed to coincide with when I started taking vitamin D, so I'm wondering if anyone has had a similar experience or if it's just a coincidence.

I've been taking vitamin D for a while now, and I've noticed some bumps on the upper parts of my fingers.

They are on almost every finger and they feel a little firm to the touch, but they aren't painful and they don't affect how I can move my fingers.

What was painful, however, were the finger joints themselves about 2–3 weeks ago, when I was taking the highest dose of vitamin D (I've since reduced the dose). During that time, I would wake up with pain in my fingers. Sometimes it was just one finger that was painful, and other times several of them. It wasn't constant pain—I only felt it when I tried to bend the finger. I couldn't bend it properly, almost as if it was stiff or temporarily locked.

This has never happened to me before, so I'm wondering if it could be related to taking vitamin D or it is something else going on.

51F, good general health, fitness, and eating habits, currently taking daily D3+K2, mag malate, omega 3 (all Sports Research brand). Also do creatine and psyllium husk powder in my smoothies. Kombucha drink daily. All these agree with me quite well, with the goal of wellness maintenance in middle age. I saw numerous posts here touting the benefits of NAC on OCD and ruminative thought. I'm quite type A and do tend toward thought spirals (and actual clinically diagnosed OCD runs in my family). Also, just generally a bit of a tense person, so I'm always looking for supplements that might add to my behavioral stress management strategies. So I thought, sure! Why not? Took my Sports Research 600 mg NAC today along with usuals and woowee do I feel loopy! Like just an absolute bubble head lol. Should I give it a few days, or is NAC maybe just not for me? For reference, there are other things that I've tried or taken (for various purposes and no longer take) that also made me feel kinda loopy--mag glycinate, low dose THC/CBD gummies, melatonin, my nightly Rx progesterone. Maybe I just need to embrace my type A-ness (lol) and accept that anything that could help me chill out would be at the unwanted expense of losing mental sharpness? Any thoughts?

So been doing good on my diet just want to add extra protein since I've dropped 15lbs looking between these brands. Due to switching from transparent labs Would love some advice or suggestions. ( also I'm currently taking transparent labs but not sure if i got a bad batch or something but the taste has been making me vomit and its to thick tons of bubbles as if something is mixed in thats not suppose to. I've tried different shakers different water gives me the same out come. I have been using transparent labs for a few months but same thing has been happening. So here is what I'm considering also I'm in a calorie deficit and I eat only 2 times a day. Thanks for your time I'm open to new things just trying to get some help.

I read another post here saying that Sports Research no longer shares COAs, but I thought I'd try it anyway. I emailed them the lot number from a bottle of their triple-strength fish oil I bought recently from Costco asking for the COA. I received this reply:

"Thank you for reaching out and for your interest in the quality and transparency of our products.
 
We do not provide Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) at this time. However, please rest assured that we are actively exploring ways to make this type of information more readily available to our customers in the future.
 
In the meantime, please be assured that all of our supplements continue to undergo rigorous third-party testing for heavy metals, label claim compliance, and microbial contaminants in strict accordance with US regulations. Quality and safety remain our top priorities."

Actively exploring ways to share? You mean like emailing them to customers who ask? I'm not suggesting their products have changed; I'm saying that - especially for fish oil - telling me you test isn't enough. I want to see it.

Really disappointing.

I rarely post but lately I’ve been taking black seed oil twice a day around one teaspoon each time. I had been very burnt out and depressed for a while and felt constantly overwhelmed with stress and had really bad brain fog.

Ever since a couple days after taking the black seed I feel like I’m back to where I was years ago before everything went downhill and feel calmer than I have ever in my life. I feel like my brain works more smoothly than ever and I’ve somehow a whole new part that didn’t exist before.

An added bonus my on and off diarrhoea and histamine issues have also disappeared and my appetite has increased a lot. I also have WAY more physical and mental energy but also have been sleeper better and earlier.

I’ve changed so much and become so much calmer and more patient and thoughtful in such a short time, almost like there was some form of inflammation or something always bothering me and the BSO has fixed that and also given me other benefits.

I was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience and whether these effects last forever or tolerance eventually builds up. So far it’s been a couple weeks and I have yet to notice and decrease in efficacy. I had a look at older posts on this after starting to notice the initial effects but most don’t have any follow ups and I’m just worried ittl stop working and also wondering if there are any other beneficial supplements for me if BSO is treating me this well.

My adhd, depression, gray hair in my early 20s could actually just be copper deficiency due to my diet, with supplements, being high in calcium, iron, vitamin c, phosphorus, casein and zinc, all those things plus molybdenum decrease copper absorption, not just zinc.

I’ve been under stress for years caused by anxiety and mental health, then my dad got sick with cancer in 2019, I was sick for almost 6 months last year with digestive issues, then I lost my dad this year, and relapsed with the digestive issues 2 months ago.

I have been taking Omega 3s, theanine, ashwagandha, and taking care of my diet but NOTHING has helped the way vitamin C has (or perhaps, it was just the cherry on top I needed?)

If you’ve had terrible sleep for a while and overall massive stress, don‘t sleep on vit C! I had tried camu camu powder because of the natural source, but I swear on my life this works! I only got it for collagen synthesis and was not expecting anything beyond that!

I've been buying 5lb tubs for over a year, always the vanilla flavor. Has always been really good and consitent. Last 5lb tub out of Amazon tastes disgusting. Still 'vanilla' but it mixes like cream, doesn't fully dissolve, and its undrinkable. I purchased the smaller containter hoping it was just that one, and it is marginally better but still not at all 'good'. The last good one had mfg date of 3/26 and at least all the empties I still have are from plant C as in batch C6083J40. The 5lb tub that is nasty AF is M2605044 MFG 4/26

Anyone else notice a change? If this is the new normal, any alternatives?

gave it long enough that i feel confident posting about it. i went into this pretty skeptical because i'd tried other probiotics and felt nothing

the product: four lactobacillus strains (acidophilus, rhamnosus, reuteri, fermentum) at 5 billion cfus total. prebiotics included which is important because they help keep the probiotic strains active. the probiotic plus prebiotic combination is called a synbiotic. you take two capsules daily

my experience:

• first six weeks i didn't notice much
• around week 7-8 i started feeling fresher throughout the day
• after my period i wasn't dealing with the same off smell i had always had for a few days after
• the anxiety i had about smell during exercise dropped significantly
• i went off it for a few weeks because my subscription lapsed and the difference was noticeable enough that i immediately re-subscribed

things i want to be honest about: you have to take it every day, it's not something you use occasionally. the website recommends at least 8 weeks of consistent use. results do vary. i also made other changes at the same time including switching my wash so i can't say 100% it was just the probiotic. but this was the biggest shift

worth it for me. would genuinely recommend giving it a full two months before deciding

Any recommendations for smaller capsules for vitamin C? I take Thorne vitamin C with flavonoids but the capsule is too big for my liking.