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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
Hello,
I've just started taking Rhodiola Rosea after reading some good info about it. I'm taking the Rodax brand from GNC. So far (3 days) the results have been pretty fantastic: Less depressed, more social. I have noticed I sleep lighter which is the one "side-effect" I've noticed.
I have searched and read most of the previous threads on Dr-bob about rhodiola. However I'm wondering if anyone is still taking this and perhaps could post their experiences.
Thanks for any info/anecdotes....
-Jay
Posted by clipper40 on December 24, 2007, at 15:37:34
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
I know of several people who have had very good experiences with it. One of my friends has Parkinson's and she found it very helpful for mood and energy level.
I didn't, however. I didn't feel anything for the first few days but then I started feeling very sick (tired, nauseous, head-achey). I tried 2 well-thought of brands. Each gave me that same effect. So far I haven't tolerated any herbs well except for Maca (though admittedly I have only tried a handful so far).
I'm starting to wonder if my adrenal fatigue has something to do with it and if I were to get that cured, then maybe I'd have better responses to herbs.
Posted by Kath on December 24, 2007, at 19:04:09
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
I've been taking 2 caps/day for many months because what I read made it sound great.
To tell the truth, I don't notice anything in particular. I think I noticed something negative once when I'd run out of it for several weeks, but can't remember what I noticed. I know that I did go & buy more at that point.
I use a "pendulum" to test for various supplements, etc. & how much to use & which brand to buy, etc. The pendulum indicates that I should keep taking it.
cheers, Kath
Posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 19:04:45
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences? » JayBTV2, posted by clipper40 on December 24, 2007, at 15:37:34
>So far I haven't tolerated any herbs well except for Maca (though admittedly I have only tried a handful so far).
>Have you tried Vitex as well? I read about both Maca and Vitex and they seemed to be very similar. I'm currently also trying Vitex but it's only my first day so hard to tell if it's good for me.
Posted by clipper40 on December 24, 2007, at 19:31:39
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 19:04:45
> Have you tried Vitex as well? I read about both Maca and Vitex and they seemed to be very similar. I'm currently also trying Vitex but it's only my first day so hard to tell if it's good for me.
No, not yet but it's on my short list to try soon. The others I want to try are Siberian Ginseng (Eleuthero), Mucuna Pruriens, Forskolin and Ashwaganda.
(I'm also interested in Pramiracetam and Hydergine but they're medications.)
Please continue to post your results. I'm very interested to find out how you do on Vitex.
Posted by Kath on December 24, 2007, at 20:19:50
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 19:04:45
Nope - only Rhodiola, let us know how it is?
Kath
Posted by Kath on December 24, 2007, at 20:20:50
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences? » JayBTV2, posted by clipper40 on December 24, 2007, at 19:31:39
I found Siberian Ginseng helped my memory bigtime & I also think it helps my energy level. I take 3 a day.
Kath
Posted by Sigismund on December 24, 2007, at 21:23:47
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
I really liked rhodiola but it was sufficiently long acting to disrupt what was left of my sleep.
Posted by clipper40 on December 25, 2007, at 7:59:41
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences? » clipper40, posted by Kath on December 24, 2007, at 20:20:50
Good to know! I need help with both of those things.
I actually tried Siberian Ginseng a few years ago but had a strange reaction. I felt like I had an electrical current running through me. It was so weird. I think it may have been the brand though. I'm going to try a better one next time.
Posted by bleauberry on December 26, 2007, at 18:21:07
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
Many years ago prozac fixed my depression but left me flat with not joy or motivation. I added rhodiola for that and it worked wonders almost immediately. But it pooped out in a few weeks.
Tried it several times in the last couple years, without any drugs. Each time was a mixed bag. I would indeed get an immediate mood boost and energy boost, sometimes, but followed by a mood crash and energy crash, and then the same doses the next couple days did absolutely nothing except make me feel more depressed and more tired. It had me feeling so bad I was too scared to try an increase of dose. No matter what dose I took, sleep was lousy. And when I woke up, I felt almost paranoid. Strange scary feeling. If I ever try it again, and I might, I will probably go for higher doses and use a sleep aids like valerian and passionflower to quell that waking adrenaline rush.
Sometimes it worked, sometimes not, but it always backfired badly in a few days. I have studied the responses of many people who have used it at another forum called sjwinfo.org and it seems the dosing is very important and tricky, as well as the brand...just like ssris, and just like st johns wort, brands are similar but different enough to make a difference in either a good way or a bad way.
Posted by Molitor on December 27, 2007, at 16:06:34
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by bleauberry on December 26, 2007, at 18:21:07
I tried Rhodiola, even taking it for several months, and never felt anything from it. I didn't feel anything when I stopped it, either.
I didn't feel anything from fairly high (3-4 gram) single doses, either.
Posted by valero on December 27, 2007, at 16:27:57
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
Rhodiola is a particular favorite of mine, it's true that at first one might feel "mildly stimulated" it soon subsides. It's meant to be taken long term, and as an adaptogen, I've been taking it for over a year, and have noticed it's slight anabolic effects, together with nootropic effects. So I guess If I'm feeling fit and trim and smarter, then it gets it's 8 out of 10 rating.
Posted by bleauberry on January 1, 2008, at 17:51:30
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
I could never make it past a week on Rhodiola. The first day there usually is a nice immediate boost of mood. It quickly fades into fatigue. The next day, no repeat goodness. Fatigue seems to get worse with each day. Higher doses make me feel even worse. I've trie everything from 25mg a day to 300mg and it all felt aweful. Also caused a panic like feeling upon waking each morning, even though the rest of the day was glum and down without any stimulation. Basically, Rhodiola had me a lot more fatigued and a lot more depressed than I had started. So much so that it was kind of scary.
The brand I used was New Chapter.
About 10 years ago I did get a nice shortlived response from Rhodiola when I added it to prozac. Wow I felt good for a couple weeks. Then it pooped out into just feeling like prozac alone, and it somehow made me incapable of having sex. That brand definitely worked, at least for a while. Don't remember the name. It was from overseas, the supposed true original rhodiola, I believe from Life Extension Foundation?
Rhodiola has so much promise that there is a whole book written on its wonders, called the Rhodiola Revolution. At a st johns wort forum there are people who love rhodiola after failing sjw or 5htp. Go figure, me, well, no such luck.
Posted by kezia on January 2, 2008, at 21:32:52
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by bleauberry on January 1, 2008, at 17:51:30
I really, really, really want to try Rhodiola, but I am taking Lexapro (typical dose 10mg, but sometimes 20mg during PMS). Should I be worried about serotonin syndrome if I decide to add it to my regime? My pdoc doesn't know anything about Rhodiola and, until I mentioned that it worked on MAO, but was not a MAO inhibitor, he didn't seem to mind if I tried it. Sigh - what to do, what to do . . .
> I could never make it past a week on Rhodiola. The first day there usually is a nice immediate boost of mood. It quickly fades into fatigue. The next day, no repeat goodness. Fatigue seems to get worse with each day. Higher doses make me feel even worse. I've trie everything from 25mg a day to 300mg and it all felt aweful. Also caused a panic like feeling upon waking each morning, even though the rest of the day was glum and down without any stimulation. Basically, Rhodiola had me a lot more fatigued and a lot more depressed than I had started. So much so that it was kind of scary.
>
> The brand I used was New Chapter.
>
> About 10 years ago I did get a nice shortlived response from Rhodiola when I added it to prozac. Wow I felt good for a couple weeks. Then it pooped out into just feeling like prozac alone, and it somehow made me incapable of having sex. That brand definitely worked, at least for a while. Don't remember the name. It was from overseas, the supposed true original rhodiola, I believe from Life Extension Foundation?
>
> Rhodiola has so much promise that there is a whole book written on its wonders, called the Rhodiola Revolution. At a st johns wort forum there are people who love rhodiola after failing sjw or 5htp. Go figure, me, well, no such luck.
Posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2008, at 18:56:01
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences? » bleauberry, posted by kezia on January 2, 2008, at 21:32:52
All I can tell you is that I added Rhodiola to 20mg prozac and was fine with it. Nothing even close to a serotonin syndrome. If it is a MAOI, it is probably nowhere near the potency of a nardil or parnate. I would guess if there is any MAOI activity it is minor compared to drugs. I really don't know. No one really knows what rhodiola does. It was fine with 20mg prozac, that's all I know.
Posted by kezia on January 12, 2008, at 19:54:56
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences? » kezia, posted by bleauberry on January 11, 2008, at 18:56:01
> All I can tell you is that I added Rhodiola to 20mg prozac and was fine with it. Nothing even close to a serotonin syndrome. If it is a MAOI, it is probably nowhere near the potency of a nardil or parnate. I would guess if there is any MAOI activity it is minor compared to drugs. I really don't know. No one really knows what rhodiola does. It was fine with 20mg prozac, that's all I know.
>
>
Thanks so much. I really appreciate your taking the time to share your experience with me. I was actually able to find something that said it was not an MAOI and that it could be safely combined with an SSRI. Also, I had read that the author of the Rhodiola Revolution - a psychiatrist - does successfully combine it with other ADs. I do tend to err on the side of caution since I have had some bad reactions to medications as simple as cold and cough meds in the past.Thanks again.
Posted by sregan on January 12, 2008, at 22:19:00
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
> I have searched and read most of the previous threads on Dr-bob about rhodiola. However I'm wondering if anyone is still taking this and perhaps could post their experiences.Jay,
The only thing I can add is that it felt gritty and irritating when urinating. Thought I had a UTI stopped when I stopped the Rhodiola.
Posted by JLx on January 14, 2008, at 7:10:07
In reply to Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on December 24, 2007, at 11:00:42
I've been taking it for about 4-5 weeks now. NOW brand, 500 mg per day, taken in the morning. The first few days I felt a bit more anxious and then nothing until about 3 weeks. Then it seemed I felt more social, slightly less depressed, had a bit more energy but then that faded after just a few days, which was pretty disappointing. I've kept taking it because I feel like it's good for my body, improving digestion, blood sugar and enhancing libido.
I'm going to try another brand when this one runs out and try taking less. I've read that less is more energizing, while higher amounts are said to be more sedating. I've also read, however, that higher amounts, such as 600 mg, may be necessary for treatment resistant depression.
I've just started taking St. John's Wort too.
JL
> Hello,
>
> I've just started taking Rhodiola Rosea after reading some good info about it. I'm taking the Rodax brand from GNC. So far (3 days) the results have been pretty fantastic: Less depressed, more social. I have noticed I sleep lighter which is the one "side-effect" I've noticed.
>
> I have searched and read most of the previous threads on Dr-bob about rhodiola. However I'm wondering if anyone is still taking this and perhaps could post their experiences.
>
> Thanks for any info/anecdotes....
>
> -Jay
Posted by JayBTV2 on January 15, 2008, at 21:03:33
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JLx on January 14, 2008, at 7:10:07
> I've been taking it for about 4-5 weeks now. NOW brand, 500 mg per day, taken in the morning. The first few days I felt a bit more anxious and then nothing until about 3 weeks. Then it seemed I felt more social, slightly less depressed, had a bit more energy but then that faded after just a few days, which was pretty disappointing. I've kept taking it because I feel like it's good for my body, improving digestion, blood sugar and enhancing libido.
>Interesting. I actually just switched today to the NOW brand and I can definitely tell it's more potent than the Rodax (GNC) brand I was taking. I did get a pretty good energy boost today and overall I think it helped my mood. On the flip side I am a bit irritable - noticed myself being impatient with people which isn't a good thing.
I'll let everyone know how my trial w/ NOW works out. Also sorry to hear it didn't work well for you in the long term :( I found a few posts on another board which said good things about the NOW brand. We shall see....
-Jay
Posted by JayBTV2 on January 28, 2008, at 14:26:50
In reply to Re: Rhodiola - Experiences?, posted by JayBTV2 on January 15, 2008, at 21:03:33
Well I'm done with rhodiola due to a very odd side-effect. Doctor had me believing I might have cancer :(
See below for more:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20080110/msgs/809366.html
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