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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by qqqsimmons on March 26, 2011, at 10:12:33
i've only taken it for a week, no more than 600mg/d...but it seems like my equilibrium is a bit off, like i'm a bit light-headed and weak...anyone else get this effect or maybe it's not the NAC?
Posted by qqqsimmons on March 26, 2011, at 15:44:48
In reply to NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by qqqsimmons on March 26, 2011, at 10:12:33
just curious what folks are experiencing with this? thanks
Posted by qqqsimmons on April 1, 2011, at 16:58:25
In reply to how about any side effects at all?, posted by qqqsimmons on March 26, 2011, at 15:44:48
hmm, even at 300mg makes me feel a bit stoned and unmotivated...
Posted by bleauberry on April 2, 2011, at 11:21:53
In reply to NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by qqqsimmons on March 26, 2011, at 10:12:33
> i've only taken it for a week, no more than 600mg/d...but it seems like my equilibrium is a bit off, like i'm a bit light-headed and weak...anyone else get this effect or maybe it's not the NAC?
If it were me, I would back off on the dosage. In this case, 300mg is still too much. I would make it 150mg, 75mg, and even all the way down to 25mg. Then as my body gave me the green light would start increasing it.
NAC is one of the precursors to glatiathone, which is one of the primary ingredients of our detoxification system. Your symptoms could be temporary toxic overload....too much debris being released all at once. The liver, kidneys. and lymph glands can't keep up with the unusually heavy load, so we get a traffic jam. And thus the brain fog, tiredness andlow blood pressure. Cut way back on dosage, allow some catchup recovery time, and then begin increasing it back up again. That's how I usually handle something like that in my own journeys.
If things were that toxic, then that's good news in that you would know where to put a lot of emphasis in treatment, because it would likely be directly tied to all of your other symptoms you are trying to treat. NAC is good at stirring up or loosening up toxic molecules, but not strong enough in binding to hold them all the way to excretion. So that means some redistribution of the stuff, causing symptoms. At Vitamin Research Products you can get DMSA 25mg caps. I would empty them out and make custom doses of 6.25mg to start and take one every four hours. Later increase to 12.5mg, and finally to 25mg. Every four hours (half life). DMSA has a powerful bond of many substances but not all. Another good one to go in the cocktail is Alpha Lipoic Acid, at about the same dose as DMSA to start with, slowing increasing it over weeks and months.
Who knows, maybe recommended doses of NAC are just too much for your system. If so, then you don't need much to get the benefit of it. So again super low doses make sense. You can always increase later. For now, back it off and allow a few days to go by and see what happens before doing anything else.
Posted by qqqsimmons on April 4, 2011, at 23:30:19
In reply to Re: NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by bleauberry on April 2, 2011, at 11:21:53
hmm, thanks for the tips. i think, at least, the smaller doses wear off more quickly. but i still get the lightheaded feeling...
it looks like NAC may affect nitric oxide levels, which might explain the blood pressure issue...
it doesn't look like NAC will help much for my obsessive compulsive tendencies...
Posted by mogger on April 18, 2011, at 20:33:01
In reply to Re: NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by qqqsimmons on April 4, 2011, at 23:30:19
Dr. Pittenger, the doctor who has done the most studies of NAC says to go up 600mg every two weeks to let the body adjust. He also mentions that full benefits of NAC take effect after 6 months of use so I would encourage you to stick with it as it has helped me tremendously. It definitely is the strangest thing I have taken as it is not like a typical AD where you have effects after two weeks. It took 9 weeks for me to start to see something.
Posted by former poster on April 23, 2011, at 0:55:25
In reply to Re: NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by mogger on April 18, 2011, at 20:33:01
I think I noticed some low BP. I also think it made me short-winded so I stopped taking the 600mg a day for 2 days and I feel ok now.
Posted by SLS on April 23, 2011, at 6:17:43
In reply to Re: NAC causing low blood pressure? » mogger, posted by former poster on April 23, 2011, at 0:55:25
NAC is a precursor to glutathione, a ubiquitous ant-oxidant. Glutathione can protect the mitochondria from genetic mutations (damage) that destroy the mitochondrial structure and function as a redox electron transport chain. It is this process that produces the energy used by every cell in the body via ATP metabolism. In other words, the benefit of NAC can be invisible at first as the mitochondria gradually recover.
I wish I knew what the ideal dosage is for NAC. I vaguely remember feeling worse at the higher dosages, so I stopped taking it. I am intrigued by Bleauberry's recommendations. I might give it another trial at lower dosages.
- Scott
Posted by Questionmark on May 18, 2011, at 18:44:50
In reply to Re: NAC causing low blood pressure?, posted by SLS on April 23, 2011, at 6:17:43
i don't understand why i never feel anything from NAC, when so many other people talk of noticing effects from a dose as low as 500mg! i'm taking 3g/day, and i'm usually really sensitive to substances. (Does make me wonder if maybe i personally "need" that much more NMDA inhibition though.)
Anyway, i have never noticed any lightheadedness (or anything else), even taking 2 or sometimes 3g at once. But of course that doesn't mean it's not possible for someone to. I think keeping it at a low dose is a good idea if you want to stick with it but the side effects are too much.
If you're not sure if the NAC is causing this though, you could consider taking a hefty dose say shortly before you go to bed, to see if does indeed cause what you're feeling.
Blueberry, i notice you often like to point out the benefits of trying low doses of substances, or suggesting low doses, which is a GREAT point in many cases, and very insightful of you. This is one of the [many] great flaws in psychiatry-- the failure to recognize how less is often best.i do question if your reason for NAC's subjective effects may not be quite right though. It *could* be a result of increased glutathione production and the effects that that has, but some or all of its noticeable effects could simply be due to its inhibition of glutamate release. And in my experience the literature seems to focus on this aspect for its role in psychiatric disorders more than the glutathione aspect. However, i could be wrong, and its benefits may solely lie in its effects on glutathione. Or maybe it's both.
I am very curious about this though.
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