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trying low‑dose rapamycin once a week – any thoughts on sleep and skin?

Posted by sleep_nina in Longevity & Anti-Aging - 15 points, 6 comments.

honestly i’ve been curious about the whole mTOR thing, so a few weeks ago i started a low‑dose rapamycin protocol – 4 mg once a week, just the same schedule i saw on the telemedicine sites. i’m not a doctor, just a nutrition grad who likes reading the latest longevity studies, so i’m keeping it simple and watching how i feel.

the first couple of doses i felt a bit of mild stomach upset, but that cleared up quick. what i really noticed was a subtle change in my sleep. i tend to wake up a few times middle of the night, but after the second week i slept a bit deeper and didn’t feel that groggy in the morning. i also swear my skin looked a tad smoother – kind of a “well‑hydrated” glow, though i can’t tell if it’s just the cooler weather.

i’m still on the weekly schedule, not mixing with anything else yet. i’ve been checking my blood lipids a month out because i read it can bump them up. anyone else on a similar rapamycin routine? any tips on managing the occasional mouth sore or tweaking the dose for better sleep? thanks in advance.

Comments

  • sauna_tinkerer: I am very curious about this. I think the skin glow you mentioned is INTERESTING, because I have read that mTOR inhibition can help with autophagy, which maybe makes skin look better. For me, I tried a similar weekly dose last year, but anecdotally I felt a bit too tired for my training. I felt like my recovery was a little slow, so I had to be careful with timing. About the mouth sores, I heard some people use a rinse or just stay very hydrated. Do you think the deeper sleep is real, or maybe
  • sasha_v: i think deeper sleep was real for me – I noticed less tossing even before I read any articles, so maybe it’s just mtor effect on circadian rhythm. i did try a simple saline rinse and drank more water, that helped a little with the mild mouth dryness. fwiw, timing my dose after heavy training seemed to avoid the sluggish feeling. 💤
  • weekend_tinkerer: I think the deeper sleep was probably more than just hype – after the first couple of doses I felt noticeably less fragmented, like I was actually getting more REM. It could be a mix of the drug and just being psyched, but the change stuck around for a few weeks, not just a one‑off boost.
  • sleep_nina: honestly that makes me feel better about not just imagining it. i felt the same way about it not being a one-off. the deeper sleep is the biggest win for me so far. since you mentioned the rem stuff, did you notice any weird dreams or just better quality? i'm still just doing the 4mg weekly, but i'm fixin' to keep an eye on those lipids like i mentioned.
  • sleep_nina: honestly that makes sense, i’ve also felt a bit dry mouth after the dose, so i’ll try the saline rinse too. i’ve been taking it in the morning before work, not after training, which might be why i get that slight sluggishness. i’ll shift to post‑leg day like you said and see if it helps. any tip on how long to wait after a heavy lift before dosing?
  • sleep_nina: honestly i think the deeper sleep is real – i’ve been tracking bedtime and wake‑up times in my phone and the total sleep went from ~6.5 h to 7.2 h with less mid‑night waking, even after a stressful week. i haven’t had any mouth sores, but i do sip water all day and use a simple salt‑water rinse after the dose, which seems to help. i’ll probably push the dose down to 3 mg next week to see if recovery improves.

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