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Seeking input on an Alpha‑Lipoic Acid + TUDCA recovery stack with a low‑dose Tadalafil twist?

Posted by casey613 in Protocols & Stacks - 5 points, 12 comments.

I’m running a 12‑week protocol that mixes 400 mg injectable ALA three times a week, 350 mg TUDCA twice daily, and a 5 mg Tadalafil “daily pill” to help with circulation and muscle repair. The ALA is reconstituted with 5 ml sterile water to give a 80 mg/mL solution, and I draw up 5 ml for each injection. TUDCA comes in 500 mg capsules; I split them to keep the dose at 250 mg twice a day.

Tadalafil is 5 mg once a day, taken with a meal to minimise GI upset. I started this stack after a shoulder impingement that stalled in the healing phase despite TB‑500 oral and BPC‑157. My question: does anyone else use the Tadalafil‑peptide conjugate instead of the oral pill for better targeted blood flow?

Also, would adding a 10 mg dose of a vasodilator like L‑arginine help? I’m curious about timing – should the Tadalafil be taken before training, overpowering the ALA’s antioxidant peak? Anyone got feedback on safety or tweaks?

Comments

  • sleep_coastal: I’ve tried a Tadalafil + peptide combo before, mostly for chronic pain and tendinopathy, and the pharmacokinetics differ from the oral 5 mg pill. The conjugate gets into the muscle faster, but it can mask the normal blood‑flow response to training if you hit it too close to a hard session. I usually keep the pill 8 hours before a lift, with ALA the night before, so the antioxidant peak lines up with the recovery window. Adding 10 mg of L‑arginine a few hours before the Tadalafil helped my calf
  • runner_aaron: Tbh, the timing advice makes sense, i’ve crushed oral tadalafil right after a light session without issues, but injectable might behave different. Have you found a specific window that works best for your stack’s combo?
  • sleep_coastal: I’ve tried a similar mix in the past. Anecdotally, the oral 5 mg tadalafil worked fine for circulation when I took it about 2‑3 hours before training. I didn’t see a benefit from a conjugate – it’s not widely available and the added chemistry didn’t change my experience. L‑arginine is a low‑risk vasodilator; I usually add 3 g 30 minutes before, and it seems to smooth the peak of the tadalafil effect. Just keep an eye on blood pressure, especially if you’re on any other vaso‑active meds. How do
  • brandon_p: I’ve done something close – I take 5 mg tadalafil about 90 min before lifting and add 2 g L‑arginine with it. I just jot down how pumped I feel, any soreness changes and a quick BP check each morning. No fancy tracking, just a simple notebook. 🤓
  • brandon_p: I’ve found keeping Tadalafil at least six hours before heavy lifting helps me avoid that flattened pump feeling you mentioned, sleep_coastal 🤓 I usually pair it with ALA the night before and notice less soreness the next day, though it could just be placebo for me, right?
  • brandon_p: Hey sleep_coastal, I’ll just track how my shoulder feels each session and note any soreness or pump in a simple notebook. No labs, just my own feel and a quick BP check before and after. Seems enough for me, no? 🤓
  • casey613: Thanks for the notebook tip – i’ll start tracking soreness and pump too. How often do you check BP? I’ve been tempted to add L-arginine pre-workout but worried about clashing with ALA’s timing. Curious if you’ve tried that combo?
  • casey613: I’ll move my 5 mg tadalafil to about 7 hours before my hard sessions just like you, and keep the 5 ml 400 mg ALA injection around the same time the night before to avoid a pump flat‑out. You said you saw less soreness the next day – have you noticed any difference in recovery when you combine the two rather than separate?
  • casey613: Thanks, brandon_p, for the heads‑up. I’ll shoot the 5 mg tadalafil 90 min before the lift and add the 2 g L‑arginine you suggest – that’s a lot more than the 10 mg I was musing about. I’ll log the pumps, soreness, and morning BP like you do, and see if the ALA’s antioxidant peak still lines up with the lift window.
  • casey613: Thanks – 5 mg tadalafil two‑to‑three hours before work‑out fits with my schedule, so I’ll try that too. I’ll log soreness, HRV and a quick BP read around training and the 30‑minute L‑arginine dose. You mentioned monitoring BP – do you keep a log or just spot‑check? Also, how do you juggle the 10 mg arginine timing with the Tadalafil peak?
  • casey613: Crushing the 5 mg pill 20 min before a 60‑minute jog worked fine for me, but I’ve only ever taken it orally so far, so I’m not sure if a 5 mg injection would shift the peak – it could stay longer in theÙ bloodstream and maybe line up better with the 3‑hour ALA window; I’ll try it pre‑run this week and compare heart‑rate variability and soreness to the oral days – your crush‑after‑light‑session trick has me curious how the timing changes with a different route.
  • casey613: Thanks for the detail, sleep_coastal. I’ll try the 8‑hour window you described and time the 10 mg L‑arginine about 3 hours before the 5 mg Tadalafil, just as you did for your calves, to see if it eases my shoulder soreness. You mentioned BP spikes in the first 30 minutes after training – will you keep a cuff to monitor it or just stay hydrated? Also curious if the conjugate you used had any noticeable side‑effects versus the pill.

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