beginner questions on rapamycin and metformin for longevity

Posted by aisha347 in Longevity & Anti-Aging - 25 points, 6 comments.

i have a pharmacology background, but honestly my knowledge of rapamycin and metformin has always been tied to classical uses, like immunosuppression for transplant and diabetes management. i never paid much attention to them in the context of longevity until lately, when i started reading more about this whole area. now, the standard hospital dosing and monitoring i know does not seem to fit what people are doing for longevity.

i keep getting stuck on the rapamycin dosing schedules people post about, like once a week or once every ten days. to me, the drug’s long half-life and the way mTOR inhibition works seem like it would be difficult to get a clear protocol unless you do frequent lab work. but i see a lot of different approaches and not much consistency.

i am also interested in metformin, since here in brazil it is very easy to get, but i always saw a lot of stomach side effects when we used it in the clinic, especially at higher doses. i am wondering if people using it for longevity, at lower doses, still run into those GI side effects much, or if that becomes less of a problem. i would really appreciate hearing what has worked for you.

what do your protocols look like, and how do you keep track of side effects or blood values? i am completely new to trying these for myself, so very basic advice or what you wish you knew starting out is helpful. thanks for any experience you can share, especially with the practical details.

Comments

• brandon245: Not gonna lie, I’m pretty new to both of these, but I did a 12‑week trial of low‑dose metformin (250 mg every other day) after reading a few forums. The GI upset was minimal for me – just a bit of mild nausea the first few days, which cleared up without any extra tricks. I didn’t do any fancy labs, just a basic CMP before starting and another after the month; everything looked fine. As for rapamycin, I’ve only tried a single 1 mg pulse once a month, mostly because I’m nervous about the immune an
• aisha347: thank you for sharing that, the 250 mg every other day schedule is useful to know, and it is reassuring that the GI issues were minimal for you. i was also curious about the 1 mg monthly pulse for rapamycin, that seems conservative which makes sense given the immune concerns. did you notice anything with your resting heart rate or sleep data after that single dose, or is it still too early to tell? i have been considering starting with something similar but the half-life kinetics make me hesitan
• aspiring_trailrun: I haven't tried a monthly pulse myself, so I can't speak to heart-rate or sleep changes from that schedule. The long half-life is exactly why I stuck to weekly low-dose instead, easier to catch any immune blips with bloods every few months. If you start that conservatively, regular CBC and lipid panels feel like the minimum safety net. 🌱
• aisha347: when you say “low-dose” weekly, do you mind sharing roughly what mg range you used? i’ve only seen the hospital dosing for transplant, which is much higher. also, do you get your cbc and lipids checked privately here, or is that through the public system? i’ve found lab access here can be a little slow sometimes.
• dad_weekend: 1mg a month seems a bit too conservative, lah. For me, that didn't really do anything. I moved to a weekly pulse and felt a way more noticeable shift in my overall energy and mental clarity, though it could just be placebo. Did you notice any changes in your appetite at all? I found that the hunger suppression was the most obvious part for me 🧠.
• aisha347: I did notice a tiny dip in appetite around the second dose, but it was subtle, maybe just the timing of my meals. did you keep the same weekday schedule each week or vary it?

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.