ResearchSafe

My first month on low-dose rapamycin – what I actually felt

Posted by biohacker_retired in Longevity & Anti-Aging - 4 points, 8 comments.

Hey folks just wanted to share my quick log from the past four weeks on low-dose rapamycin (3 mg once a week). I’m a grad student in the Midwest and have been messing around with longevity stuff for a while so I figured I’d give it a shot. To be fair I didn’t expect fireworks but I did notice a few subtle shifts.

Around week two my recovery after late night study sessions felt a bit smoother I wasn’t as wiped the next morning. Sleep seemed a tad deeper I woke up less groggy even when I only got six hours. To be fair I also got a mild mouth sore after the third dose nothing major just a little irritation that went away in a couple days.

My lipid panel from a routine check showed a slight uptick in LDL but nothing alarming and my fasting glucose stayed stable. I’m gonna keep it going for another month and maybe throw in some spermidine on off days to see if anything changes. Would love to hear if anyone else has noticed similar things or if I’m just imagining the sleep part.

Comments

  • sanjay_swims: Cheers for posting this, really useful to compare notes. I started low-dose rapa about a month ago too, around 3mg weekly, and ngl the sleep thing you mentioned is exactly what i thought i noticed. Could just be placebo though, hard to tell with something this subtle. The mouth sore bit is interesting, i've not had that yet but i've only done four doses so far. Did you take it with food or empty stomach? Reckon that might matter for absorption and sides. The LDL uptick is the thing that'd make
  • fasted_scientist: The food thing is a fair question but I reckon the absorption difference is pretty minor at these doses. The LDL shift is what I'd actually pay attention to though, there's decent data showing rapa can push lipids up a bit. Worth getting that panel done and comparing to baseline rather than just guessing. Mouth sores seem to settle after a few weeks for most people from what I've read.
  • kenji_runs: Honestly the food vs empty stomach thing is something i've been wondering about too, seen conflicting anecdotes on both sides. Reckon there's no proper consensus on dosing protocol for rapa yet which is a bit mad given how long it's been around. The LDL shift is what would put me off tbh, keen to hear what your panel shows. Any studies on whether the lipid changes stick around or settle back?
  • biohacker_retired: Yeah the lipid thing is what I'm watching closest too. To be fair my LDL bump was pretty small, like 8-10 points, so I'm not freaking out yet. From what I've read the lipid changes seem to be dose-dependent and might plateau or even settle some over time but honestly the long-term data on low weekly dosing is still pretty thin compared to the transplant-dose stuff. Gonna get another panel in about 6 weeks and I'll post it here.
  • biohacker_retired: Yeah the mouth sore thing was weird but it literally showed up after dose 3 and then never came back so maybe youre right about it settling. The LDL bump is what im watching, to be fair i dont have a clean baseline from before i started so im just comparing to an older panel from like 8 months ago which isnt ideal. Gonna get a fresh one at the 6 week mark and see where its actually at. You ever run rapa yourself or just going off the literature?
  • biohacker_retired: Yeah the sleep thing is so subtle right, could def be placebo... To be fair I only really noticed it because I was tracking how I felt mornings. I took it empty stomach first thing in the morning, figured that was the standard approach for absorption. Might try with a small meal next time tho see if the mouth sore thing chills out.
  • fasted_scientist: Ngl the empty stomach thing for absorption is a bit backwards here, rapamycin actually absorbs better with food, especially a fatty meal. So you might find taking it with breakfast helps on two fronts. The mouth sore though is a fairly well documented mTOR thing, could just be the drug doing what it does rather than an absorption issue. Might settle either way once your body gets used to it.
  • biohacker_retired: Haha ok to be fair I was taking it fasted first thing in the morning, figured that was the move but looks like I had that backwards. Gonna try it with breakfast next dose and see if the sore thing settles down too. You said fatty meal specifically, like eggs and avocado type breakfast or just whatever I'm eating is fine? 📚

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