So I was looking for a safe brain supplement to help me focus. All over the medical websites they talked about how extremely safe and beneficial ALCAR is and that people should start supplementing with it. It was advertised on TV, Youtube, books, magazines and internet as a "natural brain nutrient". I could not find any concerning harmful side effects or contradictions. It was even recommended by a reputable medical doctor, Dr. Weil: http://www.drweil.co...tine-ALCAR.html
I initially wasn't going to buy any supplements because I had to order them online. But when I was in the shopping center, I came across a health store and saw ALCAR on the shelf. The store assistant came up to me and explained to me that ALCAR is a safe natural brain supplement, I asked her few questions regarding safety and she just kept convincing me that it's safe. I don't consider myself a risk taker, I just believed her because I assumed that she wasn't allowed to lie and recommend customers harmful supplements and that she's knowledgeable since she worked there. And first thing you assume when you shop at the health store is that it's "healthy"(at least for me). When I checked the bottle, all it said was how great it is and I could not find any warnings about ALCAR and only later on found online that it wasn't FDA approved.
The store assistant recommended me to take 1.5g daily but luckily I decided to only take 500mg for 2 days. I recently discovered that ALCAR could create free radicals if taken too much. I searched about in ALCAR and free radicals in logecity forum through google search engine(site:longecity.org ALCAR free radical) and found most post saying that if it's below 4g, it should be fine. But in one post called "ALCAR and age adjusted dose ranging" says 20 y/o shouldn't take any because they risk oxidated stress.
So I'm worried that even just the amount 500mg might have been too much for me(I'm 20 y/o). I regret believing the store assistant and wasting $90 of my hard earned cash. I stopped using after 2 days and wish ALCAR was a prescription only like in Canada. I went and asked the doctor about what happened but the doctor just said "They aren't telling you the risks because they want you to buy it. Don't buy stuff from health store, stick to OTC" and he didn't know if it was safe for me or not. I've been having sleepless nights because of this. I want to find out if it really was safe for me or not. Is there any other forum or medical professional I can ask about this? I'm considering seen a specialist and asking him about it.
So I'm wondering if you can tell me whether this amount was safe for me. I'm mainly concerned about my brain health. Did ALCAR in the dosage I took reduce my lifespan, increased risk to cancer, disease or disorder? Even if it did create free radicals, is it that bad for you? I heard that alcohol and exercise creates free radicals as well. Does the body have enough mechanisms(like glutathione) to deal with the amount of oxidative stress I got from ALCAR?
Cheers