ALCAR help
NickCallaway 15 Jun 2008
I've been experimenting with ALCAR lately, and thusfar I've been rather disappointed. I will describe what i've done, and perhaps someone can tell me if I'm doing it right.
Regimen:
800mg Oxiracetam
250mg CDP-Choline
300mg Bacopa (at night)
10mg Vinpocetine
100mg Caffeine as coffee
Fishoil
multi-vitamin
ALCAR trial #1: 500mg ALCAR w/ 300mg alpha-lipoic acid
Results: No noticable improvement in cognitive function. After about 1 hour, developed a strange feeling in my head. Felt a little groggy. Eyes sockets felt "dry," somehow; as if I had been up allnight or something.
ALCAR trial #2: 1500mg ALCAR w/ 600mg alpha-lipoic acid
Results: For the first hour or so, I seemed to have a bit more mental energy than I usually have before my coffee kicks in. Even thought about skipping the coffee. However, the same symptoms recurred. Slightly groggy, eye sockets feeling dry. On a side note, I also experienced enhanced sexual vigor. (Nice, but not what i was looking for).
Any thoughts? I know many of you speak highly of ALCAR, so I'm wondering if I'm going about this the wrong way.
Nick
niner 15 Jun 2008
Ghostrider 15 Jun 2008
Zoroaster 15 Jun 2008
If you want to increase your energy, first thing I would do is start reducing your caffeine intake to 0. I admit that it is a potent mental stimulant, but I save it for when I really need it. It's not meant to be a chronic thing. I consider ALCAR to provide the best mental boost that I have found so far (given good diet, exercise, and sleep routine). However, the effect is not amazing. I feel it, but it won't knock you over.
I'll second the caffeine comment. Caffeine is awesome if you save it to use every once in a while. If you use it every day it saps your energy. At least that's how I felt. And I didn't really notice how much it was affecting me until I quit.
As far as the ALCAR goes I think most studies have used 1 gram dosed twice daily, I don't really know how much ALA is appropriate. I don't think you necessarily have to match them up like choline and racetams, they just work synergistically, so your ALA intake shouldn't affect the severity of your side effects from ALCAR. I don't use ALCAR regularly but the few times I have used it the "mental energy" boost was very mild. Very very mild. The side effects you're describing seem kind of unusual for ALCAR, are you sure its not being caused by one of the other elements of your stack? Have you tried boosting the choline?
NickCallaway 15 Jun 2008
If you want to increase your energy, first thing I would do is start reducing your caffeine intake to 0. I admit that it is a potent mental stimulant, but I save it for when I really need it. It's not meant to be a chronic thing. I consider ALCAR to provide the best mental boost that I have found so far (given good diet, exercise, and sleep routine). However, the effect is not amazing. I feel it, but it won't knock you over.
I'll second the caffeine comment. Caffeine is awesome if you save it to use every once in a while. If you use it every day it saps your energy. At least that's how I felt. And I didn't really notice how much it was affecting me until I quit.
As far as the ALCAR goes I think most studies have used 1 gram dosed twice daily, I don't really know how much ALA is appropriate. I don't think you necessarily have to match them up like choline and racetams, they just work synergistically, so your ALA intake shouldn't affect the severity of your side effects from ALCAR. I don't use ALCAR regularly but the few times I have used it the "mental energy" boost was very mild. Very very mild. The side effects you're describing seem kind of unusual for ALCAR, are you sure its not being caused by one of the other elements of your stack? Have you tried boosting the choline?
I'm pretty sure the ALCAR is at least part of the issue. When I take the same stack w/o the ALCAR, I do not experience these side-effects. I've also tried it without the vinpocetine (that was my first thought). The one thing that I've always taken with the ALCAR and ONLY with the ALCAR, is the ALA. Is it possible the ALA is causing this?
N
spider 15 Jun 2008
ALCAR trial #1: 500mg ALCAR w/ 300mg alpha-lipoic acid
Results: No noticable improvement in cognitive function. After about 1 hour, developed a strange feeling in my head. Felt a little groggy. Eyes sockets felt "dry," somehow; as if I had been up allnight or something.
ALCAR trial #2: 1500mg ALCAR w/ 600mg alpha-lipoic acid
Results: For the first hour or so, I seemed to have a bit more mental energy than I usually have before my coffee kicks in. Even thought about skipping the coffee. However, the same symptoms recurred. Slightly groggy, eye sockets feeling dry.
Hello,
I have also experienced negative effects with alcar and rala. When I take this combo together at the same time on an empty stomach, I get those negative effects you described. But when I take rala and alcar with 30 minutes between them, I only notice the positive effects of this combo. I have experienced the same with the alcar and rhodiola rosea combo, so to be on the safe side I always take alcar isolated from other supplements.
I know nothing about biochemistry, but I suspect that alcar reacts with some supplements. Could this be true?
Zoroaster 16 Jun 2008
Once again, I don't know that much about this subject and the points above are just things I've heard through the grapevine. But seperating your ALCAR and ALA doses couldn't hurt.
nightlight 16 Jun 2008
I'm pretty sure the ALCAR is at least part of the issue. When I take the same stack w/o the ALCAR, I do not experience these side-effects. I've also tried it without the vinpocetine (that was my first thought). The one thing that I've always taken with the ALCAR and ONLY with the ALCAR, is the ALA. Is it possible the ALA is causing this?
I also had problem with ALCAR(500mg)+ALA(300mg) combination. While ALCAR alone 500mg morning & noon works like magic for mental energy, mood and focus, the inclusion of ALA would put me in some kind of detached and weird (unpleasant) mental state. ALA alone also has similar effect, so I don't use it at all (I use NAC, C complex, mixed E & cocoa for antioxidants). The only unexpected effect of ALCAR was that if I take it when I am already tired, e.g. to do some evening work, it puts me to sleep very quickly.
dachshund 17 Jun 2008
niner 17 Jun 2008
It makes sense that Na-RALA is happy with sodium ascorbate, because as a salt of a weak acid, sodium ascorbate will be slightly alkaline when dissolved in water. (this is because the ascorbate anion steals some protons from the water to form its normal equilibrium concentration of ascorbate/ascorbic acid.) The part that I'm wondering about is the problem with the other mineral ascorbates. Calcium or Magnesium, perhaps? Is the lipoic acid forming a complex with these divalent metal ions? Should lipoic acid be taken apart from divalent metals?I have found Na-RALA is perfectly happy co-dissolved with sodium ascorbate, BUT is not stable co-dissolved with other mineral ascorbates.