Anyone taking Berberine regularly in their stack? I’ve given up on the possibility of metformin due to the possible conflict with my workout routine. I work entirely too hard to have the effort undone by a pill pop.
I did see one study that stated Berberine interfered with muscle growth, but numerous other articles that implied no reduction in muscle building or cardio fitness.
I take Berberine.
I think there is a lot more to Berberine than metformin.
How much Berberine are you taking and how often? I am thinking of adding it to my stack… any side effects that you have experienced?
I am taking about 1.5g per day at the moment.
The problem is that I take a lot of things. I can isolate out some components, but I cannot isolate out Berberine. Today I had my test result from last Wednesday. My HbA1c is 4.3% 23.2 mmol/mol. LDL cholesterol is a bit higher than it has been recently at 3.35 mmol/L whereas the prior weeks were 2.83, 2.45, 2.66, 2.23, 2.13, 2.4. Today’s result was from a different lab to those I have used before and I find variations between labs. Triglycerides were 1.81 mmol/L.
Hence as far as the stack goes I am happy to stick with the stack. I got some nice results on ALP at 49 IU/L and ALT at under 9.7.
My big focus is on gene expression at the moment (which is where it tends to be).
Because Berberine is a direct HDAC inhibitor I would prefer it to Metformin which indirectly inhibits HDAC. (not sure which ones).
There are a number of molecules which have been part of traditional Chinese medicine such as Berberine and Raisin Tree (dihydromyricetin). My view is that a) this probably arises because people have seen them as helpful, b) we would know if they did any harm.
However, I cannot say specifically what Berberine has done.
I feel like Berberine will probably have the same effect as Met on muscle, they work very similarly. I HOPE I’m wrong, but anecdotally they seem to make me and others feel the same way. I have taken much more Met than berberine in my lifetime though. Currently taking neither and feeling great. After hearing peter A talk about the increased lactate levels with Met, along with the reduced exercise adaptation studies, I stopped mine. I feel less tired overall, and my sex drive is better. It was probably reducing my free testosterone a bit by raising SHBG. Downside is my appetite has definitely increased. Hopefully berberine won’t have the same effects on muscle/mito, someone needs to measure their lactate responses while taking it and report back to us!
I tried Berberine (2x500mg/day, Thorne). Stopped after three days as my glucose levels dropped to low levels (50-55 mg/dL) at ~3am three nights in a row. I am pre diabetic and wear CGM to give me feedback to help restabilize glucose levels. My doctor wouldn’t prescribe metformin as she felt it would send me too low in the other direction. Appears Berberine does that to me too. Suggest you try a CGM if you test Berberine and start with lower dose. First time posting so hope this falls within posting guidelines.
Sooooz,
Wow! That’s a drop esp for pre diabetic! What are u normally at fasting? Did u try lowering dose to 1x500 mg or even 1-2x250-300mg? Lactate?
John,
what type of genes/pathways are u focusing on?
I was trying to hit 2 of the 3 the PPAR subtypes, alpha and delta, for max fat loss/lipid health/inflammation…seems like I ran into dihydromyrecetin hitting one of those… great info on berberine, thanks!
Its the long ones see my blog
I’m averaging around 103 fasting. I got a little scared with my Berberine trial but might try again with lower dose in a few months. I’m not savvy to lactose measures… new to becoming a better agent for my own wellness, but learning.
I had some very slight pain in my hands, I don’t know if it was the Berberine, but since it is a dirty drug and there isn’t much safety info I personally prefer other medications. Now that I think about it I had it in my toes as well, like one toe would start hurting at night every now and then, really weird. Some weeks after stopping I didn’t experience it more, and I totally forgot about it.
@John_Hemming I noticed the following in your blog post on long genes but could not find additional info…we are past Nov at this point.
“For the moment I am not publishing my protocol. That is because there are side effects when a more intense version is used. Hence I want to monitor what people are doing in order to minimise harm. It will automatically publish in November this year and if anyone wants to participate they can.”
It has published and I published it earlier on this forum.
Mild gout from berberine?
It was like I felt my heartbeat on the tip of my toe.
Thanks. I assume this is where you published it. Let me know if this is incorrect. I copy here to save everyone the hassle of searching for it.
That is the first time it was published.
yes, I currently am taking it. I found out through testing I am likely insulin resistant, my fasting insulin was about 3-4 times normal although my fasting glucose was pre-diabetic range and creeping up (115).
I started a ‘newer’ version of berberine (although I read where someone in Asia, et al created Glucovantage some time back) which is called dihydroberberine. I use it generally three times a day and have been on it about three weeks. It’s recommended you take 100mg just before meals 3x day.
I checked my fasting glucose a couple days ago and it was 97.
I have an appointment with an endocrinologist for the first time in about 6 weeks so I will update.
Good luck!