Chronic Dysphagia -- choking unable to swallow food. I am pretty sure it was alleviated by rapa

My first post - just wanted to throw this out there. Dysphagia has many possible causes and happens most frequently in older adults. At age 64 I had suffered with this problem for a decade. The use of rapa (now going on 2-years) completely remedied this problem in me and also also my 31 year old son (he was using rapa to reset his weight point and lost 25 pounds). My son was also having frequent swallowing problems. For me the problem was serious enough that I figured I would die from choking on food I could not swallow. How great to be finally free from this for the past year and a half since using rapa. I hope more research is done on this in the future - was horrible never knowing when it would hit at a restaurant or at a family gathering. Anyone here have a similar experience? It makes sense rapa would repair the esophagus like the many other organs.

People with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing and may even experience pain while swallowing (odynophagia). Some people may be completely unable to swallow or may have trouble safely swallowing liquids, foods, or saliva. When that happens, eating becomes a challenge.

Food pieces that are too large for swallowing may enter the throat and block the passage of air. In addition, when foods or liquids enter the airway of someone who has dysphagia, coughing or throat clearing sometimes cannot remove it. Food or liquid that stays in the airway may enter the lungs and allow harmful bacteria to grow, resulting in a lung infection called aspiration pneumonia.

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Wow - thanks for posting. Very interesting to hear about. I’ve found there are many unexpected benefits of rapamycin also - from body aches and pains going away, to toe nail fungus finally gone after having it for a decade. Great to hear things are going well for you.

What dose and dosing frequency are you using? Any other noticeable benefits?

Thanks - Yes, I might have not realized the choking issue was based on rapa except by a chance conversation (it is the only commonality between my son and I). I did not know my son was suffering from this too at 31 years old. While discussing his weight improvements, I mentioned I think rapa fixed my swallowing. He chimed in - you know dad, I have not choked in a long time either - again, I never knew he had this issue. He has been on rapa for about 6-months. I reached the point of very small bites and a huge glug of water at every bite of a meal. Now eating the driest of breads - hunks of meat with no liquids.

I have been taking 6mg (3 - 2mg pills) once a week for about 16 months. Then 8mg (4 - 2mg pills) the next 2 months. I have since upped to now 10mg with a glass of grapefruit juice ( 5 - 2mg pills) the last month. My rapa/sirolimus is from Accredo pharmacy - physician prescribed. Complete blood tested workup every 3-months. Health is off the charts.

Other benefits: blood flow and heart cleaned of arthrosclerosis; muscle strength and growth, collagen improvement of skin; eye and hearing improvement; dentist says my gums are incredible at my age; reproductive working in top form :wink: ; arthritis gone - no body aches; improved memory; reduction in spider veins; visceral fat gone - pretty shredded/toned body. TruMe epigenetic test shows me biologically at 50 years old. My chronological age is 64 years. Glad I researched and started this 2-years ago with my personal physicians help.

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Great. How long were you on Rapa when you saw the first significant effects…in months from starting?

I am 64 years and had the problem of dyphagia was getting progressively worse over a 10 year period - about 12 months of rapa and it was very sudden - no more issues. Like turning off a choking switch.

My son who is 31 noticed a change after 3-months. Drastic improvement. Issue mostly gone. For him now 6 months later - no issues.

However, other improvements happen within 3-4 months of use. I weighed 198 pounds and visceral fat started vanishing about a 1 pound every few days starting at 3-months - by 4-months weight loss was 15 pounds - no muscle loss and I have stayed at a healthy 183 pounds ever since.

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6 posts were merged into an existing topic: Rapamycin and Visceral Fat Reduction / Loss

Interesting post. The differential diagnosis for the symptom of dysphagia is broad (it seems to be more choking and difficulty actually getting the food down in your case, if I understand your post correctly). What investigations have been done over the last 10 years… and what diagnosis has been given (if any)?

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I know - it is kinda of hard to define - would be eating and usually food would get randomly lodged and wouldn’t go down - steak, chicken, bread/ sub sandwich. If I drank something to flush it down - it would cut off my ability to breath. I would literally bend over to get the liquid out and then have to vomit - finger down my throat to get the food out. Was it esophagus nerve damage or scaring from Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) when stomach acid frequently flows back into the tube connecting your mouth and stomach (esophagus), a hiatal hernia is -a condition where the top of your stomach bulges through an opening in your diaphragm. I had reached the point of this happening so frequently that I was going to see an ENT to see if there was a medication or something that could be done. I was already on rapa for 12 months and then suddenly it stopped completely a year ago and never occurs - yes - never at all now… no matter how dry, or solid the food I eat. From daily to non-existent. When I mentioned dysphagia in an email to Matt Kaeberlein he thought it was a new potential benefit of rapa for research in aging (since swallowing and choking problems increases with age for some people). We discussed maybe others would have had a similar experience. looking for additional self reporting. Also, my son much younger at 31 living away the last 10 years was having a similar problem unbeknownst to me - he would vomit and go on. Now he no longer has the problem - 6 months on rapa 6mg a week. He went on rapa to reset his weight point with good success. Otherwise a very healthy man. Like many guys, I only go to the physician if I have no other option. So was never diagnosed - but the relief is real and only change in my routine is the rapa. A future study for rapa medication.

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Thats a bit unfortunate, because of course it’s hard to make any assessment as to what has changed… beyond symptoms. That said, I’m glad your symptoms, regardless of cause, have resolved for now.

True… but for someone with this issue… might help. And, gives a possibility for future research.

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The random benefits for me was resolution in jaw muscle spasms that had plagued me for a year prior, as well as a marked improvement in hearing. (42 yo here)

Excellent. I am not surprised when these functional declines appear suddenly and are new… rapa can reverse back to normal. There are enough anecdotal and correlations to physical changes that strong clinical work has a variety of starting points.

FWIW my 10-15 yrs of choking on food, esp dry foods, chicken, carrots etc IMHO is due to hiatial hernia, a movement in the esphogus moving up through the chest diaphram bunching up above the diaphram causing a goose neck constriction point for food to get stuck. I have been getting it “stretched out” via a gastro clinic, 30 min procedure but full anestesia out on a gurney. :frowning: . I’m happy to hear your cure! That is something for me to look forward to. I’m paterning my protocol after Dr Green’s more infrequent (he does 2 weeks), I’m self inventing every 3 weeks 20mg, then on the 2nd week do classic senolytics; Dasa + Querc + Fisetin now adding grape seed extract.

Good luck to all.

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Not sure if others… who never have experienced this problem realze how scary it is to have food lodged… literally stuck in your esophagus and unable to force it down. Years of no relief… until now.

The procedure you described being fully under on a gurny sounds both invasive and expensive.

As Matt Kaeberlein wrote… if we can locate others on rapa… who achieve regenerative esophagus benefits… a case could be made for a clinical trial.

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Rapamycin and Visceral Fat Reduction / Loss

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Rapamycin and Visceral Fat Reduction / Loss

On rapa for 19 months. Realized swallowing problem gone at one year. I did the 6mg weekly about 16 months up until recently… up to 8mg a month and now past month 10 mg with grapefruit juice once a week.

Will be interested to hear if it helps you significantly.

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