We really don’t have a topic about which supplements or meds are bad for you. So, I’ll start off with this one. Feel free to add others that are detrimental to longevity.
Singulair
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This is why I stopped Montelukast .
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Avoid Anticholinergics, especially if elderly. This has been known for a long time, but these are very common drugs in wide use.
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To add, the relevant wikipedia article is surprisingly useful for identifying some of the more common medications with an anticholinergic effect
I’ve been knowingly using doxylamine for sleep most nights, even though it has a risk. Looking for something as effective, but safer, so i can get off it.
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THC edibles help me sleep wonderfully.
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I’ll add high dose Vitamin A, Vitamin E, Vitamin B6, and Calcium to this list.
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Green tea extract has a bad reputation for negative effects. Yet I have not found any good reason to take it.
I see it in compound supplements all the time. Got to read that ingredients label.
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Wrt. green tea extract, specifically bad for the liver at high doses. In general, people tend to underestimate that herbal supplements have wide effects, and many of them quite negative, they are what is usually referred to as “dirty”. For example, there are cases of liver damage with turmeric, especially at higher doses. Quite apart from the great danger that so many brands either don’t have the herb claimed in the supplement they sell, or the dose is wrong (on either side) - there is almost no regulatory protection with supplements - buyer beware.
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Indeed it is worth checking maximum dosing with herbs.
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Yes, and herbs are the hardest to be sure of what you are getting, and “extracts” (much higher than natural concentrations) are possibly dangerous. I don’t seek cost savings on herbal supplements. Lots of people stay away from herbal supplements just to be safe. I may go that route fully but currently take berberine regularly and curcumin infrequently.
Low bioavailability might mean that the body doesn’t want it.
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St. John’s Wort interacts with virtually every other supplement and medication. I’d stay far away from that one too.
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https://www.amjmed.com/article/S0002-9343(22)00740-9/fulltext
The small sample size of this case series limited the genetic analysis. However, it is notable that 7 of the 10 patients carried HLA-B35:01* , a class I HLA allele previously implicated in green tea (Camellia sinensis ), Garcinia cambogia, and Polygonum multiflorum hepatotoxicity. 18,20,21 Genetic studies performed by our group and others suggest that there is a common susceptibility link in persons carrying HLA-B35:01 , making them sensitive to multiple polyphenols.20,21 Therefore, carriage of this allele may be a risk factor for liver injury from several herbal components.
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Meh. I took Montelukast for a few years, stopped when I forgot to get a prescription refill, restarted after a 6 month break. The only thing I’ve ever noticed is that I can breathe at night so I sleep better, and that’s definitely pro-longevity. Don’t take it if you’re one of the ones who experiences side effects, same as any other compound.
I can’t take BPC-157 but almost everybody else is fine on it, and I’m not going to propose it for this list. We could make reasonable sounding arguments against almost any molecule (a successful YouTube channel-building tactic… ), including rapamycin, but most drugs and supplements have a legitimate, context-dependent use case, the dose makes the poison, and “individual responses may vary.”
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What was your issue with BPC157 out of curiosity? I’ve taken it plenty of times with no issues.
I would be interested in the source for this. I take 500mg of melatonin every night and another 500mg spread out through the day for both anti-cancer and anti-viral effects. I’m not seeing any blood sugar issues, but I’m also on Mounjaro, so that would be a strong confounder.
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I’m sorry, but I find no credible evidence that taking melatonin as a nighttime sleep supplement has any negative effects on fasting glucose levels of HbA1C. It appears melatonin may have positive benefits on glucose levels.
Expanded question: Is there any evidence that taking a melatonin supplement at bedtime as a sleep supplement significantly raises fasting glucose levels or affects hemoglobin A1C levels?
"There is no significant evidence that taking a melatonin supplement at bedtime significantly raises fasting glucose levels or affects hemoglobin A1C levels.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Lauritzen et al. found that long-term melatonin treatment did not significantly change fasting glucose levels compared with placebo (Hedges’ g: -0.07 [-0.22 to 0.08]) and had no significant effect on HbA1c levels (Hedges’ g: 0.14 [-0.19 to 0.46]).[1] Another meta-analysis by Doosti-Irani et al. also reported that melatonin supplementation did not significantly influence HbA1c levels (SMD=-0.22; 95% CI, -0.47, 0.03).[2]
However, some studies have shown that melatonin may have beneficial effects on other aspects of glucose metabolism. For instance, Lauritzen et al. noted a slight reduction in fasting insulin levels (Hedges’ g: -0.27 [-0.50 to -0.04]) and a trend towards reduced insulin resistance (HOMA-IR).[1] Similarly, Doosti-Irani et al. found that melatonin supplementation significantly reduced fasting glucose (SMD=-6.34; 95% CI, -12.28, -0.40) and increased the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI).[2]
In conclusion, current evidence suggests that melatonin supplementation does not significantly raise fasting glucose levels or affect HbA1c levels, and it may even have some beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and fasting glucose. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and to explore the long-term metabolic effects of melatonin supplementation."
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Thank you for those references!
Both warnings were from ConsumerLab.
It’s not my opinion, but that of the website. As they state, it may not affect everyone but obviously it has affected some. It’s something to be aware of.