Effect on immune system, common cold

I’ve been taking varying dosages of rapamycin, at varying intervals, and with month-long rest periods, for about a year now, always wary of the risk of inhibiting mTORC2. For the past four months now, I’ve had at least four episodes of common cold (or possibly flu, can’t really say). All have taken ages to get better, with lots of ups and downs, and sometimes a fresh cold starts when the last one hasn’t even completely gone away. A friend - the only other person I know who has also been taking rapamycin - has been suffering rather similarly. Neither he nor I have ever been regular cold sufferers till now. Anyone else? Anyone with any thoughts?

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I hear this from everybody, it’s probably just the effects of the lock downs and loss of herd immunity

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Thanks for sharing. Can you share what dosing levels you’ve been doing (of rapamycin)?

I’ve been on rapamycin now for 3+ years mostly around the 8mg/week level and have had minor colds a couple of times (most recently in the past few weeks, ironically during a 3 month pause in rapamycin use). Can’t say I’ve seen any increase in infections.

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I’ve been doing 6mg once weekly for 2 months, then a 4-week break, then resume.
My friend was doing 8mg once weekly, followed by 4mg the next day, for 2 months, then a 4-week break, then resume. I don’t know where he got the 8+4 thing from but it does seem to me he may have been risking mTORC2 inhibition with that.

I was interested (pleased!) to hear that you’ve been getting on fine at 8mg/wk, seemingly without any negative effect on your immune system.

I’m not totally persuaded, however, that my issue is due to a cascade of immunity complications resulting from covid lockdown and release.

I have another theory, invariably dismissed out of hand by everyone to whom I mention it. In Nov-21 I had a Covid booster shot. Coincidentally, that day, I was in the very early stage of incubating a cold (you know, sore throat, oh no, is this a cold, can I fight it off before it gets a hold of me). The next morning I collapsed in the sauna, and over the following days I had the most extreme cold you can imagine, including dropping with absolute fatigue if I tried to do too much. And ever since then I’ve been getting colds like I never have in my life. My theory is that the Covid booster, entering my system with the mission to retrain my immune system, found that my immune system was just then turning its focus onto this embryonic cold, and said no, forget about that cold, it doesn’t exist - I have your attention now. And so ever since, my immune system fails to recognise colds. Ridiculous, I know.

Colinmb wrote: My theory is that the Covid booster, entering my system with the mission to retrain my immune system, found that my immune system was just then turning its focus onto this embryonic cold, and said no, forget about that cold, it doesn’t exist -

You know that might not be too far fetched.
Feeling great I got my second Covid Booster on Dec. 23 evening… next day 24th stuffy nose …scratchy throat… Christmas Eve. Continued scratchy throat… stuffy nose the 25th Christmas Day… tested on Monday… had Covid. Just a stuffy nose now… but seemed a long time in my nose…I tested negatve Dec. 28th… have felt great except for stuffy nose most of January. Hmmm???

You do realize that this is just how catching colds and the flu actually works?

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Exactly colds are similar viruses to covid.

Seemed odd that the booster happened when I was already infected. It certainly didn’t help. Lol.

My covid was mild only lasted a few days… so shouldn’t complain. Rapamycin might have helped as it is noted in articles.

With thre kids under 5 years old in the house, I feel like I have a never ending chain of colds . . . they rarely get bad enough to keep me from exercising, but it’s just business as usual in this house

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I have a fairly bad cold just now. Unfortunately I have a history of sinus problems (polypectomy surgery etc) and often colds develop into a sinus infection which on 2 occasions has spread and ruptured both ear drums.

I’m curious as to whether others continue their rapamycin dosing schedule during such colds and if so what their experience has been. I’m due to step up to 5mg on Monday.

I understand all the caveats that go along with a single mouse study using an inbred strain and cold is not flu etc but this paper did make me pause to evaluate:

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