Every other week protocol re-examined

I have been on 24mg of Rapamycin every other week for over a year now. While all is going well in terms of how I feel, labs, no side effects etc, I’m reconsidering whether I should go to 12mg once a week. I know Dr. Blagosklonny was on an every other week protocol but then stopped. Dr. Green was on an every other week protocol as well and then stopped. I’m not sure their reasons but wondering anyone’s thoughts on if I should stick with my current every other week approach or go to a once a week? Thanks for your time.

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I would stick with your approach. Then again I have taken Rapamycin once and used it topically twice and although I intend taking it again (and probably this month) I don’t intend taking it that often.

The question is a mechanistic one. Rapamycin encourages autophagy and particularly mitophagy which is a “good thing”. How often does that need to happen?

On the other hand this is done by inhibiting mTOR which also has negatives. Hence my view is to get the level of Rapamycin down for quite a high proportion of the time - not just when you take the next dose.

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For my N=1 information - I went up to abut 36 ng/mL once a week for 7 months and found my bilogical age was better at 6mg every week.

As a result, I have dropped to 12ng/mL every 10 days. Will see what happens when I recheck my biological age in 6 months. I already gained a few pounds. Not really bad as I was pretty shredded. Was wondering how much did I need to clean out after 2.5 years of weekly Rapamycin dosing.

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Would you please clarify what you mean here?
Thanks.

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Some people titrate the dose based upon the serum levels that would be expected at the next dose.

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Forgive my ignorance. Newbie.

I’m testing for levels of Rapamycin?
Thanks for info.

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Uaing the half life of 60 hours you can estimate serum levels at a given date.

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For $100/test I had my blood tested 2 hours after taking a dose and it tested 37. 60 hours is 2.5 days… so the level is halved every 2.5 days. 18.5…9.25…4.12…2.06 in 12 days. I had it tested in 12 days and it was around 2. This tells me I’m pretty normal.

When I shortened my dose to every 10 days my lipids went nuts and I had a few other side effects. So now I take my 4+GFJ (=15?), then 8 hours later I take another 1+GFJ (=4?). That gives me another peak and lengthens the amount of time the high level is in my body. So it can soak in more. And I have not had a side effect yet. This only costs about a dollar extra. When I try 5+GFJ (=20?) I have trouble. Though I could get used to it, I think the new way is better. I ignore the 8 hours and still just go 2 weeks.

As for what Isutiger was asking, I think bad things happen when you don’t let the level get low enough, that’s why I go 2 weeks. But it’s just abundance of caution, because who knows what is low enough. After a week it’s less than 10. ?

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Read more on blood sirolimus testing here How to get a Rapamycin (sirolimus) Blood Level Test

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Your lipids going up on rapamycin is a good thing, it means the rapamycin is working and autophagy is kicking in

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It’s not absolutely necessary though. Also keep in mind we aren’t talking about steady state plasma levels. Rather, the people here are usually referring to their peak level, meaning they get blood drawn within a few hours after taking a dose. Some are also referring to their trough level, meaning the blood level at the end of their cycle (7 or 10 or 14 day cycle in most cases). By and large, I’d guess that people who stick to known protocols don’t bother with this level of micro-management. If you’re sticking to 5-10/mg once a week, it’s unlikely you’d need to do any blood testing. Among the researchers who take rapa, Ive not heard any mention that they do blood testing. Which makes sense because it’ never been established what blood levels should be for pulsed-dosed (longevity) purposes. That’s more of a concern for patients taking it for anti-rejection of organ transplant, because they do need to hit a steady-state plasma level.

Many also have done a blood test to ensure they’re getting authentic rapamycin from overseas vendors. However, I think it’s well-established that nobody got anything bunk so far.

Also, somewhere else you asked about GFJ. People who take it with GFJ are doing so to save money by taking smaller doses because it multiplies the absorbed amount by 3.5x on average (but perhaps even more than that). You don’t need GFJ if you’re taking a normal dose. It could be harmful if you’re not adjusting the dose correctly.

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Thanks so much for the info.
Bri

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Oooh. I want to take one just for this!

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Based on your answer, is your dose every other week?
Is the goal to get the benefits working quickly and have down time before next dose? We are not trying to maintain any minimal level ongoing. Sound right?

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Correct. In fact the goal is to get your trough level of rapamycin /sirolimus as low as possible to make sure you are not inhibiting mTORc2.

Its believed that the mTORc2 inhibition is what causes immune system down regulation.

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