“By particle count”.
I didn’t figure this out until AFTER I flatlined. While you’re at it, add Lp(a) to the list if you have never had it. about 15% of humankind inherits it with no currently approved treatment. Can you guess why I’m “lab-rat”? Let me drop a hint: Treatment may be on the horizon.
Please share more - it sounds like you might be in a clinical trial of a new drug coming down the pipeline?
Pretty good. Do you have a “jump to conclusions mat”?
NCT04023552
Ah, that explains it:
Side Effect Report.
I’ve been taking Zydus rapamycin for six weeks now. Scaling up from 1mg first week to 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg. Last week I did 3mg with GFJ. Two days later I had very sore gums for about 4 days. All cleared up now. I plan to take a week off and try again with 2mg +GFJ.
At 3mg with GFJ, your effective dose is likely somewhere between 10 and 21mg per week… so side effects would not be unexpected. Also - thats quite a jump from the dose you were at… 5mg with no GFJ.
Even at 2 mg + GFJ you could be at 14mg/week dosing equivalence, so side effects may still be likely… and as you settle on a dosing that seems to work for you, you may want to do a blood test to see what side effects you’re getting that are not noticeable.
More info: Improve Bioavailability of Rapamycin (2)
Thanks for the reply. I just found the post suggesting some people were getting effects of up to 7x with GFJ. I had been basing my math on around 3.5x.
I am actually using grapefruit itself rather than GFJ.
Yes, based on multiple Labcorp test using one red Grapefruit’s juice - which is about 5 fluid ounces - taken with my pill… I get a 6-7x’s multiplication consistently.
Next week, I will have and post my recent test taken 2-days ago. Labcorp trough and dose with a 2 hour period wait for blood draw. I am taking 2mg and one red grapefruit. If it holds true to the past, I should have 12ng/mL in my blood.
We really don’t have much data on the multiplier effect of grapefruit juice on the bioavailability of rapamycin… in that one study that was done the result was around 3.5X, but they also had issues with some types of GFJ that had no multiplier effect at all, and other people here have reported upwards of 7X, so the big issue with using grapefruit juice with rapamycin is that you really have no idea what the effective dose you’re taking is.
And, of course, there are risks that you may overdose if you are taking other medications that are impacted by GFJ.
The counter argument is that we don’t know what the optimal dosing level is for longevity with rapamycin, so whether you know your dosing level or not may be irrelevant.
Anyway, its complex, and best to be careful.
Agreed. I have looked into it and nothing else I’m taking appears to be affected by grapefruit. My guess is that I must be getting considerably higher than 3.5 based on my reaction.
Agree with the comments that we need to be careful with GFJ. I think if you are going to do the GFJ thing you should really be testing levels. Personally I found a 1.5X increase squeezing the juice from a whole grapefruit 12 hours before and another 2 hours before sirolimus dose (in both cases I eat the pulp as well).
I can’t seem to find the white “Duncan” grapefruits in stores near me so I’m going to try a Pomello this week since they are supposed to have a more potent effect. If I can’t find them then I’ll just get the GFJ in the bottle and consume a bit more volume. I’d like about a 3 fold effect. I’ll post back with results when I get them.
There’s not much research/info about GFJ and Rapamycin. GFJ could do much more than we know now. It could be even harmful. When I was prescribed Rapamycin, 13 years ago after kidney transplant, my nephrologist told me to exclude grapefruit (whole or juice) from my diet completely while on Rapamycin to avoid many unpredictable negative effects.
Had this little bugger appear yesterday. I took my dose two days before. It is insanely itchy. Previous Rapa rashes have not been. Is this an insect bite or a Rapa rash?
I also took beta alanine which causes an itchy feeling like this, but this is far more intense. Any ideas what it might be?
Seems to have gotten 50% bigger during the night.
The itch extends all the way through the forearm and seems to be worst at the palm just above the wrist.
Have you been vaccinated against shingles?
No. Does that look like shingles?
Dermatologist thinks it’s a bug bite, so not Rapa related… Good to be cautious.
I applied an anti itch ointment I usually use for bug bites and the non localized itching went away.
And good to have a great set of doctors available.
It does look like shingles. And the itching fits too. My son just had it on his forearm. 32 years old and I thought we all had chicken pox when the kids were little.
Doesn’t always make sense.
No. Does that look like shingles?
Kinda, maybe? And the symptoms could fit, depending.
But I’d trust your dermatologist over internet buds. 
(You might want to get that shingles vax at some point. I hear shingles sucks big time.)
Looks like herpes to me. Shingles would affect a bigger area. Both could be activated by Rapamycin.
