Better living through chemistry

[PapaZeb]

Over the last month or so my pill-popping routine has solidified itself around a balanced cycle of nutritional supplements and a mild stimulant.

Ever since I was a teen I've been drinking mass quantities of soda until about a month ago when I decided I was done with the abundance of sugars and colourings and whatnot that go into coca-cola, and I've since switched over to water and fruit juices.

Now, I'll freely admit that a decade of drinking strongly caffeinated substances all day long has given me a caffeine dependency and I'm quite comfortable with my caffeine intake. So when I made the switch from sodas to waters/juices I knew I would either have to cope with the caffeine withdrawals (a painful 2-5 day process depending on level of daily intake) or supplement my juices and whatnot with caffeine pills.

So right now I'm taking

Morning

1 multivitamin just after first meal of the day. It's just a standard multivitamin that all bachelors should probably ingest since the single males dietary habits are often poor to negligible at best.

200mg of caffeine

Glucosamine hydrochloride - in my profession, constant typing and cable pulling/wire punchdowns provides a lot of wear and tear on the joints in my hands. While not entirely proven, enough people believe that this helps prevent or even repair joint/cartilage damage that I'll take some to ward off the arthritis boogeyman

Chondroitin sulfate - same as glucosamine

Hyaluronan - same as glucosamine (all three come in the one pill..hurrah)

Afternoon
Depending on how long my day's going to go, I may take an extra 100-200mgs of caffeine by around 5-6pm
Since my caffeine intake via soda was spread out throughout the day and well into the late evening hours, my body clock has started readjusting to the point where I'm getting tired earlier in the evening than "normal" (Previous normal was 1-3am, now it's more like 11pm)

Bedtime
3mg Melatonin - pretty much a sleep-aid, a natural compound the body produces that influences the body clock. I generally have a hard time getting to sleep no matter how deep exhaustion feels, but after my old roommate suggested melatonin I found 5mins between head on pillow to complete unconsciousness.
It's also meant to keep me asleep through the morning hours, but I can't help my body clock from springing to life at 6:30am, no matter what the hell's going on in my life or when I went to bed.


So err...comments? Sharing your own intake of 'supplements' ?

I will say to anyone that's a frequent soda drinker - consider giving it up or toning it down, my health improvements in the 3-4 weeks since stopping have been many and varied and taking the caffeine in pill format removed the one thing that always stopped me from quitting soda before.

[endemoniada]

Right now, I take

mega vitamin pill - aiming for optimum nutrition as opposed to supplementaion
5HTP - which boosts my serotonin for these darker nights
garlic caps- to increase my immunity
omega 3,6,9 - BRAIN power.

This is way less that I used to BTW, but, I am in a much better state nutritionally now

Oh, and well done for thinking the caffeine thing through, I'm sure this will be much easire on you.
I've been off it for 15 years!

[fallen_nemesis]

at the moment

iron tablets - if this lot don't work I'll be getting injections.
multivitamin

[madvoice]

I got Calicum and multivitamins to take, but I keep forgetting. I really need to remember to take the calcium ones.

[MarkMono]

Vitamin supplements have been proven to do fuck all many time over, but I take them anyway.

[GoddamnElectric]

I remember quitting caffeine when I was 20. It was after I had finished my Honours programming project, which had required several all-nighters at the computer lab. I'd been using a mix of coffee, mountain dew and caffeine pills to help meet the deadline and felt like death. I quit entirely and spent about a week looking very pale and being sick a lot. Very unpleasant, and a stern warning to people that caffeine is an addictive substance (albeit a fun one!) and you really need to keep a keen eye on your intake...

My routine at the moment:

1. Multivitamin - as Zeb says, as a single male my diet is statistically unlikely to be meeting my RDA of anything useful. While I think I eat better than most my age, it doesn't hurt to take one of these every day as well. I prefer Boots own brand, cheap and effective.

2. Zinc - the mineral most people are lacking, especially in winter. Zinc is excellent for your skin, hair, immune system and blood pressure. A 50mg tablet of this once a day and after about a month (It's been about 3 for me by now) you ought to notice some good results.

3. L-Arginine 500mg - regulars of Twisted will likely rememeber why I started taking this (it works btw!) but I've continued due to it's health benefits. It will do fuck all for women, but for men this stuff is amazing! It's very good for the prostate and helps ward of the big C down there, excellent for metabolism (body builders use it), help to heal wounds etc etc. It's also used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, because it encourages healthy blood circulation. If you don't suffer that condition, then it helps prevent it happening later in life by ensuring good circulation 'down there'.

[Trip]

Haha, Right now I'm on 12 cans a day. I managed to cut it down to 6 cans a day, but then pepsi started doing 100% extra free. The amount of pepsi I drink is disgusting. I normally take 2 nytol at night to help me sleep. Washed down by a nice can of pepsi ;-)

I tried not drinking pepsi or coke about a month ago, my head was soooo sore I just though I can't be fucked.

When I've got a spare month or something I'll stop ;-P.

[Pantgirl]

I'm sure you cant get melatonin in this country....hmm not sure though/

I'm shit - I always mean to buy multi-vits but they are always so expensive I don't. I always get colds so I need to find something to take that'll stop me getting them. Someone suggested Echinacea but alli know is you get it in some tea and some drops

[Trip]

Just eat fruit , vitamins are a waste of money.

Unless its those jelly babies ones for kids, coz they are good.

There is some vitamin you can get to stop you getting the cold, you get it in holland and barrets.

I often think 'Ill eat an orange this morning so I don't get the cold' then I get the bloody cold the next day, so I just can't be bothered any more!

[Purplerose]

I just started taking a veggie multi vitamin & mineral tablet every day and also taking 2 chromium tablets to stop sugar cravings (they actually work) and also a ginkgo biloba tablet, mainly because I got it free with the other supplements lol.

[cupotea]

I take no vitamins, althoug I do have vit C, omega 6 (or something like that) and vit e (for scars) lying about the place.

[Tommy]

1 a day Tesco Multivitamins & Minerals, it's got 15 vitamins in it which does me fine. I take cod liver oil too for my knees.

[fallen_nemesis]

Originally Posted by Pantgirl

I'm sure you cant get melatonin in this country....hmm not sure though/

I'm shit - I always mean to buy multi-vits but they are always so expensive I don't. I always get colds so I need to find something to take that'll stop me getting them. Someone suggested Echinacea but alli know is you get it in some tea and some drops

fairly sure you can get them in tablet form in Holland and Barratt

[Rowsbette]

It's easy to spot the Yank in this thread.

I used to take multi-vitamins but I've been a bit lax lately. Might start it again as the cold weather's making me more lethargic. I've got nowt against supplements but I think everyone should try and get their nutrients from fruit and veg as well.

Only pill I take on any regular basis (bar "the" pill) is Zantrex 3.
You can take up to 4-6 a day but I rarely get through that amount in a full week... it's sposed to be a diet pill but I just use it for energy boosts. Apparantly loads of folk get really terrible side effects but I'm loving it, s'way better than Pro Plus.

[i_am_blip]

Originally Posted by Rowsbette

It's easy to spot the Yank in this thread.

I used to take multi-vitamins but I've been a bit lax lately. Might start it again as the cold weather's making me more lethargic. I've got nowt against supplements but I think everyone should try and get their nutrients from fruit and veg as well.

Only pill I take on any regular basis (bar "the" pill) is Zantrex 3.
You can take up to 4-6 a day but I rarely get through that amount in a full week... it's sposed to be a diet pill but I just use it for energy boosts. Apparantly loads of folk get really terrible side effects but I'm loving it, s'way better than Pro Plus.

Ha ha ha, you're taking an appetite suppressant that gives you a boost. Sounds familiar...