Valentijn- May I know what dosage of NAC should one start with and the brand? PM me if you wish. Thanks.
There were several studies I read through where NAC was used to raise glutathione in people with HIV/AIDS. One study used 1800mg/day and the others based it on bodyweight and went higher. No one had any side effects from it at those doses, so that's what I used for my guide. I do 1800mg/day typically, which is spread out in 3 doses per day of Jarrow's Sustain NAC.
My mother also used it with very good results for a month or two for her sleeping problems, though she doesn't have the all day head-buzzing, so she just took 600mg an hour or two before bed. She probably has the same basic cysteine issue I do, but without the disease process keeping cysteine very low and glutamate very high - it seemed to self-correct after a while, and now she doesn't need anything to help her sleep.
NAC doesn't cause sleepiness at all. It just gets the glutamate levels down enough that the brain can switch off and let you sleep. It also won't make it any easier to ignore things keeping you awake, like pain or noise. But instead of my brain going into overdrive for a couple hours when something wakes me up, I can fall asleep again quickly.
It doesn't work for some people, or makes them feel crappier while they're on it. It's possible that they don't have the cysteine/glutamate issues. But NAC shouldn't be harmful in any event unless you're prone to getting cysteine/cystine based kidney stones.