Hello to all of you.
I came across this thread as I was searching for information on the Jarrow Formulas brand of Rhodiola rosea, and considering that some of you have offered to pass along some dietary supplements that you're no longer taking to others who might need them, I thought that I'd let you know what my situation is with respect to the Jarrow Formulas brand of Rhodiola.
First, I'll say that I don't think that I have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, although I would say that the core symptoms of the health condition that I live with consist of a profound, persistent fatigue or exhaustion with a very significant slowing of my thought processes, excessive sleep, and difficulty waking up in the morning due to my energy levels being far lower than I ever would have though imaginable before the onset of my symptoms. Or at least, this is how I'd describe the core symptoms of my condition when I'm either receiving no treatment or receiving one of the many, many treatment interventions that I've tried that did not reduce the severity of my symptoms in any way (various forms of psychotherapy and some medications fit into this category, with a few medications having helped in the short run but not the long run and probably more medications having seemed to clearly worsen my symptoms).
I've been treated by several different professionals over the last 14 years and have received a few different diagnoses, most of which have pointed toward there being some sort of persistent mood disorder. And, even though I don't think that I have myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, there are some signs from laboratory tests that I've had done that a chronic infection and/or copper excess might play some sort of role in my condition. Over a span of six years, I had complete blood count (CBC) tests done six times, and all of these times, my white blood cell count came back as being elevated. In addition this, my percentage of "free" non-ceruloplasmin-bound copper came back as being extremely elevated when I had my serum copper and ceruloplasmin levels looked at by a doctor who specializes in orthomolecular psychiatry a few years ago. Testing that was done by the same doctor also found my vitamin D level to be insufficient, and one of the things that I'm doing now treatment wise is supplementing with vitamin D3 to address the insufficiency that I had.
But what brings me here now is the fact that I've been having some success with taking the Jarrow Formulas brand of Rhodiola rosea, along with supplementing with vitamin D3. Or at least I was having success with the Jarrow Rhodiola and still am with what little remains of what I have left from an older batch of the product that expired in May 2014. Unfortunately, I recently ordered a new supply of the Jarrow Rhodiola, and not only did I notice that the way the powder in the capsules looked and the way that the capsules smelled seemed different, but my symptoms also became much worse again within a day of switching to the newer Jarrow Rhodiola product. Not only did the symptoms that I've already described here as being the core symptoms of my condition get worse, but pain that I have in my lower back also became significantly worse. I still had (and have) a small amount of Rhodiola left from the older bottle of the Jarrow product that expired in May 2014, and since switching back to the older, expired version of the Jarrow Rhodiola, my symptoms have been mostly improved again. In addition to trying the newer Jarrow Rhodiola product and switching back to the older product, I've also tried a different brand of Rhodiola, (the Solgar brand, which contains salidrosides), which actually seemed to bring my symptoms to a level that was worse than I'd expect it to be without any Rhodiola. My back pain actually seemed to worsen within minutes of trying that version of Rhodiola. So, I'm once again back to taking what little remains of the old batch of Jarrow Rhodiola, which I'm expecting to run out as of Saturday. I plan on trying a few more Rhodiola brands, but considering how badly things went with the Solgar brand, I'm not at all ready to assume that I'm going to respond favorably to any of those brands.
Considering that it's possible that the older version of the Jarrow Formulas brand of Rhodiola rosea might be a necessary component of my treatment at this time and that some of you have offered to pass along supplements that you've tried but are no longer using, I'm wondering if any of you have some older Rhodiola (and the older, the better) that you'd be willing to send to me. I will pay for both the cost of the product and the shipping if anyone can send me some older Jarrow Rhodiola, and if the product that I receive is indeed the same as the older Jarrow product that I'm about to run out of, I'll pay an additional tip. I'm not sure exactly when the Jarrow Rhodiola was changed, but I can say from having bought a few different bottles of the stuff by now that anything with an expiration date of September 2017 or later is too new. So, if any of you have any Jarrow Rhodiola with an expiration date from before September 2017 (but preferably quite a bit older) that you'd be interested in sending me, please let me know. I only take a fraction of what's in a single capsule of the Jarrow Rhodiola daily, so even just one bottle of the product should last me about a year if I don't let any of the powder from the capsules go to waste. And of course, that's assuming that I do remain responsive to a supplement regimen that includes the Jarrow Rhodiola in the long run.
If you're read all or even some of my post, thank you for taking the time to read what I've written. Even though I don't seem to have the same health condition that most of you have, I wish all of you success on your journeys toward wellness and in your efforts to increase public understanding of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. The struggle to help others better understand myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome and to make scientists aware of the need to understand the causes and look for treatments for the condition while also fighting to minimize the impact of your symptoms is something that's undoubtedly difficult, but without question, the goals that all of you are working toward are worthy goals that I hope will one day be fulfilled.
Elderberry
It's nice to know my unwanted stuff can hopefully benefit someone else
