Creatine Hydrochloride and BCAA and C0Q10 and Cumin??

[hunter1899]

Reading good things about these, but wondering if I should take them all or just one or two? Do they work together? Do I take the doses at the same time? Mix them in the same glass of water? Sorry, lots of questions/confusion.

EDIT: Also, which of these should I take every day?

 

[andyguitar]

Do they work together?

You can take them at the same time. Best to take any supplements with food really to start with. BCAA are better taken early in the day not in the evening as they can keep you awake. Do you have breakfast? Take them after that if you do, or after lunch.

 

[hunter1899]

You can take them at the same time. Best to take any supplements with food really to start with. BCAA are better taken early in the day not in the evening as they can keep you awake. Do you have breakfast? Take them after that if you do, or after lunch.

Great. Any word of these having a bad effect on the liver? Also, which of these should I take every day?

 

[ljimbo423]

Reading good things about these, but wondering if I should take them all or just one or two? Do they work together? Do I take the doses at the same time? Mix them in the same glass of water? Sorry, lots of questions/confusion.

I take Coq10, BCAA's and cumin every day and they all help to varying degrees. I would start with one supplement to see if it helps or causes side effects, then repeat with the next supplement.

I take a lot of supplements because they do work together and that amplifies their effectiveness.

None of these will hurt your liver. In fact BCAA's have been found to be very helpful in people with cirrhosis of the liver.

It's good to ask a lot of questions and normal to have a lot of confusion.

 

[ljimbo423]

Do I take the doses at the same time? Mix them in the same glass of water?

Coq10 is fat soluble so it's best taken with meals and not too late in the day because it can be stimulating. BCAA's I think are best taken on an empty stomach but can be taken with food too. They taste very bitter. I drop 3-4 grams on my tongue at a time and wash them down with a flavored drink to help hide the bitterness.

BCAA's are also best taken early in the day because they can be stimulating. Creatine can be taken with or without food with the same recommendation to take it earlier in the day because it can increase energy.

Any of these can be taken together or separately.

 

[hunter1899]

Appreciate the help! Just to verify, is there a benefit to taking Creatine every day? Or only when I expect to exert myself? Also, how concerned should I be with the DHT effects from Creatine?

 

[ljimbo423]

Appreciate the help!

Happy to help. That's why we're here, to help each other.

Just to verify, is there a benefit to taking Creatine every day? Or only when I expect to exert myself?

I think there can be benefits to taking it every day. Only trial and error will tell you for sure. If I remember right, I think there's even been ME/CFS research that showed some of us were low in creatine. So would probably benefit from some level of supplementation.

Also, how concerned should I be with the DHT effects from Creatine?

I don't remember what the DHT effects of creatine are. Maybe somebody else can answer that question for you.

 

[Wishful]

BCAA's I think are best taken on an empty stomach but can be taken with food too. They taste very bitter.

Bitter? To me they taste almost good: kind of an artificial fruity flavour. If not for the chemically aftertaste, they'd almost be good for candies or drinks.

I never had any problems with cumin. For me, a level teaspoon was effective, and as a PEM blocker would last three days. Taking several full teaspoons worth only extended the duration by a couple of days, so not worthwhile. Less than a level tsp was less effective for me. I took it sublingually (held it in my mouth for several minutes before swallowing), since its effect seemed to be on my brain. I tried holding it in my mouth for awhile, and then spat it out, and that was still just as effective, so it (cuminaldehyde) seems to be a brain drug. If you absolutely despise the taste, you could try perilla (beefsteak plant) which has a similar benzaldehyde, which might work the same.

I suggest trying them one at a time, so you can see whether they have an effect individually. Otherwise, if one works, you have to try them individually to figure out which one. Also, it's possible that one will give you a negative effect that cancels out a positive effect from another. If you don't notice any effects individually, you can try all together, just in case they have a synergetic effect. Experiment!

 

[ljimbo423]

Bitter? To me they taste almost good: kind of an artificial fruity flavour. If not for the chemically aftertaste, they'd almost be good for candies or drinks.

You must have had the flavored kind. I buy the unflavored so I don't get the artificial added ingredients.

 

[Wishful]

The brand I bought didn't mention flavouring, so I assumed that was simply the taste of BCAAs. If that was an artificial flavouring added in an attempt to make it taste better, I think it was a mild failure.

 

[Mary]

@hunter1899 - I take all of that except for cumin every day. I tried cumin a couple of times and didn't notice any benefit. I was disappointed, as I had been hoping it might help with PEM.

I agree with the others, I would definitely try only one thing at a time. Otherwise you won't know what is doing what to you, good or bad. It took 5 - 7 days for me to notice a benefit from the BCAAs, but once I did, I've been taking them ever since. They cut my PEM recovery time by more than half, and continue to do so 6 years later. Because they are amino acids, I take them on an empty stomach. I've read that aminos have better absorption that way, they don't have to compete with protein in a meal for absorption.

I also take creatine every day. I also take this on an empty stomach. I was taking 750 mg. for a long time and seemed to do okay on it and then I cut it out some weeks ago because I didn't think I needed it any more. And I think that caused me to go downhill. I started back up again a few days ago, have energy returning, and right now at least I'm taking two 750 mg. doses a day, I'll try cutting back to one dose in a week or so, depending on how I'm feeling.

Re: DHT - okay, I'm female, but my hair is fine. This article says the jury is out on creatine and hair loss: https://www.forhims.com/blog/does-c...hers found that creatine,or even link the two.
It states:

The single piece of scientific literature potentially connecting creatine to hair loss was a 2009 study published in the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine. The study followed just 20 rugby players as they supplemented with creatine for just 3 weeks. Those in the study who took creatine took a whopping 25 grams a day (5 grams is the typical recommendation).

The researchers found that creatine may increase the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is believed to be the hormone behind male pattern baldness in men genetically predisposed to hair loss.

What this study did not do is prove creatine can cause hair loss, or even link the two. Not only did the research not mention hair loss, it was extremely small and limited to a very narrow time frame.

I take CoQ10 daily as well, and have read several places it's best taken with some sort of fat, I take it with meals.

 

[Wayne]

For 1 1/2 min., he talks about creatine being helpful for cognitive performance. He takes 5 grams/day.