Hi,
@Jennifer J,
Here are some comments I made after my brief encounter with d-ribose (taken from here in case you haven't been able to read them):
"from Erica Verrillo's e-book:
"Dr. Cheney has observed that fully one-third of his patients cannot tolerate D-Ribose. To test for sensitivities, an initial small dose (1 to 2 grams a day) is recommended. PROS. D-Ribose appears to be generally well tolerated by people with CFS/ ME. Patients usually notice improvement in energy levels within two or three days, although one patient commented that “within an hour, it was like a super thick fog bank had dissipated.” D-Ribose works particularly well with brain fog, daytime sleepiness and hypersomnia. CONS. Some patients report that D-Ribose makes them sleepy, and that it saps them of energy. Those who take high doses (15 grams a day) have reported diarrhea, nausea, and headache."
Verrillo, Erica (2012-09-14). Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Treatment Guide, 2nd Edition (Kindle Locations 12956-12962). Erica Verrillo. Kindle Edition.
I could not tolerate it. I didn't feel tired, but like there was a war going on inside me. Most unpleasant."
"many of us (including me) improve after reducing carb (especially sugar and grain) intake, in line with the lactic acidosis theory of ME and other autoimmune conditions. Abnormal carb digestion makes the colon acidic, and we also make too much lactic acid in our muscles and presumably also our neurons."
"Just found this file I made during my brief flirtation with d-ribose (I have put an interesting/possibly-significant bit in red):
from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1904121
Klin Wochenschr. 1991 Feb 26;69(4):151-5.
Ribose administration during exercise: effects on substrates and products of energy metabolism in healthy subjects and a patient with myoadenylate deaminase deficiency.
Gross M, Kormann B, Zöllner N.
Medizinische Poliklinik, Universität München, FRG.
Abstract
Nine healthy men and a patient with myoadenylate deaminase deficiency were exercised on a bicycle ergometer (30 minutes, 125 Watts) with and without oral ribose administration at a dose of 2 g every 5 minutes of exercise. Plasma or serum levels of glucose, free fatty acids, lactate, ammonia and hypoxanthine and the urinary hypoxanthine excretion were determined. After 30 minutes of exercise without ribose intake the healthy subjects showed significant increases in plasma lactate (p less than 0.05), ammonia (p less than 0.01) and hypoxanthine (p less than 0.05) concentrations and a decrease in serum glucose concentration (p less than 0.05). When ribose was administered, the plasma lactate concentration increased significantly higher (p less than 0.05) and the increase in plasma hypoxanthine concentration was no longer significant. The patient showed the same pattern of changes in serum or plasma concentrations with exercise with the exception of hypoxanthine in plasma which increased higher when ribose was administered.
from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1776826
Ann Nutr Metab. 1991;35(5):297-302.
Effects of oral ribose on muscle metabolism during bicycle ergometer in AMPD-deficient patients.
Wagner DR, Gresser U, Zöllner N.
Medizinische Poliklinik, Universität München, FRG.
Abstract
Three patients with AMP deaminase deficiency (AMPD deficiency) performed exercise on a bicycle ergometer with increasing work load without and with administration of ribose (3 g p.o. every 10 min, beginning 1 h before exercise until the end). The patients performed exercise until heart rate was 200 minus age. Maximum capacity was not increased by administration of ribose, but postexertional muscle stiffness and cramps disappeared almost completely in 2 of 3 AMPD-deficient patients. Plasma concentrations of lactate and inosine were increased in AMPD-deficient patients after oral administration of ribose. Our data suggest that ribose may both serve as an energy source and enhance the de novo synthesis of purine nucleotides.
from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11641371
J Appl Physiol. 2001 Nov;91(5):2275-81.
No effects of oral ribose supplementation on repeated maximal exercise and de novo ATP resynthesis.
Eijnde BO, Van Leemputte M, Brouns F, Van Der Vusse GJ, Labarque V, Ramaekers M, Van Schuylenberg R, Verbessem P, Wijnen H, Hespel P.
Exercise Physiology and Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium.
Abstract
A double-blind randomized study was performed to evaluate the effect of oral ribose supplementation on repeated maximal exercise and ATP recovery after intermittent maximal muscle contractions. Muscle power output was measured during dynamic knee extensions with the right leg on an isokinetic dynamometer before (pretest) and after (posttest) a 6-day training period in conjunction with ribose (R, 4 doses/day at 4 g/dose, n = 10) or placebo (P, n = 9) intake. The exercise protocol consisted of two bouts (A and B) of maximal contractions, separated by 15 s of rest. Bouts A and B consisted of 15 series of 12 contractions each, separated by a 60-min rest period. During the training period, the subjects performed the same exercise protocol twice per day, with 3-5 h of rest between exercise sessions. Blood samples were collected before and after bouts A and B and 24 h after bout B. Knee-extension power outputs were approximately 10% higher in the posttest than in the pretest but were similar between P and R for all contraction series. The exercise increased blood lactate and plasma ammonia concentrations (P < 0.05), with no significant differences between P and R at any time. After a 6-wk washout period, in a subgroup of subjects (n = 8), needle-biopsy samples were taken from the vastus lateralis before, immediately after, and 24 h after an exercise bout similar to the pretest. ATP and total adenine nucleotide content were decreased by approximately 25 and 20% immediately after and 24 h after exercise in P and R. Oral ribose supplementation with 4-g doses four times a day does not beneficially impact on postexercise muscle ATP recovery and maximal intermittent exercise performance.
Per
http://corvalen.douglaslabs.com/D-Ribose Abstracts/Fenstad 2008 Dose Effects of D-Ribose on Glucose and Purine Metabolites Int J Nutri.pdf called 'Dose Effects of D-Ribose on Glucose and Purine Metabolites' (not apparently in peer-reviewed journals and poss conflicts of interests detected) d-ribose
increase uric acid levels and also increased lactate levels in younger study group (24-30) but not older group (40-50) who had decreased lactate.
Common to most studies appears to be hypoglycaemia. Some find a spike in insulin production."
"Does 'tired but wired' describe it? That is what it did to me except much much worse than usual. I also felt as though I had a furnace burning inside, whilst my skin felt cold and shivery. Mentally I felt very jittery. Sleep was impossible. Horrible. A common reaction, I think. Not entirely unlike what I had with Prozac, which I also had to stop quickly, although that was more mental and less physical.
No way could I persevere with either of those, and I have no confidence that it would have been wise to do so, at least not without very close supervision and support."
These comments/contributions were made when my brain was still working, which it hasn't been doing well for about a year, so don't expect any in-depth responses!
