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Glucuronolactone (ingredient of energy drinks like Red Bull) boosts my energy, cognitive clarity, uplifts mood, and has anti-grumpiness effects

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I've been experimenting with the energy-giving supplement glucuronolactone in recent weeks, and have noticed some good results. Glucuronolactone is naturally found in the body (it is an important part of connective tissues), and is an ingredient in some energy drinks.

The Red Bull energy drink in the past contained glucuronolactone, but it's not included in the new formulation of Red Bull (or at last not in the US formulation). But Monster energy drinks still contain glucuronolactone.

I've found glucuronolactone has several useful and pleasant effects as an ME/CFS treatment. It noticeably combats fatigue and provides energy; and I find it reduces brain fog and increases cognitive clarity and mental focus.

But nicest of all, I find glucuronolactone provides a mood-boosting effect, and in particular, it seems to put me in a positive mood, melting away negative symptoms such as grumpiness and irritability, giving an improved sense of well-being.

I find these antidepressant effects useful, especially as it also reduces my anhedonia, which is normally a near impossible symptom to treat. And like many with anhedonia, I am no stranger to suicidal ideation, but found while taking glucuronolactone the suicidal ideation disappeared.

And I find while taking glucuronolactone that my mental health generally improves, and my mind becomes more emotionally robust and stable. Like many ME/CFS patients, I suffer from the emotional sensitivity symptom, so stress or social discord can be hard to cope with. But when I take glucuronolactone, my mind becomes more robust, so it can handle stress a little better.

So I find all-round benefits from glucuronolactone.

In terms of quantifying the degree of improvement: I would not say that glucuronolactone has shifted my position on the ME/CFS scale of severe, moderate, mild, remission. So this is not some major ME/CFS treatment that makes large difference.

But the combination of being in a more uplifted, positive mood, more stress-resilient, along with more energy and more mental focus, makes this supplement a useful treatment for my ME/CFS.



I've been taking glucuronolactone doses in the range of 600 mg to 1200 mg daily, which equates to one or two cans of the original formulation Red Bull, which previously contained 600 mg of glucuronolactone in each 250 ml can (ref: here).

The effects of glucuronolactone kick in within an hour or so, and last for the whole day.

There is a mild stimulant effect to glucuronolactone, so possibly it may keep you awake if taken at night. But I take it in the morning, and I'm not having trouble sleeping. Though on several occasions I found myself so task focused that I stayed up late a few hours extra, because I was so focused on the work I was doing, and did not want to go to bed.

The stimulant effect of glucuronolactone is steady; it's not like caffeine which gives you a boost for 45 minutes and then wears off.

Red Bull also contains 1 gram of taurine in each can, so I tried taking both 1200 mg of glucuronolactone and 2 grams of taurine together, but I did not notice any extra benefits from adding in the taurine. So taking glucuronolactone on its own seems good enough.



Surprising, given its ubiquitous use in energy drinks, there is very little research into the biological effects of glucuronolactone. I wanted to try to figure out the mechanism by which glucuronolactone was providing these various benefits, but was hampered by the lack of available research.

Glucuronolactone is thought to increase body detoxification, but if it does, I would not think that's the mechanism behind the benefits I experience.



You can buy glucuronolactone powder at $10 for 100 grams from Pure Bulk in the US, as well as on Amazon or eBay. You can also find glucuronolactone in capsule form.



Some links:
Wikipedia glucuronolactone
SelfHacked glucuronolactone
Examine.com glucuronolactone
 
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gregh286

Senior Member
Messages
976
Location
Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Strangely always really did and still do get wings with red.bull and.monster not sure about the EU red bull version being stripped.out of glucur. Use them daily to maintain full time work.

Always assumed it was a just a caffeine and or sugar surge...dismissed taurine as I've took it in bulk before without effect.

Perhaps our body can use glucur as alternative fuel source. It's practically a liver sugar?
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
Does it not cause PEM the next day ? Can it be used on a daily basis ?

I used glucuronolactone for several days in a row, then took a break for few days, then continued for several more days, and so forth like that. I've not tried it continuously for longer periods, like several weeks in a row. But after a few days, because it has a mild stimulant effect for the whole day, I found I actually wanted a break from it, just to relax.

I may start experimenting with lower doses, so that the stimulant effect is less. Mostly I've been using doses of 1200 mg daily, but I might try 600 mg daily for a few days, and see how that goes.

It does not cause me any PEM.
 
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Hipsman

Senior Member
Messages
542
Location
Ukraine
The Red Bull energy drink in the past contained glucuronolactone, but it's not included in the new formulation of Red Bull (or at last not in the US formulation).
Didn't find Glucuronolactone in any Red Bull variant that is available in Ukraine.
I'm starting to think of conspiracy between companies to exclude Glucuronolactone because of it's potencial benefits to some chronic conditions...

Just took 2 Burn Apple Kiwi (0.25ml) and it seems to boost energy and reduce brainfog, it has Glucuronolactone, but in unspecified amount. Other variants of Burn don't have Glucuronolactone. This is the only resource I found listing Glucuronolactone amount in Burn (my math result = 637mg per 0.25ml), but I think it's out of date since it doesn't specify witch variant of Burn it's for.
I also bought monster fury energy, and it has unspecified amount of Glucuronolactone too.
Will buy glucuronolactone powder if this continues to be effective.
Edit: No Glucuronolactone in Russian Burn Apple Kiwi variant, the ingredients may be different in every country.
I'm not sure if Glucuronolactone is still effective for me.
 
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Hipsman

Senior Member
Messages
542
Location
Ukraine
I tride 800mg Glucuronolactone powder from PureBulk for 2 days and didn’t notice any benefit, made me a bit worse. Guess benefits I experienced at first from energy drink faded away shortly after.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
I tride 800mg Glucuronolactone powder from PureBulk for 2 days and didn’t notice any benefit, made me a bit worse. Guess benefits I experienced at first from energy drink faded away shortly after.

Oh well, I guess this may not work for everyone.


I've also started to notice an unfortunate side effect of glucuronolactone: this supplement continues to work well for me on the day I take it, but on the next day I find I am irritable.

I can overcome this irritability by taking more glucuronolactone on the next day, but I am concerned that possibly with long-term use of this stimulant I might build up trouble for myself.

Nevertheless, when I take glucuronolactone, within an hour or so it still creates a noticeable mood and enthusiasm boost, as well as a cognitive and mental focus boost, and also an emotional strength and robustness boost.
 
Messages
58
@Hip How do you think you are able to focus and be mentally productive by taking glucuronolactone, but without the payback (PEM)? Do you think that glucuronolactone ameliorated PEM somehow in addition to the clarifying CNS effects? Or do you think that you are not expending more mental/physical energy during a day when you take the supplement?

Ritalin and Adderall I found were followed by PEM.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
How do you think you are able to focus and be mentally productive by taking glucuronolactone, but without the payback (PEM)?

In my case, I don't get PEM from any mental exertion which is done in a calm and relaxed manner at my own pace. Like working on my computer from the quiet of my own room, for example. It's only when I engage in excitable mental exertion such as face-to-face socializing that some PEM results the next day.

So if I take glucuronolactone and work quietly on my computer, there is no PEM.

Though I do feel as if glucuronolactone is depleting something in my brain, because the next day I do get a bit irritable and slightly more negative in mood. Sort of like a glucuronolactone hangover.
 
Messages
57
Interesting - I survived on Five-Hour Energy drink for years and find they do lift my mood. I sipped them over the day - about a 1/3 bottle a day. I had never given it deep thought - not even as to consider which ingredient served me best. I assumed it was the overall energy factor - as we all know can be a high in itself, especially if rare. I'm also a long time vegan who couldn't tolerate vitamins so avoided them. Yet - once tested, my B vitamins were almost the only ones in range. If one claims there is no B12 in any vegan food source - then the only source for me was those drinks and apparently it was working. I don't drink them like I used to - partly because I keep trying other protocols and want to give them a clean chance. But I do have one with me all the time just in case and it's been handy. Maybe I shouldn't be so stingy with them.

The official website lists the active ingredients of 5-hour Energy as: vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, sodium, taurine, glucuronolactone, malic acid and N-Acetyl L-tyrosine, L-phenylalanine, caffeine, and citicoline.[2] The product is not U.S Food and Drug Administration approved. It contains no sugar, instead providing the stimulant caffeine and the psychoactive dopamine precursor amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine.[3]
 

Alvin2

The good news is patients don't die the bad news..
Messages
2,997
There is not a lot of info on glucuronolactone on a quick google search.
That said if a local energy drink has it i might try one, i'm in Canada so not sure what our options are since i've never used one before.
My cognitive functioning is crashing hard so i need to find something that will work pronto.
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
My cognitive functioning is crashing hard so i need to find something that will work pronto.

Have you looked into the transdermal B12 oils? I had a substantial cognitive boost from this product (which gets more B12 into the blood than most injections). Although in my case it stopped working after around 4 months (but this also coincided with catching a new virus, so my health status changed because of this virus).
 

Alvin2

The good news is patients don't die the bad news..
Messages
2,997
Have you looked into the transdermal B12 oils? I had a substantial cognitive boost from this product (which gets more B12 into the blood than most injections). Although in my case it stopped working after around 4 months (but this also coincided with catching a new virus, so my health status changed because of this virus).
I have not, though my B12 levels are very high since i take sublingual. The doctor advised me to stop taking it since its double the recommended maximum in a recent blood test.
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
So funny! I love the energy drink, I used to love Red Bull then didn’t and switch to
Monster! That might explain why!
it lowers my heart rate a lot and really works for me. I just can’t take after 2pm
If I want to sleep
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,335
Location
Southern California
@Hip - when I saw this thread, I almost immediately thought of phosphorous, or phosphate. It has the same effect on me, or, rather, when I'm low in phosphorous, I'm tired and in a bad mood. So I did a thread about it here, and would be curious to see what you think :nerd:
 

Hip

Senior Member
Messages
17,824
@Mary, thanks. I tried some phosphorous / phosphate supplements some years back, but did not notice much. I took a daily dose of 240 mg of phosphorous. I might try it again with high dose. Daily phosphorous requirements for adults are 700 mg.