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supplements for energy

ljimbo423

Senior Member
Messages
4,705
Location
United States, New Hampshire
Branched chain amino acids (BCAA's) have helped me more than any of the dozens of other supplements I've tried. I take 12-14 grams a day on an empty stomach.

Any more than that and it starts to interfere with my sleep. They give me more energy and less PEM. Doses lower than 10-12 grams, I don't hardly even notice. So for me, the higher doses are the only thing that helps.

This is the supplement I get but there are many options. They are also very bitter and would need to be mixed with a drink to mask the bitterness.
 

prioris

Senior Member
Messages
622
Finding CALM energy ... that's the key

There are zillions of things that can give one bad stimulant energy e.g. guarana
The stimulant energy can be good in emergency situations like making sure one doesn't fall asleep driving
before finding rest stop

magnesium threonate is great for brains of pwme to help bring calm
 

Wolfcub

Senior Member
Messages
7,089
Location
SW UK
I can't find anything when I am in an energy slump(usually connected with a crash/relapse). Coffee makes me jittery when I feel like that.
Am experimenting with co-Q10 but haven't noticed much happening yet not even slightly.
The only thing that sometimes helps me is sleep...or I believe an idiosyncratic kind of sleep. Sometimes I can sleep 5 hours and wake up feeling better the next day energy-wise. And sometimes get 8 or more hours straight through, feel good when I wake, then get an energy crash 2 hours later which lasts all day.
So I have figured out (for me anyway) that something can happen during sleep which hinders or helps. But have no conscious control over it.

Oh (edit)...I forgot. Sometimes I feel a bit better if I eat more protein. But that doesn't always work.
 
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ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
anything that brings down inflammation or prevents inflammation helps w energy... IMO, being in a chronically inflammatory state is what seems to be the biggest factor in fatigue...

prevention: diet, intermittent fasting and digestive supplements
once I'm in an inflammatory state:
> ALA was helpful today; helped for a few hours. I fasted yesterday, woke up and took a high dose (600mg) ALA capsule and felt normal for a few hours.
> Wobenzyme is amazing but I usually can't afford it. Vascuzyme is the same thing, although a little harder to find at a good price.
> vitamin c, magnesium/malic acid
> betaine hcl w pepsin at meal times
 

jesse's mom

Senior Member
Messages
6,795
Location
Alabama USA
I can second @ljimbo423 's claim of BCAAs helping long term in the fight against PEM. I take it in capsules. The kind I take I will link here.

For feeling better eating small amounts of protein throughout the day is helpful for me. I love salads and make sure to put a boiled egg in. Avocados are a good source of good fats, I can't take CoQ10.. it gives me headaches.

With supplements whatever I start I do one thing at a time and in small doses titrating up slowly. In that way I can see what helps and what does not. Low and slow.

You asked about supplements, but I cannot help but mention pacing and trying to get a good night's sleep and a time or two during waking hours to nap, or just lay down and breathe. Let the mind a body rest.
 

taniaaust1

Senior Member
Messages
13,054
Location
Sth Australia
Things which stimulate and hence give energy like that can often be not good for those who have ME/CFS and can lead to the person doing more and then worst crashes which can lead to an even lower baseline, so take care.

Things like resting even more and better pacing can end up leading to more energy. Treating things like coexisting POTS may lead to more energy. Mitochondria support things may lead to more energy.
 

gbells

Improved ME from 2 to 6
Messages
1,491
Location
Alexandria, VA USA
Does anyone know if Wobenzyme is a Vasodilator? I have POTS and inflammation at the same time, so I would love to reduce the inflammation without any dilating effects on the blood vessels.

Wobenzyme is an enzyme in an enteric coated tablet. Its mainly used to cut through biofilm and excess collagen.
 

ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
Wobenzyme is an enzyme in an enteric coated tablet. Its mainly used to cut through biofilm and excess collagen.

if it helps joint pain, then do you think the problem is either too much biofilm or collagen in the joints? what causes too much collagen?
 

percyval577

nucleus caudatus et al
Messages
1,302
Location
Ik waak up
methionine
lysine (each 500mg only, and seperately)

There are more amino acids which are considered (or accepted) to go into the TCA. I tested also proline, arginine and histidine with (possible) sideeffects (obviously other actions of them). Just bought BCAAs, will see.

It turns out that I should take methione and lysine seperately, and best half an hour after a meal (probably a meal with quite some protein, need to look at that further). The reason for seperation should be, I think, that the combination might be used for other (even unfavourable) actions (so, it´s also a bit a riddle in view of the protein meal).

The fuel of non-pyruvate can be seen in textbooks or best in Fluge 2016, page3, figure1. Fluge found pyruvatedehydrogenase reduced in cfs. So to sidestep pyruvate seems logical enough.
 
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ebethc

Senior Member
Messages
1,901
These help my energy in different ways:

T3 and T4 thyroid hormones
Hydrocortisone
NAD+ and NMN
Glutathione
BCAAs
CoQ10
Methylation nutrients
(5-MTHF, B12, B6, B2, magnesium)
Amino acids

which brand of aminos do you use?
 

Mary

Moderator Resource
Messages
17,334
Location
Southern California
These have all helped my energy:

d-ribose
CoQ10
methylcobalamin
methylfolate
potassium - methlfolate increased energy but depleted potassium, causing severe fatigue, remedied by taking 1000 mg. potassium gluconate daily in divided doses
P-5-P
thiamine
phosphorous (thiamine increased my energy but seemed to deplete phosphorous, causing severe fatigue, which was remedied by kefir and a phosphate supplement)
creatine HCL
l-carnitine
BCAAs
extra isoleucine (one of the BCAAs)
Drenamin - glandular adrenal supplement