Supplements and Medicines, what I'm on and what I need!?

Gaz_hmmmm

Gaz_hmmmm

Bluelighter
Joined
Nov 27, 2002
Messages
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Location
England, UK
Right this is what I'm prescribed, by the way I've had my hydrocortisone dose lowered, thankfully anyway -

15mg Hydrocortisone daily (This is broken down into Cortisol in my liver) 10mg in the morning, 5mg around 4pm - 5pm.
Sould I exercise in the in evening when my cortisol will be lower?

25mg Methadone daily

20mg Temazepam Nightly (But I don't use'me really much, normally save up 3 and have'em them instead of alchol if I go out with my friends and they're drinking alcohol, smoking pot or snorting cocaine.

Gaviscon tablets (It's an antacid, active ingredients are Sodium Alginate and Potassium Bicarbonate) Not sure of the dose of each talet, but I take 1 one needed for indigestion which some days I'll take 5 or 6 some days I'll take none at all. It comes and goes and can last days both indigestion and being free of indigestion.

Lanzoprozole (Ion Stomach Pump Inhibitor) meant to take nightly but don't often enough. It's to stop stomach acid from being created or pumped into my stomach when not needed or something.

Ranitidine these are great for stopping acid indigestion, but I recently found out they can stop you from getting a hardon. Ranitidine is a H2 (Histamine 2 receptor) blocker and I imagine (I haven't researched it) that the boner thing maybe to do with low nitric oxide?
So I barely take this unless really bad and won't be using it on my lifting days.
Should I use them all at?

Hydroxyzine 25mg upto 4 a day, it's a sedative 1st generation anti-histamine to stop me itching.

I have a few steroid creams and ointments which I barely use. Haven't used the strong ones for weeks now, thankfully. Just been using the Hydrocortisone cream 0.5%

Supplements:

A-Z Vitamin & Mineral 100% or less (i.e. Vit' A/Retinol is about 80%)

Vitamin B Super Complex (I cut these in half as they're really strong and half is still strong enough)

Creatine

Omega 3 Fish Liver Oil twice daily 1g (1 morning, 1 night)

2x Vitamin C 60mg/100% Daily Amount + Zine Oxide 15mg/100% Daily Amount (I have about 20 of these left over and know that Vit' C help Zinc get absorbed so I've been taking 2 at a time with the ZMA)

Whey Protein - 82% Undenatured Protein (I think it's 25g Protein per 30g serving which I have in semi-skimmed milk) I have 2 of these a day.

ZMA 800mg 3x daily, each tablet contains the following -
Zinc L-Monomethionine 30 mg
Magnesium Aspartate 450 mg
Vitamin B6 (as Pyrodoxine Hydrochloride) 11 mg
Copper (as Copper Amino Acid Chelate) 1.5 mg *
* Percent Daily Values are based EC RDA.

That's it.

Should I add L-Glutamine powder?

What about BCAA? Cheapest I've seen them is £20/$32US for 270 1000mg/1gram tablets. Is that cheap?

Should I take anything to boost my Nitric Oxide? If so what? You's may have seen my thread about Glyceryl Trinitrite/Nitro Glycerine, I have a little of that (The medical form, not TNT sticks) and know it increases NO but from the replies I got everyone said not to use it! :\

Other then ZMA, any other proven good testosterone boosters?

Should I take an anti-estrogen?
I'm not taking steroids/AAS I have nothing against them it's just that I'm starting out and would rather be in a better shape (I know you're meant to be at your peak when using them) before I do use them. I am willing to inject them, when I do decide to use them, as I've heard and read that they're very taxing on the liver and tablet form's more taxing then injecting.

Mod's Please don't move this thread to Healthy Living they don't help much with the weight training!

Thx, ahead of time for the replies! :)
 
Others might know this about you, but I don't. So on the surface, this seems like a pretty silly question. So much more is needed before anyone can answer this at all.
Your Age, weight, routine, goals, overall health, just to scratch the surface. That might be why no one answered. I really do admire you in your quest to put on quality gains before considering gear, that's the best way for sure!
Anyway, here is a brief answer. Do not buy more supplements!!!
You are a supplement companies wet dream. You don't juice, and yet you project that desire
onto many other, easier to obtain items to take their place. The supplements listed above work...Marginally...the effect of those dollars are negligible. You are basically taking super foods, or super vitamins. I remember when I was stupid. taking my arginine and ornithine, and whatever was hot at the time. over $ 100 a month for nothing!! Learn from my mistakes 20 years ago.
You know what worked like crazy? Steroids, but that's a much later time, and a different story.
Truth is, it's a very simple, but very difficult to do formula. I'll just drop a couple of very basic things, because I don't know anything about you.
1. Pay very, very close attention to your diet.
2. Recovery is more important than any of the supplements listed above. Don;t work a muscle until it is no longer sore, even if this is your scheduled day to train that muscle.
3.Watch your cardio, i know your gonna do cardio it, do it right.
4.Change up your workout constantly, keep your body guessing and under shock.
Take all of that money you saved, and buy some new clothes for the hot new body of yours.
If you have to supplement, use the protein for a couple of your 6 daily meals, creatine isn't horrible, although you will immediately drop those 10 pounds when you do stop, and forget about qualifying for life insurance while on. ZMA at night if it makes you feel better.
The only supplements worth taking are always made illegal shortly after.
 
Thank you HereIam

Is some kind of NO (Nitric Oxide) increasing or whatever supplement not worth getting either?

I'm gonna get some weight gainer cause my appetite's crap and I'm not eating properly.

Anway here's my general stat's

Age - 24 & 1/2

Weight - 174pounds / 78.92Kg / This is odd, I'm them weights but a week ago I was also weighed at the hospital and told I weight 11.5 stone.

I'm not sure if we do stone weight different in the UK? :\

Goals - I want to get a bit larger, as I'm skinny to slim but have a ripped look on my stomach/ 6 pack.

Overall Health - I have adrenal suppression (They're not making cortisol) and thankfully have just had my hydrocortisone (The liver turns it into cortisol) lowered from 25mg daily to 15daily.

As mentioned in the 'HELP Lost Muscle' thread, I've lost muscle on the right side of my upper back and shoulder. My right arm is my main arm and was my strongest, now it definately isn't as strong, but seem even to my left when I do chin ups and push ups (Slight on these) but dumbbells my left is stronger.

I'm on 25mg of methadone daily, but I generally take it every other day or every 3rd day. Would it be better for my hormones to stick to daily or not? As I know withdrawl (I don't go into WD on the days I skip) increases testosterone.

I have a crappy appetite so I'm thinking about getting some weight gainer, the only problem is all the ones I've tried in the past were generally awful and hard to get down. Could I just have more whey protein shakes instead?

Cause of the hydrocortisone I sometimes get really bad indigestion, the reason being is hydrocortisone wears your stomach lining away. So I'm on a few med's for that. I don't take'em everyday though, they are -

Lanszoprazole

Ranitidine <-- This I've not taken since I found out it can stop you getting an erection and I figured this would no doubt affect my weight lifting some how.

Gaviscon - Like Renee or Pepto Bismol in tablet form. Active ingredients are Sodium alginate and Potassium Bicarbonate. It also has a small amount of (So small it's not listed as an active ingredient!) Calcium Carbonate.

That's all.

So, extra whey protein shakes or weight gainer? What about an NO supplement?

HereIam I'm using the ZMA as it's meant to be used, including at bedtime, it does seem to help me sleep.

I have some GBL (GHB basically) but haven't used it yet, but when I was 16-18 and lifting I used it quite often for sleep and it was great and it cleared my eczema which I put down to it's small, but who cares it still does it, release of Growth Hormone. I could be wrong though.
 
Gaz_hmmmm said:
Is some kind of NO (Nitric Oxide) increasing or whatever supplement not worth getting either?
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Depends. NO supplements are meant to be used as pre-workout stimulants, something to jack up your intensity in the gym. If your not busting out maximum natural intensity workouts, then theres not much need to take something that would help you exceed your natural intensity levels.

However theres always those days when you really dont feel all that "into" doing your workout for the day, for rainy days like those, a serving of an NO supplement can help fire you up for doing the workout more than half-assed.


Really though, the only supplements you really NEED to take are an EFA oil, a good multi-vitamin/mineral complex, and protein shakes.

Id be far more worried about your diet than I would your supplements.


For weight gainers, my biggest issue with them was always mad diarrhea they would give me. I swear it was from all the fucking maltodextrin theyd use, which is horrible stuff. Nowadays though, the weight gainers are mucho improved, they usually use waxy maize as their primary carbohydrate source, which is leaps and bounds better than maltodextrin. Ive grown quiet fond of one called PVL Mutant Mass, its the first weight gainer ive used that doesnt give me diarrhea. So far ive only used the cookies n' cream flavor, but it basically tastes like a melted tub of ice cream, so it aint too shabby at all (although I personally find all protein shakes and MRP's and weight gainers to be SICKLY sweet, but PVL Mutant Mass isnt all that bad by comparison to some ive used). Dont be alarmed by the fact the powder smells like dry wall LOL
 
No. Ive never, and will never, buy individual amino acids. I think its a waste of money. Guess what protein is? Amino acids!

Use your money to explore several different brands of weight gainers or protein shakes and flavors thereof, and find what works to your tastes and that your body agrees with. Thatd be a much better use of that money. Pay attention to things like gas, bloating, diarrhea, stomach discomfort, bad taste, etc. It can be a journey in and of itself just trying to find the right protein shake or MRP or weight gainer that appeals to your own tastes and that your body doesnt goto war against.
 
I hate to break this this to you Sambra.
I don't think it was the malto dextrin. Well not just that anyway. It did contribute.
I think you were ingesting way to much protein. i don't know you stats, but I think I can safely say that most of us can safely process about 30g of protein at a time in shake form.
Now, we both know that it's much more complicated than that, but I'm willing to bet you went for the whey at about 50 G and are now on the toilet. If you insist on going go higher than 30
at a time, at least split up your protein sources. add the ones that don't digest as fast as the almighty whey. albumin, and some others are out there for you. The triple protein shakes are BS. no whey ( get it) to control whats in each scoop. Ya gotta buy the different sources separately, and mix them yourself.
Gaz hmmm, why are you still asking us about different supplements? Sambra and i made it very clear that it's all the other things. take the EFA oil, a multi vitamin, and protein shakes. Stop asking us about other supplements. NO SUPPLEMENTS WILL MAKE YOU BIGGER. It;s marketing for those afraid to take steroids. But want to think they are still taking some secret thing that the regular people don't know about that will make them huge. STOP.
Oh, and send me your GBL I love that stuff, and haven't had it in years. please...If you send me your GBL, I'll tell you the secret supplement that only La Sambra, Victor, and I know about that will add 40..no 50 lbs to your bench press now. Right fricken now,
In all seriousness, you seem like a really good, sincere dude. Please take care of you arm as your top priority. Try some of the things I left in that thread for you, and follow Sambras advice on that also. Get back to fighting strength, and Smbra and or I will write out a diet and training plan that will provide amazing results. Get healthy forst, and no supplements. Please
 
Gaz .. you seem motivated enough to do the right things at this point. Whether you do or not depends on how well you listen to what these guys are telling you. We are supplement skeptictal for a reason. We've all been through it. It is so easy to buy a supplement for every single reason that they advertise for. After years of gym experience, you learn its 99% bullshit. Protein. Decent vitamins. FOOD.FOOD.FOOD, and then maybe a possible creatine supp. This is ALL you need to gain muscle. IF you wanted to, you could even gain choke muscle without Protein shakes and creatine, its very possible and easier than you think. Hard work and dedication in your diet is what makes it happen. This is 99.99% of it. After you master this, you can try things that help you for a specific purpose... such as a preworkout intensifier. The only benifit that other various supps give you is strictly specific-symptom related. IF you are dragging ass, yes you can try a N.O. supp and see how it works for you. IF you feel you are lacking in potasium or need taurine for dry joints, etc etc , buy whatever supp and try it. These extra supps WILL NOT make you gain muscle though. I have been through all the supplement hype myself. I used to spend hundreds on shit I dont need. Now when I shop, I buy the cheapest creatine mono, a basic cheap whey powder, and a good multi-vitamin. Others dislike buying the cheapest protien and creatine, but, IME, i have found these to be just as effective. Plus I dont have the budget I used to. If you are going to reach your goals, you are going to have to prioritize. Your injured arm should be tended to first. Then once you can start working out for real, you can buy your whey and creatine. You should be spending most of your money on food though. Buy tuna, chicken, beef jerkey for snacking, and your carb sources (potatoes, etc). If you are eating how you should be, you are going to be very surprised how much you have to spend on food. Then you probably wont have the cash to be buying every supp that some company promises will increase your bench press. Another thing, I am not going to act like I know the makeup of every single prescribed drug your on, but I do know that many of those drugs will affect your appetite. You will have to force food down if thats the case. I hated eating on methadone. That opiate will also decrease test slightly. I know its very difficult to quit taking it, but you should think about making it a long term goal. I also have been working out over the last few years while on a low opiate dose, but I just stopped recently due to the fact that I am running a methylated compount ( epistane ) right now. My back is killing me, but my liver will kill me if I do both at the same time. We are both in the same boat with that one, you can still gain muscle while being on opiates, but keep in mind the fact that we are at a disadvantage when compared to others.
 
HereIam said:
I hate to break this this to you Sambra.
I don't think it was the malto dextrin. Well not just that anyway. It did contribute.
I think you were ingesting way to much protein. i don't know you stats, but I think I can safely say that most of us can safely process about 30g of protein at a time in shake form.
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I actually considered that at the time. The thing is, I would intake LARGER dosages of protein in the form of pure protein shakes (not MRP's or weight gainers), and I wouldnt get the problem. Id also not get the problem from MRP's, I remember one id take from time to time that used hydrolyzed oat flour as its carb source, never had a diarrhea issue. Its ONLY ever happened with weight gainers, and the only ingredient in them I ever noticed that differed from the MRP's or protein shakes id used, was maltodextrin, and back when this was an issue, ALL the weight gainers on the market got basically 100% of their carbs from maltodextrin and sugar. Things have since changed though, and your seeing much better carb sources being used.

In all likelihood, the problem was probably a combination of crap in the older weight gainers. One I remember having problems with was N-Large2 (or as I prefer to call it, N-Lard2), that stuff gave me the runs like I was rectally excorcising some demonic force. And even worse, it actually made my sphincter BURN like I was shitting battery acid (im guessing this was from stomach acids that failed to be removed by the intestines).

Something in them may have been incapacitating my intestines ability to remove liquids from the feces, including stomach acids that had worked their way into the intestines.

*shrug* its not an issue anymore though, so im happy!
 
Taste is the only reason I'd use expensive proteins. Yeah oats are great as a carb source. I can still handle a bit of sugars though as Im naturally such a skinny mofo...
 
p-mo said:
Taste is the only reason I'd use expensive proteins. Yeah oats are great as a carb source. I can still handle a bit of sugars though as Im naturally such a skinny mofo...
Click to expand...

Yeah taste is an important factor. Sometimes I wish i didnt have to go through the whole protien thing. I suppose if your a person that is reletively sensitive to how things taste, it is better to get something that you like, since you drink the stuff every single day. I seem to have an iron-clad stomache though, so I can just pound it down most of the time without even trying to taste it lol.
 
Personally I hate all protein powder tastes after using them for a few weeks, they all are SOOOOOO sickly sweet. At first its great, but when your pounding 2-3 protein shakes/gainers a day, they start to taste so fuckin sugary you wanna hurl at the smell of them.

Back a few years ago when id gotten extremely sick of sweet sugary protein shit I used to get pure whey isolate from a company called DavisCoFoods.com (NOT their "BiPro" stuff - which ive never tried). They used to (and prolly still do 'behind the scenes') sell the Whey Isolate they manufacture in pure bulk form in 50lbs bags. Holyshit that stuff is godly. You open a bag of it and its the lightest, fluffiest powder ive ever seen it basically aerosolizes when you open the bag. You mix it with some water and theres virtually no taste whatsoever, only a very very very slight hint of taste thats like that of powdered milk, but very very subtle.

I may have to get some more, ive got a feeling im going to go anti-sweetness again soon (seems to come in waves!).
 
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