appetite suppression & antidepressant effects of ALA

[Lao Tzu]

Has anyone gotten either of these? i just started ALA @ 500mg 2x a day with about 80-100grams of carbs per meal. My normal maintenance caloric intake is about 4300 a day, but i am having trouble eating 3000 right now. I'm not really hungry anymore.

Also, when i first took it, i felt pretty good for about 4 hours afterwards. I looked it up on the internet & there was a website that says feelings of 'well being' can be a side effect of ALA.

http://www.raysahelian.com/lipoic.html

I know i'm supposed to use the search function, but there are too many posts & i have to go soon. Does anyone know why i am getting these 2 effects (appetite suppression & antidepressant effects)? does it have to do with blood sugar levels.

 

[icelandic]

The feeling of well-being is probably related to the fact that your brain is soaking up more glucose and other important nutrients. Not sure about the lack of appetite thing, never noticed that, if anything it makes feel hungry again sooner, probably due to more efficient glucose utilization. What isomer are you taking r- or the mix?

 

[Ceebs]

Yes, and yes. Low insulin levels will mildly supress appetite. I suspect that stabilized blood sugar is at least partly responsible for the feeling of well-being. I know when I eat high-GI carbs and my blood sugar is all over the place - without the benefit of ALA - I'm hating life...

 

[augastes_stiranko]

I have always found ALA to have powerfull anti -depressant properties. When I take it, I'm in a much better mood throughout the day.

 

[PumpinIronInTn]

ala?

whats the best ala and can u order it COD

 

[augastes_stiranko]

Re: ala?

whats the best ala and can u order it COD

so far I have tried many kinds of ALA including r-ala and I did not find r-ala to be as hyped up as advertised. As for regular ALA , I have found iceman's to be the most effective 500 mg's ALA by far. And the price is unbeatable.

 

[Lao Tzu]

i'm using Icemans 500mg mixed caps.

Its also giving me insomnia, which is a good thing. I'm getting 3-4 hours sleep a night. I'm tired, but i'm not excessively tired. Supposedly ALA is a nootropic too. And its cheap.

 

[Lumberg]

I second the endorsement of iceman's ALA. R-ALA is no better and much more.

JC

 

[THeMaCHinE]

I've taken up to 5 grams/day of racemic ALA and never had either of those effects. I could see how blood sugar fluctuations might mess with people though. ALA mostly just made me lethargic and sleepy. Interestingly, it (ALA) only worked when I was on a diet that included caffeine.

Inositol and 5htp on the other hand do seem to have pretty powerful anti-anxiety/anti-depression properties. In fact, I used inositol at 6 grams a day over 3 doses to come off effexor. 5htp is supposed to ease carb cravings as a bonus, but that doesn't pan out in reality for me, perhaps at a higher dosage than I take.

 

[Lumberg]

I forgot about the subject of this thread LOL

I found it actually INCREASED appetite. I would pop ALA, eat a meal, and be hungry an hour later (low blood sugar I guess). I would also be super tired. I wasn't too happy being so tired all the time so I would say I got just the opposite of the effects you mentioned.

JC