xanthippe
Stranger
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 20
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Hi Everyone,
I am a longtime lurker but have never posted before. I want to thank everyone in advance for the wonderful information shared so freely on this site, but I have a question I am unable to specifically find the answer to. I sometimes take up to 14 norcos/day. I have learned a lot about the dangers of APAP and am making some changes to address this issue. My questions regard NAC specifically - I have 600 mg caps and the instructions say take 1-2/day - how do I take them and how many do I take? - do I just follow the instructions and take two every morning? Do I just take them with my meds? Do I need to take more than the inctructions say? Does it matter? Thank you so much for any help. Best regards to all.
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JOJOM
Banned for off topic discussions, confronting mods in public, and being unpolite to members and mods
Reged: 08/16/03
Posts: 358
Loc: Yankee
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I found this information for you
Healthy people do not need to supplement NAC. Optimal levels of supplementation remain unknown, though much of the research uses 2501,500 mg per day.
Although a great deal of research has shown that NAC has antioxidant activity, one small study found that daily amounts of 1.2 grams or more could lead to increased oxidative stress.13 Extremely large amounts of cysteine, the amino acid from which NAC is derived, may be toxic to nerve cells in rats
I hope this helps you
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Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief she is beautiful.
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BlackCat
Old Hand
Reged: 09/22/03
Posts: 403
Loc: Bed
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I also learned about NAC recently and read alot about its effects in negating the adverse effects of aceteminophin on the liver. It is actually given in larger doses in the emergency room for APAP overdoses.
I just bought a ton of both time release NAC tablets (Jarrow sustain - $9 for 100 500mg) and also immediate release NAC capsules(Jarrow - $8.50 for 100 500mg) on a great discount supplement site I use out of Mass.
I use a store in Yahoo shopping called Wholesale Supplement Store which has the cheapest prices on supplements and vitamins I take. They deliver fast and I always get top quality supplements from them at the cheapest prices I can find anywhere online. It is part of Americasvitaminstore.
This is the link I use to get to the immediate release bottles of NAC that are $8.50 for 100 500mg capsules:
http://store.yahoo.com/americasvitaminstore/nacetyllcysteine.html
Here is the link for $9.00 for the same quantity/dose of time release:
http://store.yahoo.com/americasvitaminstore/nacsustain.html
A medical student friend of mine told me to take 2 pills or capsules (1,000 or 1,200 mgs) about TWENTY (20) MINUTES PRIOR to taking hydro/APAP to help your liver in getting rid of the APAP. Especially if you are taking more than 4,000 mgs of APAP per day.
Does anyone have any different dosing instructions to use NAC to help mitigate the effects of excess APAP on the liver?
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yawkaw3
Pooh-Bah
Reged: 03/22/03
Posts: 1193
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When you buy NAC in a health food store, you are trying to get something as good as Mucomist, which is pharmaceutical NAC.
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic3/acetylcysteine.htm
There is not much research regarding daily oral NAC to prevent liver toxicity from taking excess APAP; it is not the kind of thing that usually gets a well-funded study. But, we do know how and why it works in treating an acute overdose, there are some case studies of it being used like this, and all the evidence available suggests an educated guess that it does work as a preventive med. It is even harder to come up with a dosage that is likely to work, and it would need to be individualized if there ever was some agreement on the subject.
The generally accepted opinion is that 600 mg with each dose is what will work. I think because you cannot rely on individual brands of unregulated dietary supplements, and for people taking over 4 g per day, 1200 mg is a smarter idea. People disagree over whether it should be on an empty stomach or not. NAC is not dangerous unless you are discussing ridiculous doses. 4-5 doses of 1200 per day is not even close to this dangerous range.
The LEF (who is obsessed with antioxidants but is still a reputable source) has an interesting article on the subject: http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-001.shtml .
-yawkaw
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JOJOM
Banned for off topic discussions, confronting mods in public, and being unpolite to members and mods
Reged: 08/16/03
Posts: 358
Loc: Yankee
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I also think we should all be taking vitamin c and milk thistle, 3 grams vitamin C with acetaminophen has been shown to prolong the amount of time acetaminophen stays in the body.3 This theoretically might allow people to use less acetaminophen, thereby reducing the risk of side effects
Also
Silymarin is a collection of complex flavonoids found in milk thistle that has been shown to elevate liver glutathione levels in rats.4 Acetaminophen can cause liver damage, which is believed to involve glutathione depletion.5 In one study involving rats, silymarin protected against acetaminophen-induced glutathione depletion.6 While studies to confirm this action in humans have not been conducted, some doctors recommend silymarin supplementation with 200 mg milk thistle extract, containing 7080% silymarin, three times per day for people taking acetaminophen in large amounts for more than one year and/or with other risk factors for liver problems.
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Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief she is beautiful.
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xanthippe
Stranger
Reged: 08/20/03
Posts: 20
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Thank you all so very much for your input!
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dsack
Veteran
Reged: 01/20/02
Posts: 530
Loc: midwest
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If you told your Dr. how many Norco you sometimes have to take, do you think he might switch you to a med that doesn't contain ANY APAP, like Oxycontin, or Dilaudid? Might be worth a try.
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plotinus
Enthusiast
Reged: 09/16/03
Posts: 277
Loc: California
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Quote:
I think because you cannot rely on individual brands of unregulated dietary supplements, and for people taking over 4 g per day, 1200 mg is a smarter idea.
Yewkaw - if we believe the Washington Post article last week, and I do, we can not even depend on the FDA to insure the quality of the drugs they do regulate and which are sold thru nationwide pharmacies like Wal-mart. Do you really think the FDA could do a better job with supplements?
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"War on ...." is the wrong metaphor!
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CeeBee
Member
Reged: 08/09/03
Posts: 186
Loc: garden state
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Just wanted to let you all know ( iam a newbie) that I read your posts with great interest, thanks for all that great advice and information. Most definetly need to utilize this information. 
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