#3

If I get some time I will review the historic ApoB results against Rapamycin dosing.

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#4

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I thought I would add this photo from my bald patch. I use a macro camera and I think the large Rapamycin dose may have started off quite a few fine pigmented hair follicles.

The theory is that the mitochondria have been damaged as a result of ROS caused by DHT. Hence if rapamycin improves the quality of the mitochondria the previous minaturisation of hair follices and cessation of the production of hair should reverse.

Its difficult to be certain as yet and because when I was away I was not able to monitor this daily so cannot be entirely certain, but it does appear that Rapamycin has improved the mitochondrial quality.

I have also now looked at all of my ApoB records and Rapamycin records and it appears that the large dose of rapamycin does increase the production of ApoB in the same way as it reduces the production of WBC. What this means is that after the large dose the ApoB level gradually goes up until the effect of Rapamycin fades after which it goes down again.

The next time I do this (I am currently looking at late September) I will make sure I have more ApoB records so it can be more closely tracked.

It varies a bit anyway as do all biomarkers.

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#5

I thought people might like this photo. If you look in the middle you can see a row of 4 follicles starting to produce hair.

This is something i see quite bit of where a row of follicles changes. I think, but have not proven, that they follow some form of blood supply - capillary probably. Hence as the localised biochemical environment changes the cells start producing hair.

This row of four is not unique there are other rows which show similar development where perphaps one follicle is in advance of the others (as is the case for this four).

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#6

I have yesterday’s results now and CRP is now back below 0.15mg/L. HbA1c has also dropped a bit.

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#7

Have you noticed any other side effects?

For instance, I am stuck at 5 mg + GFJ, because if I go above that, I experience widespread itchy hives for a few days. I assume this will increase my CRP as well as being unpleasant.

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#8

I now have results from 27/8. This is from the lab I use which does the broadest range of tests.

Interestingly non-fasting glucose was quite low. (3.63mmol/L, last time 5.49). Last time insulin was really high at 189.6 (pmol.L) and is now back down to a nice level 91.1. Lp(a) has gone down to <5.2 from 6.5 (nmol/L). HbA1c is very slightly up. This may be the sample metabolising (as glucose reacts with haemoglobin thinking about it, it probably is and that may have pushed up ApoB and LDL-C (Which is also on the high side). CRP is below the measurable limit (this lab is not as sensitive). Urea has dropped to a record low on 3.39 (mmol/L) and urate is quite low at 287.7.

What I think I can see is the effect of stopping drinking alcohol for 4 days prior to the test. A record low on Urea (BUN) - which is for my blood tests since 2021 (I had 1 in 2021 and started frequent testing in 2022) either means Urea metabolises a bit in samples and the testing on this one was delayed or it is significantly low.

Because of the understainty about metabolism it is not clear exactly what is happening about lipids and HbA1c. I think what it looks like is that the strong effect of rapamycin was still trackable in the leading indicators (insulin, glucose) on the previous test, but that has now completely faded. Hence Lp(a) has come back down, insulin and glucose are down but the lagging indicators (HbA1c) are still a bit high. Me not drinking for 4 days also will push up HbA1c (oddly enough).

In any event I want to take the same dose again, but I still would like to see ApoB move back down in line with everything else first. Hence I will probably delay Rapamycin until I see that happen. The uncertainty about sample metabolism is irritating, but just part of life.

Lipoprotein(a) is supposed not to change much. Here are my recent values in nmol/L <5.2, 6.5, 6.7, 5.3, 6.1, 5.5, 5.7, 5.7, <5.2, <5.2, 8.2, 7.8, 5.7, 5.3, 13, <5.2, 5.5, 5.8, 5.6, 7.1, 5.8

I think the 13 is when they tested someone else’s blood.

What seems to be in that is a process of gradual change. I have not particularly tried to correlate it with protocol changes, but as it got it at one point to over 8 and now back below the measurable threshold I would argue that it does change.

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The "LDL" Kingpin Theory - One Ring To Rule Them All? - (LMHR)
#10

Adding some thoughts about what level of Rapamycin was in my system to compare it to these calculations. If you assume 16mg with grapefruit is the equivalent of 50mg and a simplistic effective half life of 60 hours. Then each week reduces rapamycin levels by a factor of 5.7(ish).

So in terms of dose for each week it is equivalent to
wc 28/7 50
4/8 9mg
11/8 2mg
18/8 0.25mg
(then trivial)
The broad blood tests being compared are 14/8 (after a week with an effective starting dose of 2mg and 27/8 without any really in my system).

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#11

I thought people might be interested in seeing some of the insulin figures. These go back from last week, but are not every 2 weeks, but less frequently. I may try some Tuesday/Friday results after the next Rapamycin dose to try to track the movements more closely to the dose.

All in pmol/l.
91.1, 189.6, 104, 131, 27.3, 125, 60.2,121, 65, 129, 158. 171, 102, 65.5, 111, 152. 48.9, 161, 133, 136,93.3, 180, 42.8, 166, 46.5.

If I get a bit of time I will try to track these against Rapamycin dosing.

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#12

Are these all taken at the same time of day? Fasting? How do you account for the range?

#13

Roughly the same time of day. Normally not fasting. I vary a lot of things and it will take aome time to check my records and come to any idea as to cause other than rapamycin.

#14

This is really interesting so please continue to share results.

Did you by any chance happen to check ferritin or do a full iron panel in these tests? Or anything else noteworthy that remained mostly unchanged?

Any differences in RDW or Albumin?

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#15

Ferritin has reduced over a period of years quite nicely. RDW is driven by changes in MCV so I don’t worry about it when MCV is going down. Albumin floats around in the 42 territory, but if fasting it goes lower.

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#16

I am currently in my normal base. My blood test results arrived late yesterday and ApoB had dropped down which I had some concerns about. All the rest have now looked ok following the previous substantial dose. This time I am aiming to have a broad blood test twice a week. I have now taken 1 packet of biocon and 2 of zydus together with a grapefruit and a little bit of pomegranate (the pomegranate mainly because I like the taste although it has similar effects).

My CGM is working nicely and is currently reading 6.1mmol/L having not gone over that notwithstanding the grapefruit, pomegranate, tea and collagen powder. I have been quite careful after breakfast recently not to do any walking in the next hour so I will be able to compare the glucose curve post breakfast with the one with rapamycin.

Interestingly taking the core dose from 16mg to 22mg only increases the period of time with the highest serum rapamycin by 27 hours, but I expect sleep disruption for a couple of nights.

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#17

Is that 22 mg + GFJ? So about 77 mg equivalence?

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#18

It is 22mg plus Grapefruit (hence GFJ) and a bit of Pomegranate. Difficult to have an equivalence and a test I cannot easily get is the serum rapamycin, but it may be in the territory of 75mg. It is slightly higher than my last dose, but at the same time I probably take less Rapamycin overall than people taking 6m plus GFJ per week.

In the end I can only really see what the effects are on myself and the effects on other people would be different. Because of my high citrate supplementation the impact on the immune system of Rapamycin is less.

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#19

@John_Hemming I wish you all the best. I hope you can break the longevity barrier!

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#20

An interesting early result from the CGM is that there does not seem to be any change in the glucose profile following the same standard breakfast (I have reduced my standard breakfast to a single toasted roll and butter, 1/2 can of beans and two slices of fried bacon). Rapamycin was at 7.20 and the breakfast at 9.40, but the initial peak of glucose seems now to have subsided and not been any higher than yesterday. I don’t think that is necessarily surprising, however. Tomorrow is more likely to be different.

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#21

I thought I should give a bit more feedback. I think I have seen an interesting response in terms of insulin resistance actually on the second day, but not so much the first. I think it is also possible I have seen signs of greater mitochondrial efficiency (looking at hair follicles), but I will keep an eye on this.

The insulin resistance, which the literature implies is hepatic, seems to kick up glucose by about 1 mmol/L. (from 5 and a bit to 6 and a bit).

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#22

Overnight the glucose levels dropped to slightly higher, but not 1mmol/L higher than normal.

According to my calculations I am now back on track to the last dose as there was one day with higher serum concentrations. However, this time I have both the CGM and more broad blood tests.

I will probably hold back on reporting anything until I have quite a bit more information.

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#23

One point for anyone using a CGM. My CGM just fell off. I bought special overpatches to tape it securely, but I put those on over the Dexcom overpatch. Because they did not cover all of the overpatch supplied by dexcom which has weaker adhesive the whole thing came off.

Hence in putting on the second CGM session I have not put on the Dexcom overpatch so that the stronger adhesive covers all of the CGM.

This may be worth considering as an option.

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