My new addiction....

[Incognitus]

Hi, my name is Incognitus and I'm a pill popper.

I feel like a conbination of a junkie and an elderly lady, for taking so many darn pills... Oh and the sizes...THE SIZES, are killing me. Is there not any other way? erplexed

I started hardcore dieting, and my Dr advised me to take vitmins (bec hairloss is common when people lose large amounts of weight quickly). So I started off by taking the following:

Biotin 5mg 2x/day
thymus gland 500mg 2x/day
L-cysteine 500mg 2x/day
Silica 25mg 2x/day
Kelp 2 pills a day (cant recal dose)

Then, based on LHCF data, I recently added:

MSM 1500mg 2x/day
Spirulina 10g 2x/day
Chlorella 5g 2x/day

I was ok with all the pills until I started taking the Spirulina and Chlorella. Based on the dosage recommendations (from Hair growers), It would be like taking 20 spirulina and 40 chlorella pills a day. The pills are small, it that they just don't sell them in higher doses per pill. I bought the powder forms, but when I mixed it, it looked and smelled like my old science experiments (the ones I did at home, not school).

What's a lady to do?

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

I was ok with all the pills until I started taking the Spirulina and Chlorella. Based on the dosage recommendations (from Hair growers), It would be like taking 20 spirulina and 40 chlorella pills a day. The pills are small, it that they just don't sell them in higher doses per pill. I bought the powder forms, but when I mixed it, it looked and smelled like my old science experiments (the ones I did at home, not school).

What's a lady to do?

I'm not sure if I fully understand, but I'll try my best. Are you asking what to do about the spirulina/chlorella? For me, I use powder form as well. I can't just put them in a cup mix with water or juice and chug down. I have a water bottle that I use. I mix it in there, then shake, shake, shake and then drink. That's the best way to get it all fully mixed. No lumps or clumps.

How much spirulina/chlorella are you using? For the most part, it's been 1tsp = 3g at least based on the brands that I've taken over the years. HTH

 

[Incognitus]

^^Part of me is just venting.. So you completely fill up the water bottle or just a little bit of water?

 

[ms-gg]

I can't even bother to take one multivitamin a day...not even when I was dieting. Girl you are a good good GOOD one...

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

^^Part of me is just venting.. So you completely fill up the water bottle or just a little bit of water?

it's about 8oz of water or juice. I'm to the point now where I can tolerate just mixing with water only! I find 8oz is enough to get it mixed thoroughly. Not too much more water, it's not that good to gulp down

 

[ebonyseas]

I take 10-15 pills a day too...so I know how you feel. But at least I feel better about the fact that I'm getting all the nutrients my body needs.

 

[Nonie]

Why don't you guys find a complex that provides most of those things so you're taking less but getting more? What people don't realize is vitamins work in teams. Selectively taking vitamins may be flogging a dead horse coz the body can't use them well if they aren't paired with their "accomplices" and the body won't use them if it isn't in need of them. Also when you select vitamins like that, you leave out a lot of other vitamins that your hair may need. Like vitamin A which is good for sebum and is an antioxidant as are C and E good for preventing cell damage, B complex prevent hairloss and better to take coz taking too much biotin w/o B5 can cause acne. Inositol and niacin are good for healthy hair follicles. Iron is good for circulation to bring oxygen and all these vitamins you're to follicles...and so on. Last but not least, if your body is not getting the nutrition it needs, then your hair will not get a thing. The cells of vital organs always get first dibs before your nails and hair even come into the picture.

So taking supplements just for hair instead of for the whole body might be flogging a dead horse. My advice would be to take a multi that provides most of what your body needs than add the herbs you need for hair if you must. I believe multivitamins are created in a way that the nutrients are paired for best absorption. Like you won't see calcium without vitamin D. And if you get a complex with MSM, I am sure vitamin C will be there too. Multis save you the trouble of trying to figure things out by doing all the homework for you. Granted you won't get the quantities you're taking, but you will at least get a complete "nutrition" for you cells.

There is a hair multi that is like a regular multi because it has all the important vitamins/minerals for total health as well as addition herbs for hair. So if I were to take a hair multi, that's what I would take: The Vitamin Shoppe brand (Click on the Supplemental Facts tab to see what's in it)

 

[Nasdaq_Diva]

Why don't you guys find a complex that provides most of those things so you're taking less but getting more? What people don't realize is vitamins work in teams.

Very true Which is why I believe in taking spirulina and/or chlorella. They are superfoods and do the body very well. You get everything you need from a multivitamin plus protein as well.

 

[Incognitus]

Why don't you guys find a complex that provides most of those things so you're taking less but getting more? What people don't realize is vitamins work in teams. Selectively taking vitamins may be flogging a dead horse coz the body can't use them well if they aren't paired with their "accomplices" and the body won't use them if it isn't in need of them. Also when you select vitamins like that, you leave out a lot of other vitamins that your hair may need. Like vitamin A which is good for sebum and is an antioxidant as are C and E good for preventing cell damage, B complex prevent hairloss and better to take coz taking too much biotin w/o B5 can cause acne. Inositol and niacin are good for healthy hair follicles. Iron is good for circulation to bring oxygen and all these vitamins you're to follicles...and so on. Last but not least, if your body is not getting the nutrition it needs, then your hair will not get a thing. The cells of vital organs always get first dibs before your nails and hair even come into the picture.

So taking supplements just for hair instead of for the whole body might be flogging a dead horse. My advice would be to take a multi that provides most of what your body needs than add the herbs you need for hair if you must. I believe multivitamins are created in a way that the nutrients are paired for best absorption. Like you won't see calcium without vitamin D. And if you get a complex with MSM, I am sure vitamin C will be there too. Multis save you the trouble of trying to figure things out by doing all the homework for you. Granted you won't get the quantities you're taking, but you will at least get a complete "nutrition" for you cells.

There is a hair multi that is like a regular multi because it has all the important vitamins/minerals for total health as well as addition herbs for hair. So if I were to take a hair multi, that's what I would take: The Vitamin Shoppe brand (Click on the Supplemental Facts tab to see what's in it)

You've made many excellent points. Nonetheless, many of the complex vits are seriously lacking many of the vitamins I require. Actually, many muitvitamins are known to be lacking what a person need. It's often necessary to add a couple other vitamins to the multivitamin. Then there's the issue of having too much of a particular vitamin that's already included in a multivitamin. It truly quite subjective, based on the deficiencies of the individual. I can't speak for others but I am very aware of how vitamins work in teams, and I had that in mind when choosing the specific vitamins I am taking. As a matter of fact, my silica pills include calcium and zinc, my cysteine contains vit c and b6..to name a few. Actually, I'm a bit anal, and when I start a vitamin regimen, I research to make sure I'm benefitting from the pills by pairing them with complementary vitamins, or their "accomplices" (lol, cute).

If I simply wanted longer or healthier hair, I would take the Hair SKin Nails Vit. and forget about all the other cumbersome jumbo pills. My main concern is overall health. To find pills that are great for my hair AND health AND energy is a great feat. The benefits of MSM, spirulin, Chlorella are extrordinary, and I'm not even counting their hair health properties. I rank them up there with cod liver oil... It's not even the superficial benefits (skin, hair, etc), but the digestive and joint benefits. Heck, I even have my mom on some of this stuff.

It's truly about what a person needs. Since I'm on this weight loss track and I'm losing weight fairly quickly, I must make sure my health does not suffer. Dieting and losing weight can wreck havoc on the body and mind.

On a side note, I do looove finding new supplements or ''super foods'' for better health, and I sometimes rotate them. I'm like a supplement PJ, lol. Once, I stop my dieting and get back to a healthier me, I will no longer need some of the supplements and I'll be able to eliminate or decrease them.