Hi Everyone, I started R-lipoic acid today. I have Doctor's Best stabilized 100mg. I want to be sure that is right. Mrs D. I read the RLA site and I saw that you said yours is 250mgs so I am wondering if I have the right dose. Also, you mentioned in my other post that I am starting to sound lik lupus. My rheumo just told me at my last appt that he would not be surprised if eventually I tested + for lupus. I had a sister who had a severe case of RA and her lupus levels were always high. She never got an actual dx of lupus though. We'll see.
Any infor on R-Lipoic that I should know would be appreciated. Thanks everyone!

Yours is the right one.

Take the 100mg in the morning on an empty stomach and see how that goes. This is not going to phase lupus much...but it may help any nerves affected. It is not a quick fix. It will take time.

If you tolerate the 100mg well, you can try adding 100mg later in the day.

I found taking 200mg all at once too much for me. But spaced out later in the day, I don't get hyper at all. I took one last night and slept well.

have been researching both ALA and RLA
some amazing benefits outside of PN as well

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ala.htm

improval of physique
Combats free radicals
Protects our genetic material
Slows aging
Protects against heart disease
Protects against cancer
Improves skin and helps erase wrinkles
Regulates blood sugar in diabetics
Protects the liver
May be used as a treatment for Stroke

Yes, ALA is important for everyone. For nerve healing it is usually a high dose.

One does not need a "high"dose if using the new improved version "stabilized", which is rapidly and well absorbed. 100mg a day is enough for most people. Don't try and take the "high" dose of this, that corresponds to the racemic older ALA version.

ALA the original racemic mixture requires high dose (600mg -1800mg) a day.

Take both versions on an empty stomach for best results.

This article is okay to a point. It does not explain the differences between ALA (racemic), R-lipoic (not stabilized as the sodium salt) and R-lipoic stablized, sodium salt.

Dosing is different with the different forms. But one thing remains... take on an empty stomach for best absorption.

So it is important to read your labels, carefully, to see which you have.

This list from Wiki is similar:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoic_acid

--that has come out of Europe, particularly Germany, about alpha-lipoic acid (which is a prescription substance in most countries there), has been about its use in controlling blood sugar in diabetics, with easing of peripheral neruopathy symptoms a secondary benefit.

These articles usually mention a dosage in the neighborhood of 1200-1800mg/day, a little high to take in pill form--in many of these studies that administration was intravenous.

There is not as much literature out there on R-lipoic--much of that reporting is anecdotal and comes from North America. And one has to be careful just who is reporting it--often it comes from manufacturers with a stake in selling it. Still, it does seem to have decent effectiveness, and usually, a ratio somewhere in the range of 10:1 to 6:1 is cited; one can take between 1/6 and 1/10 the amount of R-lipoic as alpha-lipoic for a similar effect.

I suspect we'll see more actual studies on R-lipoic in the future as it becomes more pervasively offered.

This is an example of the "manufacturer" submitted bioavailability study:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?t...-lipoic%20acid

This is unique I think, as other nutrient investigations typically measure patient response for "effectiveness".

There are some small studies on ALA on PubMed too.

Magnesium studies in bioavailability are new too.

There is also one study on B12 bioavailability ..I have quoted on the B12 sticky. One researcher actually measured the amount in micrograms absorbed from an oral 1000mcg dose daily.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...able/T1/#TF1-4

Bioavailability is a concept that has to be proven for RX medications to the FDA for approval. It has not been applied until recently to nutrients, because of expense doing the studies, etc.

Some products that are used in studies themselves, have to prove
stability, and consistent absorption levels. An example of this is curcumin...which typically is not well absorbed. Some products like LongVida Curcumin have done bioavailability studies for this reason.

Just be careful in your dosing, when using the new R-lipoic... it just doesn't need those high ALA doses because of its chemical differences.

Each doctor will know about the dose needed for each person if they do know about neuropathy and the supplements.

Let's hope we continue to be free to buy our own supplements here. LEF and Alliance for Health have been wonderful keeping Americans informed about the FDA overreaching.

RLA and ALA taken together?

There is a bit of uncertainty on the web regarding RLA effective dosage.

Any thoughts on taking these 2 together, say 600 ala / 100 rla
couldnt hurt ?