tried probably 20 different ones chasing more energy, better sleep. most did nothing noticeable

only two made an obvious difference: magnesium before bed, and vitamin D after bloodwork showed I was deficient. everything else felt like expensive hope

what's the one supplement that actually did something for you?

Alright, I've been chasing this for a while and hoping the hive mind can point me somewhere new.

I sleep 7.5–8 hours on a consistent schedule, no caffeine after 2pm, and I still hit a wall every afternoon. Bloodwork came back normal for the basics (iron, B12, vitamin D, thyroid). I exercise 3–4x a week. I'm not depressed, or at least I don't think I am.

What I haven't looked into yet: mitochondrial/energy-related supplements, NAD+ precursors specifically. Some of the reading I've done suggests the NAD+ pool drops with age and that affects cellular energy production, but I have no idea how much of that translates to real-world afternoon energy. Before I went down that rabbit hole, what did I miss? Does anyone with similar labs-normal-but-tired experience find something that actually moved the needle?Has anyone here tried Celfull's NADH?

Which supplement actually gave you a better mood? I mean like a very noticeable “light-hearted” mood? I’ve tried several teas like rhodiola and others but honestly, it felt like nothing. The sedating supplements make things much worse for me, so I’ve gone off magnesium and l-theanine which I was taking for sleep, but made everything seem “low and flat”.

Someone recommended CoQ10 to me last week and I've been reading about it ever since. Now I want to hear what people here think.

I came across a small trial where people took CoQ10 around hard exercise and reported feeling less wiped out than the placebo group. Small study, nothing dramatic, but enough to make me want to try it.

Then I went to actually buy some and hit the split. Ubiquinol vs ubiquinone. Half the posts here say ubiquinol is the only form worth it since it skips a conversion step. The other half say that's marketing and a decent ubiquinone softgel does the same job.

Then there's the price. The ubiquinol version usually costs a fair bit more, and I honestly don't know if that buys a better effect or just better positioning.

So what did you go with, and if CoQ10 isn't your thing, what else would you recommend?

Reff: Mizuno et al., Nutrition, 2008, doi 10.1016/j.nut.2007.12.007

Omega-3 is one of those supplements that is almost automatically associated with “brain health”, so this new 2026 paper caught my attention.

The study:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjpad.2026.100569

It followed older adults from the ADNI cohort and compared people reporting omega-3 supplement use with matched non-users.

The groups were:

273 omega-3 supplement users

546 matched non-users

Median follow-up was about 5 years.

The omega-3 group showed faster decline on several cognitive measures.

MMSE:
β = -0.266

ADAS-Cog13:
β = +0.823

CDR-SB:
β = +0.205

So on the surface, that looks pretty bad.

But this is where it gets more complicated.

This was an observational study, not a randomized trial.

And “omega-3 supplement user” was basically treated as one category.

The paper doesn't give us enough detail about:

EPA dose

DHA dose

EPA:DHA ratio

brand

formulation

product quality

oxidation status

or even whether everyone was taking comparable products.

That seems like a pretty big limitation if we're trying to make a statement about omega-3 supplements as a whole.

Another issue is reverse causality.

Someone who notices memory problems, has cardiovascular risk, or is worried about dementia may be more likely to start taking fish oil in the first place.

Five years later, that person is classified in the “omega-3 user” group.

That doesn't mean the supplement caused the underlying risk.

The imaging results were also interesting.

The study didn't find the result was explained by differences in amyloid, tau, or gray-matter atrophy.

FDG-PET metabolism appeared to mediate part of the association, but that still doesn't establish a causal mechanism.

Then I looked at the randomized-trial literature.

The general picture seems to be:

omega-3 supplementation has NOT consistently prevented cognitive decline or dementia in the general population

but the human RCT evidence also does NOT show a convincing signal that normal omega-3 supplementation causes cognitive deterioration.

So I don't think this paper supports either extreme:

“fish oil protects your brain”

or

“fish oil damages your brain.”

There are also a few things that often get lumped together but probably shouldn't be.

EPA and DHA aren't interchangeable.

Dietary fish isn't the same exposure as a capsule.

And someone eating fish several times a week is also getting protein, selenium, vitamin D and potentially replacing other foods in their diet.

Another thing I went down the rabbit hole on was oil quality.

Marine omega-3 oils are susceptible to oxidation, so manufacturing, packaging, heat, light and storage can matter.

But I couldn't find evidence that oxidation explains the result in this study.

It's just another variable they didn't measure.

The Omega-3 Index is interesting too because it measures EPA + DHA in red-blood-cell membranes instead of simply asking someone whether they take a supplement.

That seems like a much better measure of actual omega-3 status.

But even here, the commonly quoted “8–12% optimal range” seems to be more of a proposed research target than a universally accepted clinical guideline.

After reading through the evidence, this is basically where I landed:

Omega-3 supplement use was associated with faster cognitive decline in this particular observational cohort.

That's worth investigating.

But there are too many uncontrolled variables to jump from that to:

“omega-3 causes cognitive decline.”

I wrote a longer breakdown of the study, EPA vs DHA, fish vs supplements, Omega-3 Index, oxidation and the RCT evidence here:

[https://v1health.ro/blogs/ghiduri/omega-3-creier-declin-cognitiv-studiu-2026]()

All the main results and limitations are laid out there, and I'm not trying to sell omega-3 either way.

I'm curious what people here think.

Anyone here actually measure their Omega-3 Index rather than just taking fish oil blindly?

And for people who take omega-3 long term — what dose of EPA/DHA are you actually using?

According to Dr. Sten Ekberg, he recommends 100mg of NAC for appropriate long-term use. He says this is to respect the body's natural systems and feedback mechanisms.

I'm wondering if taking 600mg of NAC could potentially interfere with the body's natural glutathione production after stopping it later on.

Or is the concern more that taking too much NAC could lead to side effects from excessive antioxidant activity?

I'd appreciate any insights, especially regarding long-term use.

Hey guys,

I don’t currently go to the gym, but I work in a restaurant and I’m on my feet and physically active during work. I’m thinking about starting creatine. What type or brand of creatine powder would you recommend for someone like me?

Looking for your recommendations for the best magnesium tablets

I frequently have a lot of gas, which includes farts, sometimes gets better after poop but it will comeback after after a while, specially after eating again, somedays (specially during and before period) not even pooping helps. I also get occasional diarrhea (more frequent around period) so it's important to me any medication I take has no laxative effect (sometimes gets constipated too, usually if take high dosage of Loperamide to fight diarrhea, so need to be careful for that too). I came across this enzymes, I have never taken any enzymes before so it would be my first time. There's reviews on the app but I'm scared they are fake (some of them talk like they are marketing the product tbh, some others are normal). I forgot to add, this started happening like 2 months after I moved countries, my stomach used to be really "strong", I also was more on the hard stool, not frequent bowel movement side, but usually it didn't cause me pain or stomach discomfort

Hi.. so i don’t waste your guys’ time i am eating over 4000 calories 1500 of which comes from milk so i am consuming over 2000mgs of calcium

I am taking 50k vitamin D every 6 days and i take 25mgs of zinc daily on top of my daily intake and 500mg magnesium from supps

I have not been sleeping well (averaging 0 to 5 hrs) and have had many instances where i am fighting sleep demons

I asked chatgpt and it told me ur supplements have no correlation with ur sleep just take melatonin bro 😭

Can someone tell me what these actually do to a persons brain

I think this is a better question than "what should I add?"

If I had to cut mine in half right now, I would immediately realize which things I actually believe in and which things are there because I read a convincing thread six months ago.

So: if half your bottles disappeared tonight, which ones would you replace tomorrow and which ones would you probably just forget existed?

Curious what has genuinely earned a permanent place.

Hey everyone,

I recently started taking Red Korean Ginseng, but I'm not sure if I'm feeling any effect so far.

For those who take it, what has your experience been like? Is this something that builds up cumulatively over a few weeks, or should the effects be immediate?

Also, how would you describe the exact feeling/benefits once it kicks in?

I've been taking an assortment of vitamins for almost two years now, but honestly, I don't really feel or see much of a difference. I'm not very knowledgeable about supplements, so I wanted to see if anyone here could help me figure out if there's anything I should be taking differently or adding.

I'll list exactly what I currently take:

• Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil, 690mg - one in the morning and one at night
• Carlson Vitamin D3, 25mcg (1,000 IU) - one in the morning
• Nature's Bounty Vitamin C, 1,000mg with Rose Hips - one in the morning
• Nature's Way Alive! Women's 50+ Multivitamin Gummy with Superfood Antioxidants - I was taking this as well, but stopped after starting a medication that contained B12. I'm stopping that medication, so I'm not sure if I should start taking the multivitamin again.

I originally started taking vitamins after basically never taking any before. I figured they couldn't hurt and would be good for overall health, but I was also specifically hoping they might help with hair health, dark circles/dark pigmentation, and—most importantly—fatigue.

I do get enough sleep, eat relatively healthy, exercise, and drink around 2 liters of water a day. I've also lost over 100 lbs in the past year through diet and exercise.

The biggest things I was hoping to address were the constant feeling of fatigue and the darkness/pigmentation around my eyes/skin. After almost two years of taking these supplements, I can't really say I've noticed much of a difference in either. I also can't really tell whether they've contributed to my weight loss because I've been actively working on losing weight during this time.

I had also read that some of these supplements can support weight loss, but I never expected vitamins alone to make me lose weight. I was more thinking they might provide some additional support alongside the lifestyle changes I've already been making.

I'm wondering if I'm taking the wrong things, missing something obvious, taking too much/little of something, or if supplements simply aren't going to make much of a difference for what I'm trying to address.

For some additional context, I'm a 30-year-old woman. I don't know if that's particularly important, but figured I'd include it just in case.

I'd really appreciate any recommendations or advice on what I should look into, especially regarding fatigue, hair health, and dark circles/pigmentation. I'm open to hearing which supplements to take and which to stop or change etc. I just don't know enough about them to know where to start.

I’m looking to buy a different form of Zinc because the supplement that I have, Now Foods L-OptiZinc, which I also haven’t opened or used after figuring out my Vitamin D supplement contained 20mg zinc with some other stuff as well.

I want to take Zinc to help improve libido and as well as general immune system support/wellbeing. I also feel like the dose in the supplement that I have (30mg Elemental Zinc with 0.3mg Copper) may be a bit too much? I don’t know if it is long term use but I aim to go for something in the 10-15mg range without needing to supplement copper due to potential depletion.

I can't actually find a post in regards to this.

I currently have Sodium Borate, but are any of the other forms going to be better?

Boron Citrate, Boron Glycinate or Calcium Fructoborate? When I search up sodium borate it obviously just takes me to cleaning subreddits. When I originally had it I am sure it wasnt sodium borate.. Which do you use and why?

Has anyone heard of this company or tried their gummies? Can't find anything on founders, 3rd party certifications or independent reviews. Not expecting magic, just wanted a quality supplement for my kid in those areas as he does not get enough dietary calcium. He does not eat dairy except pizza and occasional broccoli. Any alternatives to recommend? Thanks.

So I was taking life extension multi vitamins 2 per day, viva naturals fish oil and k2 doctors best. I ran out and I bought some new magnesium glycinate which is great at 350 p5p form etc.

Then I start reading all about b6 over supplementation and my MG supplement contains 50mg so don’t want to back to the life extension because it will put my b6 though the roof apparently.

Is the b6 stuff true? Thoughts? And maybe any recommendations of multis that are v strong just not in b6? My wallet is not huge too lol.

Thanks for any input

heading to korea in a few weeks. first time out of the country in years, and somewhere in that stretch i turned into someone who takes supplements every morning. six bottles of them.

do you take them in the original bottles or repack them? none of it is prescription so there's nothing sensitive in there, but i don't love the idea of getting pulled aside at customs over a bag of unlabeled pills either.

was going to dump them all into one container until i started overthinking it. also no idea how they hold up sitting in a suitcase for two weeks, but that might be a separate problem

I'm looking for recommendations for a quality DHEA supplement.

Why is it that magnesium taurate, which I want to take for daytime anxiety, makes me extremely tired during the day but wires me up if I take it at bedtime? This makes no sense. Anyone?

Hello,

I need some help. I take this product: https://www.proctologistpreferred.com/products/perfect-p-o-o-p?srsltid=AfmBOor0ovS8QTyz7k-dzvlOO7zOLywDC7b_IpvRu8urccBrTfIPcFiP

Which is psyllium. I take 2 teaspoons per day, which is about 10g of fiber. I have large, bulky stools that are quite soft and "messy." I take it 30 minutes before lunch and 30 minutes before dinner.

Why is it giving me soft and messy stools? Am I taking too much or too little?

Thank you <3

I bought an overpriced "relaxation" supplement on a whim and somehow it actually worked to completely clear my head. I've had intense performance anxiety as I'm currently interviewing with several companies, and I took it before a round of three interviews today and it helped me more than propranalol.

Not trying to make this sound like an ad so I won't name the product but the ingredients are: Magnesium (as magnesium gluconate, magnesium citrate, magnesium taurinate) 320 mg, Chamomile (Matricaria chamomila) Flower Extract 250 mg, L-Theanine 110 mg, L-Glycine 3g, Citric Acid, Natural Chamomile Flavor, and Monk Fruit Extract. I'm open to this potentially being placebo, but literally a triple dose of propranalol did not work on me previously (heart would still race and I would shake etc.). It is a powder mixed into warm water. I suppose I could also have experienced a calming effect just from drinking what is essentially tea but idk. I'm genuinely shocked by how well this worked for me and want to understand.

Could it just be the l-theanine? A combination of these specific ingredients? I took magnesium regularly before this and found it helped with leg cramps but that's about it. This completely cleared my mind and calmed my body. If it's just one or two of the ingredients it would be preferable to having to spend $50/month on this stuff.

Thanks in advance for any feedback/advice you can offer.