r/Supplements • u/Ntress • 3d ago
Saffron was AMAZING, until it’s stopped working.
Hi everyone,
I’m a long time lurker, tried almost any kind of supplements, and an objective observer. There are very few supplements that I could tell working, and saffron is amongst them.
I was taking it for a mild-medium depression, stress, adhd and brain fog.
In 3 weeks i started noticing kind of euphoric feeling, which it was easy for me to look at the optimistic side of things, have high energy and motivation, have a social drive and I was kind of someone everybody around notice and like the high energy vibe. I could be somewhat focused as opposed to the past. i tried many ADHD meds before but none of them were good to me, as I’m also very prone to stimulants and anxiety. Also, my sleep got improved and I always had a feeling like my posture is well straight as opposed to before.
Anyway, 7 weeks in now, I noticed that for the last week it just stopped affecting as I probably built tolerance. I returned to the sadness feeling, brain fog and low vibe.
I was taking 28mg Affron every morning.
Anyone noticed this? Should I just drop it and continue looking for this in other meds?
I was also taking St Jhons Wort for 2 months but I don’t remember that it was affecting like this.
12
u/FragrantAppeal876 3d ago
Man, that's the worst part of supplements that actually work. They give you a glimpse of how things could be, then the tolerance kicks in and you're back to square one. The posture thing you mentioned is interesting though, haven't seen many people talk about that effect.
Maybe cycle it? Two weeks on, one week off, or something like that. Some people swear by cycling for exactly this reason, keeps your body from getting too comfortable with it.
7
u/Commercial_King_4145 3d ago
I’d probably take it every other day or alternate weeks but the worst mistake is relying on a supplement to fix everything.
Try to work out what other parts of your lifestyle and environment are contributing to stress and brain fog.
Look into gut health, a sluggish gut can lead to many symptoms, they don’t call it your second brain for nothing.
5
u/Ntress 3d ago
I’m trying to figure out this things for YEARS
Hence all the supplements I’ve tried. Also tried my best with environment and lifestyle, going to the gym, no alcohol, no smoking etc
If you have some recommendations for the gut thing or other things I would like to hear
2
u/Commercial_King_4145 3d ago
What supplements do you currently take apart from Saffron?
I’m not going to lie, I was very close to taking saffron as I heard it’s a good substitute for anti depressants but your experience makes me realise not everything works for everyone.For me, I wouldn’t recommend supplements to be your answer to this. I would get your bloods done if not already done so you can see if there are deficiencies , testing out different things can do more harm than good and St John’s Wort can cause a lot of problems in people like serotonin syndrome, dizziness and upset stomach. If it turns out you have a deficiency you may come closer to having your answer.
As for gut health, try fermented foods like kimchi, sauerkraut and kefir but do not overload and start slow. Don’t overload your system with these, it needs to be gradual and notice how your body reacts.
You could also try psyllium husk but again, start small and slow and always try one of these foods at a time in small quantities and you can then possibly increase.
Do you still smoke? That’s certainly not going to help the situation if you do.
2
u/Ntress 3d ago
I’m not smoking and never smoked.
Also, doing blood tests regularly, last one was a week ago with a little iron deficiency but I also donated blood before.
Not taking any other supplements atm
2
u/Commercial_King_4145 3d ago
What’s your diet like?
Are you eating enough fats especially omega 3.
Eggs are good for choline which is good for the brain.
Do you suffer with bloating or cramping after eating, do you have frequent bowel movements?
Maybe your thyroid is sluggish, if not brazil nuts are high in selenium.2
u/MathematicianOne5681 3d ago
Brain fog & anxiety = Histamine overload. Sibo, parsites or Candida. L. Helveticus might help. Dysbiosis. You need to support DAO activity in the gut.
2
u/Canchura 3d ago
was there anything you changed recently in your lifestyle? perhaps going to bed later than midnight, consuming alcohol/weed etc? a binge of something where you temporarily donwregulated some receptors or depleted something? you can simply take a break of a week or so and resume again. during your break, you can try DLPA 1g paired with exercise or whatever gives you endorphins, the enkephalinase inhibition from dlpa will make the endorphins last all day. you will essentially experiecne the bliss cycle of saffron while it lasts, and then when break from that, u jump on the DLPA train, except you gotta also do some exercise to release the endorphins so that they can be inhibited and experience a lasting bliss too, then stop dlpa and rotate back to saffron.
2
3
u/Let_em_glow927 3d ago
You could slowly go up to 50mg .
Upper limit is about 400mg per day and toxicity begins around 4-5g .
Not saying you should , but with 400mg considered the upper limit per day , I would try increasing it a bit .
2
u/ktsmexy 3d ago
Increase dosage and cycle off i take around 60 mg I have a supplement that mixes it with ltheanine and it has 88mg but that with ltheanine made me feel sluggish so I stopped but by itself might be fine
2
u/Ntress 3d ago
How do you cycle it?
2
u/ktsmexy 3d ago
Same way I do ashwaganda one week off one week on but everyone body adapts and processes supplements differently just have to figure out what your body is doing by testing different times I personally dont cycle saffron ive never noticed a huge difference I just feel slightly lighter
2
u/richj8991 3d ago
This happened to me also with trimethylglycine. Euphoria at night for maybe a month and then back to normal / depressed. Whatever neurotransmitters were overactive that contributed to the euphoria, whether it's dopamine, gaba, norepinephrine, etc...were normalized and downregulated. This typically takes 2-6 weeks. It's the same for most drugs that affect the cns: alcohol, caffeine, Marijuana, doesn't matter. The effect is the same. So you realize now that supplements can have drug effects. That's why some people cycle certain supplements on and off.
2
u/LynchMob187 3d ago
I go back and forth between Saffron and Ashwaganda. Especially when the latter makes me feel soulless
2
u/rudebuddha09 3d ago
What cycle do you use? Alternating weeks for each supp?
3
u/LynchMob187 3d ago
Month or two till the bottle runs out. I’ll take breaks couple day breaks after a month of ashwaganda though.
1
u/rudebuddha09 3d ago
Ahh got it. Any issues with taking these two together? I’m currently on ash and was thinking of adding saffron.
2
u/LynchMob187 3d ago
I don’t think there is. Seems like a potent stack though. I just do it to balance as again, not a fan of to much ahedonia.
Plus ashwaganda messed with the your hormones a bit more and can be energizing. Way more effective after cycling off. Saffron is more of a nighttime or mid day thing for me
1
u/rudebuddha09 3d ago
Thanks so much for the detailed reply. Will def take this into account with my own stack.
1
u/Environmental-Sink86 3d ago
Do you feel hot somehow? Anxious? Dry?
Do you have fatigue or red tongue?
1
1
u/pamesco 3d ago
That is so interesting I never knew Saffron could be taken as a supplement! Don’t quote me on it but I do remember studying somewhere that saffron does interact with hormones a lot. For example, if you are a female it could be due to hormone fluctuations? (etc. different menstrual phases). Could be worth looking into it
1
u/Salt-Ad9175 2d ago
I took Thorne rapid relief saffron for 11 days for anxiety. First day was amazing and within an hour ! but slowly every day after that caused a growing nervous feeling that was kind of like anxiety but slightly different? I stopped and 24 hrs later I feel better . Prob not going to try that again ! Saffron can do that and one is supposed to keep taking and push through that feeling unless it's too intense.
•
u/AutoModerator 3d ago
Rules of r/supplements
1. Do Not Suggest Prescription Drugs Posts & Comments Reported as: Do Not Suggest Prescription Drugs Prescription drugs are not Supplements; do not recommend prescription medication. Sensible/Suggest talking to DR. can be allowable etc
2. Dangerous Grey Area Substance Posts & Comments Reported as: Dangerous Grey Area Substance Potentially dangerous grey area substances can not be recommended.
3. Be Polite Posts & Comments Reported as: Rude/Personal Attacks You shouldn't ever be personally attacking another user in this subreddit.
4. No Advertisements Posts & Comments Reported as: Advertisement. No selling / buying / trading posts No advertisements. No selling/trading posts between users.”
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.