Vitamin depletes b5

Hi everyone, I'm new to The Ordinary and skincare in general. I recently bought the following products:

• The Ordinary Retinol 1% in Squalane
• The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5
• The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%
• The Ordinary Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1%
• The Ordinary Sulphate 4% Shampoo Cleanser for Body & Hair

I already have a cleanser and moisturizer. How often should I use these products and in what order? Should I be using all of them every night or alternating nights? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi All,
I recently started B-complex which has 100mg vitamin B3 and 50mg vitamin B5.
My hair started falling out and entire scalp ( even the sides and back ) thinned out ( hair shaft diameter reduced )
Did anyone over here go through something similar ?
Thanks in advance.

Hi I didn't know I was having deficiency until I realise I kept sleepy all the time and neck pain for no reason. Due to antibiotics, it depletes my b12.
I just started vitamin b complex 4 days ago and my neck slowly feels better. Any of you have similar experience ?

I tested positive for GBS and am currently on antibiotics for a UTI that’s from the GBS. I have one more day of antibiotics for the UTI, and then I am starting an entire regimen once I’m done that my midwife has me on. She is supportive on if I choose antibiotics in labor or not but is highly encouraging I start this protocol to try to eradicate the GBS. High dosing vitamin C, probiotics, echinacea tincture, suppositories, eating fermented foods, kefir, zinc, taking garlic, etc. Did anyone have a similar story to mine and were able to turn their GBS status around in just a few weeks? It feels like such a large scary decision, and I obviously want what’s safest for baby. I unfortunately got sick with an intense 4 day stomach bug at 34 weeks which depleted my gut. Then I got the UTI once my gut and immunity were weakened. I did not test positive with my first homebirth so I am navigating this GBS decision with this next birth. I feel nervous since in the next few weeks I not only will be trying to get the GBS at bay, but also healing the gut as much as I can from the antibiotics I am currently on. Do you think it’s possible? I want to try to go the holistic route as much as possible but obviously want baby to be safe. Weighing the risks!

My sixth bottle came yesterday from ND. Was taking 3 capsules daily for first 2months, now 2 capsules(2caps would be reccomended dosage and one month stash as it has 60 capsules).
This supplement did what lyrica()pregabalin never come close to do stopping nerve pain(pins and needles, burning sensations, cold sensations and like ants crawling through my whole body). I realize also my tinnitus dissapered completely and eye floaters especially on clear sky and white backgrounds is gradually depleted.
OptimALA is mix of NA-RALA which is most bioavailable natural R-isomer of lipoic acid with a highly specialized starch called Cyclodextrin. By loading R-ALA into these cyclic starches, R-ALA stability is drastically improved, as is the bioavailability. Also third component is sesame seed extract that is very high in two sesame lignans called sesamin and sesamolin. The combination of alpha lipoic acid and sesamin has been shown to enhance each other effects, especially when it comes to fat loss and the optimization of our metabolic process.
Taking NA-RALA deplete thiamine so taking also fat soluble B1 called Benfotiamine is smart move and B1 is most important B vitamin for nerve health and normal glucose levels.
As I realize and read from studies R-lipoic acid is only antioxidant soluble in fat and water that passes blood brain barrier and chelate mercury, iron etc.other heavy metals, toxins., slow brain atrophy in MS by regenerating glutathione, vit.C, vit.E and Coq10, also new studies confirm that R-lipoic acid increase NAD levels.
Suplements that also can boost glutathione like NAC and sulforaphane I never felt anything, maybe something from Curcumin bcm-95 version but nothing significant,
It is being tested for its ability to boost myelin repair in MS as it lowers several markers of inflammation and reduces the number of immune cells that migrate into the brain and spinal cord and damage the myelin coating of nerves.
Main problem is with short 3hour half life of lipoic acid and R-S plain ALA is highly unstable, that is improved by NA-RALA, but OptimALA improved that even further with other two compounds that blend perfectly with NA-RALA.
I was taking before ALA 600mg, ALA sustained 600mg, NA-RALA and only with NA-RALA like 500mg seeing some progress. OptimALA is on whole another level as it has best bioavailability by far and clearly it is doing something.
Best way to take it is 2hours before or after food.
I truly believe this supplement is a wonder for brain and nerves. Our body produce tiny amounts of lipoic acid and when we age(also like CoQ10) levels are dropper from around 35 years old age and toxins and heavy metals are gradually contributing to this even before.
Red meats, particularly organ meats are the highest food source of Alpha Lipoic Acid. With that, broccoli, spinach, beets are other great sources too.
When I buy supplements I want best quality(3party lab tested) and what is in the vein with research.(bioactive compounds and to get highest bioavailability).
This is only supplement that I would highly reccomend even in front of mushroom extracts and some peptides.

Hey guys. Maine native who has spent the last 5 years living out west in Colorado. I just returned home, and was shocked when I went shopping to discover that the Portland Hannaford did not carry the one flavor of Vitamin Water I drink on a regular basis - the tropical citrus “energy” flavor, which also happens to be the one and only vitamin water (to my knowledge) to also contain caffeine.
At first I thought it was just sold out or something, because it’s often among the most popular flavors. But after a couple more trips I noticed that there is actually no spot in the shelf at all for this flavor, and that Hannaford apparently just refuses to stock it.
I cannot imagine why, but I can only think that someone objected to the presence of caffeine in this one flavor of vitamin water, while the others do not have it? Maybe the flavored water aisle has a strict “no caffeine” rule? I can’t imagine any other reasonable reason.

My Brother, who ironically is a health guru, refuses to give up alcohol. He eats healthy and intermittent fasts but still drinks usually around a 6 pack every week day and a lot more on the weekends. Sometimes 12-20 beers in a day. Oh and he is also a pothead 🙄. I have tried everything I can think of to change his mind but he won't budge. Any recommendations on some simple but safe supplements that would be recommended for a heavy drinker? I know alcohol depletes B vitamins but curious what else he should look into. Milk thistle maybe?
Thanks.

I wanted to share my story because nobody ever seems to talk about iron deficiency as a potential cause of twitching and after doing my research, I’m willing to bet it’s the culprit for quite a few in this sub.
First, I’m a 42/M who is pretty healthy and in good shape. I was previously in the military and after getting out, I didn’t go to the doctor for quite some time. In 2018 I finally went and she ordered me a full battery of tests including ferritin. My level in 2018 was 222 on a scale of 38-330 per quest labs.
I went for an annual checkup like clockwork after that and got my usual bloodwork but it wasn’t nearly as in depth. Just the usual cholesterol, cbc, etc. Never ferritin.
At the start of last year, I really ramped up my fitness routine. Started doing intermittent fasts, started much more intense workouts, began eating basically one healthy meal a day at dinner and just a protein/fruit smoothie for breakfast. No lunch. Cutout all processed foods and sugar. Drank nothing but water.
I also had a colonoscopy with 3 polyps removed in July and the doc told me to avoid red meat and processed meat so I cut back on red meat especially as I really didn’t eat any processed foods any more.
My twitching started in late Novembeearly December. It was just in my triceps initially and I thought it was related to lifting weights so I wasn’t worried. It began to spread to other spots but it was fasciculations rather than individual twitches usually. I had been eating bad around the holidays so when Jan 1 came around, I really ramped up my diet and exercise routine. A couple weeks later, my twitching got horrible and that’s when I went down the rabbit hole. Of course Google had me convinced I had ALS within about 5 minutes. By mid February I went to see my PCP because I was freaking out and she tested my blood for everything. My numbers were terrific, except for ferritin. It was at 10 on a scale of 38-330. She said low ferritin/iron can definitely cause this and got me on iron supplements. It’s been extremely slow going but I’ve seen consistent, yet small improvements, to the point I no longer fear ALS and am convinced it was the iron. I just got my ferritin retested yesterday and it’s now at 38 just barely back within normal ranges. I now twitch maybe a couple times a day but they’re so light I can hardly notice. And I haven’t had an actual fasciculation in weeks. At my worst, I was twitching all over, probably 30 times an hour and had probably about a dozen fasciculations per day.
Looking back it all makes sense. My extreme dieting and exercise slowly depleted my iron stores and the result was my twitching. It only intensified after Jan 1 when I really ramped up my diet and exercise, which only made the twitching worse since my iron levels were getting even more depleted.
Also, I recently listened to an “ask me anything” on Peter Attia’s podcast dedicated exclusively to iron and it was eye opening. He said that of the trillions of chemical reactions occurring constantly in the body, roughly 8% need optimal iron levels to function properly. He also mentioned we only absorb about 10 percent of the iron we consume. It was very insightful.
I’m willing to bet many of you have low ferritin/iron and don’t even know it. Iron is just not typically discussed as a cause here like electrolytes, vitamins and minerals are.
I’m sure this isn’t the answer for everyone, but if it even helps a couple of you now, or even years from now if somebody happens to read this, then it has served its purpose.
I pray for answers for all of you soon and I also pray for a breakthrough in ALS because it’s such an awful disease. Hoping for the best for all of you in your health journey!

I went to the doctor in January for a blood panel because I’d been dealing with fatigue and weakness that just seemed excessive even with a 6 month old. Got the bloodwork done and they called me back and said to just up my vitamin D.
I went back to the doctor today because I’ve been now also having shortness of breath, as I’ve been training for a half marathon, and I really am having a hard time with that and still feeling weak. I saw a different doc than my regular one and he went over my labs from January and said I am iron deficient anemic. So much so that they couldn’t even detect iron in my blood, my stores are depleted, and my hemoglobin is pretty low.
I’m just annoyed because this all should have been done months ago!
Here are the stats that were flagged from my blood panel:
Iron <10 ug/dL TIBC 447 Transferrin 319.55 mg/dL Ferritin 6.2 ng/ml Vitamin b12 234 pg/ml
Hemoglobin 10.2 g/dl Hematocrit 32% MCV 73 fl RDW 16.6% MCH 23pg
Came home and took an iron supplement and feel like I could completely crash. I feel sick to my stomach and am now understanding why he talked about an IV infusion of iron.

I was wondering if it was possible for fungi to deplete a human, or other animals for that matter, of their vitamins and minerals? It’s logical that a fungus causes a lot of problems.
I have had some panels done such as iron and B12 indicating a ferritin of less than 30ug/L and low serum B12. I have big red blood cells. I have tried everything to get them up with supplements, nutrition and treating underlying issues like fissures and hemorrhoids.
I am aware that not everyone is a doctor here lol I simply wanted your opinion on this.
I will be leaving my moldy environment in July.

In the past I’ve steered clear of antibiotics and been very careful with my gut health, incorporating a lot of fermented foods and gut healing foods like bone broth.
I know antibiotics are controversial but Ray Peat had spoken in favour of them if used properly, he has also mentioned that ALL gut bacteria including the “good” ones create endotoxins therefore they aren’t all that “good”, I’ve also heard mentioned that a sterile gut is what he considered to be ideal.
Now I’m not onboard with going as extreme as a sterile gut, also the risks of your gut being repopulated with “ bad” bacteria are much more likely than the “ good” bacteria so I see the benefit of incorporating some probiotic foods to make sure bad bacteria is crowded out.
I was in a bad way with some horrendous symptoms and somebody mentioned gut dysbiosis, I also considered the possibility of a low grade infection going on somewhere in my body so I’ve decided to take doxycycline which seemed to be the better of the antibiotics and a less nuclear option, one day into taking it I feel really good actually and definitely some improvement - this obviously could be for a host of reasons placebo, the blocking of cortisol and inflammation from the medication OR it could have actually of treated my issue.
Even though 100mg of doxycycline isn’t dreadful as far as antibiotics go it is still gonna wipe out my gut, what precautions would you take to ensure it doesn’t affect me badly at all?
I know a lot of people taking probiotic pills, I don’t trust these and again isn’t that like anti Peat? I’m taking vitamin K and thiamine which are supposedly depleted by antibiotics, I was a massive supplement junkie and I’d rather not take anymore these supplements do make sense though however.
So what things do you think I should incorporate? Fermented food after my course? Or maybe it’s best to avoid that? I’m really not sure, the only thing I can think of is bone broth and plenty of gelatin/collagen to protect my gut lining.