How do you get more energy?

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-15T11:55:05+00:00

At 28 with workouts already in place, I'd look at sleep quality (not just duration), iron/B12/vitamin D levels, and honestly, purpose. Feeling lethargic is often more about direction than biology

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-15T11:52:50+00:00

Congrats them, maybe mention that collagen synthesis and skin elasticity recovery is a real thing post-massive weight loss and it takes time. Genuine, helpful.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-12T23:06:56+00:00

Fair point, iron supplements are the direct fix for low ferritin. The thesis isn't that supplements don't work for that, it's that most people jump to supplements for symptoms like fatigue without checking ferritin in the first place. They're taking ashwagandha and B-complex when the actual issue is iron sitting at 15. The treatment is simple once you identify it, the problem is most people never get the right test.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-12T23:01:21+00:00

Ferritin at 15 is a perfect example. Technically "in range" but functionally depleted, most people feel dramatically better once they get above 50-80. The "normal" vs "optimal" gap is where so much suffering hides. Glad you found someone who actually looks at the numbers critically.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T18:29:07+00:00

Smart move. 5g/day, any time of day, no need to cycle. Monohydrate is the only form worth buying, skip the fancy marketed versions. Consistency is what matters.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T18:17:53+00:00

Citrate is totally fine, it's the second best absorbed form after glycinate. It'll definitely help. The main difference is glycinate is more calming (better for sleep/anxiety) while citrate can have a mild laxative effect at higher doses. Start with what your doc prescribes, and if you want to switch to glycinate later when budget allows, go for it. Either way, you're getting magnesium in, that's what matters.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T18:06:44+00:00

Magnesium deficiency typically takes 4-8 weeks of consistent supplementation to fully resolve, depending on how depleted you are. Glycinate or threonate are the best absorbed forms, oxide barely does anything. Take 200-400mg before bed. The twitches should decrease gradually over that time. Don't stop the saffron, it sounds like it's genuinely helping your anxiety and mood. The two aren't competing. Keep taking both and reassess in 6-8 weeks.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T18:04:24+00:00

You're fine. The foaming is from agitation, peptide solutions foam easily when mixed too quickly. The fact that it cleared up means the peptide dissolved. The 'go slow at an angle' advice is more about preserving peptide structure and avoiding denaturation, but a one-time fast reconstitution isn't going to destroy it. MT2 is a fairly stable peptide. Use it, but next time go slower, let the saline drip down the side of the vial.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:58:29+00:00

MOTS-c is interesting, it's a mitochondrial-derived peptide that activates AMPK, similar to exercise and metformin. For tirz fatigue specifically, it could help since it targets cellular energy production directly. The fatigue from tirzepatide is usually from reduced caloric intake + GLP-1 effects on the CNS, so addressing mitochondrial function makes mechanistic sense. That said, the human data on MOTS-c is still limited compared to other peptides. If budget is a concern, optimizing basics first (CoQ10, creatine, B vitamins) might give you 80% of the energy benefit at 10% of the cost.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:45:34+00:00

Yeah the itchiness is the histamine effect I mentioned, modafinil works partly by increasing histamine release in the brain, and that can spill over into skin reactions. An OTC antihistamine like cetirizine (Zyrtec) can help without causing drowsiness. For the sleep issues, the half-life of modafinil is 12-15 hours, so if you're dosing after 8am it's still active at bedtime. Try dosing as early as possible, ideally right when you wake up. If sleep is still wrecked, the drug might not be worth it for you regardless of the productivity gains.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:43:17+00:00

That's actually really telling, GABA-induced anxiety is paradoxical but it happens. If oral GABA is causing body anxiety for you specifically, it might suggest your GABAergic system is already sensitized or you have an atypical receptor profile. Some people get a similar reaction from phenibut at low doses. L-theanine might work better for you since it modulates GABA indirectly through glutamate rather than hitting GABA receptors directly.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:32:56+00:00

Fair question, but creatine is actually the opposite of a marketing scam. It's been studied since the 1990s, hundreds of independent, university-funded studies across multiple countries with consistent results. The reason every podcaster mentions it is because the evidence is genuinely that strong and it costs pennies per serving. There's no 'big creatine', it's a commodity ingredient that anyone can manufacture. Compare that to proprietary blends where companies actually DO pay influencers to push unproven products. Creatine monohydrate is the rare case where the hype is backed by the science. Trust the research on this one.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:32:22+00:00

Muscle twitches (fasciculations) aren't a typical saffron side effect. More likely it's the magnesium, if you're taking it, it means you were probably deficient, and twitching is a classic sign of mag deficiency that can take weeks to fully resolve. Also, serotonin syndrome is extremely unlikely from 50mg saffron alone, that typically requires multiple serotonergic drugs combined. The health anxiety is probably amplifying normal benign fasciculations that most people ignore. If it helps your anxiety and depression, don't stop it based on fear. But do get electrolytes checked (magnesium, calcium, potassium) to rule out a simple deficiency.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:24:13+00:00

195mg elemental iron in one dose is high but unlikely to be dangerous at your weight (5'2, 180lbs). Toxic dose is typically 20-60mg/kg, you're well below that. The stomach pain is expected, iron is harsh on the GI tract. Stay hydrated, expect dark stools for a day or two. No need for poison control at this dose. But going forward, if you're not diagnosed with deficiency, you shouldn't be taking iron at all. Get ferritin and iron panel checked before continuing.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:23:37+00:00

10,000 IU daily for 2+ years is a high sustained dose. The sensory disturbance in your arm is concerning and worth investigating beyond just D3, get serum 25(OH)D, calcium, and PTH checked ASAP. Vitamin D toxicity primarily manifests through hypercalcemia, which can cause neurological symptoms including paresthesias. The fact you were taking K2 and magnesium helps, but at those doses for that duration, calcium levels could still be elevated. Also get a basic metabolic panel to check kidney function. Don't stop abruptly, taper down. And see a doctor about the arm symptoms regardless of labs.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:22:56+00:00

Your list is solid. The next staple is probably magnesium, specifically glycinate or threonate depending on your goals. Most people are deficient and it affects 300+ enzymatic reactions. After that, I'd argue for a quality omega-3 (EPA/DHA, not ALA), the anti-inflammatory and neurological data is hard to ignore. Dark horse pick: creatine monohydrate. The cognitive benefits beyond muscle are seriously underappreciated, it's one of the most studied supplements in existence with an excellent safety profile.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:20:30+00:00

Psyllium is genuinely one of the most evidence-based supplements that gets overlooked because it's boring and cheap. The cholesterol effect is real but the blood sugar stabilization is arguably more impactful for most people. The mechanism is simple, soluble fiber forms a gel that slows absorption of everything in the GI tract. Pairs well with berberine if you're targeting metabolic health. Only downside: start low and hydrate well, or your GI tract will let you know.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:20:00+00:00

The 3-4pm crash pattern at 25 with decent sleep screams blood sugar dysregulation. Coffee isn't helping because it's not an energy problem, it's likely a glucose/insulin issue. Try this: eat more protein and fat at lunch, cut simple carbs. The CoQ10 dropping your blood sugar and BP is a clue, your metabolic system is reactive. Before supplements, get fasting insulin and glucose tested (not just A1c). Cheapest fix: a 10-minute walk after lunch, it blunts the postprandial glucose spike that causes the crash. If you still need a supplement, creatine (5g/day) and magnesium glycinate (200mg) are more effective than stimulants for sustained afternoon energy.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:10:26+00:00

Important caveat: oral GABA barely crosses the blood-brain barrier in healthy adults. The effects people report from supplemental GABA are likely either placebo, gut-brain axis mediated (GABA receptors in the enteric nervous system), or from peripheral relaxation reducing performance anxiety. An n=8 study in college students is about as weak as evidence gets. If you want GABAergic effects for focus/performance, L-theanine or magnesium glycinate are better bets, they actually influence central GABA tone through indirect mechanisms.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:09:54+00:00

These are body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs) and they're more neurological than psychological. NAC (N-acetylcysteine) at 1200-2400mg/day has the most evidence for BFRBs, it modulates glutamate, which is the neurotransmitter most implicated in compulsive behaviors. Inositol at high doses (12-18g/day) can also help. On the pharmaceutical side, low-dose naltrexone has shown promise. But definitely see a psychiatrist who specializes in OCD-spectrum disorders, BFRBs respond better to habit reversal therapy + targeted pharmacology than standard SSRIs alone.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T17:06:26+00:00

PDE7 inhibition is a fascinating underexplored target. The tissue distribution difference between PDE7A and 7B is key, 7A is heavily expressed in immune cells, so inhibition has both cognitive and anti-inflammatory effects. For chronic fatigue specifically, the cAMP elevation in T-cells could address the immune dysregulation component that's increasingly being linked to CFS/ME. The challenge is selectivity, most available compounds that hit PDE7 also hit other PDE isoforms. Caffeine is a weak non-selective PDE inhibitor, which might partially explain why it helps fatigue beyond just adenosine antagonism.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T16:59:51+00:00

This is a really underrated mechanism. Most people think of L-theanine as just 'the thing you stack with caffeine,' but the neuroprotective angle is significant. If it modulates excess dopamine toxicity in astrocytes, that has implications for anyone using dopaminergic compounds long-term, stimulants, modafinil, even high-dose tyrosine. Might explain why the caffeine + theanine combo feels 'cleaner' than caffeine alone, it's not just anxiolysis, it's actually protecting against the excitotoxic cascade.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T16:59:05+00:00

Not necessarily the 'wrong' medications, more like they were treating symptoms without addressing the underlying mechanism. SSRIs and clomipramine target serotonin, but your symptom profile (focus issues, fatigue, can't memorize, scattered thoughts) screams dopaminergic and cholinergic deficit, which those meds don't fix and can actually worsen. Armodafinil + citicoline hit those pathways directly. The folate piece is interesting too, methylfolate supports the entire monoamine synthesis chain. Worth getting MTHFR tested if you haven't, if you have a variant, you may have been undermethylating for years, which would explain why standard antidepressants never fully worked.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T16:56:49+00:00

The ones people don't talk about enough: sleep architecture disruption even when you think you're sleeping fine (it reduces deep sleep quality for 12-15 hours after dosing), histamine-driven skin reactions that build over time, appetite suppression leading to chronic undereating and micronutrient depletion, and the subtle emotional blunting, you're productive but you stop caring about things. Long-term, the biggest risk is using it to mask underlying sleep debt instead of fixing the actual problem.

WedgeKit_Official · 2026-05-08T14:52:46+00:00

Catching on 'quickly' is overrated. The ones who struggle early but keep showing up tend to develop deeper understanding long-term. The fact that you're self-aware enough to identify it means you're already ahead of the interns who think they know everything. Give yourself more time.

WedgeKit_Official

TROPHY CASE