Vitamin C Flush

Gittit Shwartz · 05-30-2008, 10:34 AM

Has anyone on here done a vitamin C flush, or have an opinion on methods/effectiveness of the protocol? (wfs)
I got sick with mononucleosis in March. My friend who had it bad several years ago, said doing a vitamin C flush helped him get better. I read claims of it being practically a cure-all - supposedly it can help clear out viral infections, treat cancer, repair collagen... There's also a story about Charles Poliquin getting bitten by a brown recluse spider and treating himself with IV megadoses of vitamin C in a hyperbaric chamber.
The protocol is basically taking a few grams of Vit. C dissolved in water every 15 minutes until bowel tolerance is exceeded. By keeping track of your doses you find out your current level of need for Vitamin C. They recommend repeating the "calibration" once a week.
Since it seems there are absolutely no adverse effects (besides bowel discomfort and diarrhea), I'm planning to try it soon.

Garrett Smith · 05-30-2008, 11:07 AM

I see nothing wrong with black-boxing it.

Mike ODonnell · 05-30-2008, 12:33 PM

I've heard the claims of high dose Vit C for health benefits......like Dr G said, try it and see what happens....as it's water soluble the worse thing that can happen is you pee out (one way or another) $10 worth in a week. I'm not sure people need to always do something like that....but heavy dose cycling once in a while may provide benefits esp during periods of excessive training. Vit C does help control cortisol....so I always like it pre/pwo and before bed.

John Alston · 05-30-2008, 01:34 PM

Heavy doses of the C before bed tends to keep me awake. As does Mg at nearly any level.

Garrett Smith · 05-30-2008, 01:55 PM

I can't sleep with Mg before bed either. I take it in the AM.

Steven Low · 05-30-2008, 02:41 PM

Overall, the mega-dosing vitamin studies saw absolutely no benefits with Vit C or Vit E. I think it's mainly because the good sources where they can absorbed are fruits and vegeables while you get poor absorption with the mega doses because they're just the specific vitamin.

See if it works or not though. It really depends on the person in the end.

Gittit Shwartz · 06-24-2008, 09:12 PM

Update: I stalled a bit looking around for vitamin C powder, then Ido said it was OK to use tablets. Two things bothered me about the tabs: one, I didn't know what was going to happen to all the filler (calcium sulfate... I think that's CHALK), and two, the effect would be somewhat delayed. On Sunday I started taking 2g (4 X 500mg tablets) every 10 minutes. At 25g there was nothing and I had to leave for a few hours, thinking I'd have to abort the attempt, but 40 minutes later I started getting some serious diarrhea. Still not the "flush" effect so I resumed taking the tabs when I got home. Ended up at 40 grams that day, no flush.
It's hard to draw conclusions since there are too many unknown factors... I'm teaching Capoeira camp for my 6 year olds this week so I have to be up 4-5 hours before I would normally, naturally I don't feel "normal". I did notice I haven't had any trouble falling asleep since I did the flush. I even took ZMA before bed.
Conclusion: I will try this again, this time by the book.

Garrett Smith · 06-25-2008, 11:42 AM

Diarrhea after megadosing Vitamin C (synthetic isolated ascorbic acid, not the naturally-occurring vitamin C complex found in foods) is normal and to be expected once you have taken past your bowel tolerance (which changes based on one's current state of health).

I assumed that you knew about bowel tolerance of ascorbic acid, hence why you referred to it as a "flush". I typically refer to it as "taking Vitamin C To Bowel Tolerance" (TBT).

I have not heard of any reactions with ascorbic acid similar to what happens with high-dose niacin (the infamous "niacin flush", complete with pink/red skin, warmth, and itching).

Gittit Shwartz · 06-25-2008, 07:18 PM

Dr. G, I knew diarrhea was going to happen. The protocol says:
"continue... until you reach a watery stool or an enema-like
evacuation of liquid from the rectum. This is as if a quart or so of liquid is expressed from the rectum. CAUTION: Do not stop at loose stool." I didn't reach that point so I kept going.

Mike ODonnell · 06-25-2008, 07:45 PM

The best thing about any health claim with any supplements....if you feel nothing then it must be working! One wonders if just a juice fast with fruits and vegetables high in Vit C (better bioavailability vs pills) for a day would get better results...but then again....you never know it's working until you get sick or die. Hard to complain then....