Saw Palmetto and NAC (questions!)

MsBauer · 07-12-2006, 04:52 PM

Hello!

Having read great things about Saw Palmetto and excess hair growth I decided to give it a try. I've been taking it for 12 days and unfortunately it seems to be making the facial hair worse, and I seem to be growing hair in places I never did before (eg. my feet!?!).

I have quite a few questions I was hoping some of you could help me with:

What's the difference between the normal capsules and the 'standardized' capsules?
- I went to Holland & Barrett (health store) but couldn't find the recommended dosage of 160mg standardized to take twice a day, so in desperation, I bought a pack of non-standardized 450mg capsules, which I've been taking once a day for the last 12 days.
Would this be the reason for the hirstutism worsening? - and if it is, is the problem the fact that I need to reduce the 450mg dosage, or the fact that they capsules are non-standardized?

Also, I've read that it takes anything from 6 weeks to 6 months to notice any positive effects, but I've also read that if you notice any ill effects, you should stop taking it immediately.
So being that I've only given it 12 days so far, should I stick with it longer or would that definitely make things worse? I guess what I want to know from people who've had good results with Saw Palmetto is, did the symptoms got worse before they got better, or does worsening of symptoms mean it's definitely time to STOP using SP?

-To those of you who had to stop taking SP due to worsening symptoms, did your body go back to its previous state after you stopped taking it? Or are the new hairs it's triggered here to stay?

Finally a question to cysters who live in the UK; I've ordered 100 NAC 600mg capsules by a brand called 'NOW', from a website called myprotein.co.uk. They cost about £14.00 incl postage, I'm not sure about the quality, but given all the other supplements I have to buy, it was the best price I could find. I think it'll work out a bit expensive in the long run though, so I was wondering where you can buy good quality NAC capsules from in the UK? What brand do you buy? and how much does it cost?

Sorry to bombard you with so many questions! I'm desperate for a natural solution to the hirstutism and this is the only place where I can get first hand information and advice. Thanks so much in advance

mary1 · 07-13-2006, 05:17 PM

I would also like to find a natural remedy for my hirsutism and after doing a lot of research I decided to give saw palmetto a try. I have been taking it for 2 months now and it seems to me that the hair growth is starting to slow down a bit. I'll stick to it to see what will happen.What seems weird to me is that my skin has become oilier than it was before although I would have expected saw palmetto to help with oily skin as well.
Another side effect is that my breasts are very sore especially when I take my bra off and in the morning when I wake up. I don't know how safe it is to take it long term, whether it could cause breast cancer ( I have read many contradictory opinions about this) but I'm very desperate, so I decided to take it.
If anyone has experience with saw palmetto I would be happy if they shared it.

SilverFairy · 07-13-2006, 06:43 PM

From messing around with so many things for the last 5yrs I have noticed that when I keep up with taking a B complex every day... It calms down, Vitex and Flax seed oil helps a little also.. but I noticed the best with the B's... I am taking Saw palmetto again after trying it year's ago... and honestly I can't say i've noticed a big difference.. I mean I'm sure it's helping a little, but to tell you the truth when I tried it in the past I didn't see much of a change on it then either. NAC didn't do anything for me either. But every body is different in responding to things.. so giving it a shot probably isn't a bad thing.. if you don't like it.. Try something else.