NAC

[Linda196]

Lane I'm not sure for the reason, but WorldHealth.net says "People with diabetes mellitus and allergies to eggs, milk, or wheat should not take supplementary cysteine." I know in my past life, in ICU, when using high doses of NAC to treat acetaminophen poisoning, we were required to do hourly blood sugar and ketone tests on any diabetic patients, so there must be a link.

If considering using it in low (supplement) doses, be very aware of how it is sourced, since some of the primary sources are from products that present problems for many people with allergies, like dairy, eggs, nuts, shellfish and wheat.

[Nomad]

In my case, I am taking 600 units (one tablet). One of my doctors, a neurologist, is taking classes in Functional Medicine.  He asked me to take two tablets or 1200.  I have hesitated, but it seems many here are taking both tablets. He is adamant that two tablets are best for me overall.

[lane]

Linda....thanks for the information.    One can't simply start something without a full examination of all the possible consequences!  We all take so many meds and supplements ...AI patient   Is a full time job!  The prednisone that I am on temp. Raises the blood glucose so I must plan out food, pill taking ,etc.    I was checking out NAC for my husband, who has COPD.  His pulmonologist ok'd it, but you can't take it if you take blood thinners...my husband takes Coumadin and plavix.

[bluegardenia]

to thin the mucous secretion is the principal effect since decades

[irish]

I have a friend show has Sjogrens, COPD and Diabetes. She has been acutely ill many times in one year and almost died due to COPD and lung infections. Her pulmonary doc put her on NAC and a low maintenance dose of antibiotic.

The NAC thins her lung secretions--she has one lung that really would fill up with thick mucus--- and her cough is not nearly as bad. She has not been in the hospital since she started this regime. Irish

I remembered that I was using the NAC nasal irrigations to help clear the thick mucus out of my nasal passages. It worked well. However, I quit doing it as I was also on Levoquin nasal irrigations and it was to expensive.

[Carolina]

My otolaryngologist recommended NAC for hearing loss due to Meniere's Disease, in 2008. 

IN 2011 the hearing in my right ear, which had more loss than my left ear, returned to the same level as my left ear. 

Was this due to the NAC?  I don't know.  I don't care.  I continue to take it, of course.  It isn't hurting me, and perhaps it is helping with many things.

I am not diabetic.

Hugs,  Elaine

[Nomad]

Carolina...do you take the larger dosage of NAC...1200 ?

[Carolina]

Dear Nomad, off the top of my head I don't know how much NAC I take.  I checked and I take 1,000 mg a day.

I take generic Mucinex daily for thinning mucus.  I order it on line and take it at night.

AND I rinse with Simply Saline and spray with Nasocort (twice a day) to prevent post nasal drip.

It is a complex solution to a miserable problem.  But if I forget the Nasocort a couple of times I am choking all night.   

The sensation is of having something 'stuck' behind my nasal passages, it should come down, but it won't and I can't swallow properly.

I am struggling to swallow the thick blockage all night.  I finally get it down and then it just forms again.  Just writing about it here makes me feel like I can't swallow!

I didn't know NAC thinned mucus.  I just thought it did "something" to the problems of Meniere's.  Meniere's isn't fully understood.  Most of what we have isn't fully understood.

We just keep trying to help our problems, some life changing problems and some sort of 'annoying' problems.   They add up quickly to a way of life that becomes 'the new normal'.   But my spraying and rinsing and careful ordering and managing of my medications and supplements is how I manage to face each day.

Last night the temperature dropped outside and my humidifier ran out of water, so it was like the Sahara in my mouth this morning.  A small thing, but one of so many.

I also take an antihistamine day and night (day Zyrtec, night Benadryl)  And this helps with skin itching, congestion and many other symptoms.   

But I think the really important part is that we must all come to what works for us.  I keep re evaluating my medications, using the NIH site to go over the positives and negatives.

Recently I stopped taking Turmeric, to see if anything changed.  I can't see any change.  But I'll start it again later to see what happens when I re introduce it.

What amazed me is that I used Restasis for 8 years and when I stopped, nothing changed at all.  And Restasis is very expensive and was another 'routine' to go through, another drug to order and manage. 

I've started and stopped many things over my time.  But I've always taken a Salagen/Evoxac/generic without a doubt.  And the meds I take for my Coronary Artery Disease are decided upon by my Cardiologist.   I have to take an Iron supplement because without it my anemia returns.

Actually I have't tested the Iron/anemia thing in 7 years.  But my blood tests are always normal with two Iron supplement tablets a day, so I know I need it.

I take the copper supplement my Neurologist wants me to take, although I never knew I had a total deficiency of copper which is almost unheard of,  and nothing has improved/changed with the 10 mg of copper I've taken daily for over a year now.  So I have no idea about this. Maybe it will make a difference long term?  I have no clue.

The thing is that NO ONE I know does any of this, except my friends in this forum.  We are forced to find our way.  Thank goodness you are all here to keep me company.

Hugs,  Elaine

[irish]

I have to add that NAC is a very old drug that has been used for years. When I was in nurses training 50 years ago we would do Mucomist nebulizers on patients with COPD or other lung problems---cystic fibrosis is another disease treated with these nebs. It helps thin the thick mucus so it is more easily coughed up.

When in the liguid form used for nebs it smells something terrible., Not as bad as a skunk, but almost. I guess is left a bad taste in the patients mouth also. If you look it up on Wikipedia you will see a lot of info on it. Some of the stuff on this site is often open to discussion as we all know. However, I can vouch for the use in treating respiratory conditions. Irish