Rapamycin Cost

Let me clear some things up for people considering rapamycin (generic sirolimus).  I am taking it and so are my dogs!!  (I have a very open-minded vet who trusts my judgement.)

Dr. Green, a very impressive individual, gave me my personal prescription for sirolimus.  I have a very good PPO (Blue Cross/Blue Shield).  I took it to CVS, the affiliated pharmacy, and got a great price of about $2.90/mg.  (Remember, you are only going to take about 3-6 mg/week.)  With a PPO you can probably do this also.  CVS wants to meter it to you with a month's worth of doses at a time, but that's just how they do things.  You still have access to the full quantity prescribed. 

With the prescription from my vet for my dogs, I was forced to take to the open sea.  Armed with only a prescription and no insurance, the picture is quite different, but you can still get a good price.  Cutting to the chase, I ended up at Walmart.  The prescription was for 90 mg - price $1440.  But wait! after presenting a coupon downloaded from GoodRX (that's right, just anonymously downloaded and printed) - price $396!!!!  As my vet remarked, that's a hell of a charge for not looking around first!  ($4.40/mg is better than taking a risk buying online, in my opinion.)  Costco is pretty close to that price.  At CVS/RiteAid, etc., you will pay vastly more.

You can't touch the original drug rapamune (Pfizer) unless you are wealthy or go to Canada.  The problem with the online pharmacies is that a lot of them are scams.  Just because they have a website doesn't mean anything.  At least check to see if they have a brick and mortar location.  Example: At one point I was excited by the online infomercials and wanted to take NMN instead of NR; however, when I looked up the reputations of the suppliers only one was unsullied, and on further investigation their brick and mortar location turned out to be a residential dwelling!

FYI, more than one company makes sirolimus.  From CVS the sirolimus was made by Greenstone, LLC, apparently a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer.

Hope that helps some people who are considering rapamycin but think it might be out of their reach.  If you know a doctor, great, but if you don't a visit to Dr. Green is worth the trip, and I live in CA!  (round trip less than $300)  Do your homework first and you will learn a great deal.

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  • Update:

    The aggressive Rapa cream is working great on my Hands, Arms and the non DMSO product is helping on the face, but not as fast, as expected. Looks like even hard solar keratosis is going to be healed within 2-3 months, which is better than Retin A which I tried for 5 years!

    Took the Fisetin, did not get any reactions, but have been on Resveratrol for a couple years, did up to 5 day water fasting, so that probably already took care of those old cells.

    Taking the Rapa weekly, feeling OK, some up and down days as usual, but need to increase weight lifting again....to minimize sarcopenia.

    Like 1
      • Michael
      • Michael.1
      • 3 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Steve Olsen BEAUTIFUL! Glad to hear you're having such nice results.

      Like
  • I wanted to post an update from my original post here:

    https://forum.age-reversal.net/t/63jmdc?r=m1hmzzm

    I have been taking weekly Rapamycin for 3 months now and I am very satisfied with what it is doing for me and how it makes me feel.  In general, my weekly dose of Rap helps me get a much better night of sleep, it evens out the peaks and troughs of energy for me throughout the day (no cat naps needed anymore), more endurance of energy into the evening, better recovery after strenuous work or exercise, increase in mental sharpness/clarity, and an increase in motivation to get things done (daily tasks, projects, etc.)

    First task was to determine my ideal dose, so I started with 5mg per week, and increased this 1mg at a time each week, I did this up through 13 mg... I weigh 79 kg so this peak dose is 0.165 mg/kg below the max of 0.2 mg/kg I was willing to push it... each week I would look for the side effects listed in the 2014 Manick paper, I never did get mouth ulcerations but at 9mg and higher I would get a headache a few hours after taking the weekly dose (I rarely get headaches)... headaches and mouth ulceration are the most frequent side effects listed by Manick... Now I have settled on 7 mg per week (0.088 mg/kg) and may go to 8mg, and no side effects are occurring, except for one...

    I found that the weekly Rap was increasing my blood pressure, this is a result found in several studies (seems that almost 40% have experienced this)... my usual blood pressure is 125/82, but with the weekly dose it got as high as 150/90, enough of a concern for me to stop taking Rap for a week to see if my BP would return to normal, which it did.  Further research seems to indicate that over the first 6 months to a 1 year BP will return to normal for most.  I am monitoring my BP a few times per week, and willing to take the next year to see if it returns to my normal levels, the benefits of Rap are worth it as far as I am concerned!  When I went off the Rap for a week I could really feel the difference of not having it, if you are taking Rap now take a week off and see how it makes you feel not to have it.  I would say it took about 2 months for me to start noticing the benefits of the weekly Rap.

    I also made some Rap skin lotion to treat my face and hands (on Dr. Green's website he gives instructions on how to do this)...  Face for age spots and wrinkles, hands for sun/age spot.  I mixed up a 0.002% and 0.02% mixture and use the 0.002% 4 times a week or so as an after shave, and the 0.02% 2 or 3 times per week for trouble spots... I have been doing this for a few months and I can see a difference in some wrinkles smoothing out, and the age/sun spots lightening... I will continue to apply the lotions over the next year and monitor results.

    Thanks to everyone for sharing their Rap experiences and insights.    

    Like 8
    • Peregrinatum Thats great to hear, thanks for sharing your experience. I too can feel a noticeable difference when I take my weekly dose. But I hear from many that feel absolutely nothing, that is very shocking to me. Let me ask you this, do you also feel something when taking a round of senolytics? I respond to those also yet alot of people say they feel nothing from those also. I took a break like you mentioned and definitely noticed a difference. I will be taking this for life for sure. I am so glad I decided to try it.

      Like 1
    • Fred Cloud I have never taken senolytics outside of quercetin, and it didn't give me the same effect as Rap does...  It could be that people who experience no/little benefit are not taking enough Rap and not over a long enough period of time... I followed the procedure outline by Van (from the Blagosklonny papers) to find the Goldilocks dose for me... Blogosklonny believes that any unwanted side effects from these low weekly doses (up to 0.2 mg/kg) are reversible... that is what I found in my case as well.  Glad to hear Rap is working well for you, I have tried many different therapies/supplements/diets/exercise to feel better during ageing... nothing has come close to the benefits of Rap.

      Like 2
      • Van
      • Van
      • 3 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Peregrinatum I wanted to take a moment and update everyone on the latest from Dr. Blagosklonny and Dr. Green concerning Rapa and other drugs and treatments.

      Dr. B is out with his latest recommendations about the drugs that actually work and those that do not for longevity purposes. For the first time he has actually named those that do not work, or lack of evidence. See Life Extension PDF attached. The following cite is from Dr. Green's website dealing with Senolytics to clear out "zombie cells" as recommended by Dr. B in his latest paper. Now he is recommending to take only Fistein 2000 mg and Dasatinib 100 mg. Every 2 weeks, 2 consecutive days once a month, and for younger people once/twice every 3 months. https://senolyticstreatment.com/ No other Senolytics were recommended at this time.

      Many people have asked how to measure if Rapa and all of the other treatments are working.  It is quite simple, take a blood/urine test measuring certain things in your  blood and urine and then taking the appropriate treatment.  I will post my own personal tests I use to measure my progress on reducing weight, insulin resistance, CR, reducing inflammation and plaque in vital organs, etc. in the next day or two.   Also, you can use the Longevity Advantage calculator(https://www.longevityadvantage.com/mortality-score-and-phenotypic-age-calculator/ to determine what your biological age is vs chronological age.  This is very accurate and valid and has been proven in the following paper Phenotypic Age thru many 1,000's of people.  Do you have the blood profile of a young person or not and how young.  It list all of the normal blood tests that you can have your doctor to prescribe on your next visit or pay for yourself.  As always open for discussion.

      • Van
      • Van
      • 3 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Van 

      [13:42, 2/4/2021] Van: MICROALBUMIN/CREATINE RATIO  URINALYSIS = KIDNEY HEALTH

      HERE ARE THE BLOOD TEST I RECOMMEND,  IF YOU GET THESE 9 TESTS YOU CAN PLUG THEM INTO THE PHENOTYPE FORMULA TO GET YOUR BIOLOGICAL AGE VS CHRONICAL AGE.  THESE PHENOTYPE TEST ARE VERY ACCURATE AND HAVE BEEN PROVEN IN MANY TRIALS.  IT ALSO TELLS YOU WHAT KIND OF PROGRESS YOUR MAKING ON YOU LONGEVITY JOURNEY.

      AlbumiN
      Creatinine
      Glucose
      C-reac Protein
      Lympocyte
      Mean Cell Volume
      Red Cell Dist Width
      Alkaline Phosphatase
      White Blood Cells

      REGULAR BLOOD TEST

      FASTING GLUCOSE

      HbA1c

      LIVER ENZYMES
      LIPIDS
      CBC
      PSA
       ALL OF THESE TEST ARE REGULAR BLOOD TEST THAT ARE USED EVERYDAY.  YOU SHOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM GETTING DOCTOR TO WRITE AN ORDER.

       I take the following at this moment.   Rapa 10 mg. weekly, Metformin 2,000 mg. daily,(glucose control) Crestor 5 mg daily,(lower inflammation throughout the body) Linsopril 10 mg. daily,(lower B/P) B12 1000 mcg daily, B Complex vitamin, K2 daily,(these are to increase production of red blood cells for stamina) Doxazosina Neo 4 mg. x twice daily, Desmopressin .2mg. once daily (both for BPH symptoms), Dasatinib 100 mg + 2000 mg Fisetin one round every 2 weeks. (clear out senescent cells.)  Almost everything here can be measured in blood/urine test to find out if you even need the drugs and how much you need.  I have decreased my use of linsopril by half due to loss of weight.  When I get a chance I will drop or reduce the dosage of drugs. 
       CIMT to measure cartoid artery plaque, yearly.  CT/Angiogram every 5 years to directly measure plaque in the heart muscle and the arteries that feed it.  If you have below average plaque in carotid,  heart muscle, and kidneys then do not need a statin or Metformin which both control inflammation which cause plaque build up in all these organs and throughout the body.

      Like 3
    • Van Thanks for posting this.  btw, what do you mean "every 2 weeks... once a month" which is it, every 2 weeks or once a month?

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 3 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Fred Cloud Fred Cloud If you read Dr Greens 1st paragraph, the schedule is dependent on age.  At 79 yo, Dr Green does ever 2 weeks, maybe at 65 yo, you do every month, every 3 months if young.  The zombie cells build up faster the older you are.

      Like 1
    • Van where are you sourcing the Fistein and Dasatinib? I tried alldaychemist and that was a no go...

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Peregrinatum Fistein is easy to get online.  Also, best and cheapest place to buy it.  Powder is best.  Make sure it is 99% Fistein, others are selling the 50%.   Just weigh out 2,000 mg.  Dasatinib is more difficult.  I ordered my from China.  It is only 100 mg per dose, so 1 gram = 10 doses.  Order 5-10 grams powder.  This little bit of powder is easy to get thru Customs.  Order form company on Alibaba.  Alibaba guarantees, you will get what you pay for.  COA should come with it.

      Like 1
    • Van Thanks brother... any special instructions on taking the powder dosages, such as with fat or with food?

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Peregrinatum I have added Vitamin C, 1,000 mg for bioavailability.  Dr. Green and others have recommended it.

      Like
    • Van
    • Van
    • 3 yrs ago
    • Reported - view

    This is a new protocol of NAD replacement therapy especially for people over 65 yo. I believe this one will really work and is not expensive to try. 2-4 weeks, and should feel better, and have more endurance. How does this relate to Rapa? Well Rapa slows down NAD degeneration, but cannot replace it. I feel very good about the science behind this one. Dr. Green's senescence protocol is different, and should still be followed. Clear out those zombie's and replace NAD for increased well being and endurance. Only time will tell, but I will start tomorrow on mine and will give feedback. See Post #1739 https://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/94224-manipulating-mitochondrial-dynamics/page-58

    Like 2
    • Van Thanks for posting. I have been looking at this for a while but never tried it. I dont know who that Turnbuckle guy is but he is on a different level with what he comes up with. Here is the direct link to the post.

      https://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/94224-manipulating-mitochondrial-dynamics/page-58#entry903440

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 3 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Fred Cloud If you are over 60 you probably have noticed a drop in energy, endurance and fatigue.  It is an treatment to increase NAD levels lost in aging, but not a rip off like Chromadex, Sinclair and others.  In my mind, his protocol is worth trying and does not cost that much.  Should see results in 2-4 weeks.

      Like 2
  • Greetings folks, very occasional and intermittent lurker, first time poster.

     

    I finally decided to pull the trigger on rapamycin powder, and now when I go to Alibaba there are zero hits for it or sirolimus. Wondering if it was a US thing, I opened a new private browser window and set my shipping destination to Mexico. Still no luck. Anyone else seen/is aware of this and no the reason? Is it still possible to source rapamycin powder?

     

    Suggestions welcome. Thanks!

    Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Liam_Cohen Are you going to Alibaba.com

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Van Search for Sirolimus.

      Like
    • Van Yes, Alibaba.com. Zero hits for rapamycin, sirolimus, or even ivermectin. They are all in the auto-complete of the search bar, but come up empty like the results are being filtered.

      Also, L-citrullene and aspirin get hits, so it's not like the entire site is acting down. My guess is it's filtering on US-based IP addresses.

      Have you checked? You're in Spain?

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view
    • Van Yep, comes up no matches. I even changed ship-to country to Spain. No luck. Gotta be filtering on country-level IP addresses.

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Liam_Cohen 

      Like
      • Van
      • Van
      • 2 yrs ago
      • Reported - view

      Van Did you hit the link I sent you?  The link shows shipping to US., and search rapamycin.  Also try a VPN

      Like
    • Van Yes, that screen cap is what comes up when I click on it.

      If they show they'll ship to US, it must be Alibaba filtering results. I bet you're right, a VPN would work. Thx.

      Like
    • Liam_Cohen I get the same screen you do.

      Like
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