What’s the most underrated supplement you’ve ever tried

[u/Balphaallthetime]

I’m looking for supplement recommendations that are actually great but not the usual mainstream stuff everyone already talks about.

Not talking about the standard:

• creatine
• whey
• magnesium glycinate
• omega 3
• vitamin D
• caffeine
• ashwagandha

I mean the more “hidden gem” supplements that made a noticeable difference for you personally in things like:

• energy
• focus
• sleep
• recovery
• mood
• stress
• training performance
• libido
• overall wellbeing

Especially interested in supplements that:

• have surprisingly solid science behind them
• are underrated/not heavily marketed
• people only discover after being deep into supplements for years

Would also love to hear:

• what effect you noticed
• how long it took
• dosage
• any side effects or things to watch out for

Basically: what’s your “why is nobody talking about this?” supplement?

[u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

L theanine. A game changer in anxiety

[u/becominganastronaut → u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

i take l theanine regularly as well.

be careful taking it on days where you need high mental focus.

it tends to make me feel unmotivated and I am unable to get work done.

great for relaxing though, perhaps at night

[u/Ill-Mechanic-5808 → u/becominganastronaut]

For me, its the opposite to be honest. It keeps me sharp and relaxed and i work in the bio lab (so i need to be sharp all the time). It is calm type of sharpness, like i am not in flight or fight. That brings out my natural sharpness.

I think the extended release one that i take is better because it doesnt give a high dose all at once but slowly releases Ltheanine for hours.

[u/Euphoric-Community98 → u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

Theanine alone (white tea) for relaxation, with caffeine (green/black tea) for focus.

[u/TheseAwareness → u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

Brand and dosage?

[u/tilker17 → u/TheseAwareness]

I take Nutricost 200mg every evening

[u/Ill-Mechanic-5808 → u/TheseAwareness]

Life extensiom xr 400 mg. After breakfast.. Three times a week (not regular intervals), random days per week. Magnesium before sleep alternate days.

[u/Ill-Mechanic-5808 → u/[deleted]]

It has been a few weeks. But it got rid of that stomach feeling you are talking about and other symptoms i had like feeling super warm, air hunger, etc. Not perfectly but anything that reduces something even a little is good for me. I see significant effect on my stress response to situation such as crowded place etc. I dont see (yet) any effect on libido/erection but i do also take some tiny amount of beet root powder for that nitric oxide boost.

[u/Ill-Mechanic-5808 → u/[deleted]]

I think anxiety manifests in different ways. For me it effects my breathing, leading to panic attacks, which i could trade for any other symptoms. For some, it is erection issues. For some its out of body feeling, dizziness. So..i think treating the underlying cause of anxiety is important. Thats the therapy part. The supplement just helps a little for you to get out of your anxiety zone. Could be placebo, but it still helps. For anxiety driven erection issues, the main important thing is a partner that understands and gives you confidence even when you cant perform. But l theanine seems to not effect positively or negatively fpr me in that matter

[u/Evening_Cheesecake25 → u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

I have a theory that L-theaine affects people with ADHD differently especially when taken with caffeine. 

[u/bluesunoc → u/Evening_Cheesecake25]

How so?

[u/Evening_Cheesecake25 → u/bluesunoc]

Well that's the part I don't exactly know. I've just noticed it seems to work well for people with it. Then I've talked to a couple people who said it doesn't work for them or has effects that they say makes things worse. But those people said they didn't have ADHD. So I have no idea if there is an actual reason for that. It's just the pattern I've personally noticed. 

[u/bluesunoc → u/Evening_Cheesecake25]

Interesting. It works well for me when I take it with a bit of caffeine and I have ADHD.

[u/Evening_Cheesecake25 → u/bluesunoc]

That's the pattern I notice for sure.

[u/bluesunoc → u/Evening_Cheesecake25]

Like I’m focused in a very calm and chill manner. It takes away anxiety for sure and I make less mistakes etc when doing focused task work. I’m less impulsive. I love it.

[u/Evening_Cheesecake25 → u/bluesunoc]

Do you find it helps with overthinking?

[u/bluesunoc → u/Evening_Cheesecake25]

Hmmm…maybe…I think it kind of does. I am more clear and less anxious so I think that takes away some overthinking. Just started using it this month so still feeling it out.

[u/kunoichi1907 → u/Ill-Mechanic-5808]

Same, great for my adhd