A few notes...
We'll break out the list of supplements and aids that we have found to be successful and supported in research by category. We've also researched the brands for quality, purity, and cost.
This is the result of testing 100's of different supplements and brands!
The categories are:
- Supplements for Perimenopause and Menopause
- Supplements for Histamines and Allergies
- Supplements for Anti-aging and Longevity
- Supplements for Sleep/Anxiety
- Supplements for Mental Health
- Supplements for Auto Immune
We'll be adding categories as we cover the research.
In general, we'll list the supplements in order of importance
There's lots of cross-over as certain supplements really target baseline pathways that have multiple effects. Plus, very few substances are safe, effective, and do not build tolerance so that limits options.
Also, we want supplements that won't trigger histamine response which goes against most of these goals below.
Full spectrum CBD is a perfect example which can trigger histamine response and has a completely different side effect profile than CBD isolate (our focus).
We found that out the hard way (see CBD full spectrum versus CBD isolate).
Let's get started!
Dre's Favorite Supplements for Perimenopause and Menopause:
There's no getting around hormones...they're just too powerful in every pathway of your body. Check out review on progesterone and estrogen.
- Progesterone directly drives immune balancing, GABA, sleep, and histamine control.
- Estrogen directly drives serotonin and growth cycles (opposite of atrophy).
Bioidentical is key! Estrace and Prometrium are two examples of bioidentical oral hormones. More research on oral bioidentical. Get levels tested! Find a good doctor/naturopath who understands how vital they are.
That being said...
Siberian Rhubarb- This stuff is awesome! I take it at night and immediately get a relaxed feeling from it. Manages the maintenance side of estrogen - very safe See our full review of Siberian Rhubarb. Purchase here
Pregnenolone- See our full review of Pregnonlone. The mother of all hormones!! You can order a test with Quest labs to check out your Pregnenolone levels. As we age, our levels drop Purchase here
Vitamin D- Make sure to check with your doctor on your levels before starting. D is very important in supporting hormone production and balance. Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
Magnesium Glycinate- I can't live without this supplement! I take it every day at nighttime for sleep. It's also great for migraines and stress. Mag threonate gets across blood brain barrier better but both are good. See our full review on Magnesium for peri and menopause Purchase here
Berberine - check out the review in terms of gut health (critical for inflammation) and hormone balance (PCOS, etc). All roads (pathways) lead to the gut! Full review here. Purchase here.
B-Complex- Getting on a good b complex is important for supporting your body through this very stressful time. Check MTRR/MTHFR gene status to see if methylated version is required. Purchase here Review here.
Choline- Game changer for me personally. I was forgetting appointments right before I took this supplement. My brain loved this stuff and don't forget to eat your eggs!! Full review on acetylcholine - key to dementia protection. Purchase here
Turmeric- This one is the all-around workhorse of supplements. Who doesn't love their turmeric? It decreases my anxiety! It's an adaptogenic that fine-tunes your body! It's great for the mind as well as the body. Purchase here
Fish Oil- Your endocannabinoids are made out of Omega's. Purchase here
DHEA- Very important to take for support of your hormone levels! DHEA is a primary source of hormones! Have your doctor test your levels and go from there! Purchase here
Vitamin C and E- Helped with lessening my hot flashes. Great support of the immune system For C purchase here For E purchase here
Of course, CBD affects many pathways as we've researched across multiple perimenopausal issues. Check out perimenopause versus menopause to get links to relevant areas.
We covered CBD for perimenopause in depth here. One interesting note...research is showing that CBD might "reopen" the HRT window if started later. See more here.
Dre's Favorite Supplements for Histamines/Allergies
All of the below supplements help with reducing histamines or calming mast cell pathways in the body.
Progesterone!!!! Everything above is child's play if progest is low. Ladies, this is why food and cosmetic allergies start to crop up in your 40's as it drops (50% by age 40). Learn how progesterone is the primary calming agent for histamine response here.
Vitamin D - Check with your doctors on your current levels before taking it. D is a master regulator of immune response Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
Berberine - (full review) corrects overactive immune response where it starts...in the gut! Purchase here.
PEA - powerful calming agent for histamine and immune response. THC without the high and tolerance! Buy here. Review here.
Fisetin - (full review) powerful anti-inflammatory with a calming effect on the immune system - Purchase here.
Magnesium Glycinate - Purchase here
Vitamin C- Purchase here
Bio Quercetin - Purchase here
Histamine Block -DAO - The main enzyme responsible for the degradation of ingested histamine. Purchase here
ProBiota Bifido - This one is important for histamines because it does not contain any Lactobacillus strains. Purchase here
Zinc - Purchase here
Fish Oil - Purchase here
NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) - Purchase here and review here
As for CBD, lots of research....but for Isolate! Full spectrum can have the opposite effect.
- CBD and histamine response
- Is CBD high in histamines
- CBD isolate versus full spectrum for histamine response
Dre's Favorite Supplements for Anti Aging and Senolytic Activators
Metformin (review Review here) Berberine is natural analog
Pterostilbene Review here
NAD+ - Purchase here
Fisetin - Purchase here (full review)
Berberine - See our full review on Berberine versus Metformin. Purchase here
Turmeric - Purchase here
Check out CBD's effects directly on longevity pathways
We also looked at Dr. Sinclair's breakthrough discovery for longevity
Top supplements for Sleep/Anxiety
Magnesium Glycinate - If I can't sleep due to the stress of the day, I'll take an extra before bed or in the middle of the night. Powerful aid...supports GABA. Full review here. Purchase here
Vitamin D - A large percentage of the population is low in D and that gets worse as we get older. Directly manages sleep pathways. Take in moring as it can give energy. Test your levels!! Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
Siberian Rhurbarb 731 - For women in perimenopause or menopause, this one is unbelievable for sleep. When I have a very stressful day that I'll carry into sleep, I'll even take two. See our full review on Siberian Rhubarb. Purchase here
L-Tryptophan - This one I just started to take at night its awsome! See our full review on Tryptophan and stress. Purchase here
Glycine - Love this on as well! It works as a secondary pathway to GABA for calming the effects of glutamate, our brain's "gas pedal" which is the enemy of sleep. Purchase here Glycine Guide
Melatonin - It's not just for sleep but acts as a control mechanism for other aging-related cascades. Purchase here
Vitamin B-12 - The B's (methylated if you have MTHFR or MTRR) are critical for sleep pathways. Test your levels!!
B-Complex- getting on a good b complex is important for supporting your body through this very stressful time. Purchase here
Fish Oil - Purchase here
NAC- See article on NAC and how it balances glutamate and GABA Purchase here
Turmeric- This one is the all-around workhorse of supplements. Who doesn't love their turmeric? It decreases my anxiety! It's an adaptogenic that fine-tunes your body! It's great for the mind as well as the body. Purchase here
As for CBD, it's a direct supporter (when low) of GABA, glycine, and serotonin!
Check out CBD and sleep
Top Supplements for Mental Health
The goal here is to improve:
- Neurotransmitter function and balance
- Gut health and inflammation
- Detox pathways including Oxidative stress
- Hyperactive immune response
Of course, we want to accomplish this without building tolerance (so no THC) and/or addiction with strong safety profiles.
In order...
CBD - we've covered full research on CBD and mental health here with breakouts across a range of topics linked from there
NAC - research on NAC is pretty amazing. It works like a sink on excess glutamate and supports detox (glutathione and oxidative stress) buy here review here
Vitamin D - this may be the single biggest crisis in our healthcare system. Bar none! Get your levels checked. Understand that the deficiency requirement level (30 ng/ml) is for bendy knees and rickets! Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
Berberine - gut health and inflammation is the key to brain inflammation. Berberine mirrors metformin with powerful effects here. Learn about neuroinflammation or berberine Berberine versus Metformin. Purchase here
Magnesium Glycinate - supports Vitamin D and balance of brain "gas and brake" pedals Full review here. Purchase here
Glycine - supports GABA but also with interesting research on mental health Purchase here Review coming shortly
For women, you can't let hormones go or everything above is child's play. This really starts early 40's with progesterone. We covered this in perimenopause section above.
Finally, psilocybin. It's now quite available yet but the research is just amazing. See here. This will explode over the next few years.
Really, the big ones are CBD, NAC, Vitamin D, and Berberine. CBD is relatively fast...the others take a few weeks to months to build up.
Top Supplements for Autoimmune
CBD - powerful supporter of immune balance...especially in the gut. See CBD and auto immune
Berberine - autoimmune likely starts in the gut with gut barrier issues. Berberine supports gut pathways and barrier Berberine versus Metformin. Purchase here
Vitamin D - master regulator of immune response and gut health. Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
PEA - powerful calming factor for histamine and inflammation. Buy here. Review here
Progesterone is master player in this pathway which is why autoimmune hits women 8 out of 10 diagnosis with 40's-50's being average time of onset. learn more here
Top Supplements for Addiction
CBD and addiction review goes through all the research on withdrawals, tolerance, and re-wiring the learned addiction process in the brain
NAC is another powerful player with addiction in terms of detoxing the nervous system and brain. buy here review here
Vitamin D drives so many pathways that tied directly into addiction. Review here. Purchase here (we use Now brand)
Those are the generic (but powerful) ones but every addictive substance is filling in a hole initially.
The CBD and addiction review links to all of these:
- GABA - Alcohol and Benzos
- Serotonin - Alcohol and SSRIs
- Nicotine - Acetylcholine
- Opioids - opioid system
- Cannabis - anandamide
- Stimulants like cocaine - glutamate and acetylcholine (with serotonin)
For example, benzos will benefit from glycinate, NAC, and other substances that support GABA while calming glutamate which will be thrown out of balance when coming off of benzos due to tolerance. Check out the master review for links to each one.
Always work with a doctor or naturopath with any supplement!
The information provided here is not intended to treat an illness or substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a qualified healthcare provider.