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Alpha-lipoic acid User Reviews & Ratings

Brand names: Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300

Alpha-lipoic acid has an average rating of 5.4 out of 10 from a total of 53 reviews on Drugs.com. 37% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 37% reported a negative experience.

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Dietary Supplementation  
5.4
53 reviews for Dietary Supplementation 705 medications
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Reviews for Alpha-lipoic acid

  • Joyce
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 21, 2021

Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300 (alpha-lipoic acid) for Dietary Supplementation "I took 600mg the first day. All pain in feet, leg cramps, and carpal tunnel left. Next day I needed to dose again but no symptoms even while sleeping, which was so painful. I use it on an as-needed basis. My capsules are 300 each. Total daily dose, 600."

10 / 10
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176 Report
  • fromt...
  • February 28, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "I've taken 600 mg. stabilized R-Lipoic Acid since 2009 for tingling in arms and legs (Paresthesia). My Neurologist and Internist both told me to get stabilized and make sure it is R, not S or S/R. It was that or Gabapentin. After discussing those options with my doctors I chose ALA and never looked back. I take two 300 mg. capsules as needed. The ALA gets into your system and stops the tingling, prickling when it does. I can go a week or 2 off of it because the symptoms go away and I forget about taking it, but when it completely leaves my system the tingling restarts so I get back on it and within a day or so the tingling is gone again. The capsules are large so either eat before taking or drink plenty of water afterwards or your stomach can feel like it's burning."

9 / 10
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102 Report
  • Xxano
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • May 26, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "I have been taking Alpha Lipoic Acid, 1200mg a day for a year now for nerve damage. It has been amazing with minimizing my pain. I have, however, started losing heaps of hair. The hair loss is really bad. I'm going to try and take Biotin with it to see if it helps. I cannot understand how the manufacturer of this amazing product cannot take something out of the product or add something to prevent hair loss."

5 / 10
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101 Report
  • JC48
  • October 23, 2009

For Dietary Supplementation "I have begun losing my hair, and when I searched for 'hair loss and alpha-lipoic acid (ALA),' I learned that ALA absorbs all your biotin. Thus, when a person takes it on a regular basis, they should be ingesting it with Biotin as well. If there are a few of us coming forward on this, I am sure there are many more who are out there and developing this problem. I did appreciate the usefulness of ALA with my rosacea, and it has helped alleviate those problems; now, I just hope that taking biotin will bring back my hair."

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251 Report
  • Able...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • July 23, 2022

Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300 (alpha-lipoic acid) for Dietary Supplementation "I was experiencing severe neuropathy, numbness and tingling in my hands, mostly in the evening while relaxing and in bed during the night. I'd awaken in the morning and have to shake my hands to get the feeling back, they'd feel stiff and arthritic until I got it worked out. I started taking one Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-600 capsule in the morning with breakfast and another with dinner. Within a week, my neuropathy symptoms have vanished. I continue to take the same dose for maintenance."

10 / 10
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57 Report

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  • Joe
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 19, 2022

Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300 (alpha-lipoic acid) for Dietary Supplementation "After reading reviews, I decided to try this. I suffer from severe SFN pins and needles throughout my body. Severe joint and muscle pain 24/7 for 3 years, and not one professional can determine what is causing this after seeing many. No help from the medical world, so I suffer daily and have no life. I will repost if this vitamin helps. So far, I have very itchy skin, no rash, just itching everywhere. Also seem to have severe heartburn, only been on it for two days. Praying this will help me, I pretty much don't want to live anymore from the severe pain I endure daily."

2 / 10
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39 Report
  • Nicki
  • Taken for 10 years or more
  • April 4, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "I've been taking 600 - 1200 mg of high-quality R-ALA stabilized for over 10 years for tingling in my limbs. Works like a charm and sure beats taking Gabapentin. Any hair loss I've had was due to normal shedding, not getting enough protein in my diet, or not taking a multivitamin with Biotin in it. I've always shed hair once a year prior to starting R-ALA stabilized, and it's minimal. If I don't get at least 80 - 90 grams of protein on a regular basis, I can also start losing hair. Each person has their own amount of protein that they need, and it's easy to figure out how many grams you need. A body needs protein and Biotin with or without R-ALA stabilized, according to my nutritionist and internist. I can't blame my hair loss on Alpha Lipoic Acid as some hair loss was normal for me prior to starting it. I've had issues with my nails breaking, I added a high dose of sublingual Biotin, and my nails and hair started growing like crazy. Worth a try."

10 / 10
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61 Report
  • Alpha
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • November 20, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "I have been taking alpha-lipoic acid for about a year and a half. The last couple of months, my hair has started falling out so much. It has gotten really thin. I googled and found so many people having the same problem due to taking alpha-lipoic acid. I contacted the manufacturer, and they said that they have not heard of lipoic acid causing hair loss. This totally shocks me, as so many people are all saying it does. If their product causes hair loss, don't deny it, fix your product to not cause hair loss. Surely, these manufacturers are able to change their product to not cause hair loss. I would rather find something else to take that does not cause hair loss."

5 / 10
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61 Report
  • KCano
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • January 12, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "Experienced tremendous hair loss and only recently put this together timing-wise for when I started taking Alpha Lipoic daily. No other side effects noticed, but the hair loss has been very significant."

3 / 10
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64 Report
  • Tori
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • December 11, 2019

For Dietary Supplementation "I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and was constantly in pain. I also had brain fog and was constantly fatigued. I was diagnosed a month ago and just heard of fibromyalgia. So I googled remedies and read an article about ALA. I did reviews and saw people take it with biotin. So I've been taking both for a month now. I have lost 10 pounds. I have more energy. I do get acid reflux and yesterday I had this horrible, more painful than acid reflux in my throat. I ate a banana and took omeprazole and it went away. But other than the reflux, it has been great for me. I feel my memory has been improving."

7 / 10
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57 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 1, 2023

Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300 (alpha-lipoic acid) for Dietary Supplementation "I had osteoporosis in my left shoulder as well as sciatic lower back pain. After trying Aleve and worrying about causing stomach issues from taking too many, I started reading about Alpha Lipoic Acid. Because the doctor didn't want to prescribe steroids to rid the pain, I decided to try Alpha Lipoic Acid, 300 mg. So glad I did! I have been using it for 4 weeks now, and the pains have gone. I am able to sleep through the night with no shoulder pain, and the lower back pain has not bothered me as well. I had no side effects, so I will continue to use it as long as it's working."

10 / 10
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23 Report
  • Anonymous
  • October 6, 2021

Alpha-Lipoic-Acid-300 (alpha-lipoic acid) for Dietary Supplementation "I took a total of 400-600 mg daily for burning mouth syndrome. After a month, the pain was still present and my stomach was bloated. Needless to say, I was very constipated. I'm reducing my dose drastically because the BMS pain is so bad, and I’m searching for relief. I’ve been prescribed the really strong meds but prefer a more natural route if possible. I do believe ALA helps certain people, but in my case, I don't know! Anyone else used it for BMS?"

4 / 10
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37 Report
  • 1234
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • November 10, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "I have been taking Lipoic Acid for a year or so. It has helped me so much with nerve damage. But the last 6 months, I have had so much hair loss. It is really bad. My hair has gotten so thin. I will stop taking Lipoic Acid. It's not worth losing all my hair. I would rather find another supplement that will help with nerve pain and not have the awful side effect of hair loss."

5 / 10
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43 Report
  • MD ST...
  • November 22, 2009

For Dietary Supplementation "I suffer from Neuropathic pain (Neuropathy) for the past 11 years, with severe implications. I've been taking 600mg/day of ALA (Alpha Lipoic Acid) for the past 2 years (23 months). I've enjoyed noticeable improvement as I was also treated with HBOT (hyperbaric oxygen therapy) in the past year. I keep a daily symptom chart journal. (The HBOT was conducted as a preTrial to find if there's a possibility for improvement/cure of different Neuropathies and a reason to conduct a full-scale trial.) My improvement started before the HBOT and increased during. Pain levels are about 35%-40% less than before!"

10 / 10
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109 Report
  • Jeans
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • July 29, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "Had terrible heartburn, but was told reflux (only had heartburn with my 4 pregnancies). Slowly starting to lose hair, thought, ok going through early menopause! Or the old saying, “you're stressed”! Never dawned on me to check out my supplements that my pain management doc recommended 6 months ago! The past month I’ve been losing so much hair that now I am feeling stressed. Thank you for the previous reviews!!! I’m stopping, and I’ll figure something else out."

1 / 10
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41 Report
  • Gurig...
  • May 28, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "I've been taking alpha-lipoic acid for a week now for tingling pain and odd sensations in my body. I don't see the results yet since it's been only a week, but I have something to share about the acid reflux issue most of us are facing. I started with Spring Valley's ALA, and it gave me crazy heartburn. Even my throat could feel the hot burning feeling. Then I switched to Natrol time-release capsules and no heartburn or acid reflux whatsoever. I ordered it from Amazon, but maybe local stores carry it too. I bet there are more time-release ALA options in the market."

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34 Report
  • grego
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • February 8, 2022

For Dietary Supplementation "I had read about this and began at 600 mg twice a day. It, within days, took care of that one pain in my leg that Lyrica and Nortriptyline did not relieve. After beginning lipoic acid, a very itchy rash began slowly covering my body that could have been from a bunch of things. I quit the lipoic acid along with several other things, and the rash slowly got better. I suspect ALA but don't know for sure. Read somewhere about people taking 'micro doses' of 1-2 mg, but I could not find anything less than 25 mg. I now take 25 mg once every 3-4 days, and it takes care of that one specific pain in my leg, and the rash has not returned. I think that 600 mg twice, or even once a day, is overdosing and may explain the hair loss. Just my non-expert opinion."

8 / 10
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27 Report
  • Belle
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • June 14, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "Must be taken after a meal to avoid upset. I’ve been taking alpha-lipoic for a while, and in the last 3 months, my hair started falling out and really thinning. I’m reviewing every supplement for effects. Looks like this is it. AND I did change brands. Stopped twice a day dose and going to every other day AND adding Biotin to see IF hair stops falling out and hair starts growing back. Will weigh benefits versus hair loss, which is costly to address."

6 / 10
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32 Report
  • jdano
  • May 2, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "Started taking 600 mg of ALA daily about a month ago and ended up in the ER with a horrific itching rash, with blistering hives all over. Drove to the ER when the rash moved towards my eyes. Was given an IV of a Benadryl cocktail. Luckily, the ALA reaction didn't affect my throat. Three days later and still taking over-the-counter Benadryl. This sucks because I was liking the effects but must stop ALA immediately or I will scratch all the skin off my body. Pity."

2 / 10
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26 Report
  • Best...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • March 30, 2018

"I started taking the alpha-lipoic acid at the request of my orthopedic doctor for neuropathy and the spinal pain I have. The first 3 weeks it was awesome and really helped with my all-over body pain. I thought I had found a miracle drug. Then my appetite increased to the point that all I wanted to do was eat 24/7 and sweets, like my brain was constantly saying eat. Then my mouth broke out in canker sores. It felt like razor blades in my mouth when I ate or drank anything. I stopped the ALA. It took about 4 weeks for my mouth to clear up. I was not sure the ALA had caused this. So I waited another month and started the ALA, and within two days the hunger returned and my mouth became sore, and on the third day I had a canker sore. I stopped taking the ALA, and it's been 8 months, and I haven't had the constant hunger and no mouth sores. While it really relieved my body pain, the side effects of hunger and mouth sores are not worth it."

1 / 10
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40 Report
  • Kathl...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 29, 2019

For Dietary Supplementation "Twice now, I have started vomiting after taking 600 mg of alpha-lipoic acid for peripheral neuropathy. This last time, I experienced severe burning in my throat up through my nose, along with vomiting, and the burning continued for more than 6 hours!"

1 / 10
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32 Report
  • JB...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 24, 2020

For Dietary Supplementation "I took OTC 600 mg a couple of times during the day and found it gave me a strange sensation, feeling flushed and warm. So I stopped. A week or so later, I read that you should take it before bed, so I took it 3 or 4 nights in a row. Right away, I started to sleep great, my IBS seemed to calm down, my morning constitutional was solid and complete. On day 4, I had some significant acid reflux overnight. The next day or two, I started to get throat pain when eating. It felt like I had cuts in my throat. I looked closely, and there were about 5 or 6 little open sores on my tonsils. I immediately thought I had strep throat. For some reason, I googled ALA side effects and saw that some people get mouth sores from it. So I've stopped taking it, and now I'm gargling with salt and baking soda, trying to calm down my tonsils. It still hurts, I hope it's not strep."

2 / 10
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25 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for 1 to 2 years
  • December 29, 2013

For Dietary Supplementation "I lose weight gradually, and my metabolism increases. I started taking this supplement while watching the Dr. Oz show, and his father-in-law, a cardiologist, recommended taking 600 mg a day. I've been taking this supplement for almost a year now."

8 / 10
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49 Report
  • joe
  • Taken for 6 months to 1 year
  • March 27, 2022

For Dietary Supplementation "I started taking alpha lipoic acid for nerve pain I quit taking my depression meds two years ago it was only working 50 percent and I found out how dangerous the meds truly are. To my surprise after 3 months of taking alpha lipoic acid my depression has been 100 percent gone. I've been taking it for 7 months now no depression. I broke up with my girlfriend only cried once. I broke up with her 3 months ago and I no longer feel lonely being by my self either. I feel one hundred times better thanks to alpha lipoic acid and no side effects"

10 / 10
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16 Report
  • Anonymous
  • December 9, 2021

For Dietary Supplementation "I haven’t noticed any reduction in neuropathy symptoms taking Alpha lipoid acid, but my hair was falling out at an amazing rate. As soon as I stopped it stopped falling out. I didn’t look up the side effects until just now, and I noticed so many other people having this side effect."

1 / 10
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17 Report

Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.