★☆☆☆☆
I too tried d-Ribose, after reading one raving revue on here. Initially I was quite impressed - almost felt like 20 again (44 now and, had 10 years of CFS in my 30s). I took anything from 5g to 20g per day. Initially building up the dose, but after 2 weeks I went down to 5g per day for another 3 weeks.After a week or so the initial high abated. Seems that if I get negative/ grumpy energies, even Ribose cannot kick through. Furthermore I developed digestive problems, seems Ribose was quite the Laxative for me (and left a constant funny tummy feeling). The strangest side-effect was hurting teeth. I thought that a couple of months old filling was playing up, and that I would require a root canal now, but when I discontinued Ribose the teeth/ nerves calmed down again. It was not just the one tooth that was affected too, but pretty much all molars which could get painful and very sensitive (and had not suffered from sensitive teeth before).
The phenomenon repeated when taking Ribose for 2 days (a few weeks later) as needing to finish some time-sensitive decorating.
To conclude - the side-effects definitely will, for now, keep me from adding Ribose to my supplement regime. I might take it occasionally, when requiring an extra boost of energy, but only if absolutely unavoidable.... That is not to say though that Ribose might not work (side-effect free) for others.
D-Ribose
★☆☆☆☆
I eagerly tried d-ribose after reading "From Fatigued to Fantastic". The best price I could find was about $25 for a month's supply in powdered form. Because I am on disability and already spending $50 a month on supplements, I did not also get the co-Q10.
I used the d-ribose for two months. I took it without creatine but with L-Carnitine, and all the relatively affordable recommended vitamins.
It did nothing for my long term chronic fatigue syndrome, which is now significantly improved using Ted's recommendations for CFS Lugol's iodine protocol for 6 months following a healthy, wholesome diet devoid of processed foods, and putting the bulk of my focus into getting quality sleep. As a 20 year insomniac, sleep issues are the main thing the book really helped me to see the importance of getting a handle on in order to recover. (Doing whatever it takes to get a reasonable amount of sleep - melatonin, sleeping pills, ear plugs, eye mask, herbal teas, avoiding caffeine, herbal sleep remedies, exercise and sunlight when possible, etc.)
But, everyone is different and we have to keep trying different things so I'm not saying not to try D-Ribose. My chronic fatigue was very serious. I was completely bedridden for years. Perhaps in the future, when I'm actually trying to hold down normal responsibilities, I'll try d-ribose again to see if it gives me what I need to get through the day energy-wise.
