How To Address Supplement Reactions




Look at your protocol and assess which program was recently added when the side effects started. Once you know the exact program (Adrenal, Thyroid, Digestive, Gut Killing, Detox etc.) Work through ascending to descending order on your protocol sheet, one supplement at a time. See the thyroid support dosing guide at the bottom for more finetune support on thyroid dosing. 


If a reaction occurs, follow the supplement holiday first: Pull all of the supplements out for 3-7 days or till the exacerbated symptoms resolve. Once they have resolved, add each product, one at a time, moving down the protocol in ascending to descending order. Add back in at 25%-50% of the original dose at day 1, then back to the full dose over the next 2-4 days. If you are following this protocol preventatively, please skip the supplement holiday part. 

  1. Start with first supplement on your protocol list and work your way down, from ascending to descending. Work your way up to the max dose without any negative symptoms typically over a 2-4 day period. 
  2. For example, if the full dose for a supplement is 4 caps total, at 50% that would mean starting at 2 caps, or 25% that would men starting at 1 cap. The more sensitive your are, start slower and give your self 4 days to work the dose up to the max dose you can handle, or the max dose on the protocol sheet. 
  3. If you have a negative reaction (This could including an exacerbation of a previous symptom your are dealing with but not limited to brain fog, fatigue, mood, or a digestive symptoms) you can back down the dose. IE. if Pregnenalone at 6 drops 3x per day caused a negative symptom, we would be down to the previous days dose, 3 drops 3x per day, stabilize first, then move down the protocol list. 
  4. Scenario 1: I.E. Increasing Pregnenalone in 25% increments: If max dose is 15 drops 3x per day of pregnenalone, start at 1 drop 3x per day on Monday, 5 drops 3x per day on Tuesday, 10 drops 3x per day on Wednesday, and 15 drops 3x per day on Thursday. If you can get to the full dose, move down the protocol list to the next supplement. 
  5. If you have a negative reaction, back the dose back to the previous day, stabilize, then move down the protocol list. 
  6. Scenario 2: I.E. Increasing DHEA in 50% increments: If the max does is 4 drops 3x per day of DHEA, start at 2 drops 3x per day on Monday, then move up to 4 drops 3x per day on Tuesday. If you can get to the full dose, move down the protocol to the next supplement. 
  7. If you have a negative reaction, back the dose back to the previous day, stabilize, then move down the protocol list. 
  8. You can tapper up the dose slower or faster based on how sensitive you typically are, anywhere between 10-25% increments on the slow side, to 100% full dose on the high side. The more sensitive you are, tapper up the dose slower tends to work better. If you aren't sensitive typically, you may start at 100% of the full dose, and add in in each supplement one at a time at full dose one day after the next. The key is one supplement per day, so if you have a reaction, you know exactly what the problem supplement is. 
  9. If you can't find a dose that works, you can follow the supplement approach for sensitive patient's  below. 
  10. If you haven't achieved the max protocol dosage after you have worked your way through the protocol, once you are stable for one week you can try to push the dose up to max protocol dose (or the max dose you can handle with out negative symptoms) following the same protocol above. Stabilize for one week before going back and trying to increase your protocol dose again.   
  11. This is a proven strategy that helps patient acclimate to their new supplement protocol. If this approach is not working, see the protocol below for more sensitive patients. If you are a sensitive patient continue to communicate with Dr. J. Sensitive patients can easily get discouraged, please don't, there is always a plan b, plan c, plan d etc if you communicate what you are feeling. 
  12. Some sensitive patients may need detox support as their detox pathway may be impaired. Please see Dr. J about this as special precautions may need to be made to help move past this phase. You can click here to schedule a consult to help address this issues by clicking here. If you can't find an opening asap, please email the office as well and we will get you in asap. 
Conservative Approach For Sensitive Patients:

If you can’t tolerate 1 single per day of any of the liquid supports, you can put 1 drop in a glass of water and sip it throughout the day. This typically makes the drops easier to tolerate and will allow you to slowly move the dose upward if it’s tolerable. If you still have issues after all of this, pull the supplements out of your protocol and schedule a troubleshoot consult with Dr. J if you can’t wait till your next consult. Please keep the office posted.

  1. If are having a reaction, start with a 3-7 day supplement holiday before following below. 
  2. Work your way from the top of each program downward (Digestive program, adrenal/hormone program then gi clearing program last if it applies), add in each supp 1 time per day with each meal.
  3. Start with the digestive program first the adrenal support program second
  4. follow the protocol mentioned above, increase the dose in 10% increments vs larger increments. Find find the max dose on each supplement you can tolerate before moving down the protocol list to the next supplement. 
  5. Once you have moved through the entire protocol once and you have been stable for one week, you can try to push the dose up to max protocol dose (or the max dose you can handle with out negative symptoms) following the same protocol above. Stabilize for one week before going back and trying to increase your protocol dose again.   

Other Supplement Reaction Handouts:


Click here to access the digestive support guide (For HCL, enzymes and bile support)