Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have dealt with fibromyalgia since I was in my early 20's, so about 33 years now. I had to give up my career as a Registered Nurse because my symptoms are so intense. I was really excited about getting to try this supplement out. I should have researched all the ingredients before I bought it but I didn't. I really really hate to give poor reviews, but honestly, this product is one I can't stand behind. Don't get me wrong...they have some good stuff in them, but just not enough of a good thing. This is what I found in a full day of researching. Some of the stuff just doesn't have much information to share. There have been very few actual double blind studies regarding these ingredients specifically for fibromyalgia patients. That is why, if you continue reading, some of the dosage recommendations are based on other disease processes. But you can be the judge. When I did searches on each of the separate ingredients, I searched the specific ingredient's effect on fibromyalgia. Like I said, there is little information out there. The medical community cannot even decide the root cause of it, so treatment of the various symptoms is all that is available. This supplement does give you some of the recommended supplements but there are several others that have been excluded, no doubt for cost management. This supplement contains the following per ONE capsule (note that recommended dose is 2 caps per day, no more than 8 per day) Boswellia - 5 mg per capsule Most commonly used for chronic inflammatory ailments, results similar to the effects of Ibuprofen and aspirin. Decreases the activity of human leukocyte elastase (HLE) to provide benefit for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia pain. Doses: - Arthritis 400 mg (standardized to contain 60% boswellic acids) 3 times a day; Back Pain 250-400 mg (standardized to contain 40-65% boswellic acids) 3 times a day; Chronic Pain 250-400 mg standardized extract 3 times a day; Crohn’s Disease 400 mg (standardized to contain 60% boswellic acids) 3 times a day (WholeHealth Chicago) - A typical dose of boswellia is 300 to 400 mg 3 times a day of an extract standardized to contain 37.5% boswellic acids. Some studies have used dosages as high as 1,200 mg 3 times daily. (Lahey Hospital and Medical Center) Cissus Quadrangularis - 75 mg per capsule Used for joint pain and injured ligaments and tendons but research shows some increase (30-39% per Examine.com) in Serotonin levels too. Doses: - The one study to note benefit with oral supplementation in humans (for the purpose of reducing joint pain) has used 3,200mg of cissus quadrangularis as a daily supplement, which is also in the range for what animal studies suggest sedative and pain killing effects should occur with the water extract. Elsewhere, 300-600mg of a cissus quadrangularis extract standardized to 2.5% ketosteroids has shown biological activity in humans. (Examine.com) - At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Cissus quadrangularis (WebMD) - The recommended dosage may vary depending on what you are using Cissus for. Cissus can be used for bodybuilding/muscle building, bone/tendon/muscle repair, overall fitness, weight loss, and other uses...we would recommend starting with 800mg – 1000mg per serving taken 2-3 times a day. (Cissus.org) Bromelain - 25 mg per capsule Anti-inflammatory properties, aids in the digestion of proteins. Doses: - The standard dose for bromelain depends on the goal of supplementation. If the goal is to aid digestion, the standard dose is between 200 – 2,000mg, taken with a meal. If the goal of supplementation is not digestion related, does range from 200 - 800mg. (Examine.com) - The most common prescribed dosage for Bromelain is 500mg daily. However for various conditions, many physicians may recommend: Arthritis – 400mg 1-2x daily; Allergies – 1000mg daily of Bromelain + Quercitin; Cancer – 2000mg+ daily of Bromelain with other proteolytic enzymes; Digestion – 500mg with meals; Surgery Recovery – 1000mg 3x daily between meals. Bromelain should be taken on an empty stomach, unless you are taking it to improve digestion. (Draxe.com) - Typical oral bromelain dosage is within the range of 500-1,000 mg per day, with up to 2,000 mg/day commonly used (Lifeextension.com) Curcumin Extract - 100 mg per capsule Pain and inflammation, antioxidant. Doses: - 80-500mg would be required assuming an enhancement i.e., Black Pepper (piperine), Curcumin phytosomes complexed with Phosphatidylcholine, Curcumin nanoparticles, or Water-soluble curcumin (polyvinyl pyrrolidone). If one of the above enhancements are not used, then too little curcumin will be absorbed and even doses of up to 4,000mg may be wholly inactive (8-16g would only be slightly active). (Examine.com) - Take 400 to 600 milligrams of turmeric extracts (available in tablets or capsules) three times per day or as directed on the product label. Look for products standardized for 95% curcuminoids. Neither curcumin nor turmeric taken orally is well absorbed unless taken with black pepper or piperine, a constituent of black pepper responsible for its pungency. (drweil.com) Passion Flower Extract - 25 mg per capsule Pain, anxiety and insomnia. Doses: - 90 mg daily (National Institutes of Health and WebMD) Magnesium Citrate - 75 mg per capsule Necessary for proper muscle functioning and regulates or inhibits many nerve receptors. "There is an excellent chance that a person with fibromyalgia has a magnesium deficiency. But since people with fibromyalgia often have high levels of stress, and a disrupted hormonal system, they are more likely to be candidates for magnesium deficiency...Magnesium deficiency promotes excessive muscle tension, leading to muscle spasms, tics, restlessness, and twitches." (M. London, web.mit.edu) Doses: - The RDA for magnesium is 400mg. If this amount helps any of your symptoms, then you may be helped by taking more than that. Magnesium is often better absorbed when taken with food. Also, you can absorb more magnesium, if you take it in small doses, such as some with each meal. (M. London, web.mit.edu) - Up to 350 mg/day for adults and children ages 9 and up (WebMD) - For the U.S. for deficiencies (adults/teens): Adult and teenage males—270 to 400 milligrams (mg) per day. Adult and teenage females—280 to 300 mg per day. Pregnant females—320 mg per day. Breast-feeding females—340 to 355 mg per day. - Men ages 19 to 30 should take 400 milligrams (mg) a day, while men over age 30 should take 420 mg; Women up to 50 years of age should take 310 mg a day; Pregnant women and women more than 50 years of age should take 320 mg day. (Everydayhealth.com) Cholecalciferol (vitamin d3) - 1000 IU per capsule "A report published on January 17, 2014 in the journal Pain describes the outcome of a trial involving vitamin D supplementation by adults with fibromyalgia which found a benefit for the vitamin in relieving the chronic pain that characterizes the syndrome." (Lifeextension.com) Doses: - Usual Adult Dose for Vitamin D Insufficiency is 400 to 1000 international units orally once a day. Usual Adult Dose for Vitamin D Deficiency is 1000 international units orally once a day. (Drugs.com) - For deficiency, at least 1,000 IU (25 micrograms) of vitamin D has been taken by mouth daily (or 8,400 IU of vitamin D3 weekly). For fibromyalgia, 50,000 IU of vitamin D has been taken by mouth once weekly for three months. For muscle weakness or pain, 100,000 IU of calciferol has been taken by mouth daily for 12 months.(Mayo Clinic) - The recommended daily allowance for Vitamin D is currently set at 400-800IU/day, but this is too low for adults. The safe upper limit in the United States and Canada is 4,000IU/day. Research suggests that the true safe upper limit is 10,000IU/day. For moderate supplementation, a 1,000-2,000IU dose of vitamin D3 is sufficient to meet the needs of most of the population. This is the lowest effective dose range. Higher doses, based on body weight, are in the range of 20-80IU/kg daily. (Examine.com) Calcium citrate - 50 mg per capsule Those with fibromyalgia are believed to have and in some studies, have been found to have Calcium deficiencies as well as magnesium deficiencies. Treatment with magnesium and calcium is believed to help decrease the number of tender points. (Pipain.com) Regarding Calcium Citrate: "This is a more expensive form of calcium. It is absorbed well on an empty or full stomach. People with low levels of stomach acid (a condition that is more common in people over age 50) absorb calcium citrate better than calcium carbonate." (U.S. National Library of Medicine) Doses: - The total amount of calcium adults need every day from food and calcium supplements: 19 to 50 years: 1,000 mg/day; 51 to 70 years: Men - 1,000 mg/day, Women - 1,200 mg/day; 71 years and over: 1,200 mg/day ( U.S. National Library of Medicine) Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) - 100 mg per capsule Antioxidant to reduce cell damage. Doses: - The recommended daily intake by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board of the Institute of Medicine for men more than 18 years old is 90 milligrams of vitamin C daily; for women more than 18 years old, it is 75 milligrams daily; for pregnant women more than 18 years old, it is 85 milligrams daily; and for breastfeeding women more than 18 years old, it is 120 milligrams daily. For antioxidant effects, 200-1,000 milligrams of vitamin C has been given daily. (Mayo Clinic) - The Recommended Daily Intake (RDI) of vitamin C is 100-200mg. (Examine.com) - Adults: (men) 90 mg, (women) 75 mg (National Institutes of Health) Analysis: To get the recommended 250 - 400 mg of Boswellia, you would have to take 50 - 80 capsules a day. Assuming a target dose of 600 mg per day of Cissus, you would have to take 8 capsules a day. Assuming a 500 mg 3x daily dose of Curcumin, one would require 15 capsules a day. Plus there is no enhancer e.g., Peperine to boost your absorption so you are not getting the full benefit of the Curcumin. I'm not going to bore you with all of the figures. You can tell by looking that this formula is weak at best, given what is recommended even for conditions other than fibromyalgia. And if you have fibro, you know how difficult it is to beat at times even with the best of things. The cost of Fibroxify is $0.59 each and if you have to take the max of 8 of these a day to try to get close to the recommended doses, that's $4.72 a day or $141.60 for 30 days. To me, it just isn't worth the cost. I received this product at a promotional discount in exchange for an honest review. It is my policy to provide an honest review, regardless of the price I have paid. All opinions are my own and based on my personal experience.