TUDCA GI Upset After 500 mg – Anyone else hit the same thing?

Posted by grinder279 in Safety & Side Effects - 1 points, 2 comments.

I started taking TUDCA 500 mg twice a day about two months ago to keep my liver in check while cycling 5‑step protocols that include some oral steroids and a pretty hefty dose of creatine. TheOmschrijving, first week I felt the usual mild bloating, then the second week I had loose stools and a general stomach ache that even made me skip my 6‑hour night run. It hit pretty hard around 9 pm after dinner when I took the first 500 mg with a big glass of water.

I’ve been considering dropping the dose back to 250 mg or splitting it more, but I also want to know if anyone’s seen a similar reaction when combining TUDCA with other liver‑support compounds like NAC or milk thistle. Does the combination just amplify the GI side effect or is it more about timing and food? Also, is there a safe window to take it with the steroids or should I space them out? Any real‑world tweaks or anecdotes would be appreciated.

Comments

• leah_j: I’ve been on TUDCA 500 mg a couple of times and the first few days are usually the worst. I took it with a large meal and had loose stools on day 3. After that I cut it to 250 mg and split it into three doses, morning, noon, and before bed. The GI upset in the evening almost disappeared. I also found that taking it on an empty stomach, then a few hours later with a small snack, keeps the stomach from reacting. When I paired it with NAC and milk thistle, I never saw a spike in symptoms, probably
• grinder279: Thanks for the quick reply, leah_j. I’ll try splitting the 500 mg into three smaller doses like you did and maybe start with an empty stomach then a snack a few hours later. I use the steroids at noon and midnight, so I wonder if spacing the TUDCA earlier, say at 7 am and 3 pm, would help with the GI upset. Will that keep the liver support on track without hitting the stomach?

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