Rapamycin for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

Rapamycin for Health & Longevity

Created on 08/28/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 Audit

A prescription transplant medication that blocks the cell's central growth switch. It extends animal lifespan more consistently than anything else tested; human gains are narrow: fewer skin cancers at transplant doses, better vaccine response, lean tissue in women only. Documented costs: mouth ulcers, raised blood fats, lowered blood counts, slower wound healing. An experiment, not an established intervention. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard longevity regimen
5–7 mg weekly
Commercial tablets preferred over compounded; same day weekly, away from food.
Conservative escalation approach
2–3 mg weekly to start
Protocols hold eight weeks, then step up 1–2 mg if trough and counts allow.
Best time of day
Morning, empty stomach
One hour before or two hours after food; whole weekly dose at once.
Time to effect
Body composition
A full year
There is no felt effect to wait for.
Laboratory changes
1–3 months
Chiefly lipid shifts, the most reproducible metabolic effect.
Blood levels
2–3 weeks
First trough level at four weeks, and after any dose change.

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Non-substitutable strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers (ketoconazole, ritonavir)
  • Cyclosporine (outside transplant care)
  • Surgery, dental implants, cosmetic procedures (four weeks before until healed)
  • Pregnancy, breastfeeding, conception (either sex)
  • Active infection or untreated latent tuberculosis
  • Severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C)
  • Kidney disease stage 4+ (under 30 mL/min/1.73 m²) or proteinuria over 300 mg/day
  • Fasting triglycerides above 500 mg/dL until corrected
  • Neutrophils under 1,500/µL or platelets under 100,000/µL
  • Interstitial lung disease or pulmonary fibrosis
Key Interactions
  • Moderate CYP3A4 inhibitors (diltiazem, verapamil)
  • Grapefruit, grapefruit juice, Seville oranges
  • CYP3A4 inducers (rifampin, phenytoin, St. John's wort)
  • Over-the-counter acid reducers and painkillers (cimetidine, omeprazole, ibuprofen, naproxen)
  • Live attenuated vaccines (yellow fever, live zoster)
  • Statins, particularly simvastatin and lovastatin
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Supplements affecting the same enzyme (resveratrol, quercetin, berberine, black pepper extract)
  • Additive pathway effects (spermidine, extended fasting, leucine restriction)

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Increased all-cause mortality in long-term immunosuppressive use; mouth ulcers; raised blood lipids; suppressed blood counts; impaired wound healing; protein leakage into the urine; gastrointestinal upset
  • Medium: Lung inflammation; peripheral and extremity swelling
  • Low: Impaired glucose tolerance; increased susceptibility to infection; reproductive and menstrual effects; acne-like eruptions and other skin complaints
  • Speculative: Loss of cancer surveillance over decades; gut barrier and microbiome disruption

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Whole-blood sirolimus trough Under 3 ng/mL at 24 hours post-dose Dose does not predict exposure
Complete blood count Hemoglobin, platelets, neutrophils stable vs baseline Marrow suppression
Lipid panel with apolipoprotein B ApoB under 80; triglycerides under 80; LDL under 100 mg/dL Most reproducible metabolic effect
Fasting insulin 2–5 µIU/mL Rises before glucose
Fasting glucose 75–90 mg/dL Metabolic drift at higher exposure
Glycated hemoglobin Under 5.4% Average blood sugar over three months
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein Under 0.5 mg/L Low-grade inflammation
Estimated glomerular filtration rate Above 90 mL/min/1.73 m² Kidney handling
Urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio Under 10 mg/g Kidney-filter protein leakage
Alanine aminotransferase Under 25 U/L men, 20 U/L women Liver handling; clearance is hepatic
Reproductive markers: morning testosterone in men, cycle log in women No established target; tracked against baseline Reproductive-axis effects reported but unquantified

Cadence: Drug level and blood count at four weeks and after any dose change or new interacting medication; full panel at three months, then every six months.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Mouth and gum comfort, the earliest and most common signal
  • Frequency and duration of minor infections across a season
  • Healing speed of cuts, scrapes and dental work
  • Recovery after hard training, and whether strength still progresses
  • Energy and cognitive clarity, recorded weekly
  • Joint comfort and pain levels