Side Effects of Whey Protein?

Duffman'05

Has anyone ever experienced sensations of prolonged insomnia, or even just a bit more difficulty in sleeping, from using whey protein regularly? Even just any regular headaches?

I've used this stuff on and off for the last 18 months. While on my last tub I developed these feelings so I cut it out for a few months and the symptoms disappeared, I've just opened a new tub a few days ago and it's happening all over again.

I've never used (nor am I currently on) any other kind of supplement. I'm not exceeding the suggested intake. I get plenty of aerobic exercise and am obsessed with having a healthy diet. I'm positive it's not dehydration, I drink plenty of water everyday.


Any one else ever have problems with this stuff?

How much of it are you taking a day

And are you sure you didn't make any other changes at all when you went off it last time?

Personally I've had no bad effects

Duffman'05

bluewolf wrote: »

How much of it are you taking a day

And are you sure you didn't make any other changes at all when you went off it last time?

Personally I've had no bad effects

1 24g scoop in the morning
1 24g scoop straight after a workout or in the evening if I don't do a workout on that day.

The brand has 76.1g of protein per 100g

I'm positive I haven't made any other changes, my diet has been consistent for the last 12 months or so. If I take a break from it for maybe a week the symptoms start to fade away but reappear in no time once I get back on it.

I have no allergies/intolerances to speak of.

I had none of these experiences for the first 15 months or so of regularly taking it.

discus

What product is it? I get the exact same side effects (affects?) with creatine. 5g in water, and I'm awake for days. Mental.

Duffman'05

discus wrote: »

What product is it? I get the exact same side effects (affects?) with creatine. 5g in water, and I'm awake for days. Mental.

''Hardcore Series Precision Engineered'' Whey Protein (I originally used the strawberry flavor but went for the natural one this time in case the relevant flavorings/colors were responsible; no change).

I'm pretty sure it's the 'own brand' from Holland & Barrett.


Good to know I'm not crazy or at least alone in craziness!

Dathai

Personally, I wouldn't buy anything from Holland and Barrett. I've had a bad reaction to too many of their products before. Have you tried switching brand?

discus

Hmmm... What are ya mixing it with? So you find it dissolves well? I've heard of people complaining of having tummy grumbling from shakes that go clumpy, which kept them awak every now and again.

Other than that I'm stumped!!

d'Oracle

Duffman'05 wrote: »

I had none of these experiences for the first 15 months or so of regularly taking it.

Erm.....should this not suggest that your sleep issues may be coming from something else?

gymsoldier

Lads, whey is the by-product of cheese making. Come on now, its only whey, its not going to stop you from sleeping. Id look into other aspects of your lifestyle to find the cause. Same with creatine, its not gonna light up your CNS and keep you awake.

COH

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Has anyone ever experienced sensations of prolonged insomnia, or even just a bit more difficulty in sleeping, from using whey protein regularly?

No

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Even just any regular headaches?

Yes.. it had nothing to do with protein though.

Duffman'05 wrote: »

I've used this stuff on and off for the last 18 months. While on my last tub I developed these feelings so I cut it out for a few months and the symptoms disappeared, I've just opened a new tub a few days ago and it's happening all over again.

I think the fact that protein made you develop feelings is the problem, go to a shrink.

Duffman'05 wrote: »

I've never used (nor am I currently on) any other kind of supplement. I'm not exceeding the suggested intake. I get plenty of aerobic exercise and am obsessed with having a healthy diet. I'm positive it's not dehydration, I drink plenty of water everyday.

Its just food. You're 'on' food everyday. I think you're just nuts!

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Any one else ever have problems with this stuff?

No. Again, its just food.

Sid_Justice

gymsoldier wrote: »

Lads, whey is the by-product of cheese making. Come on now, its only whey, its not going to stop you from sleeping. Id look into other aspects of your lifestyle to find the cause. Same with creatine, its not gonna light up your CNS and keep you awake.

If people told you eating lots of cheese before bed which disturbed their sleep would you be saying

"sure it's only cheese it's not gonna light up your CNS and keep you awake"?

notGill

Duffman'05 wrote: »

''Hardcore Series Precision Engineered'' Whey Protein (I originally used the strawberry flavor but went for the natural one this time in case the relevant flavorings/colors were responsible; no change).

I'm pretty sure it's the 'own brand' from Holland & Barrett.


Good to know I'm not crazy or at least alone in craziness!

I'm currently taking that, on my second tub at the moment. I haven't noticed any side effects whatsoever, I take a scoop a day, either in the morning or after my workout.

gymsoldier

Sid_Justice wrote: »

If people told you eating lots of cheese before bed which disturbed their sleep would you be saying

"sure it's only cheese it's not gonna light up your CNS and keep you awake"?

Your going to compare Creatine or Whey Protein to cheese? Its a by-product of cheese making, its not cheese. Cheese is make from curds, not the whey. I think your looking for the agricultural or dairy fourm.

discus

Jesus everyone in here is apparently a genius when it comes to food intolerances.

Food is only food, so why do people become allergic to peanuts, diary, coriander etc. over time, then? Sure they're only food too.

Jarren

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Has anyone ever experienced sensations of prolonged insomnia, or even just a bit more difficulty in sleeping, from using whey protein regularly? Even just any regular headaches?

I've used this stuff on and off for the last 18 months. While on my last tub I developed these feelings so I cut it out for a few months and the symptoms disappeared, I've just opened a new tub a few days ago and it's happening all over again.

I've never used (nor am I currently on) any other kind of supplement. I'm not exceeding the suggested intake. I get plenty of aerobic exercise and am obsessed with having a healthy diet. I'm positive it's not dehydration, I drink plenty of water everyday.


Any one else ever have problems with this stuff?

you know what to do then?

gymsoldier

discus wrote: »

Jesus everyone in here is apparently a genius when it comes to food intolerances.

Food is only food, so why do people become allergic to peanuts, diary, coriander etc. over time, then? Sure they're only food too.

Staying awake isnt a symtom of food intolerance though. And your right, I may not have a degree in peoples tolerance to certain foods, but abit of common sense goes a long way.

discus

gymsoldier wrote: »

Staying awake isnt a symtom of food intolerance though. And your right, I may not have a degree in peoples tolerance to certain foods, but abit of common sense goes a long way.

Grand. Save the "it's only food ffs" attitude for people coming on asking if whey = steroids, not for the people coming on to ask if it's possible that whey protein could be affecting them aversely.

gymsoldier

discus wrote: »

Grand. Save the "it's only food ffs" attitude for people coming on asking if whey = steroids, not for the people coming on to ask if it's possible that whey protein could be affecting them aversely.

Take a chill pill . I clearly stated for the OP to look else where in his lifestyle for cause of his symptoms. And hey, it is only food ffs

SanoVitae

gymsoldier wrote: »

Take a chill pill

But think of the side effects!!!!

deadlybuzzman

Out of reflex almost I was going to react with a ffs too but while I think the OP is conecting things that arent really connected there is the fact that Whey is a dairy product and some people react badly to them-members of my family cant eat milk chocolate or cheese, if they do they get proper full on 'if the house was on fire I would not care' migraines.
With that in mind Id not dismiss his query totally. Might sweeteners be something people can react to?
OP if you ever get to try unflavoured unsweetened whey from the likes of MyProtein give it a lash and see what happens

Sangre

COH wrote: »

Its just food. You're 'on' food everyday. I think you're just nuts!


No. Again, its just food.

Eh, different food causes different reactions and issues in a huge number of people! To dismiss something as the cause of the problem because it is 'food' is a bit needlessly dismissive.

Of course, I don't think the macro nutrient protein is the cause of this man's problems. OP, have you been working out later than normal?

SanoVitae

COH wrote: »

Its just food. You're 'on' food everyday. I think you're just nuts!

Ah, so you think it could be a nut allergy then?

Duffman'05

deadlybuzzman wrote: »

Out of reflex almost I was going to react with a ffs too but while I think the OP is conecting things that arent really connected there is the fact that Whey is a dairy product and some people react badly to them-members of my family cant eat milk chocolate or cheese, if they do they get proper full on 'if the house was on fire I would not care' migraines.
With that in mind Id not dismiss his query totally. Might sweeteners be something people can react to?
OP if you ever get to try unflavoured unsweetened whey from the likes of MyProtein give it a lash and see what happens

You know what I'm very glad you didn't give in to that reflex because I think you have possibly given me some insight.

I started taking whey protein roughly 18 months ago. What I hadn't connected it to until I read your post was that I haven't touched a hint of a dairy product (besides whey) for months. So this could very well be the explanation because I know I couldn't drink a glass of milk today without vomiting because I've been off it for so long (I've found that if you stay off anything for long enough you will go from craving to indifference to disgust). It also hadn't occurred to me that whey was dairy based.

So thank you for your insight!

Duffman'05

Sangre wrote: »

Eh, different food causes different reactions and issues in a huge number of people! To dismiss something as the cause of the problem because it is 'food' is a bit needlessly dismissive.

Of course, I don't think the macro nutrient protein is the cause of this man's problems. OP, have you been working out later than normal?

No my workout times have generally been pretty consistent since I started. I think I've found my explanation though (see above).

Thanks!

Bizzum

Could you be Lactose intolerant Duffman?

Duffman'05

Bizzum wrote: »

Could you be Lactose intolerant Duffman?

Well I never had a problem with lactose growing up, but aside from whey protein I haven't consumed any form of it in a very very long time. This was just a personal choice for health and fitness reasons. After being off dairy for so long and based on how merely the smell makes me feel I would without exaggeration vomit if I had a spoon of yogurt or a glass of milk.

Is it possible for your body to become intolerant to such things after extensive abstinence from them?

DribblingRobot

Side Effects of Whey Protein?

Farts. Nasty, nasty farts.

deadlybuzzman

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Well I never had a problem with lactose growing up, but aside from whey protein I haven't consumed any form of it in a very very long time. This was just a personal choice for health and fitness reasons. After being off dairy for so long and based on how merely the smell makes me feel I would without exaggeration vomit if I had a spoon of yogurt or a glass of milk.

Is it possible for your body to become intolerant to such things after extensive abstinence from them?

In a word.....no.
I hated even the look of milk growing up-the thought of drinking it would turn my stomach-then I started making myself drink it as I was so skinny and feeble-then I broke my ankle and drank 6 pints a day to speed up healing, which it did.
Its possible to make yourself hate or not hate foods depending on what you let yourself think about them.

Mellor

Sid_Justice wrote: »

If people told you eating lots of cheese before bed which disturbed their sleep would you be saying

"sure it's only cheese it's not gonna light up your CNS and keep you awake"?

I imagine you are refering to having nightmares or trouble sleeping when eating cheese before bed. It's a complete myth. In fact, Cheese apparently contains tryptophan, an amino acid that has been found to relieve stress and induce sleep, so its actually good for sleep.

[-0-]

The only side effects I have from protein is that my dumps are real solid.

Plastik

How late in the evening are you taking it?

Maars

Duffman'05 wrote: »

Well I never had a problem with lactose growing up, but aside from whey protein I haven't consumed any form of it in a very very long time. This was just a personal choice for health and fitness reasons. After being off dairy for so long and based on how merely the smell makes me feel I would without exaggeration vomit if I had a spoon of yogurt or a glass of milk.

Is it possible for your body to become intolerant to such things after extensive abstinence from them?

Could be an issue with lactase persistence (http://lmgtfy.com/?q=lactase+persistence )..for many adults the enzyme lactase (which deals with milk and I guess may deal with whey) does not persist into adulthood.

You can get a test called a hydrogen breath test that might help you diagnose lactose intolerance.

Having said all that I don't know if lactose intolerance disrupts sleep patterns, you could find out by cutting out the protein and having a glass of milk before bed instead...but obviously I wouldnt encourage you to do that, even in the interests of science....but I'd be interested to hear the results.

jive

Mellor wrote: »

I imagine you are refering to having nightmares or trouble sleeping when eating cheese before bed. It's a complete myth. In fact, Cheese apparently contains tryptophan, an amino acid that has been found to relieve stress and induce sleep, so its actually good for sleep.

Hmmm not sure about this. Tryptophan levels in cheese are what is meant to cause the vivid dreams. Based on my own experiences I would say that eating cheese does cause vivid dreams (not a placebo effect because this was before I knew about cheese causing mad dreams). There is conflicting evidence in the studies (of which there is a lack of from what I can see) also so I'm unsure how you decided it was a 'complete myth'. Most of which point to it being not a myth, however.

TommyKnocker

jive wrote: »

Hmmm not sure about this. Tryptophan levels in cheese are what is meant to cause the vivid dreams. Based on my own experiences I would say that eating cheese does cause vivid dreams (not a placebo effect because this was before I knew about cheese causing mad dreams). There is conflicting evidence in the studies (of which there is a lack of from what I can see) also so I'm unsure how you decided it was a 'complete myth'. Most of which point to it being not a myth, however.

I know dairy late a night and chees in particular gives me vivid dreams and a really restless nights sleep and it's not my imagination as I sleep like a log if I don't have dairy before bed.

Davei141

If im having vivid tryptophan induced dreams the last thing i would describe my sleep would be restless, its a strange one

line6

discus wrote: »

Jesus everyone in here is apparently a genius when it comes to food intolerances.

Food is only food, so why do people become allergic to peanuts, diary, coriander etc. over time, then? Sure they're only food too.

i think it may be something they're eating

TommyKnocker

Davei141 wrote: »

If im having vivid tryptophan induced dreams the last thing i would describe my sleep would be restless, its a strange one

Maybe restless does not explain it correctly, but if I eat dairy late at night I have vivid dreams and the smallest thing/noise would wake me up and I would not feel fully rested in the morning. I may even wake up a few times through the night from the dream.

So now I don't eat dairy at night and I sleep soundly, don't remember if I have dreamt and feel well rested in the morning

Davei141

TommyKnocker wrote: »

Maybe restless does not explain it correctly, but if I eat dairy late at night I have vivid dreams and the smallest thing/noise would wake me up and I would not feel fully rested in the morning. I may even wake up a few times through the night from the dream.

So now I don't eat dairy at night and I sleep soundly, don't remember if I have dreamt and feel well rested in the morning

Its an interesting topic maybe it effects people in different ways, i can sleep like a log some days and have rubbish sleep the next day without changing anything in diet etc.

mountain

I found that i was getting headaches while using Reflex, and Kinetica whey,
switched to Phd, and havent had that problem since.

Reggy

Duffman, clearly you are having a reaction to the brand that you are taking. what i suggest is getting a few samples of whey from a different company like myprotein.co.uk or else phd do samples (check ebay, you're bound to find a couple of samples there). I would recommend optimum nutrition, but im not sure that you can get a sample? a friend of mine is a rep for kinetica and he gets free smaples and sachets off them no problem so perhaps contact them by email as they are irish and may send some freebies to try. whey is whey at the end of the day, but from my expereince the ON brand digests and mixes the best by a significant margin. no tummy upsets here.

if you still are having a reaction to these different brands, then clearly you are allergic to whey and it is not in your head. you're other option then is to use egg albumin protein powder (again, you can get this from the ON brand, but it is expensive and not as fast acting as whey), or else try some casein protein. If you are in fact lactose intolerant then you wont react well to casein either (milk protein) and its a slow release source of protein as is (so not great post workout).

while i would not recommend rocky style raw eggs in a cup as a protein source (for salmonella risk and because the amino acids are not fully activated until the egg is cooked) the only other option is to revert to organic sources of protein and leave the supplements out entirely. you could also try an old school egg flip. basically a shake with a couple of beaten eggs, milk/buttermilk and some vanilla essence or sugar heated in a saucepan (tastes pretty nasty but its a cheaper homemade alternative to whey protein).

perhaps try boiling some chicken fillets in the evening and eat hard boiled eggs in the morning with some oats and you have that part covered at least. i buy 30 large chicken fillets for 30 euro and munch on them frequently (morning or evening) and they will contain as much, if not more protein than a whey shake. costly and time consuming I know, but whey on its own anyway is not going to build muscle. whey at the end of the day is a supplement and I really only consume it for convenience so its not the end of the world if you are allergic.

drdeadlift

If its causing alot of distress to you or you believe its the cause just stop taking it.Pop a few bcaa during and after training,then have some food shortly after.

Mellor

jive wrote: »

Hmmm not sure about this. Tryptophan levels in cheese are what is meant to cause the vivid dreams. Based on my own experiences I would say that eating cheese does cause vivid dreams (not a placebo effect because this was before I knew about cheese causing mad dreams). There is conflicting evidence in the studies (of which there is a lack of from what I can see) also so I'm unsure how you decided it was a 'complete myth'. Most of which point to it being not a myth, however.

????
I said nightmares was a myth not vivid dreams. i think the suggestion is that Tryptophan reduces stress and thus promotes vivid dreams?

I'll just quote wiki out of easy, the actually study is linked in the notes

wiki wrote:

A study by the British Cheese Board in 2005 to determine the effect of cheese upon sleep and dreaming discovered that, contrary to the idea that cheese commonly causes nightmares, the effect of cheese upon sleep was positive. The majority of the two hundred people tested over a fortnight claimed beneficial results from consuming cheeses before going to bed, the cheese promoting good sleep. Six cheeses were tested and the findings were that the dreams produced were specific to the type of cheese. Although the apparent effects were in some cases described as colorful and vivid, or cryptic, none of the cheeses tested were found to induce nightmares. However, the six cheeses were all British. The results might be entirely different if a wider range of cheeses were tested.[26] Cheese contains tryptophan, an amino acid that has been found to relieve stress and induce sleep.[27]

TommyKnocker

Mellor wrote: »

????
I said nightmares was a myth not vivid dreams. i think the suggestion is that Tryptophan reduces stress and thus promotes vivid dreams?

I'll just quote wiki out of easy, the actually study is linked in the notes

I can't remember exactly what my dreams were about as it has been a while since I have had dairy induced dreams, However I do know that I have never dreamt vividly about white fluffy bunnies :D:D

As for the report mentioned in your quote from wiki. That appears to have been written by the British cheese Board, so I am guessing it was quite an objective study (not)

drdeadlift

I recently spoke to a man who was looking for tryptophan on its own,he was advised to use for it relaxing properties.Im not too sure about the dreams zma is the only supplement that effected my sleep in any way.
I think its also prescribed to junkies to relax them.

SanoVitae

drdeadlift wrote: »

zma is the only supplement that effected my sleep in any way.

+1

We sell it at SanoVitae and those who take it say it helps them sleep like babies!

jive

Mellor wrote: »

????
I said nightmares was a myth not vivid dreams. i think the suggestion is that Tryptophan reduces stress and thus promotes vivid dreams?

I'll just quote wiki out of easy, the actually study is linked in the notes

Not going to read that report tbh. If it's done by the British Cheese Board then it might be a bit biased. Tryptophan can induce nightmares if it can induce vivid dreams. I don't know the ins and outs of either but I'm assuming some of what you dream about is based on your thoughts while drifting away. If you're a kid worrying about monsters well then... you might get some vivid monsters. Like I said though I don't know. Vivid realistic dreams could be considered nightmares for some, too.

Sid_Justice

Mellor wrote: »

I imagine you are refering to having nightmares or trouble sleeping when eating cheese before bed. It's a complete myth. In fact, Cheese apparently contains tryptophan, an amino acid that has been found to relieve stress and induce sleep, so its actually good for sleep.

no i wasn't

drdeadlift

SanoVitae wrote: »

+1

We sell it at SanoVitae and those who take it say it helps them sleep like babies!

What brand,what amount and how much??

SanoVitae

drdeadlift wrote: »

What brand,what amount and how much??

Optimum Nutrition - A bottle of 90 capsules of ZMA sells for €29.95.

DL Saint

ZMA sleeps are brilliant. Feels so relaxed and airy when you wake up

tyuis

Can't say I've had any sleep disruption apart from waking up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. It definitely aides the flow of water.