To test this supplement I conducted an experiment on myself. Over the course of a month I had my girlfriend lay out my pills and write down which days included NAC and which days did not. I did not look at my pills when I took them and did not know which days I was taking NAC. I then recorded my anxiety and stress levels each day. At the end of the month there was a noticeable difference in my ratings of anxiety between days that I did and did not take NAC. I therefore believe that, for me personally, this supplement appears to be effective. JUST MAKE SURE TO NOT TAKE IT AT LEAST 2 DAYS A WEEK! The reasoning behind this is that NAC increases your body's glutathione levels. But if your levels are chronically elevated, your body may begin to decrease glutathione levels in order to keep them at a consistent level (this is called homeostasis). Therefore (as with all antioxidant supplements) you want to stop taking it at least 2 days a week so your body does not decrease glutathione production

Most of my family takes this product- (that's 8 of us). It's used for OCD, in doses of 1200-1800mg., It's best taken in an empty stomach, an hour before food or two hours after eating. When using 1800mg. per day as we do, divide them into dose of one 600mg. capsule an hour before breakfast and 2 600mg. caps before bed. It has been clinically studied to be an effective natural option to treat Trichotillomania (Hair Pulling Disorder). It has made a world of difference for my daughter with autism, and her OCD behaviors. It can also be used as a pre-hangover remedy, instead of the mini pack pills or drinks you see at the liquor store that taste horrible. NOW NAC has no taste. Take 1 600mg. capsule with your first drink and 2 capsules after your last drink. I only drink 1-2 times a year, but it makes a big difference for us light weights. NAC can also save your life! It has been a long standing IV treatment in Emergency Rooms for Acetaminophen toxicity. The uspharmasist.com website states: US Pharm. 2014;39(3):HS2-HS8. ABSTRACT: Acetaminophen toxicity is one of the most common causes of both intentional and unintentional poisoning in the United States. Acetaminophen-associated overdoses account for approximately 56,000 emergency department visits, 26,000 hospitalizations, and over 450 deaths annually. Acetaminophen-induced liver toxicity has become the most common cause of acute liver failure and the second most common cause of liver failure requiring transplantation. The recommended dose of acetaminophen in adults is 650 to 1,000 mg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed 4,000 mg in a 24-hour period; in children, the recommended dose is 10 to 15 mg/kg every 4 to 6 hours, not to exceed 50 to 70 mg/kg in 24 hours. This actually happened to a loved one of mine who had extreme tooth pain. He didn't have dental insurance at the time, and was looking rather sickly after a day of dosing intermittently with RX strength Ibuprofen and RX strength Acetaminophen every 4-6 hours. As soon as I suspected he'd had taken too much medication, I went on the internet on the internet for side effects of the drug's toxic levels. Ibuprofen can cause stomach upset, potential for ulcers, and it thins your blood, but nothing compared to Acetaminophen. Since NAC is a treatment in the thousands of milligrams an ER, I had him take 3600mg. of NOW brand NAC, and rushed him to the hospital. They gave him mega milligrams of NAC through an IV. The ER docs said that they'd never seen someone's blood clear the whopping 8000mg. of Acetaminophen toxicity in under 6 hours, and without any liver damage. They said that had he waited even a half hour more, and not taken the NAC immediately at home, he would have had irreparable damage to his liver. Thank God we had it on hand!! They also told him that can never consume Acetaminophen again in his life and and should list it as a life threatening allergy in his medical records and on his phone. It may be less expensive elsewhere, I don't know because when you're happy, why risk trying other brands? I trust NOW supplements for their purity, and use at least 10 other supplements they carry on Amazon. If my unsolicited review helped you know more about this product, I'd appreciate your thumbs up vote by clicking the “Helpful” button below! :) I will never go a day without it!! If my unsolicited review helped you know more about this product, I'd appreciate your thumbs up vote by clicking the “Helpful” button below! :

My Dr. recommended I try NAC as a treatment for "picking disorder". (if you don't know what that is, congratulations, you don't have it) The first brand of NAC I tried seemed to help a little (Piping Rock brand I think it was) When I ran out of that I tried this product (Now Brand NAC) What a difference! After just 1 week I feel I may be cured! One word of warning...though it says nothing on the label about taking this product with food make sure you eat something with it. If you don't you're going to spend an hour or 2 feeling like there's an alien in your stomach trying to get out

I'm a skeptical RN and have a younger brother whose heart nearly conked out on his when he was 50, and now he's 55 and doing better than ever, after a scare last year, when he hit a bad patch of life stress. His doctors told him he might need a second surgery but he has 5 kids, some of which are still at home. So they made him do a medical management plan vs another surgery. BUT IT WORKED, he has now been taking this and 3 other supplements and chelation IVs once a month and his heart disease has been 90& reversed. He's lost 60 lbs w diet modification, and he credits these Amazon products with unclogging his cardiac arteries. Now I'm taking these and the others his cardiologists ordered for him. It's all about reducing inflammation, and I say this as an RN for 39 years. So much misinformation out there, but this is working for us

THIS STUFF WORKS!! We both started taking it to prevent winter colds/flu and for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), common here in the Pacific NW when winters are just long, dark and depressing. We both noticed a mood boost within just 2 days of starting it and it also makes you feel more alert and just more able to handle everything. MAJOR difference. Added bonus: we haven't had ONE cold, flu, or sinus infection all winter and we would have normally had at least 1 or 2 really BAD sinus infections by now for sure. I take 2 tablets in the morning with my coffee and feel the effects for at least 4 or 5 hours. If taken before a workout it gives you energy and helps burn fat more effectively so I use it for that also. Just don't take before bed as it's an "upper". I've since learned NAC is good for SO many things including PCOS, Weight Loss, Cold/Flu, Depression, Anxiety, Addiction, OCD, Anti-Oxidant, Anti Aging, Metabolism Increase and more - that I can't believe we don't hear about this stuff all the time. Why is that?? Anyway, I tell all my friends about it now and will continue taking this after winter ends. We love it - IT WORKS

I suffer from OCD and social anxiety, and NAC really helps with both of these conditions. NAC also seems to lift depressive moods. Physically, I feel healthier too. As with most nootropics, I take this first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. I feel the effects after about 10 minutes to an hour, and I continue to feel them all day to some degree until bedtime. My personal experience with this product: Pro's: -HUGE reduction in anxiety -HUGE reduction in “ruminating thoughts” (anxiety or distress over past events or mistakes) -HUGE increase in focus and productivity -Overall sense of well-being, reduction in depression -Increased creativity Neutral: -Colors seem brighter -HUGE increase in libido (may be a pro or a con for you) Cons: -NAC is very stimulating for me. One time I took it before bed, and it took me much longer to fall asleep. Now, I simply never take it before bed. -I can't lie, NAC sometimes makes me feel “weird” but it not unpleasant, but I do not take it daily for this reason. I simply cannot deny that there is a change in consciousness, but it is nowhere near the change that you would experience from a low dose SSRI, for example. Finally, There is no denying that NAC helps tremendously with alcohol hangovers. I typically take 2 right before I go to bed after drinking (this is the only time I take it before bedtime). I used to get headaches that last for several days after drinking, but this product pretty much eliminates these. Some people have said that they take NAC before drinking, and I've noticed that when I do this, it typically takes 3x as much alcohol to get the same effect. This may be a placebo however. I put this at the bottom because I don't want to encourage unsafe drinking habits. Some people experience a reduction in asthma symptoms, but I did not notice any change. I have Samter's Triad so maybe I am not a good one to assess this benefit as we tend to not respond to conventional treatments. Overall I strongly recommend this product

I originally posted a review saying I was also getting mold spots. But I actually bothered to contact the company. After reading their response I have upped my review to four stars. Here is what they had to say: Last year NOW switched to new vegan based NAC raw material that consists of selenium and molybdenum compounds. These capsules are more prone to speckle under certain conditions. Over time when kept in a humid environment, such as a kitchen or bathroom black spots may appear in NAC. This is a normal oxidative reaction among the ingredients, but the product is safe to consume. These spots are NOT mold or any other micro-contamination. Micro-testing has been performed to assess product safety. To slow down this process, please either refrigerate or freeze the bottle

*Overview* In a few words, I can say that this supplement is the closest supplement I've ever used to a miracle product. Why do I say that? As a precursor to glutathione (Coined “The Mother of All Antioxidants” by Mark Hyman, MD), NAC serves to help my body overcome environmental and dietary toxins. In brief, I no longer feel "sluggish" like I once did or experience hangovers (even from minimal alcohol) like I once did. Since taking 1200-1800mg/day (2-3 capsules) in September of 2015, this has become a (long-awaited) staple in my supplement drawer and boost to my overall health. I am never without this product. *Dosage* I take, like I said, 2-3 capsules a day. First thing in the morning on an empty stomach with a large glass of water. Second one around lunchtime. Third one middle of the afternoon or so. If I plan on going out for a few drinks in the evening, I take another one before heading out the door to spend time with friends. I rarely miss doses but if I do, it is not as if my whole system crashes or I feel I have become so dependent on it I cannot function or am worse off than when I started. *What does it do?* If you're interested in the breakdown of what exactly this product is meant to do, I would recommend your own research or read some of the other reviews. I merely want to offer my own experience. I have taken a variety of supplements since I was a teenager (15 years) and never really felt that most products lived up the hype or could back up their claims. As a former smoker, I stumbled across this product while researching "What products help mitigate lung damage from smoking" and found this on a random forum buried somewhere in the text. That's where I first encountered the name NAC. I was skeptical and more than a little nervous about taking it but was somewhat assured when I read this is used in hospitals for acetaminophen overdoses so, if used by the medical community, maybe there was something to it? The effect was initially subtle. I was bursting with energy or bouncing off walls but found certain things that used to be VERY hard for me started to lift. A few examples. I found myself picking up the phone more often and calling a friend where before I felt a dark lining on life that made it harder to be myself. I found myself breathing easier and experiencing less sinus pressure (which makes sense as this thins out mucus) which was hugely helpful as I am allergic to most everything and experience an overload. It didn't take all allergy symptoms away, but my need for anti-allergy meds has decreased. In fact, I can't remember the last time I bought a bottle of allegra. I found myself able to better focus in class and while I still experience a certain level of brain fog from time to time, clarity of thought is more the norm for me than the exception. This has corresponded to a lifting of a sense of depression and darkness making it easier to be myself in social situations (and move past the worst parts of social anxiety). Last, but certainly not least, I process alcohol WAY faster. I can't explain the effect but, like most adults, I have a drink from time to time. Like some adults, I have nights where I have more than one drink from time to time. Unlike most adults after a night of drinking, I don't have concerns for how I'll feel the next day. I can feel the effect even at the bar where I remain lucid and focused while drinking as opposed to becoming...sloppy? In the last year I've woken up with a headache once as opposed to formerly experiencing a headache after 1 beer. So...it seems to be doing something... Like I said, I cannot recommend this product enough and continue to share my experience with everyone I encounter. While I continue to experiment with other supplements, adding or removing items for specific things, NAC remains a baseline of health for me and will not go without. No, my hair has not fallen out (as another reviewer mentioned they experienced). No, this product will not allow you to drink like a monster without effect at all. Qualifiers aside, this product might help you and would be worth considering if you've tried everything out there (like me) and want a good baseline for health to continue to build upon. Best of luck in your search for better health! *edited 10/06/16 for clarity.

As a med student and pharmacology freak, I was very skeptical about this product, but was also very desperate to stop with compulsive nail biting, skin picking, and pen chewing. After consulting my doctor, we determined there were no drug interactions to worry about, and for the price decided it was worth a shot. The first 2-3 months seemed to pass uneventfully and I started taking one 600mg in the am, one 600mg around 4pm on autopilot even though I wasn't noticing any effects and had already pretty much dismissed nAC as a placebo. But then I realized a few weeks ago that all ten of my fingernails needed trimming! (It sounds absurd, but if you're a nail-biter, you'll understand the significance of something like this). When I looked back, I realized that other compulsive behaviors had also waned; newer-onset ones, like pen chewing and pen twirling, disappeared within the first month or so, obsessive worry over things like a zit or a small stain on a shirt during the day disappeared over the next couple of months, and the nail-biting/skin-picking finally disappeared around 4-5 months

Great product! Works to reduce cough and phlegm better than Claritan or any other product. We used to have to take prescription drugs when experiencing a cold or allergy symptoms, but no more. We were told about this product by a respiratory therapist who is asthmatic and treats others who are (plus those with cystic fibrosis). He swore by this product. My husband was recovering from long bout of pneumonia, still coughing constantly. He spent nights in a recliner as his cough was so bad. Even codeine cough syrup wasn't effective, As soon as he started taking this product, the cough was cut short and after the first DAY taking it, he slept in the bed for the night without coughing! We are sold on NAC. Amazon has a MUCH better price than a health food store