I have been taking anywhere from 2 mg to 6 mg of naturally derived astaxanthin.

Pros: It seems to have helped my body use insulin that another medicine I take has caused my body not to be able to access properly. It also has helped with inflammation, specifically arthritis-type pain in my hands, and has provided me with more energy.

Cons: I have developed a cardiac arrhythmia (skipping a beat regularly) and moderate to severe back pain between my shoulder blades. In addition, the "more energy", if I take the supplement before trying to sleep, translates into insomnia (it keeps me awake until it wears off). Just FYI.

I am a 41, insulin-dependent diabetic with fair skin. I began taking it at 2mg twice a day. Within four days, my body developed a nasty red rash on my arms, thighs and bottom. It was so itchy. It took over a week to get the rash to light pink!

We are all different, but be cautious when taking this product. I was taking a brand that I think was called Good Source from GNC. If you develop the rash, try Arnica gel. That helped my rash and helped with the ugly redness.

Has anyone taken this supplement and had it affect their menstrual cycle? Unfortunately, in my excitement to try this wonder supplement I neglected to check on the "side effects" before taking 8 mg a day. Well, I've just passed my 30-plus day, and I did not have my period. I am not pregnant, or peri-menopausal.

Needless to say, when I checked the side effects I was shocked to see that it specifically mentions "hormone changes." Well, what exactly does that mean? I am no longer going to take this supplement and am hoping that soon my regular cycle will return. I am very disappointed! I used the product on Dr. Mercola's website.

My sister and I started taking 4 mg Now Astaxanthin (from algae) in early March. We are in our 30s. She wears glasses and was hoping for better vision. I have sun damage, i.e., age spots that I was hoping to get rid of. I was also looking forward to the added sun protection. What happened instead was that we both experienced severe back pain after about six days. We didn't think it was the astaxanthin. I thought it was the way I slept or the mattress, but I was lazy and didn't take astaxanthin one day and the pain went away. I took it the next day and the back pain returned.

My sister complained about her back and her entire spine hurting. As a result, she had to take time off work because she couldn't move her back. She lay in bed all day. That's when I wondered if we were both reacting to the astaxanthin adversely. I told her to stop taking astaxanthin. The next day, we were both free of back pain. Reading this article helped me understand why we had back pain. Calcium was being removed from our bones -- enough to cause back issues.

For those of you who are benefiting from astaxanthjn, what age range are you? I'm wondering if it can be harmful when under a certain age and extremely beneficial beyond another age.

It would be great if people also detailed the brand and lot number when leaving a review. That way we can see if there are issues with a brand or lot/batch. I have the Now Astaxanthin Lot#1424341 1110 Best by 12/2014.

My partner took 8 mg for about a month and developed a twitch in her left eye. I had her stop taking it and the twitch was gone in three days. She restarted and after four days, the twitch returned.

I took 8 mg for about 45 days and developed a heart arrhythrmia that stopped after I discontinued the uses but returned after a restart. We were taking BioAstin.

I'm wondering if one has to go through a little pain to heal and hence the negative side effects that some are seeing.

When we exercise, we try to achieve a burn to build muscle. Not sure that is the best example, but whenever we get sick it's a good thing such as running a fever because our immune system is working to make us better. No pain, no gain.

I used astaxanthin, and not only had swelling, and pain in knees, but my legs swelled up like fire hydrants. I do believe there should be mandatory testing before these products are allowed on the market.

Took the real Astaxanthin 4mg from DrMercola website, only two days and my knee joints began to hurt really bad. I stopped it. Three weeks later, my knees stopped hurting and I tried it again to make sure it was the Astaxanthin. Again second day my knees are stiff and painful. I now believe that is my side effect. Sad, but true.

Anyone having adverse effects is not taking the natural astaxanthin, but is taking a synthetic type. You are not to take over 12mg per day, 8mg is ideal. If you pick it up locally, ONLY get it at your local health food store. If you get it online, shop through Amazon and read the reviews and get the natural astaxanthin. Any of you who have had negative effects are most definitely taking the synthetic, and do not overdo it. Anything in excess is bad for the body. This supplement is excellent for the skin, for the joints, and for the brain!

Be smart and don't just buy any brand. The natural type works wonders. The only warning I would have is make sure you're aware of your asthma medications and its affects with astaxanthin. If you find yourself needing your inhaler more, reduce your dosage.

After two years of extreme stress, I became sensitive to the sun to the point of breaking out in hives with even a minute's exposure. I began taking 8 mg astaxanthin two weeks ago and went out in the sun this week for 15 minutes. I ended up without redness or hives. For me, this is a miracle! I'm a believer and will continue taking natural astaxanthin.

I took the Astafx version of Astaxanthin for 30 days (canceled my "membership" with the company immediately upon receiving the bottle, though, because I read horror stories about how they'd keep charging your credit card unexpectedly).

Anyway, I was pleased with the product. I have one deep frown line at the top corner of one eye, and some other fine lines underneath my eyes. After taking the astaxanthin, as well as keeping a very strict, morning/night facial routine, the deep line isn't as noticeable, and the fine lines are virtually nonexistent.

Again, I was taking the supplement and using facial serums/creams. So I can't say it was all due to the astaxanthin. However, I've been using facial stuff for years with no luck on that darn frown line. So I feel positive that the astaxanthin is what did the majority of work on that.

I learned about it from a doctor at JHH in Baltimore, MD. He recommends it to his patients for eye disorders.

I think that just about says it all. I ordered it in mid-May 2011, originally took two a day for 30 days, 8 mg, then I went to one a day. I have not taken a break off of it yet. But I'll say this much, and this is no hype: I actually saw a difference in my vision. I have to actually get a new weaker script for my contacts in one of my eyes. It did not have the same effect on both eyes. I will go off of it for seven days starting next week, just to see if anything changes in that time frame.

For those who are reporting negative side effects, have you considered the source of the astaxanthin? Are you taking the real thing, sourced from microalgae, or have you possibly taken a synthetic version, made from petrochemicals? Just something to consider.

I read some comments and didn't see anything like my side effects. I have been taking this for three months and i loved it in the beginning. But, now i have a lot of pain in my joints. I don't know if comes from astaxanthin. However, i am thinking about stopping for another two months and see what happens. If anybody out there feels the same please, let me know. --pinto11

I've been using the stuff for a couple of months. I took it initially to improve my eye reflex time for tennis. I think it has worked there. I also work out with weights and have had a very nice result there, too. Things seem easier and I have increased my weights on routines significantly. My complaint would be that I seem "laid back' and less aggressive in my tennis.

What are the interactions of astaxanthin with other medications ( e.g., meds for cholesterol, high blood pressure etc.). It seems that there are no studies to document negative interactions with medications. Certainly that is key to whether anyone would want to use astaxanthin as a supplement. It sounds like a too good too be true health source.

I used it for a few days then I stopped right away. by taking three per day as (recommended/allowed) by "astaxanthin Hawaii" I started developing "juicy pimples" on my face. I opened one of the gelatin and inside you have a sticky reddish oily substance inside.

I don't know. Now I will take one caps once a week without the thick black gelatin that comes with it because it's probably made with pork.

Don't take it. It's toxic and harmful. Please, do more research folks before buying in to the millions of dollars put in to it's advertisements.

i have been taking astaxanthin for about a month or two now, and in the last few weeks have noticed odd splotches on my face. Very ugly. I think I am going to stop taking it. Normally my skin is pretty clear.

I had heard that using astaxanthin for skin products was actually not a good idea. A friend of mine said that she had read an article where several people had had really terrible reactions to astaxanthin antioxidant serums that they had gotten online.

And the same article said that it's actually pretty easy to build up an astaxanthin toxicity level, since it's a fat soluble material, and so it doesn't get put out of the body if you take too much. Rather, it just gets stored in your fat cells, and if you start to lose weight or those fat cells are burned off, then all the astaxanthin can be released into your system, causing serious issues.

Have you guys heard of anything like this, or tried something like this?

But you know, there really are a lot of astaxanthin benefits too.

For instance, astraxantin really is a strong antioxidant. Many astaxanthin antioxidant products are going to give you a better effect than any amount of plumping collagen products out there on the market right now because it can help prevent sun damage from occurring to begin with, and can also improve your skin's tone and coloring.

Besides, it's also really good for your body. Astaxanthin can go into almost every part of your body, even across the blood-brain barrier, so you can get its protection in virtually every organ of your body.

And even though it does have its side effects, look at the side effects for comparable treatments -- they can be really crazy too.

So even though astaxanthin is powerful, and you should use it properly to avoid the risk of serious side effects, if you do it right, it can be a great treatment and cosmetic.

That's so funny that one of the side effects of astaxanthin is messing up your skin, because I just saw a one of those anti aging serums with astaxanthin in it.

It claimed that astaxanthin was an antioxidant, and could be used to reverse the signs of aging, get rid of lines, etc.

But how can that be true if it is supposed to cause problems with your skin to begin with? Because the way I read it, you could start taking an astaxanthin supplement for your wrinkles and end up with odd splotches on your skin.

Am I right, or is there more to this than I know? Anybody have any idea?