Curcumin Information

Submitted by V.M.

MD Anderson has been doing studies with Curcumin on patients with Smoldering Myeloma, who are not on any other drugs for MM.  They have not released any data yet on this trial.  They are also “prescribing” curcumin to some patients whose numbers are increasing slightly after having been in remission. 

• For Smoldering MM patients, they seem to be prescribing between 2000mg and 3000mg per day, taken with piperine, a black pepper extract that helps the supplements be absorbed better in the system.   For relapsed MM patients they are prescribing up to 6000mg/day, starting at 3000 the first week, then upping it.
• Piperine is also sold under the name of Bioperine. 
• Curcumin is a derivative of the spice turmeric, and sometimes sold under that name.  Most capsules/tablets I have found are 500mg each.
• You can take the two supplements separately, or find some that combine both curcumin with piperine.  A patient at MD Anderson was recommended to use “Doctor’s Best” brand, which mixes the two. 
• You can purchase both curcumin and piperine at many health foods stores, or order it on the internet.
• It has been reported that you should take the curcumin 30 minutes before, one hour after, or some other time between meals when your stomach is not full.  Depending on how much you take, you should spread the capsules over two or three times a day. 
• Do NOT take other prescription meds at the same time, the piperine may cause a higher rate of absorption of those meds, effectively acting like an increased dosage.
• I have achieved great results with just 1000mg/day, but have increased to 1500mg when I found out MD Anderson’s dosages were much higher.  Not sure if I will increase further, as my results seem good.  I also take other supplements which may have influenced my results.
• You should NOT take curcumin if you are on any forms of chemo, or other drugs that attack the myeloma cells. 
• You should let your doctor know of any supplements you take.  Even if they are not supportive, most will not object.
• Possible side affects:  Curcumin may lower platelet counts.  These are measured in most of your regular blood tests, so easily monitored.  Some people have some stomach discomfort from taking curcumin; this has been reportedly diminished by taking the pills with coconut milk.  Some patients report that their urine turns more yellow than before; there is no reported danger in this color change.  One patient taking 6000 mg per day reported getting hot and sweaty 45 minutes after taking the pills.  Doctors said it was OK.  Possibly just a reaction to the fact the Curcumin is a curry spice, and we often have that reaction anytime we eat a lot of spicy food.
• Everything presented on this paper is put together with information gathered from other MM patients, often their own personal accounts, or the information they have shared from their experience with the MD Anderson study.  MD Anderson has not released this info, and no trials have completed to support curcumin as a treatment.  No doctors have reviewed or approved this paper.  Taking curcumin is a personal decision to be made by each patient, and discussed with his/her doctor.