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What Are the Most Common Forskolin Side Effects?

By Meshell Powell
Updated: Mar 03, 2024
Views: 27,237
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Most forskolin side effects are relatively mild in nature and may include restlessness, coughing, or tremors. Gastrointestinal disturbances or circulatory disorders may sometimes develop when using this medication. Diabetics and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should use this method of treatment only under the direct supervision of a doctor due to possible complications such as abnormal blood sugar levels or excessive bleeding. Any specific questions or concerns about potential side effects of forskolin in an individual situation should be discussed with a doctor or other medical professional.

Forskolin is sometimes used as a treatment for insomnia, although it may occasionally have the reverse effect and cause restlessness instead. A cough or sore throat may sometimes develop when using an inhaled form of this herb. Occasionally, uncontrolled muscle movements known as tremors may occur.

Excess stomach acid may be among the possible forskolin side effects, leading to symptoms such as heartburn, nausea, or weight loss. Those who have been diagnosed with gastrointestinal problems such as stomach ulcers should not use this herb without close medical supervision. Additional damage to the lining of the stomach may occur when this supplement is used by those with preexisting digestive issues. Severe injury to the digestive system may require surgical intervention to repair damaged tissues.

Patients with diabetes are often advised to avoid the use of supplements containing forskolin due to the possibility of increased lipid levels in the blood. If this herb is used, blood sugar levels should be checked regularly. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are usually advised to avoid the use of this herb due to possible bleeding issues and potential risks to the baby. There is not enough reliable medical information concerning whether this supplement is excreted through breast milk, so it is probably best to avoid forskolin while nursing.

Cardiovascular problems are potentially serious forskolin side effects. As this supplement is known to naturally lower blood pressure, it should not be used by those who have high or low blood pressure, especially if medications are being used to control these issues. Bleeding disorders may occur as a result of the use of this herb, especially among those who have recently suffered a traumatic injury or had a surgical procedure performed. Heart disease and sudden death are among the most severe potential side effects of forskolin, and this supplement may also interfere with the effectiveness of medications traditionally used to treat heart disease.

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Discussion Comments
By anon997137 — On Nov 19, 2016

My girlfriend took this and ordered me to buy more. She used one bottle and wanted more. I withheld because of price. She had stomach trouble and hernia and she got a hole in her stomach and she lasted 24 hours before passing away. The funeral was today. She was 59 and battled carcinoid tumors had 3/4 of her liver taken out and foot of small intestine the year before. Was it related? Be very careful.

By anon996213 — On Jul 25, 2016

In addition to what I said earlier, the only problem I'd say I've had with it to this point is it causes more thirst. It usually kicks in at about the third or fourth hour after you've taken it. I do drink a lot of either water or something with a lot of water mixed into it. Though I could drink more. I don't take any other medications, I don't drink alcohol and I don't smoke. Also, I'm a male, as I don't think I mentioned. There is varied effects based on sex. It is generally more effective for weight loss in men due to the increasing of testorerone.

I normally urinate often throughout the day. Once again, a normal thing for my body. 10 times per day is about average. During that 3rd to 4th or 5th hour after taking the Forskolin pill, I can go every 10-15 minutes. Some of those you could reasonably hold, other times not so much. If I'm at home watching TV at night or a weekend, it's no big deal. But if I had to work while taking this, it would be very inconvenient.

What I'm guessing is happening is it's helping suck the things out of my body (hopefully the bad things) and pushing it out via liquid, unlike what some others have experienced. On day 3 and 4, I only took it once a day. That is all I'll probably do now for the sake of convenience. You usually feel more of the effects after the first pill as opposed to the second. If I wanted to work out more frequently, I would also have to structure my working out prior to taking this pill, which would be problematic if you already had experienced some dehyrdration after taking the pill the first time in the day.

For my body at least, in conjunction with a mix of working out, eating and drinking properly, Forskolin can provide a nice jumpstart. It might help get me into the 180's, but if I get into the 170's or 160's, it's going to have to come more from working out than this.

By anon996212 — On Jul 25, 2016

I've taken forskolin 250mg for four consecutive days now. Prior to starting, I cut off on soda, junk food and fast food for two weeks. Soda was more the bigger problem for me. I also resumed working out about 2-3 days per week (some cardio, some weights). I'm 5'9". Prior to those 2 weeks, I weighed 193.5. Than I went to 192.5. In the 4 days since, I'm at 191.5. Each weighing in in the morning after using the bathroom. My goal is to lose about 20-25 pounds.

Though I've only taken it a few days, the results have been mixed. I haven't had an issue with diarrhea or stool for that matter. I normally go multiple times a day. Once when getting up, then usually within 15-30 minutes of each meal. I can hold it longer if I chose to, but I normally am able to go. I'll usually go once at night after not eating. So typically four times per day. Been that way since a teen. Checked it out with doctor, including blood tests, nothing wrong. Just a fast metabolism. I've gone about one less time a day since taking Forskolin, but I've also eaten less.

The variation we may be experiencing is I generally don't eat much meat. Once and a while. But my diet consists of a lot of pasta, eggs, fish. When it includes meat a couple days a week, maybe chicken or a burger.

By anon992180 — On Aug 20, 2015

I have taken a 125 mg pill every day now for a couple of months. I did not have the diarrhea problems as mentioned above, but I did have to urinate at least 10 times a day minimum, and my hair is starting to fall out. I have lost 37 pounds (my target weight). I will quit using Forskolin, and start an exercise program to rebuild muscle mass immediately. Good uck to all.

By anon991617 — On Jul 04, 2015

I too am getting the swamp mud - diarrhea. I was taking 250mg per day and just started to cut back to 1 pill a day. I hope this takes care of it. I've been taking Forskolin now for about three weeks. I've only lost possibly four pounds. Still looking to lose belly fat.

By anon990674 — On May 04, 2015

I've been taking Forskolin for a week. The last two days I have not been able to leave the house because of diarrhea. Now I understand how the weight falls off: you quit eating. I have hopes this will get better. Cut back to one a day for now.

By anon990393 — On Apr 19, 2015

I've been taking forskolin for about three weeks now and I notice when I finish eating my food, I have to go to the bathroom. Swamp mud. Will this stop after my 12 weeks is done? Plus, my side kind of aches every now and again lost bout 8 pounds though.

By anon986350 — On Jan 24, 2015

I am interested to know the effects of forskolin on hormones as I suspect it may have aggravated my endometriosis. Has anyone else with endo used foskolin?

By anon986063 — On Jan 22, 2015

I started taking the recommended dosage and got the swamp mud response. I've cut back to half the dosage, but my stool is still softer than before and not as dense. It floats.

I almost had an accident in a store today when I had to rush to the restroom. I'm almost finished with the first thirty day supply. I think I will lay off them for a while.

By Joe01 — On Jun 10, 2014

I started taking forskolin several days ago. Since then, I've had diarrhea that looks like swamp mud. No real cramps to speak of, but I can tell that it's going to be diarrhea, and if I were to chance passing gas, I'd crap myself.

Is this a common side effect? I may need to stop taking it.

By fify — On Mar 12, 2012

I can't use this herb because I have type 2 diabetes. I tried once, in small amounts and it increased my blood sugar. So I definitely can't risk taking it.

I've heard that it's possible to add other complementary herbs to forskolin to balance out its side effects. For example, taking forskolin with another herb that lowers blood sugar. But I honestly don't know what those herbs are or how safe it would be to mix them. I'd rather not play around with herbs like that. I don't want to end up in the hospital with crazy glucose and insulin levels.

By ysmina — On Mar 11, 2012

@turkay1-- It used to cause me diarrhea but it doesn't anymore. I had a lot of gastrointestinal side effects when I first started using it. Mainly nausea, stomach upset and diarrhea. But the side effects slowly disappeared as I used it.

You know, there is no rule that because you tolerated a drug well before that you always will in the future. Sometimes drugs can cause side effects they've never caused before. Or they may stop causing them.

If the diarrhea gets really bad to the point of dehydration and loss of essential nutrients, make sure to get medical help. You might want to switch to another medication in that case. Otherwise, it may be a temporary side effect.

By candyquilt — On Mar 10, 2012

Does forskolin give anyone diarrhea?

It seems to give me diarrhea but it's not constant. I actually didn't have any side effects from it for the first couple of weeks after I took it. But then I started getting diarrhea on and off for a couple of days. It's not serious enough to switch to another medication. The diarrhea only lasts a couple of days so I get enough hydration in between.

It's just weird though and uncomfortable too since I never know when it's going to happen. I wonder if it has to do with how long the medication remains in the bloodstream. Maybe my body becomes satiated with the drug after so many days and results in diarrhea. What do you think? Does this make sense?

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