Biohacker Brian Johnson mistakenly took a drug that accelerates aging (5 photos)

The youth-obsessed billionaire took 13 milligrams of the immunosuppressant rapamycin every two weeks, which is intended for patients after organ transplants. The US Department of Health and Human Services has not approved the drug for anti-aging therapy, but it has been shown to extend the life of mice. Until recently, 47-year-old Johnson talked about his rapamycin rejuvenation protocol, but recently admitted that the drug did more harm than good.





“I take it because it can promote longevity,” Johnson said in the documentary “Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever.”

"For my peers, this is the stuff that gets me excited. But for the rest of us, it's like, 'Yeah, I'm taking an immune suppressant.' People are like, 'That's crazy, why would you want to do that?'"



Johnson says he experimented with rapamycin for nearly five years before cutting it out in November.

"I've been testing different protocols for rapamycin, including weekly (5, 6, and 10 mg), biweekly (13 mg), and alternating (6/13 mg) to optimize rejuvenation and eliminate side effects," the American explained.





“Despite the enormous potential of preclinical testing, my team and I concluded that the benefits of lifelong rapamycin do not justify the risk of serious side effects,” he added.

According to Johnson, he experienced occasional skin and soft tissue infections, as well as elevated cholesterol and blood sugar, and an increased heart rate even at rest.

“Since dose adjustments were ineffective, we decided to discontinue rapamycin entirely,” he said.

The biohacker also points to a recent study that found rapamycin accelerates the aging process.



Medical experts have expressed concern about using the molecule, first discovered in Easter Island soil in the 1960s, to extend life.

“Because rapamycin suppresses the immune system, side effects can include very dangerous bacterial infections such as pneumonia, cellulitis, pharyngitis,” says Dr. Oliver Zolman, who works with Johnson.

Harvard Medical School professor Vadim Gladyshev believes that experiments are needed to test the effectiveness of rapamycin in slowing human aging.

“Then we can draw conclusions,” Gladyshev says in the Netflix documentary. “What Brian is doing is not a scientific approach.”



In addition to rapamycin, Johnson has raised questions about his unusual diet, which includes eating dinner at 11 a.m. He also undergoes shockwave therapy to maintain erectile function and participates in plasma exchanges with his son and elderly father.