Update 8/13/20. Thrive W (also called “Thrive For Women”) is a supplement touted to have multiple benefits ranging from weight loss to supporting muscle growth. Judging from all the emails I’ve been getting lately, Le-Vel supplements have been generating a lot of interest on the internet. This review will be specifically about “Thrive W” (not to be confused with Thrive M, the men's supplement). In this review, you'll learn about the research ingredients and side potential side effects. Does it really work? Let's see.
Other Thrive Reviews
Thrive W Benefits
According to the description of the product, Thrive W is touted to help with these areas:
- Weight management
- Cognitive performance
- Joint support
- Inflammation support
- Lean muscle support
- Digestive and immune support
It’s also said to contain an “anti-aging and antioxidant blend” of ingredients as well. There are a lot of ingredients in Thrive For Women. During this review, I’ll try to isolate which ingredients might be responsible for each of these claims.
Thrive W Research
The Le-Vel website states this about Thrive W: “From years of experience, science, and perfecting, THRIVE W is the only premium lifestyle capsule of its kind.” The words science and perfecting got my attention because it gave me the impression that years of research went into the creation and perfection of this supplement. But, when I searched online for:
- Thrive W research
- Le-Vel research
No clinical research could be located.
Searching clinical databases for:
- Thrive supplements
- Le-Vel supplements
- Thrive W
revealed no clinical studies either. Likewise, I saw no such clinical trials on the Le-vel website either.
If Thrive W has clinical evidence to support its effectiveness, that research could not be located.
But what about its ingredients?
Let’s now look at the Thrive W ingredients next.
Thrive W Ingredients List
According to the label, 1 capsule contains the following ingredients and it’s recommended to take 1-2 capsules per day on an empty stomach or between meals:
| Amount per serving | Percent daily value | |
| Vitamin A | 1500 IU | 30% |
| Vitamin B1 | 1.4 mg | 100% |
| Vitamin B2 | 1.7 mg | 100% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacinamide) | 12 mg | 60% |
| Vitamin B5 | 10 mg | 100% |
| Vitamin B6 | 2 mg | 100% |
| Folic acid | 800 mcg | 200% |
| Vitamin B12 | 100 mcg | 1667% |
| Vitamin D3 | 200 IU | 50% |
| Chromium (chromium AAC) | 200 mcg | 167% |
| Selenium (selenium AAC) | 90 mcg | 125% |
| Vanadium (vanadium AAC) | 25 mcg | N/A |
Thrive W Proprietary Blend
Each 1 capsule also has 257 mg of a proprietary blend containing the following ingredients:
| B. lactis | L. acidophilus | L. casei | L. helviticus |
| L. salvarius | L. plantarum | L. rhamnosus | Guarana |
| Green tea | Glucosamine | White willow extract | Glutamine |
| Green coffee bean | PEA | Kelp | Irvinga extract |
| BCAA blend | Theobromine | Ginger extract | Synephrine |
| Aspartic acid | L serine | Grape seed extract | Co Q10 |
| White tea extract |
Read this table from left to right. This will tell you which ingredients are present the most and least. For example, since B. lactis is listed first, it makes up most of the proprietary blend, while white tea extract makes up the last since it's listed last.
Other ingredients
The product also contains Stearic acid, silica, and gelatin. These other ingredients play no role in the effects or benefits of this supplement.
Thrive W Ingredients Review
Now let’s review each of the ingredients. There is not an overabundance of most of the vitamins or minerals in the product. I don't feel they add the benefits of the product and so I won’t discuss them, except to mention a few briefly.
Niacinamide
This is a form of the B vitamin, niacin. Niacinamide is different than niacin in that it won’t cause face flushing some report with niacin. This may be one of the ingredients behind the claim of “joint support.” There have been some studies on niacinamide noting it may help osteoarthritis pain. But, those studies generally use about 3 grams a day to achieve this effect. This is more than is in Thrive W (which has just 12 milligrams).
Among the ingredients, you may have noticed chromium, selenium, and vanadium are listed as:
- Chromium AAC
- Selenium AAC
- Vanadium AAC
The “AAC” refers to “amino acid chelate.” Basically, this means the minerals have been bonded to amino acids to improve their absorption. Whether or not this makes a significant difference is debatable. See the review of chromium weight loss research for more insights.
Proprietary Blend Ingredients
There are 25 ingredients in the proprietary blend. Each 1 capsule contains 527 mg total of all the 25 ingredients listed.
| B. lactis | L. acidophilus | L. casei | L. helviticus |
| L. salvarius | L. plantarum | L. rhamnosus | Guarana |
| Green tea | Glucosamine | White willow extract | Glutamine |
| Green coffee bean | PEA | Kelp | Irvinga extract |
| BCAA blend | Theobromine | Ginger extract | Synephrine |
| Aspartic acid | L serine | Grape seed extract | Co Q10 |
| White tea extract |
Supplement companies don't have to tell us how much of each ingredient is in proprietary blends. That said, remember the ingredients listed first are the most abundant, while ingredients toward the end of the list are the least abundant. For example, from the table above, the supplement has the most B. lactis (because it's listed first) and the least white tea extract (because it's listed last).
Probiotics Ingredients
Thrive W contains the following probiotic bacteria:
- B. lactis (the B stands for bacillus)
- L. acidophilus (the L stands for lactobacillus )
- L. caseri
- L. helviticus
- L. salvarius
- L. plantarum
- L. rhamnosus
In this list, the letters (“B” and “L”) represent the genus of the bacteria and the name (lactis, for example) represents the species of the bacteria used.
Different strains of bacteria might have different effects. One strain might do something great while another strain might do nothing at all. Without knowing the strain, it's not possible to know their exact function although it's possible they might be present for:
- Immune support
- Digestive support
- Weight management (maybe)
Probiotics are often added to supplements as a way to alter the microbiome – those bacteria that live inside of us. We now know gut bacteria can have big effects on our health. There are good bacteria and bad bacteria.
One question, however, is which bacteria are good and which are bad. There are a lot of bacteria in Thrive W but it's a lot less than the thousands of types that are inside of you.
When it comes to gut health, diversity is good. The more different types of bacteria we have inside of us, the better. Two ways that seem to alter gut bacteria is eating more fiber and exercise.
Here are 5 things that are bad for your gut health:
Thrive Premium Lifestyle Mix also contains probiotics. See that review for more info.
Guarana
This is a plant that contains caffeine. Is Le-Vel using the whole plant or an extract of the plant? They don’t tell us. If it’s an extract, then my guess is caffeine might be the extract used. If I am right, I can’t say how much caffeine is in the supplement. Can any Thrive promoters shed light on this?
See the Thrive Shake review for more insights on that supplement.
Green Tea
Green tea contains some caffeine (unless it's decaffeinated) so it’s possible this ingredient might also contribute to the stimulant effects of Thrive W. Green tea also has lots of antioxidants and so this may part of the “antioxidant blend” in the supplement too.
Green tea has been in several weight loss supplements I've reviewed previously but I don't believe it helps people lose weight. As proof, this study, found green tea supplements did not help people lose weight or raise their metabolism even after using it for 3 months.
As an aside, I personally wish companies would remove green tea from supplements. Drink the tea but leave the green tea supplements alone until we know more about their safety.
See the Supplements & Liver failure review.
Glucosamine
Since glucosamine is often used to help reduce arthritis pain, this likely is one of the ingredients responsible for the “Joint support” benefit in the product.
As mentioned in the review of glucosamine, there are 3 different types in supplements:
- Glucosamine sulfate
- Glucosamine HCL
- NAG (N-acetyl-glucosamine)
What type of glucosamine does Thrive W contain?
They don’t tell us.
The label only says “glucosamine.” I believe the strongest evidence is for glucosamine sulfate. Most studies showing it helps arthritis use 1500 mg per day. Remember, all the ingredients in 1 capsule of Thrive W only add up to just 527 mg.
Could the glucosamine combine with the other ingredients in the product to help arthritis pain? It's possible.
White Willow Bark
White willow bark contains an aspirin-like compound called salicylic acid. Some OTC pain relievers contain a combination of aspirin and caffeine. If people notice having less pain after using Thrive For Women, I think white willow bark might play a role in this.
Glutamine
This is an amino acid and is likely one of the ingredients behind the claim of “lean muscle support.” The body can make glutamine and this is why it’s also called a non-essential amino acid. That said, under stressful conditions or disease, we may not make enough. It’s for this reason glutamine is sometimes called a “conditionally essential amino acid.”
In other words, under some conditions, we need more than what we can make naturally. Because exercise is a stress, some feel glutamine can help support muscle growth, although not all research shows it works.
I covered some of the research on glutamine in a previous post so see that for more information.
While they don’t tell us how much glutamine is in Thrive W, I don’t think it's much, because all the ingredients only amount to 572 mg in 1 capsule.
Taking 2 capsules a day, would likely provide less than 1 gram of glutamine. That is less than many studies have used.
Green Coffee Bean
This supplement, also called Chlorogenic acid, is popular in weight loss supplements. I’ve written an entire in-depth review on the weight loss research of green coffee extract so see that too.
I feel green coffee bean needs better research. I believe this because one of the best studies on this compound was retracted after the authors admitted they could not verify the data used in the study.
This greatly reduces the believably of the hype surrounding this stuff. Green coffee extract is listed #13 in the ingredients list, so it doesn’t have much of it.
Green coffee bean is also in the Thrive Patch so see that review too.
Also, see the review of bogus weight-loss supplements.
PEA
The letters PEA are short for Phenylethylamine (Fee-nil-ethyl-A-mean), a type of amino acid. This ingredient might be linked to the “cognitive performance” claim made for Thirve W. Some interesting research suggests PEA might increase dopamine levels. This means it may be able to alter mood. It might help depression too. Exercise appears to naturally raise PEA levels.
PEA is also a stimulant which, according to WebMD.com “looks” like amphetamines.
Kelp
My hunch is kelp is in Thrive W because it contains iodine, a mineral needed to make thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormone raises metabolism. This is why kelp is sometimes found in weight loss supplements.
Other weight loss supplements I’ve looked at which contained iodine include:
See those other reviews for additional information.
Irvingia Extract
This is also called African Mango. As mentioned in my review of African Mango, there are some human studies on this compound. As far as I can tell, the best evidence appears to stem from the use of an extract called “IGOB131.” What extract of Irvingia is in Thrive W? I don't know.
Even if it contains the IGOB131 extract, how much does it have? They don’t tell us that either, but it is # 16 in the ingredients list, so my guess is not much.
See the MBS 360 review for another African Mango-containing supplement.
BCAA Blend
The letters BCAA stands for Branch Chain Amino Acid. There are 3 of these amino acids:
- Leucine
- Isoleucine
- Valine
Thrive W contains a “BCAA Blend.” My guess is the blend is a mixture of all three amino acids. BCAA's also popular in muscle building supplements so I believe they are linked to the “lean muscle support” claim. Regardless, given how far down in the ingredients list they are, I believe you’d probably get more BCAAs in a can of tuna fish than in Thrive W.
Theobromine
Theobromine is one of the compounds in the cacao plant which is where we get chocolate from. Theobromine is a stimulant and a diuretic (makes you pee more). For more on this ingredient, see my reviews of:
Ginger Extract
Since they don’t tell us what extract of ginger they are using, it’s hard to figure out what it’s supposed to do in the product. Maybe it's supposed to be anti-inflammatory? Does anybody know?
Synephrine
This is a stimulant. In supplements, it goes by several names including bitter orange and citrus Aurantium. In my review of the weight loss supplement called PhenTabz, it was called octopamine. Because it chemically “looks” like ephedra, it may be found in supplements claiming to be “ephedra-free.” Some of the supplements containing synephrine I’ve looked at previously include:
Synephrine can raise heart rate and blood pressure and has been associated with some serious side effects including heart attacks in even healthy people. As such, I’m not a fan of it in supplements.
For what it's worth, I don’t think there is much synephrine in Thrive W because it's pretty far down in the ingredients list. That's good. What's bad is its presence.
Aspartic Acid and Serine
These are non-essential amino acids. We make both aspartic acid and serine every day. What role do they play in Thrive W, I can’t say.
Grape Seed Extract
The scientific name for grape seed is Vitis vinifera. While they don’t tell us what extract of grape they are using, my guess this ingredient is for “inflammation support” given that grape product (like grape juice and grape seed oil) might reduce inflammation in the blood vessels.
CoQ10
Coenzyme Q10, also called CoQ10 or Ubiquinone is found in just about every cell of the body. It helps our cells make energy, and as we age, we make less of it. There are many studies on CoQ10 which hint it might have multiple effects in the body such as helping lower cholesterol levels, migraine headaches, and blood pressure among other things.
While all this is nice, does the product have enough CoQ10 to be therapeutically helpful? I don't know. Most studies generally use at least 100 mg. Remember the entire proprietary blend in Thrive W only has 527 mg. There are 25 ingredients in the proprietary blend and of those, CoQ10 is listed 24th.
White Tea Extract
Even though they call it white tea, this stuff is similar to green tea in its anti-oxidant power. While that's good, I have to ask what extract of white tea are they using? They don’t tell us.
White tea does have some caffeine so could this be the extract? While tea is the last ingredient listed in the proprietary blend so if it is, I don’t think there is much present.
Stimulant Ingredients
Here they are the stimulant ingredients:
- Guarana
- Green tea
- PEA
- Theobromine
- Synephrine
- White tea (maybe)
Ingredients are listed in order as they appear in the proprietary blend to give an idea of which might be present the most and least.
Where To Buy Thrive W
Thrive supplements cannot be purchased at Walmart, Walgreens, CVS, Target, Rite Aid, Costco, Sams Club GNC, Vitamin Shoppe or other stores like that. Rather, they can only be purchased directly from Thrive promoters. You can also go to the Le-Vel.com website and purchase them too although you'll be asked to provide the name of the promoter who referred you.
I liked this as it means the company is not in competition with those who sell their supplements.
How Much Caffeine?
Those sensitive to caffeine may wonder how much caffeine is in this supplement. They don't really tell us. In the comments section below, you will see a Thrive Brand distributor state Thrive W has 40 mg of caffeine while Thrive M has 50 mg.
She also said that Thrive Lifestyle Mix has 25 mg and that the Thrive Patch does not have any caffeine. While this is nice, I'd like to see a document that states this. Remember, several ingredients in this product contain caffeine. Also, caffeine is not the only stimulant in the Thrive W.
Thrive W And Thrive DFT Patch: Better Together?
As I was told, thrive W is part of a lifestyle program that incorporates the use of a weight management patch called the “DFT Patch.
While it's possible both work best together to promote a greater effect, at this time, I'm unable to locate any clinical proof to substantiate this.
Thrive W vs. Thrive M
While this review is mostly about Thrive W, there is also a men's version, called Thrive M. How are they different? The table below shows how they compare to each other:
| Thrive W (1 capsule) | Thrive M (1 capsule) |
|---|---|
| Vitamin A 1500 IU (30%DV) | Vitamin A 1500 IU (30%DV) |
| Vitamin B1 1.4 mg (100% DV) | Vitamin B1 1.4 mg (100% DV) |
| Vitamin B2 1.7 mg (100% DV) | Vitamin B2 1.7 mg (100% DV) |
| Vitamin B3 12 mg (60% DV) | Vitamin B3 12 mg (60% DV) |
| Vitamin B5 2 mg (100% DV) | Vitamin B5 10 mg (100% DV) |
| Vitamin B6 2 mg (100% DV) | Vitamin B6 2 mg (100% DV) |
| Folic acid 800 mcg (200% DV) | Folic acid 800 mcg (200% DV) |
| Vitamin B12 100 mcg (1667% DV) | Vitamin B12 100 mcg (1667% DV) |
| Vitamin D3 200 IU (50% DV) | Vitamin D3 200 IU (50% DV) |
| Chromium 200 mcg (50% DV) | Chromium 200 mcg (50% DV) |
| Selenium 90 mcg (125% DV) | Selenium 90 mcg (125% DV) |
| Vanadium 25 mcg (N/A) | Vanadium 25 mcg (N/A) |
| Proprietary Blend 527 mg consisting of the following | Proprietary Blend 526 mg consisting of the following |
| B lactis | B lactis |
| L. acidophilus | L. acidophilus |
| L. casei | L. casei |
| L. helveticus | L. helveticus |
| L. salivarius | L. salivarius |
| L. plantarum | L. plantarum |
| L. rhamnosus | L. rhamnosus |
| Guarana caffeine | Guarana caffeine |
| Green tea caffeine | Green tea caffeine |
| Glucosamine | Glucosamine |
| White Willow extract | White Willow extract |
| Glutamine | Green coffee bean |
| Green Coffee Bean | PEA |
| PEA | Irvinga extract |
| Kelp | Theobromine |
| Irvingia Extract | Ginger extract |
| BCAA blend | Citrus Aurantium extract |
| Theobromine | Glutamine |
| Ginger extract | L arginine |
| Citrus Aurantium extract | Grape seed extract |
| Aspartic acid | BCAA blend |
| L Serine | CoQ10 |
| Grape seed extract | Kelp |
| CoQ10 | White tea extract |
| White tea extract |
In the table, “NA” means no daily value established. mg = milligrams and mcg = micrograms.
If you scroll down the ingredients, you see both Thrive W and Thrive M are pretty similar all the way down to the white willow ingredient. After that, the ingredients shift their positions a bit.
Thrive W contains the amino acids aspartic acid and serine. These are not present in Thrive M. Instead, thrive M contains the amino acid called arginine. It's speculation, but this might be because arginine helps produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide plays a role in erections.
See the Super Beets review for more on nitric oxide.
The amounts in the proprietary blends are a little different – 526mg in Thrive M and 527 mg in Thrive W. I dont think this is significant.
Who Makes Thrive Supplements?
Thrive supplements are a product of a company called Le-Vel LLC. Another name for the company is “Le-Vel Brands LLC.” The listed address for the company is 9201 Warren Pkwy #200, Frisco, TX 75035. If you Google this address, you can see it's the same address as a company called “Going Postal” which is a post-office-like facility. The “#200” in the address may be the Going Postal “PO Box” number.
This is the same address as was reported to the Better Business Bureau.
To contact Le-Vel, the BBB lists this phone number: 888-557-0005.
The BBB indicates the Le-Vel business was created in 2013. The company website (Le-Vel.com) was registered in 2012. Le-Vel is a “cloud-based” company. In other words, there doesn’t appear to be an actual/physical building called “Le-Vel” where the supplements are made.
Here is BBB file Le-Vel LLC. The company had an A+ rating when this review was updated. See the BBB file for ratings and more information.
SiteJabber, a consumer website also has several reviews on Le-Vel. Here is the SiteJabber file. Interestingly, while many of the reviews left there said the same thing – “life-changing” what are the odds of different people using the same words? The problem with testimonials is we have no way of verifying them.
Thrive W Side Effects
Does Thrive W have any side effects? Here are some thoughts I had based on the ingredients. This list is not complete:
- Stop taking Thrive W at least 2 weeks before surgery.
- Don't take Thrive W if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
- If you take any medications such as those used to treat kidney or liver problems or high blood pressure or heart disease, show the ingredients to your doctor or pharmacist. In theory, some of the ingredients might interact with medications.
- In theory, glucosamine might raise blood sugar in diabetics.
Green tea-containing supplements have been linked to liver problems –including liver failure. While I think this a very rare occurrence and I don’t believe this product has a lot of green tea, If you have liver issues, speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
Here are some of the concerns/complaints people expressed in the comments section below. I'll be honest, some of these left below by people who've taken Thrive supplements have me uneasy. Here are some excerpts of the side effects people reported in the comments section below:
- I took it only five days and I also have high blood pressure and I felt like I had a heavyweight on my chest.
- I EXPERIENCED a stiff neck then a sick headache and I passed out. I stopped Thrive. been off of it for a wk. I feel better but my skin I jumpy at times.
- So I’ve been taking Thrive W for over a year now. When I don't take it I notice a loss of energy.
- My mind was racing, yet I felt too bad to do anything! I felt so sick from the caffeine overload! I never want to feel this way again!
- One thing I noticed is that Thrive makes me thirsty. I can’t get enough water.
- I was given a sample of Thrive, during a period when I was mourning the death of my sister. I just could not seem to pull myself out of a depressed state of mind. Thrive helped me with that, and did an excellent job of doing so.
- had a lot of energy , clear-headed, and my back pain went away as well as my migraine I have nearly every day. I felt somewhat jacked up, however , but at the end of the day it wasn’t so intense and I slept like a baby . But … I had heart palpitations before going to sleep.
Take these for what they are. Looking over the testimonials, many people do say they have more energy. I believe that's a testament to the stimulants in this supplement. Read the comments below to see what everybody else is saying.
Is Thrive Safe?
Because everyone is different it's not possible to say across the board anything is 100% “safe.” We all have differences. That said, it's good to keep in mind several of the ingredients in Thrive W are stimulants. While there is no clinical proof either way, for those who sensitive to stimulants or who are not “healthy,” in theory, this might be an issue.
Just a few conditions where stimulants might be a problem include breastfeeding, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney problems, liver problems, diabetes or stroke risk.
To be clear, there is no proof Thrive W is a problem for any of these conditions. Again, each person is different. As with all dietary supplements, to know for sure, show the ingredients to your doctor and/or pharmacist for more individualized information on this topic. This is always wise for those who have health problems.
How To Return Thrive W
If you purchased supplements via a promoter, they should be able to help with returning products. Here is what I could gather from the company website.
According to the Terms and Conditions page of Le-Vel.com, unopened supplements come with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee minus a 10% restocking fee.
In other words, the company keeps 10% of the money spent to pay the cost for restocking the items.
Before returning items, people have to first contact the “Le-Vel Online Support Ticket System from within your account.” In other words, it appears you can’t do this over the phone.
Be sure to include the original packing slip or a printed copy of your receipt.
For supplements that are opened or partially used or damaged, the company will refund only 50% of the cost of the products.
Send the package to be returned to this address:
Le-Vel Returns
1545 S 4800 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
The return address, corresponded to “Pro Star Logistics.” This is a company that helps other companies with order fulfillment, packing, and warehousing. Their website is ProStarLogistics.com for those who wish to learn more about them.
While I’m sure Le-Vel promoters can help people with all of this, I feel the return process is overly complicated. I was also not satisfied with the company keeping a “restocking fee” on returned supplements.
Does Thrive W Realy Work?
Without clinical studies, it’s difficult to make a decision. On the surface, it would appear Thrive W has ingredients to support its claims but are the levels of those ingredients the same as used in clinical trials? I do believe some who take Thrive W will feel more energized and that's probably because several of the ingredients are stimulants like caffeine. As for weight loss? I think the results will vary.
Here it is on Amazon
Hi….canI take my Doterra vitamins withe the shake and patches?
Hi Kami, I’m not aware of any interactions with Doterra vitamins and Thrive shakes and patches. Im not sure what is in DoTerra vitamins. Are you currently taking all of them? Does anyone else have insights for Kami?
I have been on the Thrive program for about 8 months. I found that if I take one capsule instead of 2, 1/2 scoop of shake, and no DFT, I am good for the day. I discovered that when I take 2 capsules, a full scoop of shake, and the DFT, I feel over stimulated. I am nearly 69 years old, so maybe age has something to do with it too. Anyway, that’s what works for me.
Since this is all done first thing in the morning, I also do not skip my light breakfast around 2 hours later, otherwise I get a mild headache. I usually eat one hard-boiled egg, a handful of grapes or some other fruit, and one slice of toast.
Hi Nora, glad to hear the Thrive supplements are working well for you. Are you taking all this for energy or for weight loss? Have you lost weight? Just curious.
Hi, Ive been taking Thrive, 1 capsule a day, for 3 yrs now. I only drink decaf coffee as I still need coffee in my life for my Keto way of eating. After one day of use 3 yrs back I felt the effects immediately…no 3pm migraine, knee pain gone, and energy all day followed by great sleep.
When I started keto this yr it was a very helpful tool in staying away from “keto flu” and even just lowering my food intake and restrictions. I got too excited and stopped thrive for 2 weeks now and I feel the difference. I’m a bit sluggish.
I am going to try to use raw b-complex and a few other supplements I need to see if I can regain the effects of Thrive while understanding exactly what I’m putting in my body and less caffeine.
I am saying Thrive worked wonders for me, but I would like a little more control even if it means I loose out on the “one pill supplies all” ease.
Side note…My husband has always suffered from depression, he has angry, dark look at life on his “dark days” I started him on Thrive and it helps him move forward. He loves the shakes mostly and says on those day that he’s had a good start to his mornings. It is the only supplement I have been able to get him to stick with and actually feel a difference.
Hi Dawn, thanks for sharing. Im happy to hear Thrive and the keto diet have been working for you – and your husband. Do keep us posed on your progress.
I am a Thrive promoter and while reading this article I noticed you are only talking about the ingredients in step 1 Thrive W . There are actually 3 steps total that all work together it’s not just the capsules..
The Capsules are followed by the lifestyle mix and then the DFT. All three products are meant to be used together.
Hi Mindy, I have separate reviews on the the thrive shake mix and DFT patches. Here they are
Thrive Shake Mix Review
Thrive DFT Patch
Thrive DFT DUO Patch Review
Can you point me to clinical proof all 3 products work best together? By clinical proof I mean a clinical study published in a medical journal? If you can, I’d be happy to look at it and add its findings to these reviews.
Disclaimer: I am a promoter and have been Thriving over 3 years.
As a general comment, the company does not market itself as a “weight loss product” nor a meal replacement. It is marketed as a nutritional supplement. Many say that with an increase in energy and a decrease in aches, they are better able to exercise and be active leading to weight loss. Does that help?
I Thrived (with doctor approval) through my twin pregnancy (when my stomach would tolerate having anything in it) as well as during my recent Singleton pregnancy and breastfeeding. There is no way of knowing if Thrive had anything to do with it, but I had healthy pregnancies and maintained healthy pregnancy weight gain, and all babies were born and still are healthy.
Hi Autumn, thanks for the feedback. Can you share what specific thrive supplements you took when you were pregnant?
Thrive would not red flag a drug test. I have been doing it for 3 years and also know a police officer that goes through regular testing who use thrive also.
Thanks Christian, I really appreciate you sharing this.
I have a 3 day supply of thrive and am concerned about taking this because my employer does random drug tests. Will thrive create any type of false positive?
Hi Missy, the company makes many supplements. Which one do you have a 3 day supply of:
Thrive W?
or is it:
Thrive Patch (review)
Thrive DUO Patch (review)
Thrive Shake (review)
I doubt the patches or shake would red flag on a drug test. I’m less certain about Thrive W because of the stimulants but on the plus side I have not heard of anyone failing a drug test.
Does anyone else have thoughts on this?
Hi! I was just wondering what you were concerned about with excessive thirst. I took one capsule that a friend gave to me the other day, and it made my feel pretty thirsty. I also felt my skin was a little dehydrated the next day. I enjoyed how much energy I had to accomplish tasks and I also had WAY more patience with my kids (I saw other moms who reported the same things).
I think the patience may have come from having more energy but it was difficult to pinpoint. I also experienced an unusually positive outlook that I can only liken to feeling like a kid or a teenager again. The feeling was so altered from my normal experience that it did seem a little drugy to me (for lack of a better word).
I have 3 kids, and a lot of laundry to do. It’s tempting to take something like this, but my intuition seems to be hesitant.
Hi Amie, Excessive thirst can be caused by many things ranging from dehydration and some medications to even diabetes. its a vague side effect. Did you notice urinating more than usual? If yes, that might be the reason. There are quite a bit of stimulants in Thrive W and I wonder if they might be the reason for the thirst?
I also wonder if the stimulants in Thrive W might be behind the odd side effects you and others have reported. Scroll up to the side effects section to see some of the weird side effects reported here. One person told how his girlfriend broke off their engagement after he voiced his thoughts on Thrive. Again, it’s just odd.
While some may think I’m imagining things when it comes to this, I say listen to your intuition on this. I’m not comfortable with Thrive W.
PS, I like the spelling of your email 🙂
Can I use with the with Doterra slim and sassy trim shake mix?
Hi Paula, I’d have to look up DoTerra Slim and Sassy Trim shake mix (when I looked, I didn’t see the labels on the DoTerra website). I know many people like Thrive W but my opinion is I’m not a fan of it. Its got too many stimulants for my tastes. I’ve been meaning to do reviews on DoTerra supplements. Thanks for the kick in the butt about this 🙂
I have been taking Thrive for Women capsules for over 3 years now. I swallow 2 as soon as I get up each and every morning. It wakes me up and I feel great all day. My system is regulated and I don’t know what I would do without it as my days are full and hectic. I totally love it.
For those of us that really need the stimulant that Thrive offers (due to other health issues), is there something else you would recommend that isn’t hard on your liver? Since taking Thrive, I no longer have to worry so much about falling asleep at work. But, alas, I have issues with my liver.
Hi Susan, here are a few stimulant-free supplements that might help
if you are deficient in B12, vitamin B12 may help. Most are not deficient but if you are a vegan you might be.
Rhodiola. At least 1 study noted it might help fatigue https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19016404
Exercise: its not technically a supplement but it can help.
Protein at breakfast. Protein helps slow digestion and might help battle fatigue that results when we eat a lot of carbs. not a lot of protein, just a little bit should do the trick. Food can serve this purpose.
Water. one of the signs of dehydration is we get tired.
Does anyone else have thoughts on this?
I started Thrive Friday. 1 vitamin a day, half the mix & a patch. I have felt jittery, had a headache, have had to pee nonstop and feel like my heads going to explode when I bend over. I have lost 7lbs in 3 days but it’s probably all fluid.
Jen, you are right its mostly water you lost. We dont lose fat that quickly. In fact, when the weight loss slows, that’s often a sign its fat loss. The feeling of your head about to explode does not sound good to me.
This happened to me at first and I was told to drink more water… And it worked! Try that to see. Good luck!
Hi Paula, I’m all for drinking water but because the liver is complex, I don’t know if we can say it would help everybody who is having liver issues with Thrive. Just my 2 cents.
My Daughter is take the Thrive for Women supplements. Prior to starting this program she was taking a L-Methylfolate supplement. Based upon your notes above it appears that she may have too much Folic Acid. Is this a correct assumption?
Hi Jim, not necessarily. It depends. Folate is what we get from foods (spinach etc.) while folic acid is the synthetic form of the vitamin. We tend to absorb folic acid a bit better than the natural form of the vitamin (folate).
Folic acid definitely reduces birth defects so if she’s of child bearing age, it’s worth it. Folic acid may have other uses too such as helping depression.
If shes not of child bearing age or a doctor recommended it, then she might not need the supplement. Folic acid supplements (but not folate from food) is a bit controversial as some studies have linked it to cancer. I say this not to scare anyone and if your daughter is of child bearing age, then that’s most important. For everyone else who is taking it because a doctor said so / or who might get pregnant, I prefer to get folic acid from food.
Is there a reason why your daughter is taking the methyl form of folic acid?
I have been on Thrive w for 5 months last wk I had something strange happen to me I EXPERIENCED a stiff neck then a sick headache and I passed out. I stopped Thrive. been off of it for a wk. I feel better but my skin I jumpy at times. I drink lots of water according to my weight.
Could the incident been because of Thrive?
Hi Carolyn, its hard to say esp since you were taking Thrive for 5 months. Has anyone else had issues with Thrive after months of use?
So I’ve been taking Thrive W for over a year now. When I dont take it I notice a loss of energy. What ingredients in there are giving me the boost that keeps me going?
Hi Misi, I know this review had a LOT of information so you might have missed it. The ingredients that provide energy are stimulants. Here they are:
Guarana (contains caffeine)
Green tea (contains caffeine)
PEA (stimulant like ingredient)
Theobromine (contains caffeine)
Synephrine (stimulant-like ingredient)
If you go back to the review and take a look at the section “stimulant ingredients” you’ll see them. Then look in the review on the information on each of them.
if you have any other questions, just ask.