8 replies to this topic

[Cuil]

Hey Guys,


I just registered, but I have been lurking for about 2 years (off and on) now. So I am in a predicament. I am in college, poor and I am having a very hard time making it through my course work. As I am sure everyone else has had the same problem, 2008 was really rough (I was thrown out of my house by a crazy roomate and flunked two classes last semester) and I am still trying to recover from it. I have been trying to finish a 2 year program (A.A.) for 3 years now because I have kept on putting myself in a situation to where I have to drop one of my classes so that I could finish the rest. I am a psychology major who has been practicing meditation for about 2 1/2 years and I have quit smoking pot only about a month ago. These past few years, I have been going through major ontological crisis resulting from my meditation practice and previous (abundant) use of psychedelics. Instead of meditation reducing anxiety, it just makes me more acutely aware of my own neurosis which causes focus problems.

I'm sure that if I spend a few months abstaining from the green, I will be much sharper, but for the time being, I need to pass these classes or I will be in big trouble with my dean. My friend gave me some adderall last night (I have taken it before on a regular basis when I worked all night delivering newspapers) but I don't know how I feel about getting my own script because I fear becoming an addict. I like it way too much for the energy and the focus. It literally gets me out of my head and into the world. 5-10 mg's of Adderall really help along with some green tea.

I just ordered some piracetam, which I used to take last semester. I will give you a list of supplements that I have tried. As far as they go, I am typically a responder to these things. Also, besides opiate pills, I never took any hard street drugs, so my circuits should be somewhat normal.

Piracetam and various derivatives -Helps with energy but doesn't clear my head
Choline (various forms) helps with memory
L-Theanine (built a tollerance quick)-Worked great the first time
Gingkosmart -Helps with memory but not motivation or focus
Bacopa -Still take it because it's a great nootropic
Cordyceps -makes me want to vomit, but it did seem to help at first
Deprenyl -I love the stuff, but it is expensive and it took too high of a dose to feel satisfied with it's effects (30-40 mg daily)
Multi vitamins
Fish oil (high epa content)-Didn't do much besides stabalizing my mood
Huperzine A -Helped with memory
DL-Phenylalanine (with Deprenyl)
Syrian Rue combined with dark chocolate (hurts my stomache too much, but I like the effects atleast as much as adderall)
L-5htp-Diminished effects after a few days


That's all that I can list off of the top of my head. I am sure I have tried other things that I can not remember right now. Adderall seems really appealing, but I am kind of concerned about actually going to a doctor about a prescription because I know that I would end up taking it all the time and I don't feel comfortable about taking it for a long period of time due to it's backswing effects. It does help me practice meditation and yoga much more effectively, not to mention my diet and lifestyle are healthier on it.



Anyone in the same boat? I am a 27 male btw.

Edited by Cuil, 03 February 2009 - 03:39 PM.

[Guacamolium]

B-complex with at least 800mcg folate. Don't know if one exists, as I make my own B-complex, but there is a study that 800mcg of daily folate for 30 days will increase mental agility. High B-12 will add focus. Due to bioavailability problems of B-12, I personally find sublingual B-12 to be the most efficacious. Hydroxocobalamin AFAIK is the best form of B-12. Take your B's daily and consistently.

If you can afford to, also try sulbutiamine. It combats mental fatigue in most people - some don't respond that great to it, but I respond well - other than the headaches the first few days. Oddly enough I now take it at night in smaller doses along with Lithium Orotate, Galantamine and a bunch of NGF-stimulating herbs for cognitive enhancement while I sleep. Your situation seems more of the usual day time dose.

[bgwithadd]

It's hard to get a prescription, and I am going to reverse myself and say that if you do you will definitely have a habit. You won't be snorting it until your nose bleeds (unless you're that type) but it's like caffeine - it sneaks up on you and you don't need it or anything but you simply don't want to not have it and it will take an effort to not use it. Unfortunately, the more you use it the less it works so I am not sure how helpful it will be in the course of say a decade, though it's definitely extremely helpful at first and for many months.

If I were you, I'd go for the antistress, mood and neurogenesis helping supplements. They should probably be the first line, but for some reason people always want to immediately go for enhancement or stims when stress is the biggest brainkiller out there (just read my thread about cAMP shutting down the prefrontal cortex). Mutivite with Bs of course, theanine, inositol, omegas 3s, lithium orotate, ashwaghanda and bacopa monnieri, rhodiola rhosea. All these are pretty much harmless and might be all you need. If you're depressed, some st john;s wort is great.

[Cuil]

B-complex with at least 800mcg folate. Don't know if one exists, as I make my own B-complex, but there is a study that 800mcg of daily folate for 30 days will increase mental agility. High B-12 will add focus. Due to bioavailability problems of B-12, I personally find sublingual B-12 to be the most efficacious. Hydroxocobalamin AFAIK is the best form of B-12. Take your B's daily and consistently.

If you can afford to, also try sulbutiamine. It combats mental fatigue in most people - some don't respond that great to it, but I respond well - other than the headaches the first few days. Oddly enough I now take it at night in smaller doses along with Lithium Orotate, Galantamine and a bunch of NGF-stimulating herbs for cognitive enhancement while I sleep. Your situation seems more of the usual day time dose.

I have a friend who swears by b12 shots. He used to take adderall and drink coffee and now does neither. Maybe I will give it a shot.

[Cuil]

It's hard to get a prescription, and I am going to reverse myself and say that if you do you will definitely have a habit. You won't be snorting it until your nose bleeds (unless you're that type) but it's like caffeine - it sneaks up on you and you don't need it or anything but you simply don't want to not have it and it will take an effort to not use it. Unfortunately, the more you use it the less it works so I am not sure how helpful it will be in the course of say a decade, though it's definitely extremely helpful at first and for many months.

If I were you, I'd go for the antistress, mood and neurogenesis helping supplements. They should probably be the first line, but for some reason people always want to immediately go for enhancement or stims when stress is the biggest brainkiller out there (just read my thread about cAMP shutting down the prefrontal cortex). Mutivite with Bs of course, theanine, inositol, omegas 3s, lithium orotate, ashwaghanda and bacopa monnieri, rhodiola rhosea. All these are pretty much harmless and might be all you need. If you're depressed, some st john;s wort is great.

Yea, the habit forming aspect of adderall is quite scary. Also, yesterday (when I posted my questions) I took 10 mg that a friend gave me and I was jacked up all day. I hardily got any sleep. I rmemeber when I used to take it before, I was able to lower my tolerance to the drug by practicing a form of meditation. Then when my g/f and I had problems, my tolerance shot through the roof and I never relly recovered. I once was able to get a full on high (not that it was what I desired) off of 2.5 mg's. So, I know that stress is a key issue, but when I keep failing school and not doing anyting with my life, stress will build that way also.

I have tried Rhodiola before and after 3 days, I was crying like a baby, same for a few friends of mine.

St. John's Wort works? I heard that it isn't anymore effective than placebo.

I am very interested to see if there is any herb that inhibits the formation of cAMP, because as much as I like the feeling of adderall, I hate pharmaceuticals.

[Guacamolium]

B-complex with at least 800mcg folate. Don't know if one exists, as I make my own B-complex, but there is a study that 800mcg of daily folate for 30 days will increase mental agility. High B-12 will add focus. Due to bioavailability problems of B-12, I personally find sublingual B-12 to be the most efficacious. Hydroxocobalamin AFAIK is the best form of B-12. Take your B's daily and consistently.

If you can afford to, also try sulbutiamine. It combats mental fatigue in most people - some don't respond that great to it, but I respond well - other than the headaches the first few days. Oddly enough I now take it at night in smaller doses along with Lithium Orotate, Galantamine and a bunch of NGF-stimulating herbs for cognitive enhancement while I sleep. Your situation seems more of the usual day time dose.

I have a friend who swears by b12 shots. He used to take adderall and drink coffee and now does neither. Maybe I will give it a shot.

Zeroing in on that - make sure that the B-12 delivers a transdermal/injection/or sublingual route of entry. Its pharmacological entries are less than desirable due to its absorption. This addresses the focus part of your equation...

[bgwithadd]

I have tried Rhodiola before and after 3 days, I was crying like a baby, same for a few friends of mine.

That's weird.

St. John's Wort works? I heard that it isn't anymore effective than placebo.

It does work, and works well. It actually grows serotonin receptors and you tend to need less over time. It's just not has quick/harsh as ssris.

I am very interested to see if there is any herb that inhibits the formation of cAMP, because as much as I like the feeling of adderall, I hate pharmaceuticals.

Well, doing that in your whole body would cause some big problems.

[Cuil]

I have tried Rhodiola before and after 3 days, I was crying like a baby, same for a few friends of mine.

That's weird.

St. John's Wort works? I heard that it isn't anymore effective than placebo.

It does work, and works well. It actually grows serotonin receptors and you tend to need less over time. It's just not has quick/harsh as ssris.

I am very interested to see if there is any herb that inhibits the formation of cAMP, because as much as I like the feeling of adderall, I hate pharmaceuticals.

Well, doing that in your whole body would cause some big problems.

Yea, thats true. Well there must be a dysfunctional mechanism causing excessive stress and cAMP levels. So perhaps finding something a little more subtle to support healthy functioning would be optimal.

[bgwithadd]

I couldn't make out the exact details but they theorized it was something like this. Dopamine has something to do with sensitivity in the brain to cAMP, so if your brain levels are wacky as a teen then you get overproduction of cAMP in the brain and then you get those problems. Or something like that.