66 replies to this topic

[brain]

oh, so i seem to have really badly misinterpreted the pycnogenol adhd study, which i spoke of in more detail in another thread.

here is the abstract:

Urinary catecholamines in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): modulation by a polyphenolic extract from pine bark (pycnogenol).
Dvoráková M, Jezová D, Blazícek P, Trebatická J, Skodácek I, Suba J, Iveta W, Rohdewald P, Duracková Z.

Department of Medical Chemistry, Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. monika.dvorakova@fmed.uniba.sk

Our study tested the hypothesis that treatment with a potent polyphenol complex not only reduces hyperactivity of children, but also catecholamine excretion and oxidative stress. Urine catecholamine concentrations were measured in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children and healthy controls. ADHD children received either placebo (PL) or Pycnogenol (Pyc), a bioflavonoid extract from the pine bark, for one month. The study was performed in a randomized, double-blind, PL controlled design. Concentrations of catecholamines were higher in urine of ADHD patients compared to those of healthy children. Moreover, noradrenaline (NA) concentrations positively correlated with degree of hyperactivity of ADHD children. In ADHD patients, adrenaline (A) and NA concentrations positively correlated with plasma levels of oxidized glutathione. The treatment of ADHD children with Pyc caused decrease of dopamine (D) and trend of A and NA decrase and increased GSH/GSSG ratio. In conclusion, the data provide further evidence for the overactivity of the noradrenergic system in ADHD and demonstrate that A release may be increased, as well. Treatment of ADHD children with Pyc normalized catecholamine concentrations, leading to less hyperactivity, and, consequently, to reduced oxidative stress.

i originally misread the study, and thought that the decrease was in dopamine/NA in the brain (then being paradoxical) and not in the urinary excretion of DA/NA. .this is a very promising study for us adhd folk. this study, the study showing increase nitric oxide levels, the increased glutathione - all of this is making pycnogenol appear to be one of the best supplements for adhd. i'm going to begin taking it daily, and will report back with the results.

my adhd stack, as of now:

pycnogenol, 100 mg, 2x daily.
piracetam, 1,000 mg, 2 - 3x daily.
alpha-gpc, 300 mg
DHA, 1,000 MG
500 mg l-tyrosine, in morning on empty stomach
vitamin C, 500 mg
B6 50 mg
ALCAR, 1,000 MG + 100 mg alpha lipoic acid, when feeling understimulated
4 mg nicotine gum, 3 - 4 pieces daily (i'm also an ex-smoker and just quit)
i drink 3 - 4 cups of organic green tea daily, and i feel this helps a lot.

[brain]

oh, i also wanted to mention that on top of trying to alter my biology through supplementation, i also am going to begin meditating for an hour daily and start using the duel-n-back trainer to expand my working memory capacity. if you haven't already, look into the relation between working memory and adhd. there have been studies showing that working memory training aids adhd patients in numerous ways, such as decreasing impulsivity, hyperactivity, inattention, etc. i feel fairly optimistic that with the memory training, the meditation, and the supplementation, i'm going to see very noticable benefits. even after one meditation session i felt different - it was like i was more comfortable in my skin, i didn't have this gnawing feeling of continuous discontent, i felt more comfortable with whatever my focus happened to be on. even though there was an initial reluctance, i actually enjoyed the meditation quite a bit and felt a very distinct 'high' during and after. one more thing - i'll also be exercising daily. this obviously helps with general cerebral health but also has specifically shown to increase the brain volume in areas of the prefrontal cortex associated with memory functioning.

oh, and an excellent version of the duel-n-back trainer can be found here:

http://brainworkshop.sourceforge.net/

Edited by brain, 08 March 2009 - 07:39 AM.

[Evolutionary]

For those taking nicotine, you may want to reconsider it because it raises blood pressure , constricts blood vessels, & increases risks of blood clots. Look at this post, for example: http://www.imminst.o...&...st&p=259827

Edited by CalebZ, 09 March 2009 - 05:52 AM.

[Evolutionary]

For those taking nicotine, you may want to reconsider it because it raises blood pressure,constricts blood vessels, & increases risks of blood clots. Look at this post, for example: http://www.imminst.o...&...st&p=259827

Oops double post.

Edited by CalebZ, 09 March 2009 - 05:53 AM.

[FunkOdyssey]

That's true, however the severity of those effects are dose-dependant. I have been experimenting with 1.3mg - 2.6mg 24 hour patches, and wearing them only 12-16 hours, for a delivered dose of .7mg - 1.7mg. I have a blood pressure and heart rate monitor and I am seeing no increase in either at these doses.

[bgwithadd]

I seem to be especially sensitive to vasoconstrictive agents (and also vasodilators), but I think most people would be fine with a quarter patch or even more.

[Mouser]

I've recently tried the nicotine patch and was surprised that I got very little noticeable effect and seemingly no positive effect. Have tried half a 14.5 mg patch and then tried a quarter of a patch. With the half patch (and to a lesser degree the 1/4 patch) I got a headache and was a little spacey. But that's it. I'm really surprised and disappointed I didn't notice more, good or bad.