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Phenomenon

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Posts posted by Phenomenon

  1. I´m fortunate to have a neuro who trust me regarding this. But I´ll still bring him some stuff.

    The Gaba-Dopamine-5TH Hypothesis from David. Not even sure if this supports use of Sinemet but since my doc i Swedish I don´t think he will understand the whole text anyway, hehe.

    http://hppdonline.co...5ht-hypothesis/

    A quote from Dr. David Nichols wich David posted somewhere. I don´t think the original article works.

    The current standard treatment for the symptoms of visual disturbances and associated anxiety with HPPD is clonazepam. Clonazepam is effective at reducing symptoms and in many cases prescribed for long periods. In some HPPD cases, individuals are unable to drive at night or distinguish stars from visual static without the use of clonazepam. However, the potential for dependence and abuse is a concern if the patient has a history of substance abuse, but HPPD alone does not necessitate a diagnosis of substance abuse. Individuals with HPPD can be strongly adverse to new psychotheraputics and resist medication treatment. The discovery of a therapy providing the same type of amplification of the inhibitory transmitter GABA, as exists with clonazepam, but without dependence could be a breakthrough for this population.Areas including increasing dopamine in the ventral tegmentum, which projects to the limbic system, is one area to consider increasing inhibition in the system. The limbic system is strongly associated with lasting effects from trauma and the processing of visual information.

    Plus some info about Abrahams trial and lots of quotes from people who have had success. I will also have tried the medication before I meet him so I´ll be able to share my experience.

  2. The opioid receptors are 'sisters' of the dopamine system. As is oxytocin. These three are a big time limbic motivational trio.

    As for the eyes, the parasympathetic nervous system is affected by a dopamine system. I also have a small problem with one eye being sluggish this way. There is even a very small change in heart rhythm (not harmful) connected with PD and research is being done to see if this change can be used as a test for very early PD. Lots of really interesting stuff. Here is a little blurb yet to further investigate about pupils: http://en.wikipedia....i/Adie_syndrome

    When I cycle, I usually take just 1/2 pill for a week or two, then none for 2 weeks. Then startup again with the standard 2 or 3 1/2 pill each day for 3 months. I love it to see the progress and I hate it because I still need it.

    Ok thanks, sounds like reasonable cycling.

    Interesting what you say about one of your eyes being "sluggish". There is a disorder called amblyopia or "lazy eye" where one eye is very dominant and the other lazy. The lazy eye often has worse depth perception, loss of contrast and light sensitivity. Symtoms most people with HPPD has. I definitely have one lazy eye and all these mentioned symtoms plus VS are worse on it.

    There are eleven studies showing benefits with L-dopa/carbidopa for treating amblyopia.

  3. One of the most important things about this med (and many 'brain' meds) is to find the smallest effective dose that you can take. Also, cycling every few months.

    This might be important so people don´t end up with tolerance after awhile like RLSers. When you cycle, do you just lower the dose or do you get off it completely? If so, how often and for how long?

    @shaolin

    For how long does the effect last after one pill now?

  4. Essentially had the same reaction as you. 250mg made my just want to pass out. I went up 250mg ever two weeks or so and each time i'd be super tired for about a week. A bit of depression as well. I made it up to 1000mg a day now which was my goal and have been here for about two weeks now. Getting used to 1000mg and not as tired when I take it. Not sure about going up any futher, at least the doctor thiinks 1000 mg is where I should stay. We will see. Do you use the cheaper generic version or actually Keppra?

    I think definitely taper up slowly as to not get nailed with side effects. Take b6 specifically (so i've been told, may want to research more) and a normal B multi-vitamin may be useful as Jay mentioned. .

    If you were asking me, I take the brand name Keppra. Epileptics sometimes talk about the generic being less effective, but i dno. 1000 mg is a fairly low dose. For epilepsy the dosage is 1000-3000 mg. If its not too wearing you could get up to atleast 1500 and stay there.

    ramblington: Great sign that you seem to tolerate it and have noticed some improvements already. Still, dont rush it. When I started Keppra i had significant effects for the first couple of days when increasing the dose. Then the improvements almost dissapeared for a few weeks before slowly returning and stabilizing over several months.

    Regarding B6, I actually lost some of Keppras effectiveness when taking it. Probably due to increase in serotonin levels.

  5. Ganaxolone (INN, also known as CCD-1042) is a steroid drug, with the molecular formula C22H36O2, related to allopregnanolone that has sedative, anxiolytic, and anticonvulsant effects. It is a potent and selective positive allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors.[1] Ganaxolone protects against seizures in diverse animal models, including the 6 Hz and amygdala kindling models.[2][3][4] Unlike for benzodiazepines, there is no tolerance to the anticonvulsant effects of ganaxolone [5]

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganaxolone

  6. Taper up slowly and be very patient about its effects. If you feel something slightly change in your vision or dp/dr on the lower doses there is a chance that higher doses slowly makes you better over time. And initial side effects will get better. First time I took 250 mg I almost passed out from fatigue. Now I take 2x1000mg/day without any of that. Also got some increased depression initially that gradually went away.

  7. Tried Piracetam for a few weeks and it seemed to work in some aspects at first. But suddenly things got worse. Felt strange® mentally and got increased VS. Stopped taking it and was back to normal after two weeks.

    Btw its mechanism of action is nothing like Keppra, or levetiracetam.

  8. Thanks. How exactly it changed your visuals?

    I´ll copy one of my posts from another thread.

    When things was at its worst my symtoms were:

    Static//VS/"Skyworms", real bad.

    Afterimages.

    Tunnelvision, couldnt see "the big picture".

    2D-vision, no depht perception.

    Derealisation, depersonalisation and dissociation. I had lost the "me" completely.

    Headpressure, like as if my mind was overloaded with confused speeding thoughts.

    Depressed, anxious and suicidal.

    CEVs

    Mild floaters.

    Bodybuzz/trippy feeling

    No trails. Now after 7 months on keppra in total, and 3 months on 2000mg + diet my symtoms improvements varies between 80-95%. LCHF/Atkins/Keto-diets have antiepileptic effects. Google atkins + epilepsy. Merkan who wrote alot on the old board and is pretty much free from symtoms thanks to keppra have also had further improvements with this diet.

    I manage the keppra sides farly well. Alot of fatigue, anxiety and weird mental things initially, but that fades slowly. After 3-4 months on 1500mg i was 95% free som sides. Now on 2000 a little fatigue/tiredness will probably not go away. Still maneagable. Though i hope to be able to lower the dose in maybe a year or so. You must be veery patient when trying keppra. I am still slowly improving.

    Another thing. When i drank moderate amounts of alcohol two weekends in a row, my improvements were put on hold for 4-6 weeks. Im sure alot of chronic sufferers who drink and smoke might get better over time with the right medicine and sobriety.

  9. Beware the carbohydrates, Phenomenon. I used that diet when I was trying to lose weight. I was very successful but once a simple frozen yogurt (20g carb) had stopped my ketogenic state for almost 3 days. There are hidden carbohydrates in everything, from meat to whey, so anything additional can mess your diet up.

    I'm not sure it does touch the serotonin at all - I think the anti-epileptic effects come from a down regulation in the firing rates of over excited brain areas - possibly because ketones can't sustain them - what, by theory, if we are lucky enough, could selectively fix areas in our brain that over-inhibit sensory filtering causing HPPD, even if we don't touch the serotonin system. Maybe I said trash but whatever, let's try it.

    http://www.wellnessc.../ketogenic.html

    Note: this site says 20% carbohydrates what's probably too much. Don't forget buying a ketone unire test.

    I hear you WindScar. Just saying there is not only "in ketosis" and "not in ketosis". There is a big gray area in between which is easier to keep to and could still help reduce symtoms. Let´s face it, there are guys on this board who wants to recover but can´t even quit doing drugs occasionally. And sticking to a full ketogenic diet requires a little discipline.

    It´s actually established that LCHF-diets can cause reduction in serotonin.

    http://www.geneva-he...th/lowcarb.html

    In news released earlier this year, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Clinical Research Center reported that a lack of dietary carbohydrates causes the brain to stop regulating serotonin. Researchers discovered that serotonin is naturally produced only after consumption of carbohydrates in the form of sweets and starches.

    And yea that site was way off. If you eat 2500 calories that would be about 120 grams of carbonhydrates. And 50% cal from protein would be over 300g.. That combo could never get you into ketosis. 5% carbs, 25% prot and 70% fat would. Various factors like how much you exercise also weigh in.

    And dont rely to much on the urine test. It´s not in any way reliable since it only shows anything when you overproduce ketones into your urine. Most people only do that for the first days or weeks. Some people dont at all, even though they are in ketosis.

  10. Yes I am on it and it has almost doubled the effect of my Keppra. Although it should be mentioned that you dont have to zero your carbs. Some people start to slip into ketosis at just under 100g of carbs. 30g can be enough for full ketosis. Even up to 60g with low glycemic index.

    Low Glycemic Index treatment (LGIT) for epilepsy:

    http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/keto_news_may07

    I haven't properly tried this yet though I did it for about 3 days and I got bad "ice pick" headaches. Not sure if the ketogenic diet caused it. Might give it another go.

    I wonder though, don't you risk serotonin depletion with this diet? As a result of cutting out all carbs?

    That was most likely due to the diet. It goes away after 1-3 weeks. And yes thats correct about the serotonin. I think it might one of the ways it can help HPPD, other than the antiepileptic effects.

  11. Which symptoms were helped the most for you? Headpressure/racing thoughts + DP/DR is what kills me right now

    The headpressure/racing thoughts and bodybuzz/trippy feelings are probably the only symtoms that have disappeared more or less completely. Up to 95-99%. However I only had those symtoms irregularly. Except for when I had been drinking, then I could have it most of the time for 1-2 weeks. Got drunk for the first time in six months now on new years eve. Only got a little dissociation the day after and slightly increased visuales which is fading.

    The DP/DR is 80-90% gone. What still consists is mostly me being sceptical about whether I percieve reality like i should. Its really hard to remember how things were before. But it feels like im gradually adjusting.

  12. Damn man, sorry to hear. Ive only had mine for 4 months or so, so im still learnin about it and i guess it could still get worse, but even though I got mine from shrooms, I really only experience trippy shit when Im high, and if I pop in some valerian, I even come to really enjoy it. Im just wondering, what are the symptoms you get from E use? Streaks, trailers, halos, VS, floaties...any hallucinations? DP or DR?

    Also, whats the LCHF Diet? And how are you coping with Keppra?

    Im thinkin that eventually i really am gonna have to straighten out, tell my family and go to the doctor, but im tryin to prolong that for as long as i can, hahaha, I can function well enough.

    Glad youre gettin better bro.

    When things was at its worst my symtoms were:

    1. Static//VS/"Skyworms", real bad.

    2. Afterimages.

    3. Tunnelvision, couldnt see "the big picture".

    4. 2D-vision, no depht perception.

    5. Derealisation, depersonalisation and dissociation. I had lost the "me" completely.

    6. Headpressure, like as if my mind was overloaded with confused speeding thoughts.

    7. Depressed, anxious and suicidal.

    8. Mild floaters.

    9. Bodybuzz/trippy feeling

    No trails. Now after 7 months on keppra in total, and 3 months on 2000mg + diet my symtoms improvements varies between 80-95%. LCHF/Atkins/Keto-diets have antiepileptic effects. Google atkins + epilepsy. Merkan who wrote alot on the old board and is pretty much free from symtoms thanks to keppra have also had further improvements with this diet.

    I manage the keppra sides farly well. Alot of fatigue, anxiety and weird mental things initially, but that fades slowly. After 3-4 months on 1500mg i was 95% free som sides. Now on 2000 a little fatigue/tiredness will probably not go away. Still maneagable. Though i hope to be able to lower the dose in maybe a year or so. You must be veery patient when trying keppra. I am still slowly improving.

    Another thing. When i drank moderate amounts of alcohol two weekends in a row, my improvements were put on hold for 4-6 weeks. Im sure alot of chronic sufferers who drink and smoke might get better over time with the right medicine and sobriety.

  13. My understanding is that they keep smoking for months AFTER their bad/last trip, even when they have some mild symptoms, be it flashbacks, or some mild patterns or snow, but pre hppd. Then, about 4 or 5 months later (around the time it would have taken them to develop HPPD even if they stopped smoking, from potentiation or stress triggers) they get it full blown. I feel like once you take that trip dooming trip, you will get it even if you live stress free in a bubble, if enough time passes.

    This is almost was exactly what happened in my case. Developed very slight VS and 2D vision after E use but continued smoking sporadically. Stopped smoking six months later since i noticed that my symtoms were slowly increasing and i was becoming a bit anxious. Despite stopping it continued getting worse and after another six to eight months i had full blown hppd.

    Now Keppra, LCHF-diet and being sober have made me 90% better. Might share a "success story" eventually.

  14. i think it's the mix with klonopin with it, something about a klonopin kicker....

    klonopin seems univeral to most regardless

    Not necessarily. I am currently on 2g of Keppra and a ketonic diet, this after help from Merkan over a swedish board. Im about 90 percent better overall.

    VS has decreased 70-80% and other symtoms including afterimages, tunnelvision, no depth perception, really bad DP/DR, anxiety and suicidal tendencies are down 90-95%. This is the result of almost 6 months of keppra treatment and complete abstinence from drugs (even caffeine) and i am still slowly getting better. At the time i started the treatment my symtoms were still increasing.

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