onedayillsailagain

Well everyone, I'm pleased to report that Keppra has been prescribed to me. Moreover, I will be doing EEG testing and VEP testing before embarking on the Keppra journey, and after. I don't know the exact details yet, but I think it'll be a qEEG. Perhaps both. This could provide some valuable scientific data for future HPPD research. Or at the very least, to confirm the findings of Casa and Bosio, ultimately making it easier to convince doctors to prescribe Keppra. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Anyway, I'm not in my most eloquent mood, seeing as I went out to celebrate last night. So I'll expand on this later today or tomorrow. Lastly, for those of you who are foreign to the Netherlands: it is advized to check insurance coverage before contacting the HPPD specialist.

To answer your question: if I had that kind of money, I would probably spend 2/3 on researching HPPD and finding a proper treatment. That said.. I live in the Netherlands where pot is on every corner as well. Smoking pot usually makes everything a thousand fold worse, but I still enjoy the smell. Sometimes I have friends over who smoke pot indoors, doesn't really bother me. I concur, it could indeed be the stress itself rather the the smoke.. Also many people benefit from cannabis. That said, perhaps indeed it is a good idea to move somewhere more secluded and peaceful, especially considering that inheritance. I suggest the seaside would do you good, somewhere with lots of nature. Alternatively you could try desensitizing yourself to the pot smell. Buy some cannabis incense, or even some of the stuff itself. Smell the hell out of it till it doesn't bother you anymore. Know that it is highly unlikely (nearly impossible, unless the person is blowing the smoke straight into your inhalation stream) to get high off of secondhand smoke. Someone puffing away on the streets having a fume passing your way, is not going to make you high, considering wind and disintegration and such. As for agoraphobia: try walking the less crowded/empty streets to where you need to go. That's what I do when I'm feeling anxious.

Hmm interesting. Nice find! However I'd like to comment that from this, it seems the following statement is essentially made: "Mindfulness/meditation in depressed individuals is likely to cause adverse effects" There have been multiple studies showing exactly the opposite. Moreover whether mindfulness/meditation worsens, or betters, a persons psychological state, is highly ambiguous to numerous factos, and is highly personal. That said, the outward visual stimuli bit was interesting. I wonder what the methods were?

Thanks for sharing! I don't know about the oregano oil (what should it do?). Also oral GABA seems to lack the ability for significant amounts to cross the BBB, moreover is an GABA receptor agonist, hence should be avoided so as to prevent GABA receptor downregulation. Other than that the supplements your are taking are very healthy (aside from some controversies on Ginkgo), so good going! Have you been taking myoInositol in dosages of 18 grams, as that seems to be the best therapeutic range? Hope you've forgiven yourself. Surely the visuals have reduced by now?

Yes, Lyme does seem to have that diagnostic issue which could give it an ambiguous flavor. 500 dollars is indeed quite the substantial amount. Perhaps consider getting your Vitamin B (particularly B12) levels checked, as a deficiency thereof could produce symptoms that overlap with Lyme disease. Merely knowing that you consume sufficient Vitamin B is not an ultimate indicator of B levels (much less distribution) in the body, for metabolism deficiencies (which can be caused by Lyme... don't quote me on that though) could alter functionality thereof. The Vitamin B tests are significantly cheaper than Lyme tests. And in the case of similar rashes and symptoms, indeed it would be wise to have another test. Sorry to hear of the financial limitations! Indeed pushing for one thing at a time would raise your chances of getting anything done. Apparently in the US, preventative blood screening is very common. Makes you wonder about the quality of healthcare in the EU, if you don't doubt that already.

Syntheso: I've had a more thorough look at the information you provided. I created a thread encompassing all Racetam research with a reply to your findings. Well, it will cover all Racetams as time progresses, for now it's just Piracetam. Anyway, I'm very glad to know that I'm not the sole benefactor of my research! And also; you're very lucky your music remains largely unaffected Furthermore it's very good that you haven't experienced any worsening from you dog's adventures. Lastly, your testing methods will allow for an objective view of Piracetam's effects, so I'm very curious to read of your experience! Indeed 3 weeks minimum should be allowed for full effect to take place. Are you taking any Choline supplements concurrently? zukov: Thank you for your feedback! Despite the margins of your improvements, it will help devise possible future implications for a HPPD specific supplement stack. Ghormeh: That's pretty bad mate.. When I look at the moon, I'd say I would see the second one, with the effects closer to the moon itself. Not as widespread around it. Mainly, it's just a blurry blob in the sky. Stars also just look like strange specks in the sky. Regarding my own experience with Magnesium: I continued the same dosing regimen yesterday. However, as stated before, my alcohol intake will prevent any objective view of its effects. I would tend to think that I experience subtle calming effects from Magnesium. Visual effects cannot be ascertained, for I took Melatonin (2,5mg) last night, which is known to reduce visuals a little in my case. One thing I must note, is that I've experienced a sea of floaters yesterday. Or well, I think they're floaters? It looked like a sea of swarming luminous flies, quite small actually. I remember having seen this less dramatically pre-HPPD on certain occassions. It was transient, and it didn't bother me. I only really noticed it when I focused my eyes to it. Alas, Magnesium at current dosing regimen (2 x 1g, 1 x 3g daily) has been a bit overkill regarding its err.. intestinal effects. I'll reduce intake to 3x1g daily.

Piracetam First and formost: many thanks and credits go to @Syntheso for bringing up the relevance of Racetams, specifically his mentions on Piracetam. I will adress these mentions before reviewing anything else. Syntheso, alas the study you mentioned, has shown to been a fake, conducted by a fraud. However, it did bring to light an important mechanism by which Piracetam functions, namely calcium modulation. This has been confirmed by legit studies, such as the following: source For a substantial overview of Piracetam's MOA (Mechanism of Action), this [PDF] is a suggested read. Here's one of the many relevant pieces of information from that file: Hmm.. this is what I understand from it: Piracetam enhances calcium influx, even in the presence of a CCB. From wiki: Note that this statement was derived from the aforementioned PDF. Alas, so far the evidence seems to portray that Piracetam would causes worsening of symptoms. Nonetheless, it is true that there are many (a lot!) studies available on Piracetam. This is why this statement is subject to alteration. For now, it seems to me to be the most logical conclusion. As always, note that I am not a scientist, I'm just trying to make sense of all this, like you. I could very well be wrong. Syntheso, despite the evidence showing against Piracetam's potential therapeutic benefit in HPPD, you've still contributed greatly, for even ruling out treatment potential is critical. Moreover, Piracetam is only a member of the racetam family, and you've initiated further research into its each and every kindred substance. Ok.. wait. I've found some more evidence regarding Piracetams anticonvulsant actions. The same PDF noted that Piracetam intensifies anticonvulsant effect of anti-epileptics. So I skimmed through the references on that claim, and behold: source: Piracetam potentiates the antiepileptic action of carbamazepine in chronic experimental limbic epilepsy. source: Synergistic effects of oxiracetam and piracetam in combination with antiepileptic drugs Readcube source These findings suggest that the treatment potential should remain open for investigation. Furthermore, the potential of Piracetam to assist in mitigation of common co-morbid symptoms should not be underestimated. Its nootropic effect it putative. It's anxiolytic potential is of lesser popular knowledge: source These findings suggest that Piracetam's MOA (which is still debatable) might involve 5-HT mediated action, and thus provides significant further implications in treating HPPD (for those who believe 5-HT is involved). Some more anxiolytic evidence: source source The latter statement is congruent with the fact that Piracetam has a U-shaped curve dose dependant effect. More info on the optimal dosage of Piracetam (4.8 grams daily) can be found in this Longecity thread. I suggest that anyone who's interested in Piracetam at all, should definitely read it. I'll continue later.

zukov: hehe not me! However, I was talking to someone about tDCS, on thing led to another, and we ended up discussing other electrotherapies. Apparently, electrotherapy (transdermal I believe) has shown to be equally, if not more, effective than Penicillin for antibiotical (am I just making up adjectives) purposes. I'll see if I can find some studies that support this claim later. Interestingly, there's a case report (saw this in a documentary) of a woman with PSAS (Persistent Sexual Arousal Syndrome) who found complete remission of symptoms with electroacupuncture, which lasted longer than a day, from a single session. PSAS is, by the way, an equally rare, frowned upon disorder as HPPD, one could say. Syntheso: I saw the catecholamine test available as well, but also wondered what value I'd get from them. Then there's the fact that I would probably be in an anxious state whilst they tap my blood, so I doubt the test would be accurate. Blood plasma levels of catecholamines don't directly visualize the transmission in cortical regions, so again; very ambiguous. What did you get tested for, if I might ask? Any incongruities? Ghormeh: I agree, there are different "levels" that can be identified. There are symptoms, neurological/cortical functioning, and then the core reason for the alterations. The latter could be vastly different for anyone I suppose. Did your rashes look anything like these?: (from wiki) Sadly medical care is not what it could be, and you're undoubtedly going to spend some cash on diagnosis/treatment. Good to know the ELISA test is not very accurate, as this is the same test provided by the company I would get checked with. However they also offer Immunoblot testing, if there's a positive IgG result (one of the antibodies I think). I suppose I could request to do Immunoblot testing regardless of IgG values. Price is €79 when tested concurrently with standard test, €99 when tested alone. I think that's fairly reasonable. We also have a mail-order blood testing, where they send you a needle and everything. I suppose you could draw your own blood if you read up a little on the procedure. You'd just have to be, well, in a good headspace. I intend to get tested for this in the near future. I'm just waiting to get on Keppra before doing anything else significant.

Hey Visual, sorry for never replying to your post. Anyways, I came across the following when doing searches on Choline: source

Ok this is definitely the last one.. really need to sleep. source That one is a bit contradictory. source [PDF] Note to self: check out PMID:16258243 and http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2173925

Just creating another stub before I go to bed. source Migraine study: source source: Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy source VEP always has high significance. However, from what I can collect here, is that the latency is shortened by ALA. This would theoretically yield controversial effects, for the EEG patterns of HPPD'ers show an already shortened VEP latency. Note to self: read "Is it time to reassess alpha lipoic acid and niacinamide therapy in schizophrenia?[PDF]"

Seeing as there are different forms of Choline supplementation, I thought it would be handy to keep it all in one place. Anyways, I haven't really gone too far on this one. Just made this as a stub for future research. source [PDF] source I'll do some more digging on Choline tomorrow. Goood morning! source So far, CDP-Choline seems to shorten VEP latency, hence could have an adverse effect in HPPD. However, one should also consider the fact that P values are not given (if I'm correct), and that in HPPD the P2 latency was measured. Most studies focus on P50 or P100 latencies (or so I could imagine). Thus, it would be unwise to prematurely claim that any substance would not work, or have adverse effects in HPPD. I'll leave further interpretation for the reader, for my knowledge on VEP's is limited. source N.B.The latter statement only showed up in the scholar search preview. For me, this is where the story ends. Citicoline was found unhelpful in ameliorating persistent positive visual phenoma such as static, snow, lines, dots and rain. That doesn't sound all to promising. Note however that the examinations were normal, including EEG patterns. This could be important for further implications, for the pathogenesis of these symptoms could differ. I'll look up Choline studies later, for now I'd rather focus on more promising stuff.

Wew busy day today! Anyway, here are some relevant studies I could dig up on PS: source source Note that human studies only report the absence of acute effects. Most of them are done with concurrent GABA supplementation. I think it's putative that GABA is useless for oral consumption. Anyway, here's what I mean: source source Sadly, not much studies have been done on the anticonvulsant effects of PS. However, once could draw the conclusion from the latter study that, the fact that GABA injection lacks an anticonvulsant effect, but that GABA-PS exerts said effect, that GABA is possibly not involved in the anticonvulsant activity measured. So freaking weird that they didn't take the effort of doing pure PS injections. source Well hell I have no clue what glucose metabolism has to do with this, but it sounded noteworthy that there's an increase in the visual cortex. Cortisol info: source That's all for now, folks!

Before I start, I'd like to say that with the progression of speculative treatment (in the form of supplements), perhaps one day there'll be a "HPPD Mitigation Complex"! Haha sounds a bit far-fetched, but it would be cool if it worked, especially considering the numerous intrinsic health-benefits most of these supplements exhibit. Imagine that; natural treatment of HPPD that works! Anyway, down to business. source source Herbs and Spices: Unexpected Sources of Antiepileptogenic Drug Treatments? is also of interest, and reports that Curcumin might exhibit anti-convulsant effects. But let's stay focused on Resveratrol for now. source source Say what? As far as I can collect from this, Resveratrol aids mitochondrial biogenesis, and increases PGC-1a and NRF-1 mRNA levels in the rat visual cortical neurons. I wonder if elevated mRNA levels are considered epigenetic changes? Either way, here's a study that confirms Resveratrol's epigenetic effects. source There's a calcium link.. Don't know what to make of it. source source source Well that's enough for now, let me just post this.

Hey bpl, I strongly suggest you abstain from MJ (for the rest of your life). If it's really such an issue, perhaps other substances (Kava) could form a suitable replacement. Anyway, just try to accept that MJ is no longer a part of your life, and it can't be in any way (aside from maybe pure CBD). Don't be angry at yourself. There's a high probability you'll recover over the week, on the condition you abstain. Just enjoy your high as your last

So I was surfing a bit, and decided to check if it was possible to get a general blood test done (figured it would be nice to know if I was deficient in anything), and came across a website that does just that. Anyway, they had some different tests available, and one of them was a Lyme test (note that those are quite unreliable though). But then I did a little search on Lyme disease, and came across this: note: The symptoms mentioned here are not all symptoms. I saw a list of 50 symptoms, but it's Dutch so no point posting. They include spasms, tremors, anxiety, fear, depression, double vision, tunnel vision, blurry vision, light sensitivity, sound sensitivity, tinnitus, vertigo, mood shifts, "confusion: trouble holding on to the trail of thoughts", hypo/hyper/insomnia, "trouble with concentration, understanding new information, ability to understand what is read", problems with (short-term) memory, orientation problems (losing stuff, getting lost), "trouble speaking: finding words, saying incorrect words, stuttering, bad articulation/pronunciation." Above are just the ones I found relevant. So anyway, I was just wondering: perhaps aside from HPPD, the drug itself could've triggered dormant Lyme disease (who hasn't been bitten by ticks?), thus presenting such a wide array of (co-morbid) symptoms, or an exacerbation thereof. Just a theory. Any thoughts on this? Update: Apparantly DP/DR can also be a symptom of Lyme disease. Apparantly Lyme Encephalopathy is what those lingering symptoms are classified as. , any comment on this?

source

So here's some info on Pyrroloquinoline quinone (PQQ): source See also: source Note that NMDA is also involed in/probably lies at the core of the pathogenesis of epilepsy: source: Antagonists and agonists at the glycine site of the NMDA receptor for therapeutic interventions [PDF] I'll try to educate myself on NMDA/Glutamate soon. That same study links to Magnesium/NMDA relation studies. Sorry for not going all analytical on this one. Aha! Here's the crème de la crème: source: Novel Role for the NMDA Receptor Redox Modulatory Site in the Pathophysiology of Seizures [PDF] Pre-eclampsia study: source Furthermore, as cognitive deficits are common among HPPD'ers, see the following study: source Anyways, I'm just gonna press post here to see if I missed anything So here's a quick calculation (Based on Life Extension brand, presuming your a member) 20mg PQQ with 300mg Ubiquinol per day would cost $30/30=$1 for PQQ, $42/20=$2.1 for Ubiquinol, so $3,10 per day. There's some deals when you buy more simultanuously, so theoretically you could have it even cheaper. It's indeed on the expensive side, but then again, so are the cigarettes I smoke. Perhaps a trade would be in place.

Wow that's great! Yes indeed, being extra mindful of your health from now on would be wise. I wouldn't worry too much about the head pressure. Seeing as St. John's Wort has had such a profound impact, it'll probably stabilize in the next few months. Care to share some more details on the SJW? Dosage, time it took for improvement, etc. I'm sure someone will benefit from that information in the future, should anyone decide to try SJW. Also, what are the supplements you're taking you mentioned? Perhaps they're also contributing to your welfare. I imagine if you're taking 5-HTP that it would have significant (possibly synergistic) effect as well. I've been doing better lately, thank you for asking! Not nearly enough as I'd like, but definitely better. I think it's because I saw a HPPD specialist, and have a little more faith in things getting better now. Monday I'll hear whether I'm getting a prescription for Keppra or not, and it's likely the former will happen. So that's pretty awesome! Visually I haven't had any changes, but mentally I'm in a better place. I've actually been able to relax now and then, which is nice. Again, very glad to read you're feeling better. Have the visuals also subsided? Cheers!

I know, and agree. All is well

Thanks Ghormeh! I know the whole supplement road is paved with financial speedbumps, but it's not like I got anything better to spend my money on at the moment. As always, I'm just throwing this out there for the community. I'll consider CoQ10 for in the future. It seems to be a supplement to improve overall health, and without any significant drug interactions, at the very least it'll do nothing you can directly notice.

Thank you Ghormeh for being concerned. However, any negative effects from Alcohol usually don't last any longer than 2 days with me. Sometimes some symptoms get worse, but they subside to what they were after time. Honestly I rarely drink, so from time to time I let myself have a beer (or 10 in this case). I know it's not a good idea to drink alcohol with all these problems, yet sometimes you got to allow yourself a break. Besides, I made the healthiest breakfast (and lunch) ever today, and took some Vitamin B complex, Magnesium, and Sulbutiamine among others, to minimize any damage done. And I had plenty of water in between drinks. Not trying to explain myself, just showing you that I do consider my health while doing these things, and do my best to preserve the last bit of cognition I have left. Perhaps the reason others report such detrimental effects of Alcohol, is because they lack "healthy" drinking habits?

Don't worry, my dog hasn't always been as healthy either. After he acquired HPPD, the mut knew that from that point forward, doing drugs would be the stupidest thing to do. However, the poor pup had some moments of "Well, I screwed up too bad anyway". My dog had two more experiences with XTC, a horrible experience with Amphetamines (despite of that, he used Amphetamines a few times after that), one weird night with Cocaine, and to top it all off he thought that maybe doing Tabernanthe Iboga would cure him of his troubles, and subsequently felt like he was dying. Luckily, the doggy never really experienced any worsening of visual symptoms. The only lasting effect he has is more anxiety relating to that horrible experience with Amphetamines, and some flashbacks. Doggy had to learn the hard way, after learning the hard way. Yet I think the dog will get over that once things are sorted out with the vet, and I get him treated. My dog suggests your dog forgives itself, and maintains motivated to reach its health goals.