Noopept experience + other supplements

[Sam93]

Hey all, hope everyone is well. I've not been very active as of late as I've been trying out some different things and been pretty busy, but I'd like to share my experiences with a few things:

I've tried out Noopept today, I'm sure most of you will be familiar with it but it is a Nootropic structurally related to the Racetam family (it is infact a peptide but yeah) and it's proposed mechanism of action is both increasing the concentration of the endogenous nootropic cyclo-l-propylglycine and to stimulate the expression of NGF and BDNF (increasing nerve growth factor in the brain).

I took my first 10mg dose today and I'm feeling much better, much more alert and my memory is definitely improved. A slight but noticeable reduction in DP/DR too, it'll be interesting to see what a daily regimen of 3x 10mg does for my symptoms. Also worth noting is that it's a very 'clean' feeling. Not speedy or stimulating whatsoever, and definitely reduces anxiety. I'd recommend you give this a try as it is very cheap.

Other things I've tried as of late are:

L-Theanine;

Combined with Caffeine this is great as it reduces many of the negative side effects of caffeine, namely jitters and anxiety which I am sensitive to. Taken on it's own, I've found it to be quite relaxing but does make you feel slightly sluggish, I could see this being great taken at bedtime, or combined with a low dose of caffeine.

Ginkgo Biloba;

Not much to say about this one, seemed to improve alertness slightly with little else, wasn't expecting too much from it though.

5-HTP;

Needs further testing. Seemed to increase visuals and DP/DR but that may have been because I was rather ill at the time and at home recovering in bed.

Valerian root;

Decided to give this a whirl again as it was very, very cheap. I've always held Valerian root in high regard, greatly improves my quality of sleep I find, although it can make you feel slightly groggy in the morning.

Xanax/Alprazolam;

This is usually the benzo people hold the highest and is usually #1 favourite for recreational purposes, but it's definitely my least favourite by far. Not much in the way of visual reductions and the anxiolysis feels 'dirty'

Next to try in the bottom drawer are:

Aniracetam

Rhodiola Rhodesia (SP?)

Panax Ginseng

Anyone else had any success with anything as of late?

Cheers,

Sam.

[hppd33]

Thanks for sharing Sam,

 

I understand out of your story you dont take anti-depressant's? 

 

I tried lamotrigine - didnt not worked, it made me agressive. Klonopin is the only thing working, right now. 1MG daily. Hopefully i get other medication, Klonopin is a bitch! It fuckes up my memory. 

 

Keep us updated Sam!

[andrewcb]

Rhodiola Rhodesia is a MAOI I believe, was going to order some from a website and I think that is what it said just for a heads up. Ginkgo Biloba can take awhile to feel its effects, could take a few weeks to months, need to be taking this in grams too. Look up Siberian Ginseng, it is better(from what I have read) for long term use of increasing norepinephrine.

 

Great news! Keep the updates coming!

[Sam93]

Nope I don't take any anti-depressants, I'm extremely concerned about taking any serotonin modifying agents as my personal HPPD pathogenesis appears to be extremely sensitive to changes in serotonin levels. Namely anything that increases it seems to drastically worsen symptoms. SSRI's and Tricyclics are a no-go for me. It would be interesting to try and DNRI or a dopamine agonist though, hence my interest in Aniracetam (D2/D3 receptor agonist I believe).

I have little faith in SSRI's, they are only labelled antidepressants by the pharmaceutical companies and in the majority of studies have been little more effective than placebo. Too much emphasis is put on serotonin being the only neurotransmitter responsible for mood. Similarly, there are many more neurotransmitters at work in the brain than the 'big 3' (Serotonin, Dopamine, Norepinephrine) that should be focused on more. There is absolutely no hard evidence to suggest depressed or anxious individuals have a neurotransmitter deficiency, there isn't really a method of measuring neurotransmitter levels in the brain anyway. The brain is very good at balancing out neurotransmitters itself.

Anyway, I'm rambling!

I've pretty much given up on trying to cure the visual side of things, and instead am taking an approach to treat the cognitive and DP/DR side of things now. I figure that if these problems are dealt with then I could easily deal with the visuals. For some, the visuals are the worst symptom but I think from what I've seen on the forum, the visuals are at the bottom of the list almost.

Future things to try are anticonvulsants (namely Keppra and Lamictal, maybe even Topamax for migraines too, I wonder if anyone has tried Carbamazepine also?) and cognitive enhancers/nootropics.

Hopefully some of these herbs will at least provide some relief though! Thanks for the replies guys.