Jump to content

L-Tyrosine


Recommended Posts


My referrals to neurologist / psychiatrist is taking a while. As the main thing that bothers me is brain fog/concentration/lethargy/spaced out feelings, I theorise that I have low dopamine levels. I would like to try Sinemet but waiting for referrals.

In the meantime, as L-Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine and available over the counter, would it be worth trying that? Would I need to take it with something for it to be effective? Currently on no other meds (stopped Citalopram recently as hastily given to me by GP and I thought I would wait for referral).

Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

acetylcysteine works wonders on me for those symptoms.

Cheers... is there any particular reading on that you could recommend, how did you come to figure it might help those symptoms ? I've had a bit of a read about it but can't figure exactly why it might help.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come across research that suggests acetylcysteine is effective in treating bi-polar depression, but I am not sure how that relates to the symptoms I have described in relation to HPPD. If you could provide some more info/reading that would be good :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasnt  from theory that i discovered it. I tried it as a hangover cure as it detoxifies acetaldehyde - a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.  One night (end of MSc module piss-up), i thought i would give it a proper try, and downed several pills of nac with my booze.  The next day i woke up (admittedly still with a hangover) but feeling very oddly refreshed.  The more the day went on the more i noticed how odd it was that i was feeling much perkier than usual (let alone after a skinful the previous night), and all my co-revellers were dropping off all around me on the train home, when usually it was me falling asleep first.  It dawned on me that this was a strong and unusual effect of something, and the only thing i could think of was the nac.  I then started taking it sober and never looked back - the nac reduces my brain fog and anxiety, and made me feel physically and mentally stronger.  After subsequently experimenting with other supps, my current standard regime is:

nac (half a teaspoon or less twice a day

magnesium oxide (quater teaspoon or less twice a day, more if drinking alcohol or eating badly, less if in ketosis or fasting)

high strength vit b (onec or twice a day)

high strength vit d (once a day)

- i get the nac and vit b from bulkpowders.co.uk which is good quality and good value, and the magnesium and vit d from ebay.

 

Also trying potassium bicarbonate and iodine drops but im not sure either of these does much hppd-wise.  Also i find pressing some reflex points helps - numbers 7 and 4 on this chart  are good for clearing brain fog (all charts vary a bit, but i'm convinced there is a reality to reflexology even if the details arent nailed down yet, although mri scans do confirm localised increased blood flow apparently, so it should be possible to do): https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=663&q=reflexology+foot+chart&oq=refelxology&gs_l=img.1.2.0i10l10.1147.5133.0.8404.13.12.1.0.0.0.353.1423.7j4j0j1.12.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.gWKgCs5GpNQ#imgrc=B8wBwRG2stWkbM%3A%3B86Jfu5P4RO96DM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infohow.org%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F11%252FReflexology-Chart.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infohow.org%252Fscience%252Fbiology-ecology%252Freflexology-chart%252F%3B1166%3B1654

 

I'm experimenting with some homeopathic remedies. I am not convinced of the reality of this tho, and have not had any significant therapeutic effects from it yet, but i find it strangely fun to do even if it does ultimately waste my money.  Perhaps its the willing suspension of disbelief that i enjoy.

 

The science behind nac effects on mental health are from increasing glutathione (many mental health problems have an associated reduction in this) and/or modulating glutamate.  Look at the wiki entry, yyou will see lots of experimental therapeutic uses, eg for ocd, bipolar, schizophrenia, trichotillomania.  Bear in mind nac smells of eggs and vinegar, and overdoing it can make your breath a bit eggy (zinc oxide from ebay will neutralise this).  Glutathione mobilises toxins by making them more water soluble - if you come out in a rash or feel shit after taking it you may just need to be patient as the crap gets cleared out - reduce your dose then rebuild it slowly.  If you do any fasting, dont take it on a fast as it inhibits autophagy.  Ketosis also induces autophagy, so give the nac a rest every now and then if you are on keto, to get the autophagy going and clear out the junk proteins in your cells.

I feel better if i cut out gluten and A1 caesin in my diet - basically paleo lite.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasnt  from theory that i discovered it. I tried it as a hangover cure as it detoxifies acetaldehyde - a toxic byproduct of alcohol metabolism.  One night (end of MSc module piss-up), i thought i would give it a proper try, and downed several pills of nac with my booze.  The next day i woke up (admittedly still with a hangover) but feeling very oddly refreshed.  The more the day went on the more i noticed how odd it was that i was feeling much perkier than usual (let alone after a skinful the previous night), and all my co-revellers were dropping off all around me on the train home, when usually it was me falling asleep first.  It dawned on me that this was a strong and unusual effect of something, and the only thing i could think of was the nac.  I then started taking it sober and never looked back - the nac reduces my brain fog and anxiety, and made me feel physically and mentally stronger.  After subsequently experimenting with other supps, my current standard regime is:

nac (half a teaspoon or less twice a day

magnesium oxide (quater teaspoon or less twice a day, more if drinking alcohol or eating badly, less if in ketosis or fasting)

high strength vit b (onec or twice a day)

high strength vit d (once a day)

- i get the nac and vit b from bulkpowders.co.uk which is good quality and good value, and the magnesium and vit d from ebay.

 

Also trying potassium bicarbonate and iodine drops but im not sure either of these does much hppd-wise.  Also i find pressing some reflex points helps - numbers 7 and 4 on this chart  are good for clearing brain fog (all charts vary a bit, but i'm convinced there is a reality to reflexology even if the details arent nailed down yet, although mri scans do confirm localised increased blood flow apparently, so it should be possible to do): https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&site=&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=663&q=reflexology+foot+chart&oq=refelxology&gs_l=img.1.2.0i10l10.1147.5133.0.8404.13.12.1.0.0.0.353.1423.7j4j0j1.12.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.img.gWKgCs5GpNQ#imgrc=B8wBwRG2stWkbM%3A%3B86Jfu5P4RO96DM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infohow.org%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2012%252F11%252FReflexology-Chart.gif%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.infohow.org%252Fscience%252Fbiology-ecology%252Freflexology-chart%252F%3B1166%3B1654

 

I'm experimenting with some homeopathic remedies. I am not convinced of the reality of this tho, and have not had any significant therapeutic effects from it yet, but i find it strangely fun to do even if it does ultimately waste my money.  Perhaps its the willing suspension of disbelief that i enjoy.

 

The science behind nac effects on mental health are from increasing glutathione (many mental health problems have an associated reduction in this) and/or modulating glutamate.  Look at the wiki entry, yyou will see lots of experimental therapeutic uses, eg for ocd, bipolar, schizophrenia, trichotillomania.  Bear in mind nac smells of eggs and vinegar, and overdoing it can make your breath a bit eggy (zinc oxide from ebay will neutralise this).  Glutathione mobilises toxins by making them more water soluble - if you come out in a rash or feel shit after taking it you may just need to be patient as the crap gets cleared out - reduce your dose then rebuild it slowly.  If you do any fasting, dont take it on a fast as it inhibits autophagy.  Ketosis also induces autophagy, so give the nac a rest every now and then if you are on keto, to get the autophagy going and clear out the junk proteins in your cells.

I feel better if i cut out gluten and A1 caesin in my diet - basically paleo lite.

Great, thanks for sharing your insights.

I've tried NAC for the last 3 days, can't say I've noticed any clearance of the fog for me yet... also taking in conjunction with a good Vit B-Complex, L-Tyrosine, Q-10, a multivit cognitive performance pill (small amounts of 5-gtp, ginkgo biloba, argnine etc.)

I have some magnesium, will start introducing that soon as that seems to work well for many people

Currently ingesting in pill form, I will look into powders soon. I presume people take powders because they metabolise better and aren't so bad for your stomach?

I wonder if you were lucky with the NAC, a unique thing ? Or do you know other HPPD'er's it's helped?

I haven't found that the reflexology points you mentioned help clear my fog.. perhaps I was doing it wrong (although I tried different possible combinations of what it could have meant)

Cheers :-)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

bump up your nac dose - it wont hurt, maybe some stomach discomfort.  Pop 10 pills with plenty of water and see what happens.  I presume your pills are 600mg.  I use powder cos its cheap and controllable. But mainly cos its cheap.

Hah sounds pretty mental.. I might give that a test try (probably on a smaller dose than you mentioned) tomorrow. 10 pills sounds like a hell of a lot. Surely popping so many pills can't be good for your stomach ? Considering also I am taking other pills. That's one thing I am trying to think about as well... not burning a hole in my stomach.

Will report back

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i regularly take a heaped teaspoon or more of it when drinking, which is probably about 10 pills, with no stomach problems.  600mg is a pretty arbitrary dose, more suitable for long term maintenance, but will be safe to take a big dose - it is only an amino acid.  If you like you can mix it with an antacid like magnesium oxide/hydroxide/carbonate or sodium/potassium bicarbonate, then it will still work (and it turns purple if you neutralise it with magnesium!). Or take on a full stomach.  Things like alcohol, aspirin, coffee are more irritating to the stomach, so dont worry too much.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i regularly take a heaped teaspoon or more of it when drinking, which is probably about 10 pills, with no stomach problems. 600mg is a pretty arbitrary dose, more suitable for long term maintenance, but will be safe to take a big dose - it is only an amino acid. If you like you can mix it with an antacid like magnesium oxide/hydroxide/carbonate or sodium/potassium bicarbonate, then it will still work (and it turns purple if you neutralise it with magnesium!). Or take on a full stomach. Things like alcohol, aspirin, coffee are more irritating to the stomach, so dont worry too much.

Hey man, cheers.

I popped 0.6g of NAC yesterday (5 x 600mg). I must say it did seem to clear the brain fog by 80-90%. At a higher dose I hope it could clear it completely.

I also had taken 200mg of Modafinil which for the last couple of days has really helped my lethargy. Also combined yesterday was with a good B vit complex, L-tyrosine (precursor to dopamine I am hoping will help regulate my dopamine levels till I can get prescribed hopefully Sinemet), a micronutrient cognitive func pill with small amounts of 5-htp, gingko etc and magnesium.

Overall I felt like I could function and concentrate a great deal better! I seemed to lack motivation slightly, perhaps, but nothing too extreme. I also felt a big edgy, at times mildly anxious (which I don't usually feel that much as a component of HPPD).. but I put that down to the Modafinil (after I'd had a beer or two I was feeling alright). Also had a bit of a swinging jaw, I will up my dose of magnesium to help this.

So I do see NAC as being potentially very helpful... but I want to try it isolation to see exactly how it helps... it's difficult to tell exactly what's doing the work when using combinations. The only reason I haven't tried things in isolation first is because I have to a lot of important shit done before Monday, but then I will look into different doses etc..

I will have to see if I can keep this off on the long run, and hopefully it wasn't some sort of fluke / something else!

One thing.. not entirely sure what caused this (perhaps the Modafinil.. and sure it can't have been the NAC)... I woke up in the night at some point and my visuals were absolutely fucking mental. Worst in maybe a year or something. The visuals seemed mild compared to usual when I was going to sleep in the dark. But waking up really really intense swirling smoke everywhere. I know just waking up (esp. in the dark) usually make visuals intense but I've never had it like that before. Only time I remember visuals that bad was in the early stages of HPPD when I was having flashbacks. I've only had two (1-2 years ago) and both were when I had drunk quite a fair bit of alcohol. It could be to do with me drinking alcohol. However, yesterday, I had only had 3 pints, not a lot for me, and drunk a lot of water after that and a couple of hours before I slept. In recent times I have also drunk considerably more alcohol and not experienced such issues. So I find it peculiar that my visuals were so intense. But perhaps when I have drunk more it has just knocked me out into such a deep sleep that I haven't woken up to the potential visual nightmare. Strange.. HPPD can be v unpredictable!

I also thought it might be the 'coming off' of Nitrazepam I took a couple of days ago when my head was feeling seriously heavy. Last night when I was going to sleep I was getting horrible hallucinatory sensations like people appearing in my head quickly and intensely, 'saying something' (not exactly audibly, more as a psychedelic sensation). V similar to the feeling of presence of people I have experienced on Ketamine at high doses.

Upping slightly with the NAC today, trying 3600mg with 200mg Modafinil.

Thanks for your advice Brendan.

You based in London by any chance by the way?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i found modafinil helpful at times but did make hppd a little worse.  The funny thing about nac is that the effect seems to linger for days and weeks, suggesting to me that it is not so much a direct drug effect - perhaps it tops up glutathione levels which then take some time to get depleted again, or perhaps it removes a load of metabolic junk or other toxic loading that then takes a while to rebuild and cause fog.  If you are uk i definitley recommend bulkpowders.co.uk for nac and vit b.  I tried tyrosine but didnt do anything noticeable.  Give 5000iu of vitamin d a go as well (360 pills for about £12 i think off ebay). I am london based.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i found modafinil helpful at times but did make hppd a little worse.  The funny thing about nac is that the effect seems to linger for days and weeks, suggesting to me that it is not so much a direct drug effect - perhaps it tops up glutathione levels which then take some time to get depleted again, or perhaps it removes a load of metabolic junk or other toxic loading that then takes a while to rebuild and cause fog.  If you are uk i definitley recommend bulkpowders.co.uk for nac and vit b.  I tried tyrosine but didnt do anything noticeable.  Give 5000iu of vitamin d a go as well (360 pills for about £12 i think off ebay). I am london based.

Yeah modafinil has been helpful on days when I really needed to be up early + focus.. no lethargy.. but sometimes was a bit too scatty and thoughts were moving too quick that I couldn't actually really think about what i was doing clearly.. still more preferabe to the lethargy. Shame about the long half life, only a good idea to take it first thing. I will be trying Piracetam as an alternative soon.

NAC does seem to linger indeed... quite remarkable...

can't say i'm not noticing anything with the l tyrosine either..

i'll give some vit D a bash.. in what way do you find it helps?

apart from the visuals.. everything seems to be going quite well at the moment.

yoga and alexander technique seriously clear the grog too.

best,

S

Link to comment
Share on other sites

modafinil got me through my MSc (flunked my BA due in no small part to hppd). I'd have been buggered without it.  Discovered nac literally on the last day of the course.  All the supps i take (plus reflexology points) seem to just reinforce each other - improve energy, clarity, groundedness, physical strength, and mood.  Nothing  i have found improves visuals or head pressure or movement sensation.  I think it also may help to eat lots of calories, but if you do this you need to do it low carb and/or with intermittent fasting to avoid turning tubby.  I didnt notice much with piracetam; keppra improves mood but not much else for me (tho maybe i havent taken it consistently enough).  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

modafinil got me through my MSc (flunked my BA due in no small part to hppd). I'd have been buggered without it.  Discovered nac literally on the last day of the course.  All the supps i take (plus reflexology points) seem to just reinforce each other - improve energy, clarity, groundedness, physical strength, and mood.  Nothing  i have found improves visuals or head pressure or movement sensation.  I think it also may help to eat lots of calories, but if you do this you need to do it low carb and/or with intermittent fasting to avoid turning tubby.  I didnt notice much with piracetam; keppra improves mood but not much else for me (tho maybe i havent taken it consistently enough).  

As of today, NAC doesn't seem to be as miraculous as I thought (last few days did seem a bit too good to be true) with brain fog/spaced out seemingly to be almost unnoticeable (even before I added in Modafinil).

Today, because I finished my exams yesterday and didn't need (although there was non-uni related stuff I did sort of need to do) to have anything done for uni, I decided not to take Modafinil when I got up because I don't want to get into forming any sort of dependency on it if poss. Anyway for the first time in quite a while (since I've been not experiencing the fog) I snoozed my alarm (which woke me up 8 hours after I went to bed). My mind was in that crazy haze again where I couldn't bear to get up. But I only got up 30 mins after it went off, as opposed to 2+ hours after as has happened many times sort-of-recently. Anyway, took all normal supps. 2,400mg of NAC I had left. Waited for the crazy haze to leave and it wouldn't after a few hours, despite going out for a walk, shower, etc. So I got some more NAC, took I think another 3,000mg and thought that'd sort the fog. But after a few hours felt so shit, like I had to sleep, so I did for a couple of hours.  Anyway, a bit better but at the end of the day but I am still in the spaced out fog, visuals pretty bad. I was hoping NAC alone would clear out the fog, but it doesn't seem to have done the trick today. Maybe to do with the modafinil 'wearing off' (?) Now left in a pickle whether to try again with the NAC alone for a while or to take small doses of Modafinil as well to make sure at least I am up and awake. I do have lots of stuff to do so I might have to ask the help of Modafinil. But like I said I was only hoping to use that now and again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Syntheso: I recall reading that vitamin C supplementation is required to maintain NAC benefits. However I also found a lot of negative stuff surrounding NAC so I never really even bother to look into what it does.
Regarding Modafinil: use with caution. I never experienced any sort of addictive qualities from it, but there have been several case reports of people becoming dependant on it. Not to scare you or anything, but it would be wise to drop the stuff in the weekends or so.

It has (speculated?) dopaminergic effects, so it wouldn't be strange that one could experience a shortlived depletion.

If you need instant effects (upcoming exams etc.) and don't have the time to wait for stuff to kick in, perhaps have a glance at a Vitamin B derevative called Sulbutiamine? I dismissed it because it seems after a short period you build enough tolerance to render it useless, but it could help for a few days I suppose.
Hmm I had some more potential nootropics and mind but they, ironically, slipped my mind. Anyway as long as you remain to handle Modafinil with consideration, you'll be fine I suppose. For me sometimes taking 400mgs of L-theanine helps me lower anxiety just a notch within a few minutes, but the user reports vary substantially. How much Modafinil do you take?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Syntheso: I recall reading that vitamin C supplementation is required to maintain NAC benefits. However I also found a lot of negative stuff surrounding NAC so I never really even bother to look into what it does.

Regarding Modafinil: use with caution. I never experienced any sort of addictive qualities from it, but there have been several case reports of people becoming dependant on it. Not to scare you or anything, but it would be wise to drop the stuff in the weekends or so.

It has (speculated?) dopaminergic effects, so it wouldn't be strange that one could experience a shortlived depletion.

If you need instant effects (upcoming exams etc.) and don't have the time to wait for stuff to kick in, perhaps have a glance at a Vitamin B derevative called Sulbutiamine? I dismissed it because it seems after a short period you build enough tolerance to render it useless, but it could help for a few days I suppose.

Hmm I had some more potential nootropics and mind but they, ironically, slipped my mind. Anyway as long as you remain to handle Modafinil with consideration, you'll be fine I suppose. For me sometimes taking 400mgs of L-theanine helps me lower anxiety just a notch within a few minutes, but the user reports vary substantially. How much Modafinil do you take?

 

Thanks man. I do take the recommended dose of Vit C every day. Yes I am being cautious about becoming dependent on Modafinil, hence me not trying to use every day. But I have shit loads to do every day... 

I haven't checked out Sulbutiamine.. thanks for the recommendation, I will look into it.

Initially when I had exams I was taking the 200mg Modafinil pill each day. Today I staggered it 100mg then another 100mg later to get my own work done.

I know the best thing to do is go in with the smallest dose and work up. So I will try smaller doses and leave as many day gaps in the use as possible.. that's the plan anyway.. and to vary with other potential nootropics to alternate between... if need be. If I wake up not in a fog, I wouldn't pop a Mod for the sake of it.

L-theanine was something I was going to look into.. I'll give that a try.

 

Good news - drug clinic got back to me with an appt after ages.. so hopefully can have the help of a psychiatrist specialising in drug use :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should be fine on those doses.. alternatively, next time you've had a Modafinil "break", try starting out with 50mg, some people report having just as good effects from 50mgs. If insufficient, you can always add 50mgs later. By the way, Alertec Modafinil is the best brand out there IMO, SunPharma is crap.

If you're interested in NAC discussions, check out the Longecity topic on the stuff. There are more topics there on NAC, just do a search.
Idk if I said it earlier, but Longecity is definitely the place to be, if you're interested in nootropics.

As for the drug clinic: I hope they can help you! The drug clinic here had insufficient knowledge to aid me with my problems, but they were much kinder than the government appointed psychiatrist people. Ha I actually enjoyed talking with them today. Be sure to print out about a kilo's worth of articles on HPPD, treatment options, etc. etc. Especially the recent New Yorker article could help them understand it is not merely defined by the DSM diagnosis. Alternatively you could bring the "What do we know after 50 years?" paper. Good luck :)

Oh and with L-theanine, make sure you get the suntheanine brand. It contains only the pure levo isomer, no dextro stuff. Other products are racemic sometimes, which would lower potency.
And regarding Sulbutiamine: I just ordered a sample, so I'll give you some feedback on whether it helps HPPD related issues. Reportedly there is no anxiety, and a nice clean crispy fresh feeling. Anyways, you might want to take that statement with a little metaphorical salt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Some more info on Sulbutiamine and its similarity with NAC:

From Wiki:

Acetylcysteine is the N-acetyl derivative of the amino acid L-cysteine, and is a precursor in the formation of the antioxidant glutathione in the body. The thiol (sulfhydryl) group confers antioxidant effects and is able to reduce free radicals.


From PubMed:

Sulbutiamine dose-dependently attenuated apoptotic cell death induced by serum deprivation and stimulated glutathione and glutathione-S-transferase activity.



And here's an article with some decent info on Sulbutiamine.

 

 

Seems that their shared Gluthione mechanisms imply that Sulbutiamine is a pretty good substitute for NAC.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You should be fine on those doses.. alternatively, next time you've had a Modafinil "break", try starting out with 50mg, some people report having just as good effects from 50mgs. If insufficient, you can always add 50mgs later. By the way, Alertec Modafinil is the best brand out there IMO, SunPharma is crap.

If you're interested in NAC discussions, check out the Longecity topic on the stuff. There are more topics there on NAC, just do a search.

Idk if I said it earlier, but Longecity is definitely the place to be, if you're interested in nootropics.

As for the drug clinic: I hope they can help you! The drug clinic here had insufficient knowledge to aid me with my problems, but they were much kinder than the government appointed psychiatrist people. Ha I actually enjoyed talking with them today. Be sure to print out about a kilo's worth of articles on HPPD, treatment options, etc. etc. Especially the recent New Yorker article could help them understand it is not merely defined by the DSM diagnosis. Alternatively you could bring the "What do we know after 50 years?" paper. Good luck :)

Oh and with L-theanine, make sure you get the suntheanine brand. It contains only the pure levo isomer, no dextro stuff. Other products are racemic sometimes, which would lower potency.

And regarding Sulbutiamine: I just ordered a sample, so I'll give you some feedback on whether it helps HPPD related issues. Reportedly there is no anxiety, and a nice clean crispy fresh feeling. Anyways, you might want to take that statement with a little metaphorical salt.

 

You should be fine on those doses.. alternatively, next time you've had a Modafinil "break", try starting out with 50mg, some people report having just as good effects from 50mgs. If insufficient, you can always add 50mgs later. By the way, Alertec Modafinil is the best brand out there IMO, SunPharma is crap.

If you're interested in NAC discussions, check out the Longecity topic on the stuff. There are more topics there on NAC, just do a search.

Idk if I said it earlier, but Longecity is definitely the place to be, if you're interested in nootropics.

As for the drug clinic: I hope they can help you! The drug clinic here had insufficient knowledge to aid me with my problems, but they were much kinder than the government appointed psychiatrist people. Ha I actually enjoyed talking with them today. Be sure to print out about a kilo's worth of articles on HPPD, treatment options, etc. etc. Especially the recent New Yorker article could help them understand it is not merely defined by the DSM diagnosis. Alternatively you could bring the "What do we know after 50 years?" paper. Good luck :)

Oh and with L-theanine, make sure you get the suntheanine brand. It contains only the pure levo isomer, no dextro stuff. Other products are racemic sometimes, which would lower potency.

And regarding Sulbutiamine: I just ordered a sample, so I'll give you some feedback on whether it helps HPPD related issues. Reportedly there is no anxiety, and a nice clean crispy fresh feeling. Anyways, you might want to take that statement with a little metaphorical salt.

 

Great, thanks. I'm currently using Modalert from United Pharmacies... seems to be doing the trick..

You did point me to Longecity but haven't got round to digging in! Ta!

I was about to write a topic asking what articles would be good to take to the psychiatrist for that so cheers!

I would like to try Sinemet as I think the reason I find it difficult to concentrate/feel spaced out/lethargic is due to low Dopamine levels. Also a benzo with long half life and not so potent like Klonopin. Benzos have been able to lift the fog out of my head and allow me to cognitively function (and once when I had no tolerance and did 2mg of Lorazepam - yes quite a dose, but I was feeling horrific-  my visuals went entirely!). There has been a lot of good feedback for those on here as well. Lots of people mention Keppra but I haven't looked into that really. It seems to have more mixed reviews... Anyway particular publications on Sinemet / Klonopin you might be able to point me to?

:-)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah hold on let me dig up a K'pin study...
 

A more in-depth look at the HAM-A showed only the

anxious mood, tension, insomnia and intellectual items to
have been reduced significantly. The other items could
not be reduced because of a floor effect. The low baseline
rating of these items is in accordance with the description
of HPPD, with associated anxious features suggesting the
presence of only specific accompanying anxiety-related
complaints in this syndrome. All scores were reduced
significantly after the 8-week procedure. During the
follow-up period, an additional improvement in symptomatology
was found, as observed on the CGI and the SRS,
but not on the HAM-A average. Very mild symptomatology
persisted at the end of the pharmacological trial,
during the clonazepam discontinuation and free-clonazepam
follow-up period. These results indicate a significant
improvement due to clonazepam administration.

source (from HPPDonline itself!) <-- you can download the entire PDF there.

Tofisopam fits the description of the benzo you describe, and is a unique benzo in its MOA. Enhances cognition (mildly), is anxiolytic, no reported addiction, and (could be wrong here) does not downregulate GABA. It is interesting to note that Tofisopam has also been indicated in Schizophrenia, of which the pathogenesis has some similarities with the (speculated) pathogenesis of HPPD. Idk where you are from, but it is available for purchase online. It seems to exhibit a dopaminergic mimetisism.
 

[Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of tofizopam (Grandaxin)]. [Pharmacologic effects of tofizopam (Grandaxin)]. [Excerpts from the clinical-pharmacologic and clinical studies of Grandaxin].

 

As for Keppra, you might want to look into that for the long-term, as it would be well worth the shot, considering the lack of cognitive effects. Benzo's are quite a tricky escapede, and lack sustainability. That said, many people here have been stable on Clonazepam for years. However, between keeping addiction at bay and memory loss, it would seem quite hard to live like that. Just my personal opinion, I have yet to experience Clonazepam.
Perhaps request Clonazepam for initial treatment to help you gather your thoughts, and then procede to look into Keppra or Sinemet, as the latter two are by far more sustainable. Also, have a look at the Keppra study.

Over the 1-year treatment period, 20/27 (74.1%) patients became flashback-free. After 15 days7/27 (25.9%) patients were already without clinical malfffestations, with 6 patients demonstrating > 75% reduction in flashback frequency and 1 demonstrating 50-75% reduction. EEG patterns normalised in 18/27 (66.7%) patients after 30 days and in 23/27 (85.2%) after 90 days. 3/27 (11.1%) patients continued to have flashbacks, despite complete disappearance of EEG abnormalities. Side effects were few in incidence and mild in severity. No patient discontinued treatment. Conclusions: This study demonstrated LEV to be highly efficacious in the treatment of HPPD, with very good tolerability and ease of use.

That's 20 "flashback" free people, plus 4 with symptom reduction = 89% experienced benefits from Keppra. Even if it doesn't completely erase your symptoms, it may be quite useful and allow you to require less Clonazepam.

And as for Sinemet, have a look at Dr. Abraham's COMT trial. Albeit co-administrating Tolcapone, there were some decent results. Lastly there are some anecdotes to be found here at HPPDonline. Can't do more for you on that part. If you don't get levodopa prescribed, you could always try taking Mucuna Pruriens extract, with some L-phenylalaline, and some L-tyrosine, with EGCG extract and Quercetin. This will boost you dopaminergic transmission quite a bit, added to that intermittent Sulbutiamine, and you should theoretically be  laying a bed of roses for your DA signalling.


I'd be happy to answer any other questions :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah hold on let me dig up a K'pin study...

 

source (from HPPDonline itself!) <-- you can download the entire PDF there.

Tofisopam fits the description of the benzo you describe, and is a unique benzo in its MOA. Enhances cognition (mildly), is anxiolytic, no reported addiction, and (could be wrong here) does not downregulate GABA. It is interesting to note that Tofisopam has also been indicated in Schizophrenia, of which the pathogenesis has some similarities with the (speculated) pathogenesis of HPPD. Idk where you are from, but it is available for purchase online. It seems to exhibit a dopaminergic mimetisism.

 

[Pharmacokinetics and metabolism of tofizopam (Grandaxin)]. [Pharmacologic effects of tofizopam (Grandaxin)]. [Excerpts from the clinical-pharmacologic and clinical studies of Grandaxin].

 

As for Keppra, you might want to look into that for the long-term, as it would be well worth the shot, considering the lack of cognitive effects. Benzo's are quite a tricky escapede, and lack sustainability. That said, many people here have been stable on Clonazepam for years. However, between keeping addiction at bay and memory loss, it would seem quite hard to live like that. Just my personal opinion, I have yet to experience Clonazepam.

Perhaps request Clonazepam for initial treatment to help you gather your thoughts, and then procede to look into Keppra or Sinemet, as the latter two are by far more sustainable. Also, have a look at the Keppra study.

That's 20 "flashback" free people, plus 4 with symptom reduction = 89% experienced benefits from Keppra. Even if it doesn't completely erase your symptoms, it may be quite useful and allow you to require less Clonazepam.

And as for Sinemet, have a look at Dr. Abraham's COMT trial. Albeit co-administrating Tolcapone, there were some decent results. Lastly there are some anecdotes to be found here at HPPDonline. Can't do more for you on that part. If you don't get levodopa prescribed, you could always try taking Mucuna Pruriens extract, with some L-phenylalaline, and some L-tyrosine, with EGCG extract and Quercetin. This will boost you dopaminergic transmission quite a bit, added to that intermittent Sulbutiamine, and you should theoretically be  laying a bed of roses for your DA signalling.

I'd be happy to answer any other questions :)

You are wonderful! Thank you, thank you! I am just about to go and play a gig, I'll have a read through after and let you know if I have any questions :-)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Whilst it is always wise to keep an eye out for any individual reactions like allergy, basically nac has a very strong safety record.  There was a potential issue raised with large doses inducing a hypoxic response in animals, but this seems not to apply to humans at normal doses.  There are also cases of anaphylaxis after intravenous administration (very large dose) following paracetamol overdose.  More usual side effects seems to be stomach discomfort.  Possible to get herxheimers from rapid toxin mobilisation (eg rash, nausea, generally feeling crap).  The problem with chelating minerals as far as i could tell was not serious, though maybe you might like to supplement with zinc and copper or general mineral supp just in case (i found no benefit in doing so).  I also found no benefit from vit c, tho i did with alpha lipoic acid.  Generally, i didnt find anything in that link to make me personally concerned, tho i aknowledge there may be unusual issues for people with unusual problems (tho this of course applies to any food or medicine!).

 

I did find that while the effects of nac linger, there was a reduction in the peak of clarity obtained from the initial dose, even with continued administration (tho never back to as bad as it was).  My guess is that there are several factors involved in creating glutathione, and as you sort out one rate-limiting factor (ie cysteine) another nutrient becomes the rate limiter (eg magnesium) or another nutrient is required to sustain its activity.  I am finding that my current cocktail of supplements as listed earlier in the thread provides a sustained improvement to clarity.  Take breaks now and then (especially for a period of ketosis or fast).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.