Modafinil/Smart Drugs

[nomadthethird]

I've experimented recently with overwork.

A few months ago, I decided to test how much sustained (ie. no breaks of greater than 30 seconds), serious thinking I could do: I completed about 3000 grammar problems over two days and then a string of Maths puzzles on the third. Result: a very odd feeling in the top of my head, difficulty in walking upright (ie. I was tending to tilt to one side), nausea when having to process anything even vaguely cerebral for two days afterwards (reading, even watching the telly) and slightly garbled speech. Moral of the story: don't do it again.

A couple of days ago, I tried to test the limits of memorisation on one of those spaced repetition things. 2000 words repped over two days (ie. speeded forced recall). Towards the end of the second round of reps on the second day I was feeling distinctly agitated and it felt like my brain was attempting to escape. Immediately afterwards: the same odd feeling in the top of my head, language incomprehensibilities (slight babbling), bouts of dizziness...BUT, in the evening, improved performance on memory game and more lucid thinking. Also, seem to have memorised about 1400 of the words. Conclusion: no bloody idea.

Totally OT but I notice this exact same thing, and I'm definitely noticing it this weekend (I'm procrastinating like crazy--have 70 stoichiometry calculations to do by Monday, a chem exam on Monday to study for, a chemistry pre-lab assignment due on Wednesday, a 15 page research paper to write by Thursday, a bio lab quiz and written assignment, a bio exam on Friday on Mendelian genetics, mitosis, and meoisis, and miscellaneous other assignments that are going to have to fall by the wayside.)

What I'm finding, and I've always found, is that in situations where I flood my brain with information, I switch back and forth between moments of a feeling sort of like nausea and intense confusion, then moments of clarity when things come together and make sense, then back to the nausea.

At the end of the day here, I have the syndrome you're describing up there. You could call it "overload syndrome". But when things settle down and I go a weekend without having much work, rest a while, I notice a marked improvement in my ability to figure out difficult problems or memorize things or focus intently, etc.

 

[grizzleb]

I think you can definitely change your brain states simply by the quantity/type of things you put in it. It doesn't sound as crazy as what nomad is chatting, but times when I would spend a whole weekend reading the same book, and find it starts to seep into your thoughts, and my internal monologue starts to sound a bit like the authors and stuff...Different with heavily abstract stuff like scientific shit etc though.

edit: got some of these beests ordered up, will report back.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

What I'm finding, and I've always found, is that in situations where I flood my brain with information, I switch back and forth between moments of a feeling sort of like nausea and intense confusion, then moments of clarity when things come together and make sense, then back to the nausea.

It's bizarre isn't it, I wonder what's 'really' going on.

I also wonder whether the brain has to be pushed to a point at which it starts 'failing' in order to bring about the changes you report (parallel to weight training?). btw the game I posted up-thread was first used by those researchers as part of a PhD thesis on cerebral 'overheating'; the idea behind it is that it pushes at the very limits of one's powers of memory and concentration.

 

[scottdisco]

Very interesting...I would agree with this guy if we lived in an alternate universe where long-term recreational amphetamine use wasn't associated with so many horrible, detrimental effects on health.

1) high BP

2) increased risk of heart attack

3) increased risk of stroke

4) liver damage

5) cognitive side-effects/deficits

6) decreased immune response

7) increased risk of hepatitis infection

Believe me, if I could get back the brain cells that meth and adderall stole from me, I'd happily give back every "good" paper I ever wrote on it.

I'd be reeeally careful messing with medical grade fluoroamphetamines...at least if you do that, get a digital scale that weighs to at least the hundredth place and be precise about your dose.

cheers Nomad, i trust you over the Atlantic any day, your post is going on my blog!!

 

[Mr. Tea]

I'd be reeeally careful messing with medical grade fluoroamphetamines...at least if you do that, get a digital scale that weighs to at least the hundredth place and be precise about your dose.

Well I'm not studying for exams at the moment or trying to bust my balls on cognition tests, so I tried it for the sake of trying it, really. It seemed less edgy than most kinds of speed, anyway. Clearly a sustained amphetamine habit is not recommended unless you're either Hunter S. Thompson or Paul Erdos. Also I just guestimated a reasonable (informed) dose and managed not to end up looking like a Face Of Meth. Any more than I do anyway, at least.

 

[scottdisco]

Well I'm not studying for exams at the moment or trying to bust my balls on cognition tests, so I tried it for the sake of trying it, really. It seemed less edgy than most kinds of speed, anyway. Clearly a sustained amphetamine habit is not recommedned unless you're either Hunter S. Thompson or Paul Erdos.

Tea edges ahead of Swears in my and Luka's Greatest Englishman Poll for his dogged attitude toward pursuing pharmacological enlightenment a la the Englishmen of old who climbed dangerous mountains 'because they are there'.

bravo Tea!

 

[nomadthethird]

Well I'm not studying for exams at the moment or trying to bust my balls on cognition tests, so I tried it for the sake of trying it, really. It seemed less edgy than most kinds of speed, anyway. Clearly a sustained amphetamine habit is not recommended unless you're either Hunter S. Thompson or Paul Erdos. Also I just guestimated a reasonable (informed) dose and managed not to end up looking like a Face Of Meth. Any more than I do anyway, at least.

Right, I'm just saying, there are people out there who don't understand designer drugs, they'd eyeball what looks like a good amount of meth and snort a huge line of it or whatever, thinking it's like other amphetamines in concentration, which (being medical grade), it's probably not. It's potentially much more pure. So I'm just saying, be careful with your dose.

Not you, I realize you can probably eyeball 120 mg, but some people can't.

 

[mixed_biscuits]

Lifting the lid on the smart drugs industry:

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=""></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

 

[four_five_one]

I bought some modafinil a couple of months ago (probably after reading this thread actually). Here's the diary I wrote while on it:

body weight 67kg
drugs used: provigil, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, xylometazoline
(plus pyriodoxine hci, base melissa officinalis, bacopa monniera,
taurine, astaxanthin, passion flower etc)

dropped some ALCAR abt 3 pm thought it would potentiate the stuff and
then the anxiety set in (as had an accidental really strong coffee
which i definitely didn't need); but at the same time proper buzzing
due to the extra release of dopamine & n/rp but w/o the warm blanket
of serotonin and the calming efx of gaba to straighten out the path.
so chopped up some l-theanine and mainlined it to give gaba boost,
anxiety lessened but killed the good fx of the modafinil too, now just
feel flat and a bit tired. experiencing major dissatisfaction w/my
life decisions: a dysphoria i'm usually capable of producing
endogenously but this time needed a little extra help. from too buzzed
to read > to nr exhaustion.

(tho i must say i often find benzos & theanine etc often have a
paradoxical fxt w/ me sometimes making me more anxious [not
physically] but mentally because everything is superflat and i feel a
bit impaired, so perhaps not a fair test. maybe just need to get the
dose right. perhaps 5htp would've been a better bet??? plus who knows
what the bacopa is adding to the mix here, that's the unknown quantity
innit)

Did nothing for me at all. Too much anxiety (which you're not supposed to get), although maybe mine is a bad batch, might have caffeine in it too. Definitely modafinil though, there's a particular metabolite smell when you urinate. Anyway, even if we subtract the anxiety, it is hard to think whilst on it, I couldn't remember a lot of words and found it hard to finish stuff I was writing (creativity seems to disappear). It does work in terms of relieving tiredness though, definitely. Much more effective than caffeine in that respect. I would probably use it for that, if it weren't for the anxiety. I've only used it so far when I haven't sleep for a day or so, because I thought that would be a proper test of it.

Anyway, most of these nootropics are expensive and make no significant difference, and if they do affect you, it's as likely to be negative as positive. The ones I've tried and seem to have positive effects tend to be the cheaper ones anyway, I'd probably recommend: Turmeric, L-Theanine, Gingko and Bacopa. That's what I take regularly. But to be honest you've have a more positive net effect paying more attention to diet/exercise, drinking less etc, meditation etc. Obviously I'd prefer to pay for an effective pill instead of doing all that, but there just isn't one yet... (at least one that's powerful enough but doesn't have deleterious side fx, speed etc). As far as vitamins and stuff, Vitamin D is the only one I take daily, and I highly recommend it. Plus fish-oil obviously.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Oblimey...I guess the Dissensus/Erowid crossover had to happen eventually.

 

[you]

Anyone done anymore or have any other suggestions??

 

[jojboli]

Don't you find interesting how in late capitalism drug abuse focus shifts from "getting wasted", "chilling" etc. towards "getting concentrated", "perform better" etc?

 

[CHAOTROPIC]

Don't you find interesting how in late capitalism drug abuse focus shifts from "getting wasted", "chilling" etc. towards "getting concentrated", "perform better" etc?

My experience of late capitalist squat parties would contradict this

Mods & skins bombed uppers, hippies dope themselves into gentleness with downers, businessmen bond on ego-uppers but also drink themselves into catatonia at the weekends, clubbers cane meth until they grind teeth to powder & final-year med students spend half the time drunk & the other half bombing speed to handle the revision. Horses for courses & always has been. Don't think it's symptomatic of the age.

I'm speaking as a speed freak of course.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Don't you find interesting how in late capitalism drug abuse focus shifts from "getting wasted", "chilling" etc. towards "getting concentrated", "perform better" etc?

Not sure I know any late capitalists. Most of the people I know love getting a bit (or a lot) mashed now and then, though.

 

[Dr Awesome]

How do you know it's late Capitalism anyway?
More importantly, who's going to write Decline and Fall?
Hawking?

 

[Mr. Tea]

I waited three hours for Capitalism the other night and the cunt didn't even show up.

 

[Dr Awesome]

I waited three hours for Capitalism the other night and the cunt didn't even show up.

Yeah, I hear Socialism's always punctual however.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Yeah, I hear Socialism's always punctual however.

Communism is always on time. Early, even. And anyone who says otherwise is invited to reconsider from the comfort of a Siberian labour colony.

 

[Bangpuss]

Modafinil surplus

I have some Modafinil left over from my exams in June. Would happily swap them for something else... Let me know.

 

[pattycakes_]

how about 3 magic beans?