I just joined this forum the other day, so I hope I'm not coming off as too much of a noob... but, I have a question. Having read much (but not all) of this 136 page thread, I definitely know a lot more about NSI-189 (and a few other noots) than I did before I started, but I have a few questions.
But, first a little background that may help put everything in context...
I'm a 40-something year old guy who has been depressed for much, if not all, of my life. Even as a kid, I was pretty melancholy for the most part, although I do remember having a lot more "zest" for life in my teens and early 20's. I would go through periods of deep depression (sometimes lasting for months to years) if something bad happened, such as a loss of job or girlfriend or whatever, and in those cases I'd usually go to the doctor and get on some antidepressants to get me through the rough time. So, I've been on Prozac mainly, which made me pretty emotionless and made me completely lose my sex drive, but it kept me from jumping off a bridge so I can't complain much. Then, one time a doctor put me on Wellbutrin, which made me go into a week-long panic attack before I made him prescribe something else for me (and can't remember what). Since I don't like taking pharmaceuticals long term, I usually ween myself off after six months to a year, and just go back to my somewhat "normal" melancholy self.
My self-diagnosed ADD (not ADHD) is either a separate issue, or related to the depression. Not sure, but I have definitely heard of ADD and depression go hand-in-hand pretty frequently. The ADD, however, I have learned to overcome for the most part... it just takes a lot of goal-setting, will-power, and kicking my own ass to focus and get things done, but I can usually get them done if I set my mind to it. It might just take me twice as long as a normal person.
On top of all that, for the last 5 years or so, I have been suffering from pretty bad brain fog and even MORE lack of focus than before. Some days, it was so bad I could barely form complete sentences and was beginning to wonder if I had the early stages of Alzheimer or dementia. I'm sure people thought I was an idiot, and I learned to try to just keep my mouth shut whenever possible. I went to the doctor to have my hormone levels checked, and everything came back in the normal range. The doctor said that I was probably depressed... and I said, "Listen Doc, I respect your judgement, but I don't want to go on antidepressants again," and that was pretty much the end of the conversation and he said there is nothing else he could do.
Aside from that, I am pretty healthy. My diet is also pretty clean for the most part, although like most Americans, I do enjoy some junk food on occasion. I hit the gym about twice a week, sometimes more. The reason I mention this is explain that I don't think diet and lack of exercise is the problem.
I will say that I tried Pramiracetam for the first time last month, and it was awesome. I took anywhere from 600 to 900 mg of the Pramiracetam, along with Alpha-GPC and high-quality fish oil. It wasn't dramatic, but definitely noticeable. My verbal fluency was certainly enhanced. The correct words just seemed to be there when I needed them, and I was able to explain things to people MUCH better than I ever remember. I'm not too keen on the price, however, and I have ordered some Oxiracetam with the hopes that it can do something similar. Any thoughts on this?
My main question is, do you think that NSI-189 is something that would help someone like me? Maybe there is someone out there who can say, "Your background sounds a lot like mine, and NSI-189 changed my life!" If NSI-189 is not the right choice for me, can someone give me some suggestions on what to research? I think this forum is an invaluable resource, and I'm glad it exists. Thanks for reading all the way through. I really appreciate you guys and gals.
. My depression seems to be lifting and I find myself ruminating far less than I used to just a week ago.
