29 replies to this topic

[mastercowboy]

After reading the raving reviews about CILTEP stack i decided to give it a try hoping to feel something.I purchased Solaray Forskohlii 3.85mg,Now Artichoke Extract 450mg and Now L-Phenylalanine 500mg.I have used all one by one with 24 hours intervals between them to avoid interactions and to know how each one effects me.

Here is my history:

1st day Artichoke 1 cap.Nothing noted.
2nd day Forskohlii 1 cap.Nothing noted.
3rd day Artichoke + Forskohlii 1 cap each.Nothing noted.
4th day Artichoke + Forskohlii + L-Phenylalanine 1 cap each.Nothing yet !!

Here i have to submit that i am used to L-Phenylalanine effects on me.I start to feel it after 2-3g dose,but the effect still subtle,if any.Every day supplements were ingested with empty stomach.At leaast 15 minutes before food in morning.

Tommorow i will double the Forskohlii dose and see how it goes...What do you think?

[stablemind]

try adding caffeine

[8bitmore]

[...]
1st day Artichoke 1 cap.Nothing noted.
2nd day Forskohlii 1 cap.Nothing noted.
3rd day Artichoke + Forskohlii 1 cap each.Nothing noted.
4th day Artichoke + Forskohlii + L-Phenylalanine 1 cap each.Nothing yet !!
[...]

Thank you for being consistent with your intake & documentation of it! Makes it much easier to extrapolate on the data than it would otherwise be (I get nervous tics from people writing posts along these lines: "I ate kinda this amount some days ago and then some more today and now feel like this..blabla" -> unusable!).

I have taken the CILTEP stack for 7 days in a row (Artichoke (NOW 450mg) + Forskohlii (LEF 10 mg) + L-Phenylalanine (NOW 500mg), 1 cap each) and my experience was subtle; after a couple of days I started having a physical sensation in my head / top-of-skull along with more flow/relaxed state. Nothing radical & no changes in my cognitive performance in relation to my job as programmer. I stopped the intake since I am already getting my dose of random supplements...

Edited by 8bitmore, 10 November 2012 - 12:38 PM.

[Pirate]

I thought optimum dosage of forskolini was 4mg. Most variations in ciltep stack seem to be stimulant based, not counting the hesperdin experiements which didn't work out in the long term for a lot of people.

[norepinephrine]

I mainly find the CILTEP stack to be effective when I've had both caffeine and phenylalanine right after dosing the forskohlii.

Tolerance did seem to develop, though.

[kevinseven11]

Where is your data for the effects of ciltep? You should be taking a test to determine if there are no effects.

[gizmobrain]

More often then not, people do not "feel" results with CILTEP without some sort of stimulant (L-Phenylalanine does not count as a stimulant).

That's not to say that its not doing something, I don't know. But if you are reading in the CILTEP thread about amazing results, it usually coincides with either a heck-ton of caffeine (>150mg), amphetamines, or some herbal stimulant.

There have been exceptions to this rule, but not many.

Also, I do not recommend taking more forskolin. If you are going to increase anything, increase the Artichoke. I take 1-3 early in the day, and then 1 later on if I need a boost.

Edited by zrbarnes, 10 November 2012 - 09:51 PM.

[mastercowboy]

try adding caffeine

I don't want to add caffeine because caffeine works always on its own and need to be sure if the results are from the other substances,but i understand that caffeine may potentiate the effects.Maybe i will leave it as a last resort.

Where is your data for the effects of ciltep? You should be taking a test to determine if there are no effects.

I don't feel anything in my mind.Why bother with test?

[mastercowboy]

5th day Artichoke x 2 + Forskohlii x 1 + L-Phenylalanine x 1.Nothing yet..

I took the Cambridge test again too and noticed a little less score in most tests,but if score differences are minor then the test results are not so accurate to judge your brain status,because developing good strategy or concentraitng better always helps to avoid mistakes.Of course if the differences are more than 20-30% better definitely something happens.I believe a +-10% variation between seperate test dates is normal.Also you should take the test the same time of day with clear mind and no other problems running in your life that would disturb the peace!I have to add here that many times the first time i run each test is the best score and next row gets worse and worse.

[mastercowboy]

Lately this evening i had a sudden loss of consciousness.Something like instant faint.I was sitting in a chair and felt like i would faint for a fraction of second.My friend told me to watch out to not fall.It was not like dizziness.The only thing i remember i did before this was taking vitamin E half hour before.

Do you think it was coincidence?I don't suffer from this normally.Maybe i have felt a couple of times in past though.

Something wrong with CILTEP?I took the stack in the morning 12 hours before.

[gizmobrain]

Can't really think of a mechanism by which this could happen. Do you take any other medication, supplements or herbs besides the CILTEP stack and vitamin E?

I'm not even sure I fully understand what you are describing. Kind of like falling asleep while watching TV but jerking back awake, except you did not feel tiredness before hand or after? No dizziness, nausea or vertigo? Did you change positions before it happened, such as standing up? Was your pulse or blood pressure significantly high or low?

When I used to take high doses of forskolin, I would noticed a change in heart rate/BP for about a half hour as it started to wear off. Probably related to a rebound effect from the vasodilation caused by higher doses of forskolin. I know you are not taking high doses, but this is the only thing I can think of.

Edited by zrbarnes, 11 November 2012 - 11:48 PM.

[mastercowboy]

Can't really think of a mechanism by which this could happen. Do you take any other medication, supplements or herbs besides the CILTEP stack and vitamin E?

I'm not even sure I fully understand what you are describing. Kind of like falling asleep while watching TV but jerking back awake, except you did not feel tiredness before hand or after? No dizziness, nausea or vertigo? Did you change positions before it happened, such as standing up? Was your pulse or blood pressure significantly high or low?

When I used to take high doses of forskolin, I would noticed a change in heart rate/BP for about a half hour as it started to wear off. Probably related to a rebound effect from the vasodilation caused by higher doses of forskolin. I know you are not taking high doses, but this is the only thing I can think of.

No i don't take any other medication or special supplements.At 17.00 i drank around half teaspoon of coffee,at 19.00 i had some weighlifting training and at the end i had my whey and maltodextrin with 2 amino tabs.An hour later had some real food.At 21.00 took the vit E and at 21.30 this happened...It is like walking and feeling you will fall but instantly you are on your feet again.Like the floor is opening a hole suddenly.Not nausea.More likely something like the TV jerking!

For the record,before 3 years i took 10 times recommended dose of Hawthorn Berry Exctract hoping to reduce my blood presssure,because i had these constant tension headaches and thought that this might be the cause.So then i had almost faint.Very strange feeling.A friend who was with me told me,my face was white and i was very scared.i asked him to get me some orange juice.I thought my blood sugar was down.I drank this and after about 5-10 minutes i was much better.After this incidence i had similar feelings but very rarely and low intensity (like yesterday).Actually i was afraid to walk out alone for some time.

About the CILTEP,today i will adjust the stack by reducing the Artichoke and upgrading the Forskohlii only.I think it is more clear this way.

6th day Artichoke x 1 + Forskohlii x 2 + L-Phenylalanine x 1..It feels like i ate pure grass!!

I will update the results later in the day..

Edited by mastercowboy, 12 November 2012 - 07:12 AM.

[mastercowboy]

7th day Artichoke x 1 + Forskohlii x 1 + L-Phenylalanine x 2.Nothing!
8th day day Artichoke x 2 + Forskohlii x 2 + L-Phenylalanine x 1....will see!

Edited by mastercowboy, 14 November 2012 - 06:10 AM.

[mastercowboy]

All double today!

9th day day Artichoke x 2 + Forskohlii x 2 + L-Phenylalanine x 2....Zero!

[stablemind]

All double today!

9th day day Artichoke x 2 + Forskohlii x 2 + L-Phenylalanine x 2....Zero!

You should seriously consider throwing in an expresso before calling quits.

[megatron]

I've experienced similar results, basically nothing.

[mastercowboy]

Maybe i will try to add a little coffee tommorow.

[mastercowboy]

10th day i have just added some caffeine but it was nothing more like caffeine + sugar pills !!!

[alecnevsky]

Not to create any paranoia, but I too have experienced very mild feeling of what is less than fainting and more of a slowed blood rush? For example when I abruptly stand up from the computer desk on CILTEP to do some stretching exercises, I can feel my head is taking a while longer than usual to adjust to new activity. This usually does not happen otherwise. It's nothing scary but definitely notable. I've been on CILTEP without any dose alteration for about a month now.

[mastercowboy]

Not to create any paranoia, but I too have experienced very mild feeling of what is less than fainting and more of a slowed blood rush? For example when I abruptly stand up from the computer desk on CILTEP to do some stretching exercises, I can feel my head is taking a while longer than usual to adjust to new activity. This usually does not happen otherwise. It's nothing scary but definitely notable. I've been on CILTEP without any dose alteration for about a month now.

What are your doses?Fortunately i had this fainting issue only once and i have doubled dose since then but never ingested Vit E again!

[alecnevsky]

Not to create any paranoia, but I too have experienced very mild feeling of what is less than fainting and more of a slowed blood rush? For example when I abruptly stand up from the computer desk on CILTEP to do some stretching exercises, I can feel my head is taking a while longer than usual to adjust to new activity. This usually does not happen otherwise. It's nothing scary but definitely notable. I've been on CILTEP without any dose alteration for about a month now.

What are your doses?Fortunately i had this fainting issue only once and i have doubled dose since then but never ingested Vit E again!

500mg Artichoke, 10mg Forskolin and 500mg Tyrosine + 500mg Gingseng +120-200mgCaffeine + 100mg Phenylpiracetam + 500mgAlcar +350mg GPC + 600mg DHA + 80mg TAU--twice a day...

Ciltep dosing has not changed for a month. I do however cycle off every weekend. Not sure if I am going to get another batch after this. We'll see.

Edited by alecnevsky, 19 November 2012 - 09:14 AM.

[SuperjackDid_]

10th day i have just added some caffeine but it was nothing more like caffeine + sugar pills !!!

Time to give me anything and back to coffee.

[mastercowboy]

10th day i have just added some caffeine but it was nothing more like caffeine + sugar pills !!!

Time to give me anything and back to coffee.

???

[Spinlock]

I can't get much from it either, other than an upset stomach and dry skin from 10mg of Forskolin.

[Spinlock]

Not to create any paranoia, but I too have experienced very mild feeling of what is less than fainting and more of a slowed blood rush? For example when I abruptly stand up from the computer desk on CILTEP to do some stretching exercises, I can feel my head is taking a while longer than usual to adjust to new activity. This usually does not happen otherwise. It's nothing scary but definitely notable. I've been on CILTEP without any dose alteration for about a month now.

Low blood pressure does this sometimes. I've had it for years(Long Before Ciltep), it's nothing serious, if I stand up to fast after sitting for long periods sometimes get lightheaded. Sit back down preferably or lean on something before you get too confused. I've only fallen on my arse once out of the many times it's happened over the years.

[SuperjackDid_]

10th day i have just added some caffeine but it was nothing more like caffeine + sugar pills !!!

Time to give me anything and back to coffee.

???

me-> up

[mastercowboy]

It has been a couple of days that i have stopped Artichoke and i feel i have stuffy nose,like alergy.Not runny but swollen glands make me harder to breath.Do you think it is related since it is a PDE inhibitor?Maybe a rebound effect?

I took 2 caps before some hours but doesn't seem to help.Also if it helps,when i drink coffee in general i feel my nose is wider inside and i breathe easier.I don't feel this always.Maybe i don't feel it though because lately i have developed a little tolerance to coffee.

[mastercowboy]

I am back to inform you that i decided to quit this stack.

Yesterday i tried 3 x Artichoke + 3 x Forskohlii + 2 x Phenylalanine and after 20 mins i had a surge of electricity in my head!I can't explain it better but i think you know what i mean.It was a bit freightening though and decided to stop this thing.Also didn't notice any cognitive enhancement.Only an urge to go to toilet...like when you drink coffe...you know what i mean!

So one more promising supplement stack proved once again pure junk...not surprised :(

[BioFreak]

Just wondering. Did you actually try to study something while on this stack? I doubt you will feel much from ciltep, other then being able to remember stuff you learn faster and therefore learn more in the same time...

[thecheekytaoist]

Just wondering. Did you actually try to study something while on this stack? I doubt you will feel much from ciltep, other then being able to remember stuff you learn faster and therefore learn more in the same time...

I'd also like to know if you tried studying or do something other than just trying to "feel" something from it.

Thanks