22 replies to this topic

[SuckSmoothie]

Hey guys, I'm new to this forum but after a few years of lurking longecity and r/nootropics on reddit I've been a little more informed on how to treat my problems

PROBLEMS:
-anxiety
-low energy
-occasional brain fog
-dry mouth
-stutter
-lack of mental sharpness

(Note: The anxiety usually hits me harder after a lack of sleep, this gets coupled with low energy and lack of mental sharpness)

PREFACE: my anxiety dates back to the early years of highschool. I was obese with borderline diabetes (weighing in at 260lbs in the 10th grade) and decided I needed to lose some weight (for a girl *sigh*). After lots of terrible dieting choices and arduous cardio sessions, I lost 110lbs in less than a year. Come junior year of highschool and I'm probably looking my best, but mal nutrition was definitely a problem. Around this time I met my second highschool girlfriend. I managed to get by on zero sleep for a full year talking every night with her and I think this was the start of my anxiety.

Thankfully I've really fixed myself up since then and I've got good fitness habits, eating habits, supplementation habits and more or less good sleep

My current info:
-5'9"
-22
-185lbs
-Workout 4 times a week strength training (Sheiko program, works wonders for the big three lifts)
-High protein/high carb/low fat on workout days
-high protein/low carb/high fat on rest days
-7/8 hours of sleep

Supplements:

Morning on an empty stomach:
-L-theanine 100mg + cup of cuban coffee
-5 caps of fish oil
-250mg of kelp
-3G vit c
-150mg Rhodiola rosea
-500mg NAC
-B-12 cyanocobalin (changing to methyl soon)
-noopept (ocassionally when I'm sleep deprived)

Pre-workout:
BCAA's

Post workout lunch:
-Whey protein
-400mg phosphatidylserine
-5g Creatine
-300mg of caffeine (occasionally when I work out early, I use it to blunt the insulin spike until I can get a proper meal in around 4-5 pm

Dinner:
-3G Spirulina
-Multi V
-1 cap of resveratrol

BEFORE BED:
-bed time cocktail of valerian, chamomile and passion fruit
-zinc

EXTRA:
-I've been experimenting with Mr.Happy's stack to fix my dopamine as well as no fap (avid fapper throughout highschool). No fap has worked wonders for my dopamine, anxiety and emotional stability, and while uridine has worked for a while it makes me sleepy and lethargic in the morning, so I occasionally take it before bed so it wears off come morning

-Tried piracetam, works for a little bit then gives me brain fog

-choline gives me depression

-iodine gives me PVC's

-more l-theanine makes me sleepy

-ephedra and caffeine WORKS WONDERS for my energy but it makes me anxious after a while

-tried ashwaganda and it works for a little while then it stops working, same with rhodiola rosea

I really would rather not add anything to my stack unless absolutely necessary, but as far as you can tell is there anything I might be doing wrong?

[stan08]

Maybe I missed it but are you taking magnesium?  That's worked better than anything for me with reducing anxiety.  I prefer Jigsaw magnesium w/ SRT because it slowly releases over 8 hours.  It doesn't make me too sleepy during the daytime like other magnesium supplements.

[SuckSmoothie]

I took a ZMA cocktail for a while before bed but it didn't do much for me. Do you recommend magnesium in the AM?

[stan08]

I took a ZMA cocktail for a while before bed but it didn't do much for me. Do you recommend magnesium in the AM?

 

To help reduce anxiety during the day, then I would definitely take it early.  Personally, I've found magnesium citrate and magnesium malate to be the best for daytime use (with the slow release magnesium malate by Jigsaw being the best since it doesn't make me sleepy at all...just very relaxed and calm).  If you're wanting to add something to your stack to help with sleep, then I highly recommend magnesium glycinate before bed.  The extra glycine really helps me relax before bed and seems to keep me from waking multiple times throughout the night (a problem I had before adding it to my stack).   

[SuckSmoothie]

Hey man that might be just what I need! I wake up in the middle of the night at least 4 times a week, maybe I'm just not getting the adequate rest I need because of this?

[stan08]

Hey man that might be just what I need! I wake up in the middle of the night at least 4 times a week, maybe I'm just not getting the adequate rest I need because of this?

 

It's worth a try.  If you want to try a cheap (but very good quality as it's sourced from Albion) magnesium glycinate, then Now Foods sells it as a bulk powder - http://www.iherb.com...-oz-227-g/59860

 

I use two teaspoons (500 mg of elemental magnesium) with 0.5 mg of sublingual melatonin (melatonin helps me fall asleep faster and the magnesium helps me stay asleep).

[fntms]

The taste of magnesium glycinate powder is very unappealing and hard to mask, I would recommend the tabs.

[SuckSmoothie]

I'll look into the tabs, but honestly I'm not too much of a wimp for unappealing taste. As long as it works im happy should I replace my bedtime cocktail with magnesium? I'm not sure if maybe the valerian or chamomile is what's causing me to wake up restless and tired

[stan08]

The taste of magnesium glycinate powder is very unappealing and hard to mask, I would recommend the tabs.

Agree that it's not the best taste. However, for me the Now bulk powder worked better/faster (plus it's a little cheaper) than the magnesium glycinate tablets by Doctor's Best. Adding a little Mio drink flavoring helps some.

[stan08]

I'll look into the tabs, but honestly I'm not too much of a wimp for unappealing taste. As long as it works im happy should I replace my bedtime cocktail with magnesium? I'm not sure if maybe the valerian or chamomile is what's causing me to wake up restless and tired

 

I haven't personally tried chamomile, so I have no comment on that.  However, the times I tried a valerian root tea I did sleep well but also was very groggy in the morning.  

[SuckSmoothie]

Another Mio lover! i put Orange Tangerine on everything haha.

So I cut out valerian as of today and I tried some old zinc magnesium pills I had laying around, and for some reason my dreams felt much more vivid, th best part was making it through the night without waking up! I felt well rested and didnt have any brain fog or anxiety today.

I took some ephedra early in the morning, that might contribute to the mental alertness. It's not a long term solution though lol

[YOLF]

The best thing for anxiety is to understand it. Try some oxytocin. Oxytocin Factor is a good brand that I have been using on and off for years that works... others the quality has been disappointing at times with expired bottles of the Oxytocin Factor working better You should read up on it here on the forum before using it though... It's not sedating, but it is relaxing and can feel like emotional star power until you start figuring out the causes and pathologies of your anxiety.

 

Theanine is great for relieving anxiety, but it is a sedative and IIRC it has a longer than 24 hour half life, so daily dosing can become additive... at least that's my experience. I've been pretty much off of it for a year and even a single dose will leave me feeling sluggish for 2-3 days, though I could write some great fiction novels during those windows. I was low on energy about a year ago and gave up my excessive tea drinking habits for about 10 days before I realized I had more energy and motivation than I had had in a long time. Stick to the espresso or give it up for 10 days also... it'll re-sensitize you to caffeine and give you more of a stimulant effect and maybe more anxiety, but if you work out the causes in more detail, and make that the motivation to develop good strategies for handling anxiety, your brain should do the rest for you. Determine what gets you into the anxiety and handle those situations better. 

 

Tyrosine can help you respond to your anxiety more productively too and is a very mild stimulant

 

I found a single minimal dose of noopept to be major depressant... Though I guess different people respond differently. 

 

At your age (I'm assuming you're still pretty young), you should ample melatonin levels to give you good sleep. I'd cut back on the relaxants like passion fruit etc before bed. Sedatives can last well past the morning and even melatonin, will lower your energy levels and dopamine the following day (IIRC), so things that give you more sleep are probably increasing the effect of your endogenous melatonin or increasing the production of it. If you want to sleep well at night, I think taking glycine (500mg 2x daily is what I take) during the day is the way to go. Otherwise, just keep getting a good workout and that should ensure a good night's sleep. Oh and you can get dependent on sedatives for sleep, even the supplemental ones, if that's the case just work out or try skipping sleep for a full day after an ambitious workout. That should knock you out good and get you back to a normal sleep schedule.

 

Spirulina is a dead bacteria from a foreign environment (lakes and ponds) full of novel antibiotic countermeasures that your microbiome isn't resistant to. It's benefits come from the enzymes that your dieing microbiome give you and once you've killed it past recovery you'll need to take probiotics and eat raw whole foods to get it back in good shape. I'd discontinue it or only use it when you need the enzymes and whatever chemistry you get from killing off your microbiome. Alternatively you could take generous amounts of FOS on a regular basis to feed the microbiome (as well as other microbiome "pet" food if they've others out now) and benefit from the die off when you take the FOS away and only part of your microbiome dies thus preserving your acquisition of energy. That's what I plan on doing next time I edit my regimen.

 

What's up with body builders and fish oil? Too much and it will give you a mild psychomotor retardation and could give you lethargy... In fact, if you were fat, your genetics might mean you're already too good at managing your lipids... I stopped taking FO altogether (only took one dose a day) and didn't see any benefit... I think the first FO I took had rosemary extract in it to make the fish aftertaste more mild, and that gave me benefits... but that's it. Psychomotor retardation is also a risk factor for other injuries... if you're slinging around iron, it could be dangerous, especially at those doses...

 

3G Vitamin C - Way too much unless you're taking it in time release or something... You can absorb up to around a gram at a time and the biological half life is ~20 minutes, so if you feel the need you could take another 500mg every half hour or so or just take it in 2 1g doses or something like that... don't take C or B vitamins before bed as they'll give you more energy and keep you up. If you decide to take more than 1g, be sure to take it with bioflavanoids to reduce the risk of cateracts and other possible complications... Last time I checked, LEF was recommending no more than 4g a day, but IIRC there are some risks that occur around 2g/day.I just don't remember what they are.

[SuckSmoothie]

The best thing for anxiety is to understand it. Try some oxytocin. Oxytocin Factor is a good brand that I have been using on and off for years that works... others the quality has been disappointing at times with expired bottles of the Oxytocin Factor working better You should read up on it here on the forum before using it though... It's not sedating, but it is relaxing and can feel like emotional star power until you start figuring out the causes and pathologies of your anxiety.

Theanine is great for relieving anxiety, but it is a sedative and IIRC it has a longer than 24 hour half life, so daily dosing can become additive... at least that's my experience. I've been pretty much off of it for a year and even a single dose will leave me feeling sluggish for 2-3 days, though I could write some great fiction novels during those windows. I was low on energy about a year ago and gave up my excessive tea drinking habits for about 10 days before I realized I had more energy and motivation than I had had in a long time. Stick to the espresso or give it up for 10 days also... it'll re-sensitize you to caffeine and give you more of a stimulant effect and maybe more anxiety, but if you work out the causes in more detail, and make that the motivation to develop good strategies for handling anxiety, your brain should do the rest for you. Determine what gets you into the anxiety and handle those situations better.

Tyrosine can help you respond to your anxiety more productively too and is a very mild stimulant

I found a single minimal dose of noopept to be major depressant... Though I guess different people respond differently.

At your age (I'm assuming you're still pretty young), you should ample melatonin levels to give you good sleep. I'd cut back on the relaxants like passion fruit etc before bed. Sedatives can last well past the morning and even melatonin, will lower your energy levels and dopamine the following day (IIRC), so things that give you more sleep are probably increasing the effect of your endogenous melatonin or increasing the production of it. If you want to sleep well at night, I think taking glycine (500mg 2x daily is what I take) during the day is the way to go. Otherwise, just keep getting a good workout and that should ensure a good night's sleep. Oh and you can get dependent on sedatives for sleep, even the supplemental ones, if that's the case just work out or try skipping sleep for a full day after an ambitious workout. That should knock you out good and get you back to a normal sleep schedule.

Spirulina is a dead bacteria from a foreign environment (lakes and ponds) full of novel antibiotic countermeasures that your microbiome isn't resistant to. It's benefits come from the enzymes that your dieing microbiome give you and once you've killed it past recovery you'll need to take probiotics and eat raw whole foods to get it back in good shape. I'd discontinue it or only use it when you need the enzymes and whatever chemistry you get from killing off your microbiome. Alternatively you could take generous amounts of FOS on a regular basis to feed the microbiome (as well as other microbiome "pet" food if they've others out now) and benefit from the die off when you take the FOS away and only part of your microbiome dies thus preserving your acquisition of energy. That's what I plan on doing next time I edit my regimen.

What's up with body builders and fish oil? Too much and it will give you a mild psychomotor retardation and could give you lethargy... In fact, if you were fat, your genetics might mean you're already too good at managing your lipids... I stopped taking FO altogether (only took one dose a day) and didn't see any benefit... I think the first FO I took had rosemary extract in it to make the fish aftertaste more mild, and that gave me benefits... but that's it. Psychomotor retardation is also a risk factor for other injuries... if you're slinging around iron, it could be dangerous, especially at those doses...

3G Vitamin C - Way too much unless you're taking it in time release or something... You can absorb up to around a gram at a time and the biological half life is ~20 minutes, so if you feel the need you could take another 500mg every half hour or so or just take it in 2 1g doses or something like that... don't take C or B vitamins before bed as they'll give you more energy and keep you up. If you decide to take more than 1g, be sure to take it with bioflavanoids to reduce the risk of cateracts and other possible complications... Last time I checked, LEF was recommending no more than 4g a day, but IIRC there are some risks that occur around 2g/day.I just don't remember what they are.

Woah, that's a heap of info. I guess I'm removing Spirulina from my supps for a while! i keep the fish oil in for its synergistic properties with uridine. I have no extra choline sources as choline gets me a little sleepy and depressed.

I've always figured I might have some sort of heavy metal poisoning issue because I'm a big fan of coke zero (I've been laying off for a while). Heavy metal poisoning + anxiety= too many free radicals, which is why I super dose vit C. Something makes me think it has magical powers because it really helped me when I ruptured a disk in my lower back leaving me bed-ridden with sciatica for two months.

I bought some magnesium glycinate today, I'm hoping it's as good (if not better) than the magnesium blend im taking now. On a side note ive been having skewed results with my sleep. I did a lot of tossing and turning last night but I woke up very refreshed. I dosed 300mg of uridine and fish oil at 7pm last night, so I guess that's also working for me

[SuckSmoothie]

Update: I tried magnesium glycinate last night. 15 minutes or so after dosing I felt myself getting light headed, I had trouble catching my breath and I almost completely blacked out twice in my shower. It's the same sensation you usually get when you stand up too fast, but it lasted a full minute on two back-to-back occasions... Has this happened to anyone else? It's really putting me off from trying it again

[YOLF]

I've taken it before but never noticed that... My usual Mg dose looks something like the following and is taken twice a day:

1g Mg Threonate

1g Mg Citrate

133mg of Mg from Mg Glycinate (once per day in the AM if I take it... I don't always)

 

Oh, here's an article on taking too much Fish Oil:

http://suppversity.b...oil-5g.html?m=1

[stan08]

Update: I tried magnesium glycinate last night. 15 minutes or so after dosing I felt myself getting light headed, I had trouble catching my breath and I almost completely blacked out twice in my shower. It's the same sensation you usually get when you stand up too fast, but it lasted a full minute on two back-to-back occasions... Has this happened to anyone else? It's really putting me off from trying it again

What dose did you take when having that effect? Either way, you might want to cut the dose in half and slowly increase it.

[SuckSmoothie]

Update: I tried magnesium glycinate last night. 15 minutes or so after dosing I felt myself getting light headed, I had trouble catching my breath and I almost completely blacked out twice in my shower. It's the same sensation you usually get when you stand up too fast, but it lasted a full minute on two back-to-back occasions... Has this happened to anyone else? It's really putting me off from trying it again

What dose did you take when having that effect? Either way, you might want to cut the dose in half and slowly increase it.

400mg of mag g. Tried it again last night and went straight to bed instead of lingering around for half an hour or so. This time it worked like a charm, it helped me feel rested even after tossing and turning all night after a bad rotator cuff injury. Is L-threonate leagues above glycinate?

[YOLF]

Mg Threonate has affinity for the brain, Mg Citrate has affinity for the Kidneys, and I'm not sure about the rest, but the effects and benefits are determined by where it is absorbed.

[YOLF]

Oh, also have P5P and ALCAR for AGEs removal.

[stan08]

 

 

Update: I tried magnesium glycinate last night. 15 minutes or so after dosing I felt myself getting light headed, I had trouble catching my breath and I almost completely blacked out twice in my shower. It's the same sensation you usually get when you stand up too fast, but it lasted a full minute on two back-to-back occasions... Has this happened to anyone else? It's really putting me off from trying it again

What dose did you take when having that effect? Either way, you might want to cut the dose in half and slowly increase it.

400mg of mag g. Tried it again last night and went straight to bed instead of lingering around for half an hour or so. This time it worked like a charm, it helped me feel rested even after tossing and turning all night after a bad rotator cuff injury. Is L-threonate leagues above glycinate?

 

 

 

Edited by stan08, 17 August 2015 - 01:27 PM.

[SuckSmoothie]

I've been repeatedly having better nights thanks to the magnesium glycinate. I've also been experimenting with uridine dosing and noticed it put me to sleep immediately after 300mg at 6pm yesterday, I felt like a walking zombie! Not cool for social situations lol. I gotta play around with the timing so it doesn't interfere with my caffeine dosing in the mornings, but so far im pretty pleased with my sleep quality and mental alertness.

I also started taking ALCAR again. It's always been a subtle supplement for me, but maybe I can attribute some of my improvements to it. For now it's staying in the stack

[stan08]

I've been repeatedly having better nights thanks to the magnesium glycinate. I've also been experimenting with uridine dosing and noticed it put me to sleep immediately after 300mg at 6pm yesterday, I felt like a walking zombie! Not cool for social situations lol. I gotta play around with the timing so it doesn't interfere with my caffeine dosing in the mornings, but so far im pretty pleased with my sleep quality and mental alertness.

I also started taking ALCAR again. It's always been a subtle supplement for me, but maybe I can attribute some of my improvements to it. For now it's staying in the stack

 

Cool.  It's amazing how much your quality of life can improve just from consistently getting a good nights rest.  

[Flex]

-edit-

Edited by Flex, 05 July 2016 - 07:10 PM.