52 replies to this topic

[Autumn Knight]

Hello everyone!

 

This is going to be my log for my Intranasal Insulin and Dihexa combination. I will quickly be going over my reasons for using these substances, followed by an anecdotal analysis of the effects they are having on me.

 

Reasons for taking Dihexa + Intranasal Insulin:

 

Originally, my plan was to take either one separate from the other. But I was very excited to try both, so against better judgment, I stacked them.

 

I have had drug-related brain damage in the past. The symptoms of this, 8 years after quitting those drugs, are crippling social anxiety, severe memory problems, attention problems, speech problems, cognitive deficits, and a feeling of "not being me"; just not being quite myself ever.

 

Current progress on Dihexa + Intranasal Insulin:

 

- I have been taking 10 mg Dihexa dissolved in two tablespoons of DMSO for one week (one dosage last Tuesday, one again this morning. I also took one the day before last Tuesday, on Monday 9/30/2016, but it was dermal, and the following two were oral).

 

- I started taking Intranasal Insulin this morning. I only took a small amount, less than 5 IU, to test it.

 

Before the insulin, I didn't notice anything from the Dihexa. My schoolwork doesn't seem any easier than normal. It is usually quite hard for me to concentrate on it and work out all of the nuances I need to understand in order to get good grades. The DMSO makes me smell awful, obviously. People do complain about it, but I don't mind as long as it is helping.

 

After taking the insulin, I noticed my brain feels "warm and fuzzy". Physically warm, like an electric blanket got plugged in in my head. I also feel very happy and quite calm. I'm not an unhappy person generally, although I feel very empty spiritually from everything that has happened. That is one of the problems I'm hoping to remedy. But I'm not often calm, so I that is interesting. Nothing seems to be stopping me from procrastinating on my studying to write this though, hah.

 

So, this is basically a review on 1 week of Dihexa and a small test dose of insulin, but I've got to start somewhere.

I'll be posting again in one week.

 

 

[Londonscouser]

I'm quite interested in how dihexa will affect you. I suffer from similar symptoms but to a much lesser extent, and i totally understand the empty feeling and not being you.

 

 

I hope it helps you

[Autumn Knight]

Thanks for your interest, Londonscouser. I will definitely keep you posted.

 

 

 

[Autumn Knight]

Log Entry 2 on 2 weeks of Dihexa + 1 week intranasal insulin: 

 

-The first thing I noticed shortly after taking I-in is reduced stress. Usually, I have insane stress spikes throughout the day that cause an inability to function normally. Those spikes have mostly disappeared, along with worrying about things cyclically. I worry about everything, important or menial, constantly and obsessively. This week has been free of that. I can't attribute that directly to Insulin, but it does make me feel much calmer in general, so it is likely to be linked. Without these episodes of psychotic stress, I have been able to focus much easier (or at least prevent my train of thought from being hijacked by anything from not being intelligent enough to finish my studies to why I can't grow larger breasts.) 

 

-I have something called Visual Snow, which is a snowy, static-like vision disturbance that is like a hallucination. It is severe, although sometimes worse than other times, where sometimes it looks as if it is snowing heavily, and other times there are only small discolored dots in my field of vision. I also have other hallucinations that are regular and very, very obvious. Anyway, I think the Insulin is actually helping this problem I've had for years. It's. Freaking. Amazing. For instance, when I would sit and stare at the white wall in the bathroom, it would wave in and out and reflect all sorts of colors. And there was the snow, of course. Now there are less pronounced colors and waving and the snow has decreased. I really hope this effect persists. 

 

-No craving for sweets. This is very strange for me, a person with a HUGE sweet tooth. When I first started taking Insulin, I didn't crave them at all. Now, sometimes I do crave a cookie or cake, but if I have a bite of one, I quickly lose my taste for it. 

 

-Appetite in general. My appetite has improved a lot, which is a good thing for me. I know insulin is supposed to decrease/regulate appetite, but for me, it has made me aware of when I need to eat instead of blowing it off. One explanation for this is that it affects the reward system of the brain, which has in turn made eating seem like a pretty cool thing to do. That's just a speculation though. 

 

-On to the cognitive benefits, the hardest thing for me to actually perceive. I think that I am focusing better, even if very, very slightly. One piece of evidence of this is I can actually use the 20/10 learning method without getting distracted and I don't believe I could have done that before. I actually read entire chapters in my textbooks this way, which I have never done before in college (and yes, I did try). It's hard to say if it's the method, insulin, or Dihexa that is helping. Another exciting thing is that I actually understood my Calculus homework and concepts for the first exam of the semester. THAT IS MONUMENTAL FOR ME. Last semester, I had HUGE amounts of trouble trying to understand precalculus. Now, this might be because I am learning through text and not through an oral lecture (I am definitely not an auditory learner), but it's still such a cool thing for me. I understand what is going on in class! That seems like an irrationally big leap to take in two weeks, but it's there. 

 

-I work at a clothing store where clothing must be put away according to clothing type>clothing pattern>clothing color>clothing size, and the clothing racks are constantly being rearranged, so I have to remember where things go and use a sort of "bin sorting" mental function to do my job. Usually it takes me a good amount of time to remember where an article of clothing goes, and it took me noticeably less time this week. There has been no other noticeable influence on recall, however. My short term recall is not nearly as awful as my long term recall, so I will report back on how that has faired a bit later. 

 

To sum it all up, the most noticeable things are: significantly less rumination, calmness, hallucinations are diminishing a bit, normalizing of appetite, and a bit of help with cognitive functions. Seems kinda evangelical; I'm even a little wary of posting this for seeming like a hysterically raving loon. But all of these changes were as objective as I could make them, as meaningless as saying that is. 

 

I could have made this post much longer, and maybe I will for the next log post, but for now, I'll cut it off here. I'll post again in one week. 

Edited by Autumn Knight, 13 September 2016 - 08:55 AM.

[Autumn Knight]

I often forget to add important details to things I am writing, so here is a short addition to my original (Topic Starting) post: 

 

Some other symptoms I have of severe and long-term drug abuse are hallucinations and something akin to psychosis that I cannot directly place. I also have moderate-severe OCD. I know all of this is starting to sound crazy, but you must understand it's coming from a person who abused MDMA for 1 1/2 years, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. 

 

I really wish I were not still living through this right now. 

 

Over the years, I have treated myself in many ways and have gained a measure of functionality back, but probably not the amount that I need to acquire anything I desire in life. I'm still extremely socially and cognitively messed up. 

 

I may add more information on the baseline of things (at least at the start of Dihexa + I-in) as this log progresses. 

 

Comments are welcome.

[jack black]

Cool thread. It would be nice to know if this is dihexa or insulin or combination. How did you decide to take insulin? What did you try before? How long this will last?

I'm also curious what dose of insulin and where did you get it.

Edited by jack black, 13 September 2016 - 12:50 PM.

[Londonscouser]

I'm also socially and cognitively messed up :(, but i truly think you are an inspiration. I admire your motivation to improve

[Autumn Knight]

Cool thread. It would be nice to know if this is dihexa or insulin or combination. How did you decide to take insulin? What did you try before? How long this will last?

I'm also curious what dose of insulin and where did you get it.

 

That's the unforunate thing about stacking. You never know for sure. But insulin has a calming effect on most people who get effects from it, so that much at least is probably due to the insulin. As for the Dihexa, it improved rat models rapidly, so it's hard to say. I don't think I am administering the Dihexa right, but I am working on getting it to be effective.

 

All the information about how to take the insulin/dosages of insulin is here: http://www.lostfalco...anasal-insulin/

 

I have tried Piracetam, Noopept, and OptiMind. All of them did nothing for me that I found useful. I've done extreme fasting (weeks-long fasts), which were moderately helpful, followed by juicing. I've tried so many supplements, I can't remember most of them now. I should have written them down. Brain training games/mentally stimulating activities like learning languages has helped a lot. Just work your mind as hard as you can. Speech therapy helped me write and talk semi-normally again. Exercise, exercise, exercise!

 

Dunno how long it'll last; hopefully forever!

[Autumn Knight]

I'm also socially and cognitively messed up :(, but i truly think you are an inspiration. I admire your motivation to improve

 

Thank you. As a child, my parents pushed me really hard, and I was very disciplined and I think I was a very intelligent child. So I think that has a lot to do with it. Those qualities are showing in me now; I only wish I had not fallen apart so rapidly and so completely when I was in my early teen years.  

 

Thinking of myself as a child is probably the biggest motivation. Seems kind of weird to say, but those are the clearest memories of myself before all this happened that I have. And younger me was capable of a lot. So I won't give up!

[jack black]

All the information about how to take the insulin/dosages of insulin is here: http://www.lostfalco...anasal-insulin/

 

 

Superb and detailed info. Thanks for linking!

However, I'm thinking lostfalco is a bit overenthusiastic on this. I searched more and looks like many trials were disappointing and some were cancelled due to side effects (allergic reactions and nose bleeds).

 

However, I went ahead and tried the lostfalco's protocol last night. IMHO, PM is not the best time to try for the first time, because I was energized and could not sleep well. I woke up this AM tired, with neck pain, and a bit of hangover (probably poor sleep and melatonin i had to take to sleep).

 

But, there were clearly some effects last evening, and probably not placebo (can't be entirely sure though). There was an increase in energy and alertness, and I found listening to good music more enjoyable than usually. Listening to good music was a big passion of mine when I was younger and I had lost it over the years.

 

I have a glucometer at home and the results clearly showed that IN insulin has no systemic effect on blood glucose.

 

BTW, is it normal to have a strong chemical smell right after the insulin spray?
 

[Autumn Knight]

 

All the information about how to take the insulin/dosages of insulin is here: http://www.lostfalco...anasal-insulin/

 

 

Superb and detailed info. Thanks for linking!

However, I'm thinking lostfalco is a bit overenthusiastic on this. I searched more and looks like many trials were disappointing and some were cancelled due to side effects (allergic reactions and nose bleeds).

 

However, I went ahead and tried the lostfalco's protocol last night. IMHO, PM is not the best time to try for the first time, because I was energized and could not sleep well. I woke up this AM tired, with neck pain, and a bit of hangover (probably poor sleep and melatonin i had to take to sleep).

 

But, there were clearly some effects last evening, and probably not placebo (can't be entirely sure though). There was an increase in energy and alertness, and I found listening to good music more enjoyable than usually. Listening to good music was a big passion of mine when I was younger and I had lost it over the years.

 

I have a glucometer at home and the results clearly showed that IN insulin has no systemic effect on blood glucose.

 

BTW, is it normal to have a strong chemical smell right after the insulin spray?
 

 

 

He might be overenthusiastic. However, he did mention the effects were subtle, and I agree. I made it sound life-changing, but the affect on me so far has been comparatively small although noticeable.

 

I know of a couple people who used nasal insulin and got sore noses and had to lay off it for while. Otherwise, of all the people following this regimen, there have been no reports of bleeding or allergies that I found. It definitely needs to be used with caution though. Would you mind posting some of the studies? I cannot find them.

 

Funny how it does that to some people. It calms me down in a snap. Sorry you had that experience with it.

 

Yes, mine smells pretty chemical-y.

Edited by Autumn Knight, 14 September 2016 - 11:17 PM.

[jack black]

 

He might be overenthusiastic. However, he did mention the effects were subtle, and I agree. I made it sound life-changing, but the affect on me so far has been comparatively small although noticeable.

 

I know of a couple people who used nasal insulin and got sore noses and had to lay off it for while. Otherwise, of all the people following this regimen, there have been no reports of bleeding or allergies that I found. It definitely needs to be used with caution though. Would you mind posting some of the studies? I cannot find them.

 

Funny how it does that to some people. It calms me down in a snap. Sorry you had that experience with it.

 

Yes, mine smells pretty chemical-y.

 

 

I found a critical article here: http://j-alz.com/con...lin-sniff-trial

 

However, on a second look, I realized the guy has a patent on preservative-free IN insulin (INI), so it could be just that bias.

 

My experience is actually positive. Last night, the second night after INI, was restful, even though I had super realistic dreams that I remember well (some a bit unpleasant like reliving a recent death/funeral in the family). The fact that I had those dreams proves to me that this is not just placebo, as most of the supplements or drugs I took over all those years didn't produce that, with a notable exception of phosphatidylserine, that made me dream vividly for a couple of nights before giving me headaches and making me tired after several days (I hope that won't happen with INI).

 

There are some other effects. Like I said before, I'm more receptive to music and have a bit better memory recollection than before (it's still bad), and I function a bit better and more clear headed when put in a stressful situation at work (I tend to be anxious under stress). It's subtle though, not a life changing, and i doubt anyone but myself would notice a difference.

 

Autumn Knight, thank you and LostFalco for the info on INI. This potentially could be a significant thing if it works long term. BTW, I see no impact on eating or appetite. I take this on empty stomach. Should I try it after meals like ladies do?

[Autumn Knight]

 

 

He might be overenthusiastic. However, he did mention the effects were subtle, and I agree. I made it sound life-changing, but the affect on me so far has been comparatively small although noticeable.

 

I know of a couple people who used nasal insulin and got sore noses and had to lay off it for while. Otherwise, of all the people following this regimen, there have been no reports of bleeding or allergies that I found. It definitely needs to be used with caution though. Would you mind posting some of the studies? I cannot find them.

 

Funny how it does that to some people. It calms me down in a snap. Sorry you had that experience with it.

 

Yes, mine smells pretty chemical-y.

 

 

I found a critical article here: http://j-alz.com/con...lin-sniff-trial

 

However, on a second look, I realized the guy has a patent on preservative-free IN insulin (INI), so it could be just that bias.

 

My experience is actually positive. Last night, the second night after INI, was restful, even though I had super realistic dreams that I remember well (some a bit unpleasant like reliving a recent death/funeral in the family). The fact that I had those dreams proves to me that this is not just placebo, as most of the supplements or drugs I took over all those years didn't produce that, with a notable exception of phosphatidylserine, that made me dream vividly for a couple of nights before giving me headaches and making me tired after several days (I hope that won't happen with INI).

 

There are some other effects. Like I said before, I'm more receptive to music and have a bit better memory recollection than before (it's still bad), and I function a bit better and more clear headed when put in a stressful situation at work (I tend to be anxious under stress). It's subtle though, not a life changing, and i doubt anyone but myself would notice a difference.

 

Autumn Knight, thank you and LostFalco for the info on INI. This potentially could be a significant thing if it works long term. BTW, I see no impact on eating or appetite. I take this on empty stomach. Should I try it after meals like ladies do?

 

 

Some types of the insulin contained phenol and cresol as well as metacresol, the preservative in Novolin R. Furthermore, none of the studies done in previous intranasal insulin trials had any adverse effects other than mild rhinitis (that I can readily find), the side effect of Demetir (the only effective insulin mentioned) in this trial. Also, some of the insulins were fast-acting and non-human insulins in this trial. Unfortunately, it's difficult to pinpoint the culprit of the nosebleeds, even though there is a perceived link between strong allergic reactions/nosebleeds and ineffective nasal insulin (like fast-acting Apidra), according only to this article. This is interesting, because Apidra contains metocresol, the same preservative in Novolin R, which has never caused any dangerous reactions if used correctly. I'm clearly a novice on this stuff, so alternative thoughts are welcome.

 

Cool, I'm glad that it is already having positive effects on you. Keep us updated on any more effects. I do not think the In-I will make you tired, since it is "correcting" an imbalance in your brain without displacing anything else, but I could be wrong. I'm relating to being able to handle stressful situations better.

 

You're welcome, on my part. I'm sure he's glad to help too. I don't know, are you already thin? I am very thin, like underweight, and the Insulin has actually helped me eat more, and I take it right when I wake up and right before I go to bed (i.e. not around mealtimes). If you are already thin, then take it whenever I guess? If you wish to lose weight, I think there are instructions on LF's page about using the insulin for that purpose. Sorry I'm not of more help on that point, I don't know how it worked on me in that way at the moment.

Edited by Autumn Knight, 15 September 2016 - 06:24 PM.

[jack black]

Today it's day #4 and I'm not seeing positive changes anymore. There are negative changes creeping in like depressed emotions and tension in head and neck, just like I had with phosphatidylserine. Not surprising. If it helps in AD, it's cholinergic. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate increased ACh.

 

Furthermore, this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2804944/

shows that not everyone benefits, and some people get memory impairment from INI.

 

I'm E4-, so i should benefit. I'll decrease the dose and see what happens.

Edited by jack black, 16 September 2016 - 09:31 PM.

[lostfalco]

Today it's day #4 and I'm not seeing positive changes anymore. There are negative changes creeping in like depressed emotions and tension in head and neck, just like I had with phosphatidylserine. Not surprising. If it helps in AD, it's cholinergic. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate increased ACh.

 

Furthermore, this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2804944/

shows that not everyone benefits, and some people get memory impairment from INI.

 

I'm E4-, so i should benefit. I'll decrease the dose and see what happens.

Hey jack, yeah there are numerous differences based on apoe4 status, gender, lean/obese, type of insulin used, baseline insulin resistance, health status (MCI, Alzheimer's, healthy, etc.), etc. 

 

As you said, if you're not an apoe4 carrier and are a healthy male then it's reasonable to test out Novolin R. In one contrasting example (there are a number of others), detemir seemed to work for apoe4 carriers: "This effect was moderated by APOE status (p < 0.05), reflecting improvement for APOE-ε4 carriers (p < 0.02), and worsening for non-carriers (p < 0.02)." http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/25374101

 

What's your current dosing pattern?

Edited by lostfalco, 16 September 2016 - 10:50 PM.

[lostfalco]

I found a critical article here: http://j-alz.com/con...lin-sniff-trial

 

However, on a second look, I realized the guy has a patent on preservative-free IN insulin (INI), so it could be just that bias.

 

I saw that article months ago and looked everywhere for the proposed adverse side effects and came up empty. The SNIFF trial was briefly delayed but that was due to defective insulin spraying devices for some of the patients. Once that was resolved they continued on.

 

"Meanwhile, the Alzheimer’s Therapeutic Research Institute at the University of Southern California is conducting the NIA-funded Phase 2/3 trial of intranasal regular insulin called SNIFF. This multicenter study had to stop temporarily over a problem with the insulin nebulizer, but is now back on track, Craft said." http://www.alzforum....t-after-phase-2

 

If you find more info let me know!

Edited by lostfalco, 16 September 2016 - 10:48 PM.

[Autumn Knight]

Today it's day #4 and I'm not seeing positive changes anymore. There are negative changes creeping in like depressed emotions and tension in head and neck, just like I had with phosphatidylserine. Not surprising. If it helps in AD, it's cholinergic. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate increased ACh.

 

Furthermore, this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2804944/

shows that not everyone benefits, and some people get memory impairment from INI.

 

I'm E4-, so i should benefit. I'll decrease the dose and see what happens.

 

 

 

Sorry that happened to you. I thought the insulin would just do nothing to you if you were ε4+. 

 

I think I'm improving, so I guess I test positive? Not a good way to test, I know. But I didn't think it would be dangerous to try. And I guess there are conflicting studies like LF said, but now I'm kinda nervous about it. 

Edited by Autumn Knight, 17 September 2016 - 07:07 AM.

[jack black]

I'm pretty sure now the INI works by increasing ACh in CSF. The initial reaction (ultra lucid dreams) was similar to that people get from Huperzine. Now, my symptoms are classical for excess ACh: neck pain, muscle tension, and mild tension headache together with depressed mood. So, IMHO, people with low ACh (including AD) will benefit from INI (or choline supplementation) and people with high ACh (including depression, bipolar, borderline) will get worse. 

[resveratrol_guy]

Autumn Knight, thanks for your log here. Insulin is pretty clearly a neural progenitor cell activator in the brain; otherwise, hippocampal repair in rodents could not have occurred. As such, its success has a long list of dependencies (beyond just APoE4), as you seem to realize. Some are controllable, and others will have to await gene therapy, which is frankly not happening any time soon. But then why not drive the controllable inputs in the right direction, e.g. neuroinflammation, homocysteine, free DHA, choline supply, free T3/T4, methylcobalamin supply, vitamin D, etc.? It's great to be able to flip the switch on such a potent metabolic (and frankly anabolic) alarm bell, but how well your neurons react to it is a function of the bioavailability of many other substances. Absent that, it's like hiring the best construction company in town to build your house, but giving them only half the cement they need for the foundation. Supplements like Longvida would seem to be a no-brainer, for instance. More generally, why not follow "the" Alzheimer's protocol involving 36 interventions to halt neurodegenerative disease? The sooner you start, the better, to the extent that money provides.

By the way, I use shiitake-maitake extract (Nature's Way) to enhance my math capability (probably via dopamine agonism). It works very well, even at half a pill, but if I take a whole pill daily or too close to bed time, my brain won't shut down. When I don't need high performance math skills, I don't take it, so as to avoid tolerance. It's cheap and might help with your calculus. By the way, Longvida also raises dopamine (in addition to seratonin), but at roughly 8X the base dose, in rodents. Smaller doses tend to activate my artistic sensibilities moreso than math; it's nice to be sort of capable of choosing this from day to day depending on my todo list.

 

I would also try zinc gluconate, 25 mg/d. It seems to help some people quite noticeably, myself included, perhaps on account of its glutamate antagonism. (Don't confuse gluconate with glutamate!) If it doesn't do anything after a week -- most people don't seem to benefit -- quit and return your zinc intake to recommended daily allowance, as sustained excessive intake can actually cause more brain fog.

 

Your unconvincing results with dihexa seem typical of other reports on Longecity, unfortunately.
 

Edited by resveratrol_guy, 18 September 2016 - 06:24 AM.

[jack black]

 why not follow "the" Alzheimer's protocol involving 36 interventions to halt neurodegenerative disease? The sooner you start, the better, to the extent that money provides.
 

 

I followed the link and the info is great. I'm doing some of that but not all.

 

 

Goal, Approach, Rationale and References:

Optimize diet: minimize simple CHO, minimize inflammation. Patients given choice of several low glycemic, low inflammatory, low grain diets. Minimize inflammation, minimize insulin resistance.

Enhance autophagy, ketogenesis Fast 12 hr each night, including 3 hr prior to bedtime.

Reduce insulin levels, reduce Aβ.

Reduce stress Personalized—yoga or meditation or music, etc. Reduction of cortisol, CRF, stress axis.

Optimize sleep 8 hr sleep per night; melatonin 0.5mg po qhs; Trp 500mg po 3x/wk if awakening. Exclude sleep apnea. [36]

Exercise 30-60′ per day, 4-6 days/wk [37, 38]

Brain stimulation Posit or related [39]

Homocysteine <7 Me-B12, MTHF, P5P; TMG if necessary [40]

Serum B12 >500 Me-B12 [41]

CRP <1.0; A/G >1.5 Anti-inflammatory diet; curcumin; DHA/EPA; optimize hygiene Critical role of inflammation in AD

Fasting insulin <7; HgbA1c <5.5 Diet as above Type II diabetes-AD relationship

Hormone balance Optimize fT3, fT4, E2, T, progesterone, pregnenolone, cortisol [5, 42]

GI health Repair if needed; prebiotics and probiotics Avoid inflammation, autoimmunity

Reduction of A-beta Curcumin, Ashwagandha 43-45

Cognitive enhancement Bacopa monniera, MgT [46, 47]

25OH-D3 = 50-100ng/ml Vitamins D3, K2 [48]

Increase NGF H. erinaceus or ALCAR [49, 50]

Provide synaptic structural components Citicoline, DHA [51].

Optimize antioxidants Mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols, Se, blueberries, NAC, ascorbate, α-lipoic acid [52]

Optimize Zn:fCu ratio Depends on values obtained [53]

Ensure nocturnal oxygenation Exclude or treat sleep apnea [54]

Optimize mitochondrial function CoQ or ubiquinol, α-lipoic acid, PQQ, NAC, ALCAR, Se, Zn, resveratrol, ascorbate, thiamine [55]

Increase focus Pantothenic acid Acetylcholine synthesis requirement

Increase SirT1 function Resveratrol [32]

Exclude heavy metal toxicity Evaluate Hg, Pb, Cd; chelate if indicated CNS effects of heavy metals MCT effects Coconut oil or Axona [56]

 

CHO, carbohydrates; Hg, mercury; Pb, lead; Cd, cadmium; MCT, medium chain triglycerides; PQQ, polyquinoline quinone; NAC, N-acetyl cysteine; CoQ, coenzyme Q; ALCAR, acetyl-L-carnitine; DHA, docosahexaenoic acid; MgT, magnesium threonate; fT3, free triiodothyronine; fT4, free thyroxine; E2, estradiol; T, testosterone; Me-B12, methylcobalamin; MTHF, methyltetrahydrofolate; P5P, pyridoxal-5-phosphate; TMG, trimethylglycine; Trp, tryptophan

 

Edited by jack black, 18 September 2016 - 02:40 PM.

[bossmanglb]

By the way, I use shiitake-maitake extract (Nature's Way) to enhance my math capability (probably via dopamine agonism). It works very well, even at half a pill, but if I take a whole pill daily or too close to bed time, my brain won't shut down. When I don't need high performance math skills, I don't take it, so as to avoid tolerance. It's cheap and might help with your calculus. By the way, Longvida also raises dopamine (in addition to seratonin), but at roughly 8X the base dose, in rodents. Smaller doses tend to activate my artistic sensibilities moreso than math; it's nice to be sort of capable of choosing this from day to day depending on my todo list.

 

I would also try zinc gluconate, 25 mg/d. It seems to help some people quite noticeably, myself included, perhaps on account of its glutamate antagonism. (Don't confuse gluconate with glutamate!) If it doesn't do anything after a week -- most people don't seem to benefit -- quit and return your zinc intake to recommended daily allowance, as sustained excessive intake can actually cause more brain fog.

 

Your unconvincing results with dihexa seem typical of other reports on Longecity, unfortunately.
 

 

Cool. That's very interesting

I'm always dog-birding nootropics that enhance math ability. 

 

Have you done any self-experiments to determine whether the improvement is objective--not just a subjective surge of mood and motivation?

Do you know of any literature that substantiates the thesis that dopamine improves math abilities? I saw something a while back on dopamine and working memory. 

And I think I've encountered studies on the importance of the dopaminergic neurons in the nucleus accumbes. 

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences. 

 

You might want to try pyritinol, btw. Nootropics Depot is having a sale. 

[Autumn Knight]

Autumn Knight, thanks for your log here. Insulin is pretty clearly a neural progenitor cell activator in the brain; otherwise, hippocampal repair in rodents could not have occurred. As such, its success has a long list of dependencies (beyond just APoE4), as you seem to realize. Some are controllable, and others will have to await gene therapy, which is frankly not happening any time soon. But then why not drive the controllable inputs in the right direction, e.g. neuroinflammation, homocysteine, free DHA, choline supply, free T3/T4, methylcobalamin supply, vitamin D, etc.? It's great to be able to flip the switch on such a potent metabolic (and frankly anabolic) alarm bell, but how well your neurons react to it is a function of the bioavailability of many other substances. Absent that, it's like hiring the best construction company in town to build your house, but giving them only half the cement they need for the foundation. Supplements like Longvida would seem to be a no-brainer, for instance. More generally, why not follow "the" Alzheimer's protocol involving 36 interventions to halt neurodegenerative disease? The sooner you start, the better, to the extent that money provides.

By the way, I use shiitake-maitake extract (Nature's Way) to enhance my math capability (probably via dopamine agonism). It works very well, even at half a pill, but if I take a whole pill daily or too close to bed time, my brain won't shut down. When I don't need high performance math skills, I don't take it, so as to avoid tolerance. It's cheap and might help with your calculus. By the way, Longvida also raises dopamine (in addition to seratonin), but at roughly 8X the base dose, in rodents. Smaller doses tend to activate my artistic sensibilities moreso than math; it's nice to be sort of capable of choosing this from day to day depending on my todo list.

 

I would also try zinc gluconate, 25 mg/d. It seems to help some people quite noticeably, myself included, perhaps on account of its glutamate antagonism. (Don't confuse gluconate with glutamate!) If it doesn't do anything after a week -- most people don't seem to benefit -- quit and return your zinc intake to recommended daily allowance, as sustained excessive intake can actually cause more brain fog.

 

Your unconvincing results with dihexa seem typical of other reports on Longecity, unfortunately.
 

 

Well it's hard for me to know if the Dihexa is effective or not yet. Just because I didn't feel high from it off the bat doesn't mean it's not doing something. The unfortunate thing is, there is so little research done on it that trying it in itself is a leap of faith. I guess, in the end, it was too cool not to try.

 

I don't feel like my math capability has temporarily enhanced, I feel like it has permanently developed. Sounds preposterous, and it might be. We'll see as things go along. Thanks for the suggestion about the mushrooms.

[resveratrol_guy]

"I'm always dog-birding nootropics that enhance math ability. Have you done any self-experiments to determine whether the improvement is objective--not just a subjective surge of mood and motivation?"

In this case, the effect is definitively objective. I'm confident of that because I tried shiitake-maitake extract as a way to save time and money only after I figured out what it was in my diet that was unexpectedly providing me with enhanced visualization skills in support of mathematical thinking: steamed shiitakes along with the juices, which I just happen to have been added to my meals when they were available in the cafeteria a couple times a week. That was almost a decade ago, and to my surprise, it still works.

"Do you know of any literature that substantiates the thesis that dopamine improves math abilities?"

https://www.scienced...41205093831.htm

I didn't know anything about pyritinol. Thanks for that. Added to my list of substances to investigate.

Autumn Knight, your math skills probably have permanently developed, because you have probably added neurons to your brain. (It's hard to imagine that human neural stem cells would respond to insulin much differently than rat NSCs, considering its evolutionary conservation of function across vastly different species.) Now, it's up to you to do everything possible to keep those neurons flourishing. BTW do you eat eggs daily? It seems they're the #1 most common food among supercentenarians, and they seem to support cognition better than any other food, as far as I can discern.

One caveat to INI: if I recall, NSCs are more restricted in their maximum number of cell cycles (mitotic reproductions) than other semidifferentiated cells types such as muscle stem cells (75ish vs 100ish, I believe). So in theory, by exogenously inducing cell division, we're trading more robust cognitive health now for accelerated dementia later. The flip side of that, of course, is that if you're smart, you may well find a way to avoid that premature decline, if for no other reason than landing a higher paying job which allows you to save for neural stem cell therapy when it emerges.

One other thought for the day: freeze your stem cells after you hit 20 or 30. Some people will point out that this is probably overkill because IPSC technology means that we can now make embryonic cells from senior ones, and TERT therapy holds the promise of telomere extension, allowing cells to revert to a more youthful state. As a stem cell freezer myself, however, I would counter that we still haven't found a clinically credible means by which to rejuvenate mitochondria, although there have been some interesting observations regarding cysteine supplementation, so my best advice is: freeze now, then culture and differentiate later.
 

Edited by resveratrol_guy, 19 September 2016 - 02:04 AM.

[Autumn Knight]

"I'm always dog-birding nootropics that enhance math ability. Have you done any self-experiments to determine whether the improvement is objective--not just a subjective surge of mood and motivation?"

In this case, the effect is definitively objective. I'm confident of that because I tried shiitake-maitake extract as a way to save time and money only after I figured out what it was in my diet that was unexpectedly providing me with enhanced visualization skills in support of mathematical thinking: steamed shiitakes along with the juices, which I just happen to have been added to my meals when they were available in the cafeteria a couple times a week. That was almost a decade ago, and to my surprise, it still works.

"Do you know of any literature that substantiates the thesis that dopamine improves math abilities?"

https://www.scienced...41205093831.htm

I didn't know anything about pyritinol. Thanks for that. Added to my list of substances to investigate.

Autumn Knight, your math skills probably have permanently developed, because you have probably added neurons to your brain. (It's hard to imagine that human neural stem cells would respond to insulin much differently than rat NSCs, considering its evolutionary conservation of function across vastly different species.) Now, it's up to you to do everything possible to keep those neurons flourishing. BTW do you eat eggs daily? It seems they're the #1 most common food among supercentenarians, and they seem to support cognition better than any other food, as far as I can discern.

One caveat to INI: if I recall, NSCs are more restricted in their maximum number of cell cycles (mitotic reproductions) than other semidifferentiated cells types such as muscle stem cells (75ish vs 100ish, I believe). So in theory, by exogenously inducing cell division, we're trading more robust cognitive health now for accelerated dementia later. The flip side of that, of course, is that if you're smart, you may well find a way to avoid that premature decline, if for no other reason than landing a higher paying job which allows you to save for neural stem cell therapy when it emerges.

One other thought for the day: freeze your stem cells after you hit 20 or 30. Some people will point out that this is probably overkill because IPSC technology means that we can now make embryonic cells from senior ones, and TERT therapy holds the promise of telomere extension, allowing cells to revert to a more youthful state. As a stem cell freezer myself, however, I would counter that we still haven't found a clinically credible means by which to rejuvenate mitochondria, although there have been some interesting observations regarding cysteine supplementation, so my best advice is: freeze now, then culture and differentiate later.
 

 

Eggs give me terrible stomach ache. Like double over in pain lying on the ground stomach ache. Also they taste terrible. So no I don't unfortunately

 

So you're saying inducing cellular growth in the brain is going to cause the cells to die faster? Eh..

 

Hopefully my job will be to help create neural stem cell therapies, if everything goes ideally.

 

Speaking of rejuvenating mitochondria, my LLLT laser is finally here!

[Autumn Knight]

I do not know yet if I should stack LLLT with the insulin and Dihexa. I am certainly tempted to do so.

[resveratrol_guy]

 

Eggs give me terrible stomach ache. Like double over in pain lying on the ground stomach ache. Also they taste terrible. So no I don't unfortunately

 

So you're saying inducing cellular growth in the brain is going to cause the cells to die faster? Eh..

 

Hopefully my job will be to help create neural stem cell therapies, if everything goes ideally.

 

Speaking of rejuvenating mitochondria, my LLLT laser is finally here!

 

 

Stomach ache from eggs sounds like dyspepsia, and possibly an ulcer. I would advise you to see a gastroenterologist. Most likely, you just need digestive enzymes at the same time as you eat fat or protein. In that case, I would recommend Enzymedica.

 

I'm not saying that INI would cause you to die faster; I rather expect the opposite, on account of enhanced cognitive competence. However, if you only did INI, then yes, I would expect your neural telomeres to burn out faster. (The Hayflick limit is lower for such cells than others.) TERT therapy to the brain should cure this, but you don't need to do that far, if the intelligence boost helps you identify out other neurologically enhancing regimens and therapies, and indeed pay for them because perhaps you land a higher paying job. But if in fact you end up working on said therapies, best of luck and let us know!

 

Glad to hear you're using LLLT. Follow lostfalco's advice, especially with regards to limiting the amount of use until you properly calibrate. Rats that got too much did worse than controls.

[Autumn Knight]

I am deciding to wait one more week until I make another progress post because the results are hard for me to gauge at the moment since I'm somewhat sick. Nothing too serious, just the flu.

 

 

 

[Autumn Knight]

 

 

Eggs give me terrible stomach ache. Like double over in pain lying on the ground stomach ache. Also they taste terrible. So no I don't unfortunately

 

So you're saying inducing cellular growth in the brain is going to cause the cells to die faster? Eh..

 

Hopefully my job will be to help create neural stem cell therapies, if everything goes ideally.

 

Speaking of rejuvenating mitochondria, my LLLT laser is finally here!

 

 

Stomach ache from eggs sounds like dyspepsia, and possibly an ulcer. I would advise you to see a gastroenterologist. Most likely, you just need digestive enzymes at the same time as you eat fat or protein. In that case, I would recommend Enzymedica.

 

I'm not saying that INI would cause you to die faster; I rather expect the opposite, on account of enhanced cognitive competence. However, if you only did INI, then yes, I would expect your neural telomeres to burn out faster. (The Hayflick limit is lower for such cells than others.) TERT therapy to the brain should cure this, but you don't need to do that far, if the intelligence boost helps you identify out other neurologically enhancing regimens and therapies, and indeed pay for them because perhaps you land a higher paying job. But if in fact you end up working on said therapies, best of luck and let us know!

 

Glad to hear you're using LLLT. Follow lostfalco's advice, especially with regards to limiting the amount of use until you properly calibrate. Rats that got too much did worse than controls.

 

 

It is way too painful to be dyspepsia I think. It is a sharp, stabbing pain. I don't have an ulcer. I'll look into those digestive enzymes, thanks.

 

Interesting perspective on the use of nasal insulin and telomeres. I'll have to look into it further.

 

I'll be careful.

[Autumn Knight]

Hi everyone.

I'm just going to type up a quick log because I have a ton to do this week (and it's driving my stress up the wall, which I think the Insulin has overall helped with).

 

-typically during the schoolyear I get super overwhelmed and can't focus on anything, it is much less so now.

-I am understanding higher level math for the first time in my life. I don't know if this has anything to do with the insulin or Dihexa, but it's amazing. I really don't know how to explain it. Last semester I was struggling with things much easier than what I am breezing through now. I have a more holistic understanding of math ideas. I'm able to work through problems without any help. I even helped tutor someone who was having problems like I used to!

-I am focusing on my work. Before, I could not focus on homework for longer than 2 hours at a time on average and the quality of my focus was poor. Now I can focus for 4 - 6 hours with small (10 - 15 min) breaks and the quality of my focus is better (probably around average).

-I quit the insulin for about 5 days because I was sick and couldn't get it up my nose, haha. Now I'm still having some trouble sniffing it up, but I think it has gone on working regardless. However, during the time I stopped using it, my stress became almost unmanageable and my visual snow returned full swing.

 

Sorry for the shortness of this, next week I'll make a longer log because I won't be freaking out so much. (still freaking out less than I usually would be I think though) 

[Hip]

Today it's day #4 and I'm not seeing positive changes anymore. There are negative changes creeping in like depressed emotions and tension in head and neck, just like I had with phosphatidylserine. Not surprising. If it helps in AD, it's cholinergic. Unfortunately, I can't tolerate increased ACh.

 

Furthermore, this paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm....les/PMC2804944/

shows that not everyone benefits, and some people get memory impairment from INI.

 

I'm E4-, so i should benefit. I'll decrease the dose and see what happens.

 

'm pretty sure now the INI works by increasing ACh in CSF. The initial reaction (ultra lucid dreams) was similar to that people get from Huperzine. Now, my symptoms are classical for excess ACh: neck pain, muscle tension, and mild tension headache together with depressed mood. So, IMHO, people with low ACh (including AD) will benefit from INI (or choline supplementation) and people with high ACh (including depression, bipolar, borderline) will get worse. 

 

 

 

If intranasal insulin is indeed ramping up the cholinergic system in the brain, then possibly taking oral choline bitartrate 500 mg with your insulin might mitigate the negative effects you are experiencing from intranasal insulin. Choline is needed for the production of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

 

If you compare intranasal insulin to racetam nootropics (like piracetam, aniracetam, etc), which also work on the cholinergic system, people who take racetams sometimes report they get a headache from racetams unless they take choline bitartrate (or some other choline source like lecithin) at the same time. Choline prevents the headache side effect of racetams. 

 

Possibly this works because racetams, which ramp up cholinergic activity, may drain the choline supply from the brain, but supplementation with extra choline would remedy this.

 

 

So I am thinking that taking choline with intranasal insulin might prevent the side effects you have (of head and neck tension). Choline co-administration might also beneficially boost the cognitive effects of intranasal insulin, in the same way that choline boosts the cognitive effects of racetams.

 

You can also take vitamin B5 500 mg with the choline, as this is a co-factor needed to convert choline to acetylcholine. 

 

 

 

As for the blunted emotions you are experiencing after several days taking intranasal insulin, note that I have also experienced the same thing after several days taking piracetam, and I find I need to take a break from piracetam in order to let the emotions return. So this emotional blunting may be common to cholinergic supplements or drugs in general.

 

The solution is to only take such cholinergic supplements or drugs for short periods, and stop when you feel your emotions becoming reduced. With piracetam, I find the emotions quickly bounce back within 24 hours of stopping.

 

 

 

Some people report that piracetam only works for them when they fish oil, so it might be worth trying fish oil with intranasal insulin as well. 

Edited by Hip, 30 September 2016 - 05:10 PM.