Posted by FireBreather on October 21, 2005, at 19:31:16 [reposted on October 21, 2005, at 22:14:53 | original URL]
This is my first post, hopefully this info will help some people out or at least give them something to think about. If you have been taking Adderall for a while and are getting discouraged with weaking effets and more side effect/higher dose, this thread may help you. Anyways, I have been taking Adderall for 3 years now (27 y.o. male) with enough positive results for me and my DOC to warrant its continued use. However, as I have gotten older especially in the last year, the positive effects are not as apparent and they dont last as long as before. While the negative effects are increasing more in number and duration. I take it for Depression(dysthymia with significant fatigue)/ADHD. It works better for my depression, actually its the only thing thats worked the best on the most number of symptoms. I take 20 mg in the morning and then 10 in the afternoon. I take the 20 mg about 30 minutes before i have to get out of bed in the morning and I get a great start to the day and have the energy and focus to be productive at work. I have had a physical done and some blood work (thyroid, testosterone, liver, kidney) all came back fine. Im 5'11 180 pounds, in good health.
But as I stated Adderall is starting to shift to predominantly negative effects. At 5 pm at the end of the work day I feel like a zombie. I have no emotions, no excitement, have a dominating BLAH feeling. Its like my brain has shut off, I come home and sit on the couch and stare at TV for 5 hours feeling lifeless. Almost like the symptoms of NEGATIVE schizophrenia. This never happened the first couple years on Adderall, and I started out on 20 mg so I havent increased dose much. Before, I would be feeling great all the way through the night, have tons of energy, be happy and productive. My doctor and I have been working together to find an effective augmentor to bring the adderall back to full swing. I have tried a couple mood stabilizers, a couple anti-psychotics, strattera, provigil, Namenda, a couple SSRI's. Celexa had marginal success but had a bunch of problems of its own.
I have also tried supplements like amino Acids L-tyrosine, B vitamins, fish oil, choline, etc. Not much help there. So during one of my brilliant adderall induced brainstorming episodes I came up with an idea. It seems that my brain is totally zapped by 5 pm, basically turned off. My brain needs to reboot and get a spark and turn back on, Adderall would do this but Im not taking another dose to feel good a couple hours and worse the rest of the night. Intense exercise at this point os out of the question as all motivation has vanished. Then one day I stumbled upon something.
I was reading an article online about a study that was done (in Australia) which showed that individuals that regulary ate chili (hot) peppers as part of their diet had higher quality sleep(more refreshing), fell asleep quicker, and awoke feeling more energized. This got me intrigued, so I started reading more about hot peppers. The chemicals that gives them their heat are called CAPSAICINOIDS, the hottest and most studied capsaicinoid is called "Capsaicin." I became fascinated with the properties and health benefits of Capsaicin. Some peppers have more Capsaicin then others. Pepper heat is measured in a scale called Scoville units. Regular bell peppers are not hot and have no Capsaicin and are a 0 on the Scoville scale. Jalapeno's range from 1,000 to 10,000 Scoville Units. Cayenne range 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville Units. Habaneros(Name comes from Havana, their origin) range from 200,000 to 400,000 Scoville Units. Police Grade pepper spray is 2 million Scoville Units. PURE CAPSAICIN HAS A RATING OF 16 MILLION Scoville Units!!! OUCH.
The more I understood about Capsaicin, the more I realized its potential in helping me. In the beginning, Adderall was alot more pleasure and alot less pain. This is partly because amphetamines (Adderall) release endorphins in the brain. However, with long term amphetamine use, the receptors (opioid) that bind with endorphins are down-regulated by the brain. Your brain is getting enough endorphin actavation while adderall is in your system, but when it wears off your brain is reducing less endorphins and you have less receptors. ALSO, long term amphetamine usage has been shown to increase Substance P, another chemical (neuropeptide) involved in pain and depression. Increased Substance P levels have been found in patients with depression and chronic pain.
OK, so what does this have to do with Capsaicin and its ability to help me. Well, three things. First of all, eating hot peppers releases endorphins in the brain, the hotter the pepper the better the rush. So I determined this is one scientifically proven way to compensate for decreased opioid neurotransmission in my brain. Secondly, eating hot peppers regularly significantly depletes the bodys levels of Substance P and desensitizes neurons to painful stimuli. Finally, the most amazing thing that Capsaicin does is trick the brain into thinking you are being burned. My theory was that if I was to eat a pepper hot enough, my brain would be forced to respond and wake up from its burned out post adderall funk. If pleasure and pain originate in the same area of the brain (nucleus accumbens) then it may be worth a shot. My pleasure neurons have been getting used so much from adderall that they could be overworked who knows. Too much of a good thing can be harmful, so maybe I hd to try and balance it out with some pain, kind of like Ying/Yang. Well, that was my reasoning and so I decided I would give it a try.
SO I decided to go to the supermarket on a saturday(this is approx 1 month ago) to buy some habanero peppers. These are the hottest peppers available, with an average rating between 200,00-400,000. Please keep in mind that the hottest thing I have eaten before are Jalapenos and tabasco sauce which are WEAK. Anyways, once I got home I mustered up the courage to begin. I cracked open one of theses peppers (they are small) and began rubbing it all over my tongue and lips and inside of cheeks then finally chewing it and swallowing it. It started off as a minor tingling, but then after about 15-20 seconds WOW. Oh my Gog, my mouth and tongue were BURNING, INCREDIBLE PAIN. My face was flushed and I felt really warm. Saliva, Mucous, and tears started flowing from my face so I placed a large bowl on my lap to collect it all. I closed my eyes, grabbed my IPOD and put on the earphones and started playing loud music to drown out the pain. It just fueled the fire more. I dont think I have felt this much pain ever. My brain started going into a rage, I stood up and started kicking and punching the air and becoming very aggressive. MY BRAIN HAD AWOKEN. This proceeded in intensity for another 15-20 minutes and then slowly but surely I started to relax. After about 45 minutes- an hour I felt incredibly relaxed and calm, very warm and content. I managed to produce approximately 6 ounces of bodily fluids, HA. That night I fell asleep very peacefuly and awoke feeling very peaceful and tranquil. My desire for adderall was less.
So, I have been doing this about three days a week for 4 weeks now. Ill do it when I get home from work and that dreadful burnout that adderall leaves me with Vanishes as soon as the pain kicks in. I have moved on from Habanero peppers, to an extremely hot hot sauce that has pure Capsaician crystals mixed in. It registers 7 million Scoville Units. It is a more direct and concentrated way to accomplish my goal. The heat is significantly worse with the hot sauce than the habaneros, but the endorphin calm is more intense.
Some of you may think Im crazy, who knows maybe I am but I feel alot more balanced and less anxious since starting this. The adderall is working BETTER, not 100 percent like it was when I first started it, but its better. I feel more of the antidepressant/social effects, and much less anxiety which indirectly helps my concentration. I have asthma and this has improved my breathing immensely and clears out alot of congestion.
There are alot more benefits as well: It increases circulation through its natural ability to conduct thermal heat, It stimulates the production of digestive juices, protects against stomach damage caused by alcohol, it protects the heart, increases metabolic activity and burns calories, is effective in topical creams against arthritis, drains congested nasal passages (BIG TIME), It is being studied as a treatment for IBS and also Sensory Nerve Fiber Disorders, Reduces redness, pain and itching from psoriasis, protecting the stomach from ulcers by killing bacteria, anti-inflammatory, shown to prevent certain types of cancer, enhancing the immune system, protect your stomach from damage by aspirin, tylenol, advil, reduce risk of pneumonia. One more thing, I havent found any studies showing permanent damage to taste buds, only that there is temporary desensitization.
I dont sell hot sauce or peppers or anything, I just thought I should describe my experience, as odd as it sounds. This definitely isnt for the faint of heart, you have to be willing to put yourself through hell to get the benefits. Start off easy and work your way up. But, If you are disciplined to do it 3 times a week you will start to see benefits. I definitely feel more resilient, less afraid of pain. I feel like I can tolerate stress more. Oh, and one very important thing: If any other males do this, make sure you wash your hands before you pee, or else you will be hurting pretty bad. I can provide sources/studies referencing any info in this post if you would like.
I will end this post with a paragraph from an article I read, and will link to it also. If you managed to read through this whole post, I applaud you. Take Care
The biological properties of capsaicin are many, ranging from being a pain reducer, to an activator of the reward pathway. Being a desensitizer in the pain pathway infers its potential use as a drug to aid in chronic pain disorder. Though research is well on it's way, more has yet to be learned about the mechanisms of action, and the possible risks involved in taking it as a drug. In the meantime, the hundreds of thousands of people out there can continue to enjoy the pleasurable effects of eating chili peppers. And for those people who don't have a tolerance for chili peppers, my advice for them is to build one, they will find it most rewarding!
http://sulcus.berkeley.edu/mcb/ 165_001/papers/manuscripts/_559.html
poster:FireBreather
thread:570218
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050924/msgs/570218.html