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Vinpocetine is making me sleepy and giving me a slight headache

vinpocetine

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#1 ironfistx

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Posted 15 March 2014 - 05:46 AM


I started vinpocetine about a week ago because I recently started having tinnitus in my right ear and I'm trying to see if I can stop it (this will be another thread).

I am very sensitive since certain supplements seem to have a big effect on me, so I began with a small dose. I am using 10mg tablets. Source Naturals.

Day 1: 2.5 mg
Day 2: 5 mg
Day 3: 7.5 mg
Day 4: 10mg
Day 5: 12.5 mg (10 mg in the morning and 2.5 mg in the afternoon)
Day 6: 15 (10 mg in the morning and 5 mg in afternoon)
Day 7: 17.5 (10 mg in the morning and 7.5 mg later)

As of a few days ago I started getting sleepy in the afternoon. I also noticed I had a slight headache. I have not noticed any change in my thinking or anything and if anything my short term memory might be worse than usual.

Tomorrow I am planning on taking 10mg in the morning and another 10mg later, and am going to stay at that dose.

Does vinpocetine require choline like piracetam so you don't get headaches?

The only other thing I thought of that might be causing the sleepiness is I've been taking magnesium taurate each night before bed, which does make me sleepy, but that's why I take it at bed and I don't think it would affect me the following afternoon especially considering I don't feel sleepy until a few hours after I've been taking the new one.

The only other things I am taking are Lipoflavonoids, which I've been taking for over a month and they don't make me sleepy, B12 which I take twice a day and I've taken it before and it doesn't make me sleepy, and 25 mg of zinc which I take in the afternoon and probably isn't the cause.

Have any of you experienced sleepiness from this before? Is there a period where your body get used to it where you get sleepy or headaches?

#2 blood

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Posted 15 March 2014 - 08:11 AM

Vinpocetine does dilate capillaries, so it's plausible that it could cause headaches (as can other vasodilators).

The Wikipedia article on this substance mentioned that headaches are more likely on doses above 15 mg/day. Maybe simply take a lower dose?
http://en.wikipedia....iki/Vinpocetine

I find that 3 capsules of Cognitex (which provides 20 mg vinpocetine) makes me feel a bit weird; therefore I only take 2 capsules.

If the vinpocetine is causing sleepiness, you could take advantage of this by taking it in the evening.

(I have also read/ heard that melatonin can be useful for ameliorating tinnitus - perhaps another supplement you could add to your bedtime routine?)

There are other things you could try for blood vessel health; my favorites are pycnogenol; grape seed extract; good quality gingko (e.g., the life extension one-a-day product).

Edited by blood, 15 March 2014 - 08:12 AM.


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#3 ironfistx

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Posted 15 March 2014 - 05:36 PM

Vinpocetine does dilate capillaries, so it's plausible that it could cause headaches (as can other vasodilators).

The Wikipedia article on this substance mentioned that headaches are more likely on doses above 15 mg/day. Maybe simply take a lower dose?
http://en.wikipedia....iki/Vinpocetine

I find that 3 capsules of Cognitex (which provides 20 mg vinpocetine) makes me feel a bit weird; therefore I only take 2 capsules.

If the vinpocetine is causing sleepiness, you could take advantage of this by taking it in the evening.

(I have also read/ heard that melatonin can be useful for ameliorating tinnitus - perhaps another supplement you could add to your bedtime routine?)

There are other things you could try for blood vessel health; my favorites are pycnogenol; grape seed extract; good quality gingko (e.g., the life extension one-a-day product).


Isn't pycnogenol one of those supplements that is used to increase sexual arousal? Is there any sort of issues with using it for a period of time for tinnitus? I wouldn't want to have other problems with getting hard because I used a medicine for too long for another purpose. I've heard that some of those intimate drugs can cause some issues if you use them for too long.

#4 blood

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Posted 16 March 2014 - 07:04 AM

Vinpocetine does dilate capillaries, so it's plausible that it could cause headaches (as can other vasodilators).

The Wikipedia article on this substance mentioned that headaches are more likely on doses above 15 mg/day. Maybe simply take a lower dose?
http://en.wikipedia....iki/Vinpocetine

I find that 3 capsules of Cognitex (which provides 20 mg vinpocetine) makes me feel a bit weird; therefore I only take 2 capsules.

If the vinpocetine is causing sleepiness, you could take advantage of this by taking it in the evening.

(I have also read/ heard that melatonin can be useful for ameliorating tinnitus - perhaps another supplement you could add to your bedtime routine?)

There are other things you could try for blood vessel health; my favorites are pycnogenol; grape seed extract; good quality gingko (e.g., the life extension one-a-day product).


Isn't pycnogenol one of those supplements that is used to increase sexual arousal? Is there any sort of issues with using it for a period of time for tinnitus? I wouldn't want to have other problems with getting hard because I used a medicine for too long for another purpose. I've heard that some of those intimate drugs can cause some issues if you use them for too long.


Pycnogenol doesn't increase sexual arousal (as far as I am aware) - instead it improves the health of the small blood vessels in the penis (and the rest of the body including the inner ear and brain). It therefore can be helpful in men with erectile dysfunction associated with cardiovascular disease & impaired arterial health. I don't think this is what pycnogenol is best known for, though. I'd guess most people take pycnogenol for its purported benefits in improving the health of the skin. It's also useful in metabolic syndrome and a bunch of other situations.

There is at least one study showing that pycnogenol relieves symptoms of tinnitus:

Link: http://www.nutraingr...nnitus-Symptoms

New research finds Pycnogenol®, French maritime pine bark extract, is effective in relieving tinnitus symptoms. Recently published in Panminerva Medica, the study found that after four weeks of supplementing with Pycnogenol®, patients experienced a decrease in tinnitus symptoms including improved blood flow in the inner ear. This study reinforces previous studies that reveal Pycnogenol® is a natural solution for improving vascular function.


Edited by blood, 16 March 2014 - 07:07 AM.

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#5 blood

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Posted 18 March 2014 - 05:57 AM

The gingko extract "EGB 761" (sold in the USA as GinkGold) could also be helpful against tinnitus:

http://www.schwabepharma.com/international/media-relations/press-releases/items/2012_02_06_vonBoetticher.php


In all identified and retrieved studies the standardized Ginkgo biloba extract EGb 761® was found to be superior to placebo in the treatment of tinnitus. This preparation (EGb 761® ) is a dry extract from Ginkgo biloba leaves (35-67:1), extraction solvent: acetone 60% (w/w). It is known to enhance microperfusion by increasing red blood cell deformability and decreasing whole blood viscosity.[2, 3] It protects the mitochondria from oxidative stress and improves energy metabolism, [4, 5] thus attenuating damage to cochlear cells (the auditory portion of the inner ear) subject to increased energy demand or decreased perfusion. Pharmacological trials showed a significant decrease in the behavioural manifestations of tinnitus after application of EGb 761®.



EGB 761 sold under the Nature's Way GinkGold label:
http://www.iherb.com...50-Tablets/4225

#6 ironfistx

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Posted 19 March 2014 - 08:38 PM

Two days ago I took both Vinpocetine tablets within an hour of each other.

Yesterday I woke up with a headache and didn't feel good for most of the morning. I was really tired, couldn't focus, didn't want to do anything. I didn't take any Vinpocetine at all that day. By the evening I was starting to feel better and by night I felt fine.

I'm still wanting to try it for Tinnitus but so far after the first week or so it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I saw someone on this forum said it helped them with it and they took it for a month or something. I know it would likely take longer than a week but it makes me tired and gives me headaches and seems to make me space out more easily than normal, but not the normal space out where you think about other things, I mean I just kinda sit there doing nothing, thinking about nothing. With a headache.

#7 blood

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Posted 20 March 2014 - 05:43 AM

I know it would likely take longer than a week but it makes me tired and gives me headaches and seems to make me space out more easily than normal


If it is making you feel bad, then I'd say definitely don't take it. Or, take a really, really small dose.

Vinpocetine makes me feel weird. I don't dispute that it might help some people, but it's definitely not a favorite supplement of mine.

There are quite a few other supplements you could take for tinnitus, which are inexpensive, and have some science behind them. All of these supplements can be mixed & matched/ taken simultaneously.

There is some research/ evidence for:
1) melatonin - very cheap and harmless; take in the evening before bed.
2) pycnogenol - can be pricey, depending on the dose. The cheapest (yet trustworthy) source is probably the Healthy Origins brand, purchased from iherb
3) gingko - make sure you get the Nature's Way GinkGold product, e.g., from iherb.
4) other stuff I'm not aware of.

#8 airplanepeanuts

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Posted 20 March 2014 - 10:53 PM

First few times I also got a headaches from Vinpo. But then never again.

#9 ironfistx

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Posted 20 June 2014 - 06:35 PM

Taking a small dose of NAC, another thing I am trying for the ringing in my ear, and it completely countered the lethargy.  I have 500mg pills of it and I started with half a dose, and within 30 minutes I was feeling much more alert.  I then went up to the full dose and don't even notice the drowsiness from the vinpocetine anymore.


Edited by ironfistx, 20 June 2014 - 06:38 PM.


#10 SnowMetal

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Posted 23 July 2014 - 07:30 AM

 

Pycnogenol doesn't increase sexual arousal (as far as I am aware) - instead it improves the health of the small blood vessels in the penis (and the rest of the body including the inner ear and brain).

 

 

I discovered this thread when looking for evidence of headaches, and other strange effects, in association with vinpocetine. Nonetheless..

 

While reading, I wondered if, since Pycnogenol improves the health of small blood vessels, if it could be of use in the alleviation of peripheral neuropathy?
 



#11 Christian Hunter

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Posted 09 March 2015 - 10:07 AM

I struggled to isolate what might be contributing to a feeling of general malaise when I observed similar effects to the ones noted in the OP, as well fatigue and noticeable dysphoria.

 

I stopped taking Vinpocetine (more by luck than a process of careful elimination) and realized the dysphoria and fatigue very quickly afterward.

 

That set me to researching Vinpocetine as a potential culprit.  It didn't take long to find reports that surprised me: apparently such negative side effects weren't entirely uncommon.

 

Here is a thread on Vinpocetine and depression I started in this forum:

 

http://www.longecity...ing-depression/

 

Best,

 

Christian Hunter

Austin, TX


Edited by Christian Hunter, 09 March 2015 - 10:22 AM.


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#12 jroseland

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Posted 23 February 2017 - 09:19 AM

Hey you know the link to the study you mentioned was broken.

 

Yeah it seems to decrease dopamine for many causing dopamine blues. Upon researching this I find it super retarded that it's such a popular Nootropic when really it should probably just be used for specific issues.

That set me to researching Vinpocetine as a potential culprit.  It didn't take long to find reports that surprised me: apparently such negative side effects weren't entirely uncommon.

 

 







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