I am posting this in nootropics, because I guess I'm looking for more potent, or effective solutions. Not limited to but certainly including nootropics. I wish there was a broader topic, because this doesnt' really fit under any of the threads. But it seems to have most overlap with nootropics.
But at this point although meditation calms me down to the point where I can produce my unfocused state of not being able to attain thoughts and just drifting, there is much much that is troubling, and I want to get a sense from the knowledge here of what provenly works and what
So I know people here are very keen on evidence backing up certain statements and symptoms. Yes I have stress which i am managing. MUCH of my stress comes from having to hold unfocused convos with professors because my paper is late because I couldnt focus, because I couldnt think through texts, because I signed up for courses that in my current condition are exhaustively challenging. I describe my focusing problems as processing problems, ADD just being a shorthand for a lengthy description and tie-in to moments, experiences, events that painfully make no sense. I mean, every 2 mintues in a class which i've prepared for I have to rein my mind in, and even at that, focusing is troublesome.
I've been seriously pursuing trying to find a solution for the past year. And have perplexedly suffered and miserably compensated for the past 13 years, prior to that I have poor memory (i'm 20). Been on strattera, but it still didn't help my missing the point a majority of the time, tried adderall but it flipped me out, guarana was the only thing that mildly helped.
Most recently, I've explored amino acid therapy from neuroscience (neuroscienceinc.net). Don't know how reliable the urinary neurotransmtiter tests are, but I was found to have low dopamine, norepi and epi with normal sertonin, pea, gaba, glutamine. The last few months have been me going on different combos prescribed by a doctor (which can be found on the website) travacor (for sleep) +prevamine, travacor +adrecor. If dosing info. would be helpful, I can include that. I'm having a very mixed response to this treatment. while i can SLIGHTLY focus better, i am also put into quite a sinister mood, and find that though scant moments can contain better focus, the majority of time I am aware but can't understand my drifting. I mean I can't explain why I'm drifting other than as something beyond control. I figure being able to focus enough on the moments I digress would be a sign of focusing in itself. Yet I am confined to words like "focusing" "getting on topic" and the such, vague broad words, which are related to my overall (hopefully transitory) inability to describe things as "life is wretched" "my whole life is compromised by unfocusedness." Though these seem like statements generated by stress and deprsesion, I can assure you that to some extent they are valid, only I am incapable enough of seeing light to generalization, and saying "I can't focus on coursework." Because truth being I can't focus when walking down a quiet street talking to my favorite person either.
Other supplements I am taking are bacopa, ashw, vit c, aor's high epa, opc's, occasionally garlic, liv52, b-50 complex.
I have went on a diet for a yeast infection, which supposedly for unknwon reasons works for some. I sweat horribly and odorously, and these with my wandering mind lead to such a miserable state of mind.
What I am wondering, and regret bombarding the board with more of these "sick me" posts, but what does the outcome look like for different treatments? I know I shouldnt' overly go in with expectations, but talking to certain ADD specialists about processing problems, and faulty cognition, I was told I couldn't reach a higher level without medicine. That's made some sort of treatment a bit of a necessity (I can fill you in on more of my life if you still think that all of my problem is stress and that I should go off and meditate).
A broader goal.
At this point, I want to try what works the most adequately, because its too painful to continue so unfocused, to have my biggest daily struggle be trying to make it through a relatively enticing class, which I enjoy but cannot harness my mind to. Any feedback about what my symtpoms entail for cognition, or how to alleviate such difficulties--recommednations for books of mental exercises, nootropics, supplements would be appreciated.
some specific questions:
Do you think that if I'm encountering a sinister mood on amino acid treatment, which helps me be cognizant of not focusing, but doesn't help with the focusing bit, do you think that I should continue? I am supposed to start taking this supplement with l-dopa in it, and am worried that if it doesn't help I have come to a dead end. What else is there to be used for such cognitive difficulties? Piracetam didn't work. pyritinol I tried for about a week btu didn't experience anything remarkable, possibly only slight benefits. And this is broad, but what I'm looking for is a sense of 1. what might be wrong with me that I'm not addressing, biochemically 2. what i could add/do for that 3. how long should it take to notice effects for what you propose might work 4. are there things in my regimen that from your experience have no benefit--specifically i am thinking of the yeast treatment i have taken under, i have no idea if or if not that will impact my cognition.
I regret having this post be so sprawling, I wish I could've condensed this into a more incisive and perceptive post. In any case, I hope that some good souls out there will offer what knowledge they've gained in hopefully their informative encounters with neuroscience, nootropics, biochemistry.
