2 replies to this topic

[Cronnix]

Hey guys I'm new to the forum. I'm a big supplement user for both health fitness and mental improvement purposes. I also go through periods of anxiety brought about my over magnifying fears or insecurities or whatever. It comes and goes and seems to have gotten pretty bad over the past few months.

Over the summer I was taking more stimulants than usual. A lot of caffeine, and a few times a week moderate doses of theobromine and 1,3 dimethylamylamine. I love stimulants most of the time as I respond well to them. I do not have an addicting personality because I know the health concerns of taking too many stimulants and I refuse to abuse any substance. But I do love the feeling of increased drive and motivation I get from them. Especially Adderall which dissolve all feelings of apprehension and self doubt I sometimes get which are the causes of my anxiety. However, I notice if I use too many stimulants, it actually backfires. So I've stopped them for the past few months.

However, I began taking Alpha-GPC at 250-500mg a day and have noticed an intense anxiety and total lack of focus. I feel like my mind is racing thinking of 1000 things at once and I can not focus on one thing. I also have trouble speaking and expressing thoughts clearly as well as mild depression recently. Could this be the Choline? Or possibly a withdrawal from stimulants? I've been off stimulants regularly for about 2 months. I read choline was supposed to help brain function, but could it be hurting me in this case? I do eat between 5-10 whole eggs a day, so could I be over doing the choline?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Edited by Cronnix, 10 November 2011 - 06:11 PM.

[diana_2000]

You definitely eat too many eggs and get too much choline. I used to take huperzine and CDP choline last summer and I had bouts of anxiety, feeling helpless, alone. My crucial exam for my future and my sleepless and lonely nights exacerbated my anxiety and sadness. If you have some stressful event choline will worsen your emotional state. Now I past the exam, I am no more hopeless, I have a stable job and as result I get rid of anxiety. Now I don't use another choline source, I just use alpha GPC and I feel normal. It has no stimulant effects, it just improves your functioning. To me, it was the best addition to piracetam as it helps me think more clearly, speak better and deal with social situations better. My advice for you is to stop eating eggs, stop taking alpha GPC for a few days and if your psychological state improves, resume taking alpha GPC and see how you feel. Add omega 3 high in EPA, it do wonders for anxiety and mood. I take it and I guess it diminishes the pro-depressant effects of choline and this must be the reason that I don't experience those nasty side effects you talk about.

[chrono]

I doubt it's a sudden effect of stim withdrawal, if it's been two months and it coincides with starting GPC.

It seems like too much choline usually manifests as (sometimes mild) depression, anxiety, and brain fog. More severe overload tend to produce headaches and muscle tension in the upper back/neck. There's a few threads in the index at the top of the Cholinergics section, if you want to read more experiences.

Personally, I've found that GPC plays very badly with other cholinergics...it tends to have a multiplying effect if I take it with ALCAR or choline. It's one of those supps which looks great on paper, but a lot of people don't have great experiences with.

You might try something like phosphatidylcholine if you're just after the neuro-supporting effects; it probably increases ACh less aggressively than GPC. But you're already getting a lot of choline...I'd say 10 eggs a day is probably pretty unhealthy, but I guess there are a lot of theoretical diets people adhere to here...