38 replies to this topic

[Absent]

*Disclaimer - Amphetamine is a regulated substance in many areas. Experiences described here where conducted under legal conditions. I do not have ADD/ADHD.

After much contemplation and research on how various Psychedelics can cause long-term beneficial brain changes in users, resulting in different outlooks on life, as well as long-lasting mood changes, I have thought about Amphetamine in the same aspect. Out of curiosity... a week or so ago, I took an Amphetamine tablet to try to assess what long-term beneficial cognitive changes I could take from it.

The Amphetamine tablet I took was 400mg. I am not entirely sure if it was pure amphetamine, but I am assure that it was very high quality and clean. I have never taken prescriptions such as Adderall before, so I have no subjective comparison of the dosages - if this was pure Amphetamine, 400mg is a very high dosage, or so I assume.

A lot of the information on Amphetamine out there is that it is very damaging in the long term, and that seems to be 99% of the articles on it. With further research, it seems all of the damage caused by Amphetamines happens when the brain is pushed beyond it's reserves. It would be similar to if a car was driven until the Gas Tank is empty and the reserve is used up... and any mechanic will tell you this is very damaging to a cars engine.

I took this into account while I was under the influence, and I made sure I forced myself to eat when I should have(Amphs kill appetite usually), and I took it early enough in the day so that it did not interfer with my sleep. Most of the neurological damage from Amphetamines comes from not eating/not staying fueled, and not sleeping.

After 12-17 hours, most of the driving Euphoria was gone, but I still felt as if my psychological placement was changed. To be more specific, I felt more confident, less hesitant, more social with higher social skills, a higher vocabulary, etc... There was absolutely no come down and I owe it to the fact that I paid extra close attention to my diet/sleep/health when on the substance. A friend of mine on the other hand didn't eat for 15 hours and got severe headaches and fatigue.

It is about a week later and I still feel significant boosts, all of which correlate with a higher functioning Dopamine system. I took an Amphetamine-Drug test from the Drug-Store and the drug was entirely out of my system(in 2 days).

It makes perfect sense. The Amphetamine caused Long-Term Potentiation. My Dopamine systems were more or less in hyper-drive for 15 hours, causing my neurons to be hyper-activated, yet, because of my attention to my health, my neurons never became fatigued. As a result, those set of neurons increased significantly in exciteability, and after the Amphetamine was out of my system my brain chemistry rebalanced to compensate for the dopamine fluctuations, yet, my neurons retained their heightened level of excitability.

Honestly it is amazing to me that no one else has written about this. I was thinking about it, and psychedelics such as shrooms and acid have similar effects on the brain as Amphetamines, just on different systems. They both increase your brain activity, they both kill your appetite, they both keep you awake, they both can fatigue you severely if you ignore your sleep/diet.... and everyone knows psychedelics can cause beneficial brain changes...so why not Amphetamines?

Well it appears very clear to me Amphetamines can cause highly significant brain-enhancements if used with responsibility care, as this has been my experience. A week later, my emotions are enhanced, social skills, thought power, focus, dreams, appetite, everything. With such profound results, I'm surprised this hasn't gotten out sooner. It seems everyone just regards Amphs as having no long-term benefits, and this seems to be strikingly untrue for me.

Remember folks.. if this inspires you to try anything, keep in mind that all damaging effects of Amphetamines come not from the drug itself, but from ignoring essential things such as sleep and diet, which are very easy to ignore under the influence, but should not be ignored.

With great power comes great responsibility, or great damage can result, but with great care, great benefits can result.

[jly1986]

It is true that without amphetamines, Erdos the legendary mathematician could not be productive.

Motivated by his example, I began searching for non-Rx substances which likewise have nootropic benefits. That's how I learned about racetams and Noopept and Lucidril. They seem to have positive effects for the most part, but nothing really life changing. And they do seem to cause depression for me.

If I could only get amphetamines without an Rx, I would try it as a nootrop. Where did you get yours?

[Absent]

I got mine from a highly trusted source, nothing online. I advise people to use caution when seeking out such things, because a lot of things on the street can be highly impure.

It is true that if a person takes any substance continually, that their cognition will become dependent. In spite of racetams being safe, I know a few long-term users of high-dose racetams that have reported slight withdrawals when stopping. I believe what is most important is to have a basic understanding of how a substance work, and how it effects the brain, with this understanding, it's effects on the body can be controlled and regulated. A lot of abuse issues come from not being aware of such things.

I'm sure if I took amphetamines for a week straight every day, more negative effects would result than positive.

[jly1986]

I got mine from a highly trusted source, nothing online. I advise people to use caution when seeking out such things, because a lot of things on the street can be highly impure.

It is true that if a person takes any substance continually, that their cognition will become dependent. In spite of racetams being safe, I know a few long-term users of high-dose racetams that have reported slight withdrawals when stopping. I believe what is most important is to have a basic understanding of how a substance work, and how it effects the brain, with this understanding, it's effects on the body can be controlled and regulated. A lot of abuse issues come from not being aware of such things.

I'm sure if I took amphetamines for a week straight every day, more negative effects would result than positive.

Interestingly, I actually feel better during my off week from Noopept+Lucidril, which I take every four weeks on. I think the substances must build up in my body, because during the off week, I can taste a strong chemical flavor with every exhale. Even though it seems my body is flushing out the chemicals, I can still experience improved mental clarity and alertness, so I suppose that is a sign of LTP.

[Reformed-Redan]

This should be locked. Nobody should be promoting buying illicit drugs off the street on Longecity. There are other places to do that. For all you know you can land in the ER blabbering and aliens in contact with you, mind control through the TV, and other nonsense. People are blinded by desperation and short term "gains."

Edited by yadayada, 17 June 2013 - 02:22 AM.

[jly1986]

I don't think anyone's promoting buying illicit drugs here.

But I think it's much safer to take a substance which has over a century of clinical trials and toxicological documentation than shady, obscure, unknown compounds with virtually no history, which some here are too eager to become guinea pigs to test.

(Talk about people who are blinded by desperation and short term gains!)

Edited by jly1986, 17 June 2013 - 03:01 AM.

[Absent]

This should be locked. Nobody should be promoting buying illicit drugs off the street on Longecity. There are other places to do that. For all you know you can land in the ER blabbering and aliens in contact with you, mind control through the TV, and other nonsense. People are blinded by desperation and short term "gains."

Uhm, if you bothered to read my post, sir. The second line says "Experiences described here where conducted under legal conditions." There are no substances that are legal world wide. There are tons of Piracetam topics here... and there are many places in the world were Piracetam is considered just as illegal/regulated as Amphetamine/Adderall is in the United States.

While my primary residence is in the United States, my travels take me around the world to places where certain substances that may be illegal back home, have no such restrictions, and I take advantage of such research/experimentation opportunities. So before exercising your ignorance here, please do take the time to read.

Any substance that activates brain pathways can be used to alter the brain via LTP regardless of the short-term biological impacts that the body requires time to recover from.

[Absent]

It is well known on many ADHD forums that people who take Amphetamine like substances only build up a tolerance to the euphoria/driving effect, the ability to focus from it rarely diminishes. What diminishes is that magnetic drive to focus. This means a person ABILITY to focus conscious can increase long-term, but the tolerance that builds up is the drive to focus. This implies something very important. This implies that Amphetamine/Adderall is altering a persons brain pathways involved in focusing. More or less, long term use can increase a persons focus, but the long-term impact on their emotions could result in laziness resulting from dopamine imbalance. Regardless of this dopamine imbalance, their brain-pathways that had so regularly been activated still have a heightened excitability and can still be activated. This means Amphetamine is forcing their "focusing" pathways to expand, constantly, but sustained use can have a negative impact on the dopamine system, that if sustained enough, can be permanent.

Logically, if the dopamine systems are never burnt out, then brain-pathways can be expanded without any damage to the brain in short-term bursts so to speak(once/bi monthly, etc), so long as dopamine pathways are given ample time to repair.

I have observed/noticed the same effect in Piracetam. When I take large doses of Piracetam I can feel the obvious effect is has on my emotions, as well as notice the effect it has on my cognition. When I stop taking it, the emotional impact goes away, yet, the change in my cognition appears to remain for many weeks. Though at the same time, I feel Piracetam can have somewhat of a draining effect on my emotion after stopping usage which can sometime take weeks to get back to normal.... Now what substance does THAT sound familiar to?

Edited by Siro, 17 June 2013 - 04:02 AM.

[norepinephrine]

It is true that without amphetamines, Erdos the legendary mathematician could not be productive.

Motivated by his example, I began searching for non-Rx substances which likewise have nootropic benefits. That's how I learned about racetams and Noopept and Lucidril. They seem to have positive effects for the most part, but nothing really life changing. And they do seem to cause depression for me.

If I could only get amphetamines without an Rx, I would try it as a nootrop. Where did you get yours?

Actually, Erdos turned to amphetamine only after the death of his mother. Prior to that, he had still been insanely productive but attributed coffee in part to his success (which isn't saying much compared to genetics/innate talent, accounting for the fact that the guy could calculate how many seconds someone had been alive given their age before he was 5 years old).

[niner]

Siro, this part troubles me:

The Amphetamine tablet I took was 400mg. I am not entirely sure if it was pure amphetamine, but I am assure that it was very high quality and clean. I have never taken prescriptions such as Adderall before, so I have no subjective comparison of the dosages - if this was pure Amphetamine, 400mg is a very high dosage, or so I assume.

Was this a street drug? It sounds like it, otherwise how could you not know what was in it? Or what the dose was? Isn't 400mg close to lethal for amphetamine? I read your post, and know you claimed this was legal, but what's the story here? It sounds like something that is a really bad idea at best.

[Reformed-Redan]

Siro, this part troubles me:

The Amphetamine tablet I took was 400mg. I am not entirely sure if it was pure amphetamine, but I am assure that it was very high quality and clean. I have never taken prescriptions such as Adderall before, so I have no subjective comparison of the dosages - if this was pure Amphetamine, 400mg is a very high dosage, or so I assume.

Was this a street drug? It sounds like it, otherwise how could you not know what was in it? Or what the dose was? Isn't 400mg close to lethal for amphetamine? I read your post, and know you claimed this was legal, but what's the story here? It sounds like something that is a really bad idea at best.

Yep, 400mg is lethal. You know, getting Addreall isn't that hard and would be much safer than consuming 400mg of some unknown substance.

[Absent]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

Now can we focus on the actual theory here I am discussing in this topic?

[Reformed-Redan]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

Now can we focus on the actual theory here I am discussing in this topic?

I think you got high. Amphetamine tends to do that to first time users. Euphoria and such.

How much of the active chemical did you consume?

[Absent]

You think I got high? Perhaps during the experience. 30g of Piracetam/Fish Oil will also make me 'High'. It's worth noting, I didn't really have any Euphoria. I was just "awake" for like 16 hours. No rushy feelings, no edgyness, just clean wakefulness and attention, as well as an enhanced vocabulary and conversational abilities. There was absolutely no noticeable effect on my emotions. I get more of an emotional impact from 10g of Piracetam.

The monumental point I was making with this topic was that so many positive effects lingered a week after the substance had totally left my system. If my vocabulary and mental creativity among other things are still enhanced long after the substance is gone, is that not saying something?

I owe it partially to the fact that I entered a highly focused state of meditation for a few hours while on this substance to experiment with the idea that with the use of certain substances, heightened cognitive states can be entered with ease, normalized through LTP, and held as the substance leaves the system, allowing them to be entered with ease off of the substance. This theory has so far held to be true as I have been able to easily return to that heightened state without the substance - a state which I was not able to enter before my experience.

I have been debating spending a few thousand dollars to get myself some moderate EEG equipment to better conduct these sorts of experiments with more scientific accuracy, at least with regards to the brain activity, though I know little about operating EEG equipment.

Edited by Siro, 18 June 2013 - 04:46 AM.

[niner]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

Now can we focus on the actual theory here I am discussing in this topic?

I'm not berating, just asking. It sounds like you don't know how much of the active ingredient you actually took. Is that right? I take it this was not a pharmaceutical product with a code number on the pill, so you could look it up and see exactly what it is. I really appreciate the careful approach you're taking to this, and your hypothesis about the mechanism of action is interesting. However, if you don't know what you took, or for some reason are barred from discussing it, then the value of this discussion is reduced a lot.

[jly1986]

It is true that without amphetamines, Erdos the legendary mathematician could not be productive.

Motivated by his example, I began searching for non-Rx substances which likewise have nootropic benefits. That's how I learned about racetams and Noopept and Lucidril. They seem to have positive effects for the most part, but nothing really life changing. And they do seem to cause depression for me.

If I could only get amphetamines without an Rx, I would try it as a nootrop. Where did you get yours?

Actually, Erdos turned to amphetamine only after the death of his mother. Prior to that, he had still been insanely productive but attributed coffee in part to his success (which isn't saying much compared to genetics/innate talent, accounting for the fact that the guy could calculate how many seconds someone had been alive given their age before he was 5 years old).

Erdos regarded mathematicians as machines that turned coffee into theorems. Perhaps that is what ultimately led to his psychological dependence on amphetamines.

Incidentally, my Erdos number is 3. :-)

[Absent]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

Now can we focus on the actual theory here I am discussing in this topic?

I'm not berating, just asking. It sounds like you don't know how much of the active ingredient you actually took. Is that right? I take it this was not a pharmaceutical product with a code number on the pill, so you could look it up and see exactly what it is. I really appreciate the careful approach you're taking to this, and your hypothesis about the mechanism of action is interesting. However, if you don't know what you took, or for some reason are barred from discussing it, then the value of this discussion is reduced a lot.

I didn't really think of analyzing the pill when I got it, but rest assured it was a pharmaceutical product... it came directly from a pharmaceutical source. Though at the same time I didn't get it in an orange pill bottle with a pamphlet, nor did it come from somebody who was prescribed it. It came directly from a good friend is very high up working in said industry. I am told the substance was dextroamphetamine(d-amphetamine) which is one of the primary ingredients in adderall.

I don't really think the value of the discussion is reduced much, considering I could have made this topic about any powerful substance such as a Megadose of Piracetam/Pramiracetam, or something of that nature. The theory I am purporting here can really be used for any substance that puts the brain in a higher than average state.

A substance that creates such an enhancement doesn't immediately end when the substance is gone. While the substance usually effects a single/few transmitters, hundreds of other chemicals are affected indirectly, and those chemicals can/will remain affected after the initially modulated transmitters return to normal when the substance/drug subsides. If neuronal pathways relied on single neurotransmitters to light up, then the entire brain could fail at a slight mishap. Clearly this isn't the case because neuronal pathways are supported in efficacy by many systems of interacting chemicals.

This also brings me to the idea that a persons intention/attitude will affect their mental states. It is the reason why no persons 'depression' has ever been cured by a drug alone. It is because the persons mental attitude shapes their psychological state. If a person intended to say in an enhanced state, through means of meditation or some other form of mental training, then certain pathways can be coerced into lighting up off a drug, once the person has learned what they feel like on the drug... this of course depends on their intention.

Edited by Siro, 18 June 2013 - 05:49 PM.

[Doktor]

This discussion belongs in longecity, as long as it does not become a sourcing thread. Just because a substance is illegal does not mean it is wrong or bad to consume it. We all know alcohol is more destructive then the majority of illicit drugs on the black market.

From my perspective, the aim of this sub-forum is to find substances which enhance the bodies ability/health, and it does not say anything about whether these substances must be legal or not. It is a crying shame that psychedelics are illegal, as they obviously hold a lot of promise in many different fields. Amphetamine is similar, and - technically - legal as well.

As the world around us continues to shrink and surrender its intellectual and spiritual rights and freedoms, it would seem only "logical" to allow continued discussion of taboo subjects on these boards as long as they continue to pertain to the overall aim of this community.

[stephen_b]

I got a script for it (Vyvanse), but I'm dropping it. Increased heart rate, dehydration, muscle glycogen depletion, and vasoconstriction don't add up well for general health or endurance running. For me adding any caffeine also resulted in an increase of blood pressure.

At 20-30 mg it was great for focus and motivation, but the price is too high IMO.

[Absent]

This discussion belongs in longecity, as long as it does not become a sourcing thread. Just because a substance is illegal does not mean it is wrong or bad to consume it. We all know alcohol is more destructive then the majority of illicit drugs on the black market.

From my perspective, the aim of this sub-forum is to find substances which enhance the bodies ability/health, and it does not say anything about whether these substances must be legal or not. It is a crying shame that psychedelics are illegal, as they obviously hold a lot of promise in many different fields. Amphetamine is similar, and - technically - legal as well.

As the world around us continues to shrink and surrender its intellectual and spiritual rights and freedoms, it would seem only "logical" to allow continued discussion of taboo subjects on these boards as long as they continue to pertain to the overall aim of this community.

Well Said, and right on. If anyone tries to provide anything illegal here I would only assume the mods would put a halt to it. If people wish to try the nootropic benefits of these they will have to go through the legal means of getting a prescription.

I got a script for it (Vyvanse), but I'm dropping it. Increased heart rate, dehydration, muscle glycogen depletion, and vasoconstriction don't add up well for general health or endurance running. For me adding any caffeine also resulted in an increase of blood pressure.

At 20-30 mg it was great for focus and motivation, but the price is too high IMO.

I too have experienced such effects, from both caffeine and amphetamine, and if a person ignores such things they can surely became very unhealthy. Though, a person must approach such symptons in a logical manner. Those symptoms are present due to certain areas of the body operating in certain ways, and that can cause an increased demand of various...fuels... sugar, protein, water, etc. Anytime I am on amphetamine I meditate, which I find excellent for calming my heart rate. I also find L-Theanine really takes off the edge of amphetamine without blunting the effects. I believe there are a number of threads floating around the net about the synergy between L-Theanine and adderall/amphetamine - they seem to show promise.

[cudBwrong]

Siro: It feels good at first, but this won't end well for you.

Have some coffee and/or tea. Green tea is really good for you it seems.

Paul Erdos managed to function on it for decades, but your mileage may vary. Erdos
was an unusual person.

You are taking a chance, running the risk of addiction and stimulant psychosis.

http://en.wikipedia....ulant_psychosis

I don't think it will make you happy in the long run, look elsewhere.

Edited by cudBwrong, 21 June 2013 - 03:36 PM.

[norepinephrine]

Siro - related to the L-theanine note, I found bacopa the night before dosing Adderall greatly diminished the negative effects while allowing for the desired focus/concentration.

With that said, I don't think amphetamines are appropriate for anything more than monthly usage at best, and in strictly therapeutic dosages.

[machete234]

I didn't really think of analyzing the pill when I got it, but rest assured it was a pharmaceutical product... it came directly from a pharmaceutical source. Though at the same time I didn't get it in an orange pill bottle with a pamphlet, nor did it come from somebody who was prescribed it. It came directly from a good friend is very high up working in said industry. I am told the substance was dextroamphetamine(d-amphetamine) which is one of the primary ingredients in adderall.

With 400mg you would be a very high does with pure amphetamines, that why I call bullshit

I also find L-Theanine really takes off the edge of amphetamine without blunting the effects. I believe there are a number of threads floating around the net about the synergy between L-Theanine and adderall/amphetamine - they seem to show promise.

L-theanine and also chelated magnesium reduce the side effects signififcantly

Edited by machete234, 22 June 2013 - 11:45 AM.

[VultureCulture]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

It's really going to be difficult to have a productive discussion without you providing more details, because 400 mg is a lethal dose of amphetamine. Either there was much less amphetamine in the 400 mg of the substance you took, or you took something else entirely. I used to be prescribed amphetamine, and the dose you're claiming would be equivalent to me taking one-third of an entire months prescription at once. I would be very curious to know what substance you did actually take though.

Edited by VultureCulture, 27 June 2013 - 03:26 PM.

[Perception-Is-Reality]

400 mg is not leathal, however i doubt the majority of the 400 mg pill he took was anything other than filler. He probably injested around 30 mg of actual dex, this estimation was based off of the effects he gave and the fact that he had little to no prior usage with amphetamines. For any first time amph user 40-60 mg or more would cause the user to become extremely high and would almost certainly induce insomnia all night long. However I don't think we should derail this thread any more with discussion about the uncertainty of the dosage taken. The lasting effects Siro experienced are quite remarkable, it would be nice to have more anecdotal reports like this. Besides ensuring sufficient water/food/sleep intake what can regular amphetamine users do to allow their dopamine systems to fully repair (besides taking a break from them)?

[optikai]

Siro, this part troubles me:

The Amphetamine tablet I took was 400mg. I am not entirely sure if it was pure amphetamine, but I am assure that it was very high quality and clean. I have never taken prescriptions such as Adderall before, so I have no subjective comparison of the dosages - if this was pure Amphetamine, 400mg is a very high dosage, or so I assume.

Was this a street drug? It sounds like it, otherwise how could you not know what was in it? Or what the dose was? Isn't 400mg close to lethal for amphetamine? I read your post, and know you claimed this was legal, but what's the story here? It sounds like something that is a really bad idea at best.

Yep, 400mg is lethal. You know, getting Addreall isn't that hard and would be much safer than consuming 400mg of some unknown substance.

400mg of amphetamine is not lethal. Far from it. Amphetamines can be tolerated in massive proportions in the human body. SWIM knows of someone who takes methamphetamine in the 200mg+ region at one sitting and could take it further if he wanted but gets the desired effect at that dosage. SWIM smokes it primarily when his dextroamphetamine script runs dry.

The body can tolerate meth easily and can tolerate a large dose.

Now if he were to inject 400mg at once, well, needless to say, he would be in for a wild ride but wouldn't die from it.

[Galaxyshock]

Maybe it was 40mg

[alan.r]

I would like to not be continually berated about this substance after I have already said it is safe, legal, and clean with confidence. While it was 100% legal, certain other legal factors restrict me from saying more, and that is all I can say. There were absolutely no side effects and I am entirely fine. I would never ever ever consciously take something I feel might put my health at serious risk. Trust me when I say this. I never put anything in my body without meticulous research. As much as I would like to give further details, I am barred from doing so.

Now can we focus on the actual theory here I am discussing in this topic?

I wouldn't deny that it is an interesting theory, but a one week subjective trial hardly does away with decades of evidence; amphetamines lead to exitotoxicity and cell death, and they are inherently addictive and damaging to the system. The addiction and the damage lead to impairment of judgement and a reduction in the drug's effect, which leads to more use at higher dosage, which leads to more damage. I'm not impressed that the addict is not aware of the long-term slide, as the instrument that would be aware (the brain) is losing its capacity.

I've known people addicted to amphetamines, and its an extremely ugly thing to watch. My younger sister felt that she was finally understanding the world, and "it all made sense at last!" was her main sensation. She felt like she was finally using her brain fully, and wrote pages and pages in her journals, which I read later and found to be little more than nonsensical, almost random babble. Three months in she disappeared, and I haven't seen or heard from her since (15 years ago).

"A forest fire of damage" is the term used by one researcher who autopsied the brains of addicts...http://www.amphetamines.org/braindamage.html.

[alan.r]

"Remember folks.. if this inspires you to try anything, keep in mind that all damaging effects of Amphetamines come not from the drug itself, but from ignoring essential things such as sleep and diet, which are very easy to ignore under the influence, but should not be ignored."

Incorrect!

Just to chime in again, more clearly, with exactly what is wrong with the theory. Amphetamines damage the brain directly by causing the death of neurons due to exitotoxicity. It is damage that happens over a period of hours due to the effects of the drug itself, and not due to poor diet or lack of sleep.

In theory, if one were able to carefully modulate dosage to the point that neurons were brought to the brink but not killed, this could work. But I think anyone with any familiarity with the drug would agree - that's highly unlikely in practice, and has never been demonstrated in research..

To look at long-term benefits, you need more than one dose and one week. Problems arise predictably as the mental landscape shifts beneath you over time, and the odds of winding up like any other amphetamine addict are high. The enthusiasm of the OP itself is a symptom

Edited by alan.r, 28 September 2013 - 07:49 PM.

[Absent]

I would like to remind everyone responding to this that this post was meant to be specifically combined with mental training practices. Taking amphetamines alone without any training of the mind will do exactly what everyone here has said, cause damage to the brain.

I should also clarify that at the time of the initial post, I had been off the amphetamine for a couple of days; for those of you saying my enthusiasm was 'amphetamine induced'.

In case I wasn't clear, the benefits of a substance can be kept in a sober state if the correct mental practices are utilized. Mental practices directly focused on building a particular mental state through some sort of meditation. This isn't sorcery. Just science. When the mind is focused and consciously kept in a particular state, the brain will act accordingly so that homeostasis can be kept in that state. If that state is drug induced, as the drug leaves the system, the brain will adjust the chemical composure so that the homeostatic mental state can be kept. This will ONLY work with effective mental practices. Taking a substance as damaging as amphetamine by itself and expecting yourself to stay smart from it simply won't happen. There is cognitive effort involved here, as with any form of meditation. Inspite of what people think, meditation is not a specific practice, it is a concept applied towards an intention. Ultimately the effect of meditation is to enhance a mental state, like a mental pushup. Combining substances with it to start off at a higher level is no different from an athlete who takes pre-workout supplements to increase the amount of work that they can do, thus increasing the amount of muscle gain they can achieve.