Hello all,
I’ve been lurking for about 6 months here. As a layman, I’ve tried to understand everything as best I can. My story is similar to the one posted in many threads re: brain damage from drugs and booze. Long story short: I am 32, did drugs (cocaine, LSD, and especially marijuana) heavily for a year when I was 19-20. I drank very heavily for the next five years or so. I had a bad concussion at 20 but thought I bounced back ok from that. Since 22 or so through the present, though, I’ve had all kinds of cognitive problems. My short term memory went from being great to very poor; trouble articulating things, even stammering sometimes; constant brain fog; anxiety; low libido; and anhedonia. I am not miserable or anything like that, but cognitive ability was a key part of my identity and the loss of it definitely weighs on me.
I tried SSRIs and SNRIs for several years in my mid-twenties and was not impressed, with the possible exception of duloxetine. But even that faded in effectiveness after a year. They all produced a zombie-like feeling that I hate, but with duloxetine that feeling didn’t set in for a while.
For the last seven years and especially the last two, I’ve really cut back on drinking. I drink maybe once every 2-3 weeks now, usually having about 5 beers in a sitting (probably still too much). I exercise regularly and do yoga a few times a week. I eat a low-fat, moderate carb version of paleo. I supplement Vitamin C, D3, K2, and Magnesium, and occasionally zinc. Blood tests are all normal, except I have high cholesterol (hence the lower-fat paleo version). I feel a lot better than I did 7 years ago, but nowhere near what I felt like at 19.
I am interested in devising a stack that will help me with my anxiety problems and my cognition. Based on experimenting with things in isolation over the last 6 months or so, I’ve identified the following things as being useful to me.
Ashwagandha: I take small doses because I find the suggested dose causes anxiety. This “sparks” my mind more than anything else I have taken. Perhaps something related to its effect on the thyroid, even though thyroid numbers are within normal ranges.
Rhodiola: subtle mood elevation and better ability to concentrate.
Gotu Kola: Just learned this stacks wonderfully with ashwagandha and tempers any overstimulation from it.
Honokiol: very soothing and calming, almost like Xanax.
Curcumin: only taken a few times and it may be in my head, but felt clearer-headed with better mood.
Inositol: very good for anxiety.
Uridine + DHA + Choline, but not the true combo (I get choline and DHA from foods). I eat liver weekly and three soft-boiled egg yolks every day. I also eat ¼ of salmon every day. Concentration has improved quite a bit after adding 100 mg uridine to this.
Lithium carbonate: I’ve taken this a few times in large doses and it elevates mood and is excellent for anxiety, but unfortunately gives me terrible acne. Ditto the orotate. I’m definitely not bipolar- if anything, the exact opposite.
Luteolin- no benefits seen, but some intriguing research behind it.
I don’t want to overdo things in devising my first stack. How does the following look?
Ashwagandha (Swanson 200 mg twice a day)
Gotu Kola (Natures Way, 950 mg once a day)
The Uridine (100 mgs for now) + DHA + Choline combo, again choline and DHA are from food.
Inositol (½ teaspoon (1.2 grams) twice a day)
Curcumin (Jarrow 95, 500 mgs once day)
Lions Mane Powder (plan on taking 2-3 grams a day)
I like Rhodiola and Honokiol, but they are a bit redundant on top of the Ashwagandha and Gotu Kola, respectively.
I know there are lots of other things that might be beneficial (Bacopa, racetams, etc), and I may look into those in a few more months, but is there anything about the above stack that would pose contraindications, or would necessitate cycling? I think most everything in it can be taken for a considerable time without tolerance problems, except maybe for the uridine.
Thank you for any and all advice. This forum is a great resource and I’ve learned a lot by lurking. I know all these “help me, I’m brain damaged from alcohol/drugs” threads all seem the same after a while, so thanks for reading.
