8 replies to this topic

[magr]

I need to help out a 22 year old girl that did a lot of IV amphetamine for about a year or so.
She used to snort it in the past but it was not something that she did that often.

She did some opiates too like Buprenorphine and Oxycontin.

She has been off for a month now. She was never addicted and did not use daily, more like an active recreational user.

Is there any supplements that would help with recovery?
I actually don't know what long term amphetamine/opiate use does to the brain, but I thought some of you might have a clue.
She is obviously suffering from lack of energy and motivation.

She is diagnosed ADD if that matters but she doesn't take any medication for that at the moment, it's pretty mild.

I am planning on starting her on: 100mg 5HTP, 2000mg ALCAR, 400mg R-ALA and 600mg Alpha GPC along with fish oils and multivitamins.

[enigma]

If I was in your position, this is what I would advocate to her. Actually if I was in your position I too would ask life mirage for help, lol. There may be better stacks but this stack listed would probably help her significantly.

1. Deprenyl - 3mg/day(as a much healthier substitute for amphetamines)
2. SAMe - 400mg/day or idebenone 150mg/day (as non-energy robbing alternatives to 5HTP)
3. Piracetam 2.4g/day with Centrophenoxine 500mg/day and ALCAR 500mg/day (for her ADD)
4. A multi vit with high amounts of B vitamins.
5. A high EPA:DHA ratio fish oil, 2g of EPA/day, 400mg DHA/day.
6. R-ALA - 100mg/day

[scottl]

Add some vitamin C e.g. 500 mg twice a day to what Enigma said.

[nuncle]

If she has an ADHD diagnosis, it might make sense to go back on at least a low dose of medication, particularly if there's concern she might relapse into meth use. Ritalin or Adderall are pharmacologically very similar to methamphetamine, but their lower dose and administration form make them much more difficult to abuse (unless you think there's a chance she might crush up the pills and snort them). There's some recent work suggesting that these drugs may actually work to reduce the probability of relapse, presumably by increasing baseline levels of dopamine (low levels of which are implicated in the 'craving' sensation that drives much drug-seeking behavior).

The effects of drug abuse are highly idiosyncratic. Some people become rapidly addicted to stimulants after just a couple of exposures and go downhill rapidly, while others can be occasional recreational users for a lifetime without suffering serious adverse effects. If your friend was able to avoid falling hard, she should consider herself lucky. IV meth use is probably the last drug habit I'd wish upon anyone--except perhaps smoking it.

As far as drugs go, I'll leave recommendations to other people, except to second the enigma's suggestion of Deprenyl. I don't know that I'd call it a substitute for amphetamines, as its mechanism of action is very different, but it does seem to increase energy levels substantially in a subset of people.

[magr]

I don't see relapsing as an issue, seriously. It is not a problem for her. I can say this for sure, she is not a 'junkie' or an 'ex-junkie'.

She was in a very bad company earlier, that was the reason.

The issue is getting her in as good a shape as soon as possible.


We have been experimenting together with deprenyl, I got some tabs to test and I thought that it would be something efficient for her. Too soon to say anything yet.


Thanks for your insights loved ones

[lynx]

I don't see relapsing as an issue, seriously. It is not a problem for her. I can say this for sure, she is not a 'junkie' or an 'ex-junkie'.

She was in a very bad company earlier, that was the reason.

The issue is getting her in as good a shape as soon as possible.


We have been experimenting together with deprenyl, I got some tabs to test and I thought that it would be something efficient for her. Too soon to say anything yet.


Thanks for your insights loved ones

I hope your optimistic assessment of her character is accurate. However, it is kind of hard to attribute IV drug use to peer pressure. Beer and pot maybe, but sticking needles in your arms takes dedication and devotion.

[caveoli]

What was the typical dosage of amphetamine that was administered intravenously?

Was she injecting methamphetamine or amphetamine?

Edited by caveoli, 06 August 2005 - 12:06 AM.

[magr]

100-300mg Amphetamine.

Not meth...


My optimistic assesment is correct. Hard to understand maybe but that's the way it is.

[caveoli]

An intravenous bolus injection of 100-300mg of the d-amphetamine isomer is likely to cause ventricular fibrillation and probable death in the non-habitual user. I am thus assuming that this dosage was either the dosage which was injected after several months (i.e. time required for significant tolerance to develop), or that this is the dosage of street amphetamine (in which case, is usually 10-30% pure d-amphetamine). Magr, which assumption is correct?

Have you noticed any abnormalities in her movement?

Long-term high dose amphetamine usage is neurotoxic to dopaminergic neurons. Her lack of energy and motivation are due to the loss of such neurons.

To treat her psychological problems, you should consider an antidepressant drug, such as Efexor® which serves as a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (and weak dopamine reuptake inhibitor at high dosages). Stablon® may also be useful in promoting the survival and possible proliferation of replacement dopaminergic neurons.

This is merely my opinion. You should consult a good psychiatrist whom is familiar with treating the negative consequences of chronic, high-dose amphetamine use. She may also like to see a doctor and ask for urinary homovanillic acid (HVA) to be measured. HVA provides an index of dopamine release and would hence suggest whether she has indeed destroyed any considerable proportion of dopaminergic neurons.

Edited by caveoli, 06 August 2005 - 09:56 PM.