It's been a bit of a minefield trying to find reasonably priced vendors who will ship to the UK and working out what combinations to take etc. I've settled at the following, after reading here extensively. Input would be greatly appreciated.
Background:
- Struggling for 10 years with recurrent depressive disorder and have made my way through most of the SSRIs and SNRIs.
- Currently on Lithium 600mg. Dose is subtherapeutic for bipolar disorder, but has had some positive effect over the past year.
- On higher doses of Lithium, I became zombified, emotionally numb and no drive to do anything. I felt like I was just drifting along in any direction as prodded.
- On the current dose, I am more aware of myself and what I need to do, but still struggling with motivation and focus to study, hence turning here. (Also on 400mg quinine for arthritis).
Diet+exercise:
- I usually skip breakfast, toast/toastie+some fruit+soup for lunch and a balanced dinner. At my worst, I would snack on junk a lot, which I have reduced over the last 6 months. Now, the most junk will be hunger pangs at night and I grab some biscuits or nuts.
- I'm transitioning from 8 cups of instant coffee a day to green tea. I wanted to get L-Theacrine, but I wasn't convinced I would have the drive to do all the measuring out of powder etc. Also part of the reason I went for a seller with pills rather than powders (below).
- Up till 4 months ago, I'd smoke up to 20 roll ups a day. Now cut down to 8 at most, and a few puffs on an e-cig in between.
- Exercise was non-existent, building up over the last 6 months. Going for an hour's jog/run every other evening. Trying to get over the inertia to go for longer cycle rides now.
Aim:
- I have uni finals in the first week of June. I have struggled all through the course and now I just want to be done with it.
- My prospects afterwards are slim, because of my underperformance, so I am not sure what I will do if/when I graduate. This makes me very anxious, but I have learned that for the time being I need to optimise myself as much as I can to reach June.
- Everything else, the other uncertainties, I can sort out after.
Supplements (supermarket brand):
- ginkgo 120mg morning
- ginseng 160mg morning
- Omega 3 with EPA/DHA (ratio unknown): 500mg morning, 500mg evening
- Vit B complex: x1 morning, x1 evening (each pill only has 100% NRV of B1, 2, 3, 6, 9, 12)
- Standard multi vits: x1 morning, x1 evening
- Ca+Vit D: x2 evening (each pill has 50% NRV, bloodwork showed deficiency)
- Mg: 750 mg evening
(The above costs £12 pcm)
Noots:
- 50mg modafinil, twice a day as needed (from ModafinilCat, before it shut down)
I found 100mg modafinil would make me very jittery and make me anxious to the point of not being productive. I then started 50mg, sub-lingual caused the same issue but seemed to be more controlled orally. It does give me focus, but I have found myself getting distracted very easily and procrastinating. I realise no amount of Noots will sort that and I need to practise self-discipline.
Without modafinil in the morning, I would struggle to get out of bed and drag myself into lectures; on days off/vacations I would just lay in and let guilt pile up. The procrastinating has been mildly positive, in terms of getting menial things done which normally I just wouldn't want to: decluttering, tidying, throwing away shit I bought and never used. Generally, making my living space, and life in general, lighter, which I lost over the past few years.
Noots awaiting delivery:
I think I spent too much time reading threads here and related subreddits, and then found myself on CosmicNootropics. Ended up getting some of their cheaper items:
- Noopept 10mg
- Piracetam 800mg (Lucetam)
- Piracetam 800mg + Vinpocetine 10mg (Vinpotropile)
- Alpha-GPC 400mg (Cereton)
- Phenibut 250mg
I plan on:
- Noopept at 2.5mg bd sublingually (to make inventory last longer).
- Possibly rotate with piracetam.
- A-GPC if I get headaches at a ratio of 1:8.
- Possibly switch to the piracetam with vinpocetine closer to exams.
- Phenibut only if anxiety worsens and I start freaking out a lot.
Does the plan above sound reasonable?
Edited by fsa259, 18 April 2017 - 11:40 AM.
