Posted by Grouch on July 16, 2001, at 20:36:40
In reply to Re: stimulant tolerance - what to take for, posted by AndrewB on July 16, 2001, at 0:54:46
Andrew, thanks for the helpful explanation. I've read some of your previous posts about memantine with much interest. I respond well to Adderall but develop tolerance within a week or so, which makes it impractical.I don't know much about NMDA antagonists. Do you know if the tolerance prevention property is exclusive to Memantine, or could other more readily available NMDA antagonists also work?
> Stimulant tolerance is common. I haven't found a clear explanation of what causes it but it does involve hyperglutaminergic activity, let's say in the VTA. Going further with this idea, the VTA acts somewhat like a gatekeeper to the the dopaminergic system's mesocortical pathway. This pathway connects dopamine neurons in parts of the limbic system with dopamine neurons in parts of the cortex. Most notably, the shell of the nucleus accumbens in the limbic system to the prefrontal cortex. These areas are associated with apathy/motivation, attention/concentration problems, extroversion/detachment, and anhedonia/enjoyment.
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> Anyway, my personal experience is that Memantine completely prevents adderall poop-out/tolerance. Memantine is a non-competive NMDA antagonist. As such it keeps glutamate activity within the normal (safe) physiological range. My interpretation is that Memantine not only prevents poop-out but also prevents cellular damage due to hyperglutaminergic activity. Some of the damage due to hyperglutaminerigic activity is due to increased oxidative stress within the cell.
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> It should be noted that increasing dopamine metabolism in itself increases oxidative stress. Since amphetamines increase dopamine metabolites, cocommitment use of an antioxidant protocol may be prudent.
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> The protocol would specifically consist of: 1) a general phyto-nutrient/ antioxidant formula (i.e. Super Nutrition brand's "Super Blend", 2) 1 to 5mg. of selegiline (deprenyl)/day, 3) 300mg./day of Alpha Lipoic Acid, 4) N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and 5) Acetyl L-Carnitine. For both of the latter two supplements take1,000 mg. in the morning and 1,000 mg. in the evening.
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> For further information, and good place to order most of these items, go to DAAIR, a Buyer's Club serving the HIV infected population (website: http://www.daair.org/DAAIR/MEMBINFO.NSF). Memantine requires a doctor's prescription, insurence will not cover its cost, and, yes, it is expensive.
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> Best wishes,
>
> AndrewB
poster:Grouch
thread:69983
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010714/msgs/70396.html