# Experiment #1 Memantine 10mg



## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I got a bunch of meds. I am starting with just memantine for now and I ll start adding more later.
Took my first pill 4 hours ago. ITS AWESOME! I was planning to take 5mg first and then increase the dose 10mg. But I forgot that I took the 10mg pills and I had to cut them in half. So I took 10mg.
OMG. THIS IS AWESOME!!!!!!
I cant begin to describe how I am feeling. Right now I am typing with the speed of light! Actually I am typing faster than I can think. lol. I have an abundance of energy!
The feeling I have are exaclty the same as when was taking MDMA! I amn starting to think that there was a mixup in the factory and they put MDMA inside instead of memantine!
The knot/pain I had in my diaphragm/solar plexus is GONE! Instead I have a warm malting feeling in its place!
My pupils are really dialated. I think my body temperature is slightly higher than normal.
Right now I am actually craving for human interaction. I am feeling more impulsive. Music brings deep feelings to me like with MDMA.
I am noticing things that I didnt notice before like how when I look from left to right my eyes dont pan smoothly from left to right but rather jump from object to object. I ve been using my eyes to see for 32 years and i never noticed that?
When I am talking to people I am feeling that I am projecting feelings with my words rather than just words.
Anxiety, what anxiety?
Food tastes so good!
Before I had obsessive compulsive disorder that manifested itself mainly physically. I had to constantly move my legs and I had to constantly move my fingers like I was playing piano. Now I can stay still and be quite contented. Actually it feels better when I am still.
Words come very easilly to my mind. Before I was getting stuck for a few seconds until I found the word I was looking for. Now words just flow.
There is a part of my brain that doesnt work/ has brain fog. Its the crappy one! Before I had to think before I speak or write. Now its automatic. Like theres a direct connection rather than having the crappy part of my brain mediate.
I think that all those sypmtoms can be classified as mildly hypomanic.
I hope that feeling lasts!
I dont know what you guyz were describing about side effects. This is awesome!
I am not sire if its relevant, but I am also taking licorice extract with this which increases cortisol. And have also changed my diet since 3 days ago to eating carbs that are low in glycemic index. I saw a slight but evident change in my mood and energy just from those changes alone.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

I hope you can sustain this feeling man, but this is awesome!

*Memantine strikes again!!!*
:nw

To be honest this does sound a bit like mania, but it could also be that memantine has killed your problems, and you are this amazed by feeling normal for the first time!

I also got a PM from someone else that liked this stuff, also on he's first day, its amazing how so many ppl love this stuff, including me:clap.

Time will tell wheter you can sustain this feeling. I really hope for you it isnt mania.


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

what? Memantine = good? HOW!!??? Thats an ALZAHIMERS's Disease medicine. Why are you peoples so stupid and self-- medicating yourselves, gosh...U all shall die, then i will be be telling you, so, you all had it comings to you....:no ...... die .

JK


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> I hope you can sustain this feeling man, but this is awesome!
> 
> *Memantine strikes again!!!*
> :nw
> ...


Only time will tell. I ll start writing down what I ate that day so that I wont forget. maybe it has to do something with it. If next day I am feeling different I ll try and replicate the diet and see if I get the same feeling.

Late Evening day Before (22:00):
Cashew Nuts
1 apple
1 pear

Night Before (00:30):
Special K with Semi Skimmed Milk

----SLEEP 01:00-05:00------

Morning (05:30):
3x420mg Liquorice
1 Apple
1 Pear
1 piece of 80% dark chocolate.

Morning (08:00) 
Protein Shake

Afternoon (12:00):
Chicken Burger with fries (fries was my only vice this day. Its quite high in Glycemic Index. Also white bread in chicken burger)
Fanta Zero
1 Clementine.
A-Z Multivitamins
Omega 3-6-9
MSM, Glucosamine, Chondroitin
Finasteride for hair loss
Folic Acid

----SLEEP 14:00-17:00------

Early Evening (17:00):
Humus with Pita Bread
2 Pears
1 Clementine
1 piece of 80% dark chocolate
3x420mg Liquorice Extract
10mg memantine.

Evening (19:00)
Protein shake with Baileys (yummy)

Thats my diet mainly every day. Then it repeats itself. Only thing that really changes is the afternoon lunch and instead of humus I might eat something else like greek yogurt. Its easier for me to keep track of what I am eating this way.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> what? Memantine = good? HOW!!??? Thats an ALZAHIMERS's Disease medicine. Why are you peoples so stupid and self-- medicating yourselves, gosh...U all shall die, then i will be be telling you, so, you all had it comings to you....:no ...... die .
> 
> jk


Haha:clap.

@karoloydi
Yeah, keep us updated on the memantine man.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> what? Memantine = good? HOW!!??? Thats an ALZAHIMERS's Disease medicine. Why are you peoples so stupid and self-- medicating yourselves, gosh...U all shall die, then i will be be telling you, so, you all had it comings to you....:no ...... die .
> 
> JK


At least we're gonna die happy:boogie


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> Humus with Pita Bread


i really wish i had some Hummus right now, its really good. pita bread doesnt taste good with peanut butter though, ive tried it multiple times, it just doesnt work as well as hummus. U also mentioned drinking a Fanta orange.....the combination of Fanta + hummus = a popular meal, in the Africana/middle east/ places......where you originate from? Cuz my dad always talks about eating the same thing, and he makes hummus and buys Fanta all the time. iz good. my dad= from africa/lebanon


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> At least we're gonna die happy:boogie


you my friend are a genius. Im totally getting your jist.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> i really wish i had some Hummus right now, its really good. pita bread doesnt taste good with peanut butter though, ive tried it multiple times, it just doesnt work as well as hummus. U also mentioned drinking a Fanta orange.....the combination of Fanta + hummus = a popular meal, in the Africana/middle east/ places......where you originate from? Cuz my dad always talks about eating the same thing, and he makes hummus and buys Fanta all the time. iz good. my dad= from africa/lebanon


The humus pitta idea I got it from a chicken restaurant here in England called Nando's. They served it for appetiser. I am originally from Greece. Hummus is popular in Cyprus. I think lebanon has similar cuisine with Greece.
If you have pitta and peanut butter, try adding sliced banana to it. Havent tried it yet, but I am good at conceptualising tastes in my mind. It tastes good in my mind, if that makes any sence. lol


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Personally, i hope you are feeling less euphoric tomorrow as you sound a bit too manic for my liking. 
Besides, i'm gonna check out the licorice extract, looks interesting. Thx for mentioning it.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> Personally, i hope you are feeling less euphoric tomorrow as you sound a bit too manic for my liking.
> Besides, i'm gonna check out the licorice extract, looks interesting. Thx for mentioning it.


Licorice is good if your cortisol is low. It will increase your blood sugar and blood pressure. Dont take it if your blood sugar or blood pressure is high. Just make sure you get the proper one. Not the DGL one. The DGL version has the active ingredient removed.
Before I started taking it my blood pressure was 85/50 which was low. Now its 90/60, which is the low normal. Sometimes its 100/60

I kinda like the feeling of this memantine high. I hope that I have this feeling for a couple of hours after I take memantine and then it fades slightly after a few hours. I find it really theraputic having that feeling.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

My blood pressure has allways been on the low side. I'l look into it.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> My blood pressure has allways been on the low side. I'l look into it.


If you take it better not take it like me. I take it morning and evening cause I work during the night. It would be better if you took it morning and afternoon, otherwise it could interfere with your sleep if you take it in the evening.


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> The humus pitta idea I got it from a chicken restaurant here in England called Nando's. They served it for appetiser. I am originally from Greece. Hummus is popular in Cyprus. I think lebanon has similar cuisine with Greece.
> If you have pitta and peanut butter, try adding sliced banana to it. Havent tried it yet, but I am good at conceptualising tastes in my mind. It tastes good in my mind, if that makes any sence. lol


dude, NICE!!!! peanut butter + banana, i have both of those rite now. im not sure about pita bread, but ill use normal bread if not. yeah, Greece, i wasnt sure wat they called it....Mediterranean. thats it. not middle east. like Africa/mediteranean region. yeah food tastes really good now, the more codeine and memantine, and less amphetamine = food tastes good / ilike food.

im trying the banana+PB combo rite now, i shall report my experience. interesting talent tho, conceptualizing tastes in your head.....i never really thought about that


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Is there anything that will stop tolerance to memantine? lol


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Vini Vidi Vici said:


> dude, NICE!!!! peanut butter + banana, i have both of those rite now. im not sure about pita bread, but ill use normal bread if not. yeah, Greece, i wasnt sure wat they called it....Mediterranean. thats it. not middle east. like Africa/mediteranean region. yeah food tastes really good now, the more codeine and memantine, and less amphetamine = food tastes good / ilike food.
> 
> im trying the banana+PB combo rite now, i shall report my experience. interesting talent tho, conceptualizing tastes in your head.....i never really thought about that


If you are feelign a bit adventurous try adding a bit of cinnamon. That starts sounding like our meds experiments. lol.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Its 00:05. Its been 7 hours since I took memantine. I am not manic any more. I am still euphoric but I am feeling sleepy. But this is my normal sleeping time, so its nothing abnormal. My pupils are still dialated.

Hope tomorrow when I wake up I wont crush and burn.
I think I ll be ok.
If I am not as euphoric tomorrow when I wake up, but I am euphoric right after I take the dose this evening then I might think about taking 5mg 3 times a day. This will make me less manic but keep me euphoric through out the day.
I ll see how it goes for the first week. Maybe I am just a bit manic today while I am adapting and tormorrow I ll feel normal.

Will report back after 5 hours.
I ll leave you with two awesome jokes I ve read:

"You can see the great firewall of china from cyberspace"
"In the old days boys wanted to enter the priesthood. Now its the other way around"


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## inVis420 (Jul 15, 2009)

Memantine is good stuff. I've been taking 5mg a day for several weeks now, and i'm just now starting to see its tolerance prevention ability. I took one 20mg adderall XR + 5mg memantine this morning after a 4 day break from adderall and it has worked great all day. I lost the magic there for awhile but today the addy is working like it did during the first few months and this is just from 20mg.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Woke up an hour ago. My mood is going back to normal. I am feeling slightly above baseline. My pupils are not dialated any more.

I think memantine totally cured my ADHD for those hours.
Look at this link. There are a bunch of studies there and they all show that glutamate in the frontal cortex is elevated in children with ADHD:

http://www.neurotransmitter.net/adhdglutamate.html



> Frontal-striatal glutamatergic resonances were elevated in the children with ADHD as compared to healthy control subjects. No differences were noted in NAA, Cho, or Cr metabolite ratios.These findings suggest that frontal-striatal Glx resonances may be increased in children with ADHD in comparison with healthy control subjects


All the other studies are among those lines as well on that page.

Heres something else that I found on that page that might make bupropion and memantine a synergistic combo for ADHD:



> The results indicate that attention level is related to the amount of norepinephrine release, and that attention quality is related to the interaction between dopamine and glutamate releases.


I ll see how it goes with just memantine. If I am not satisfied I ll try 3x5mg a day memantine first (every 8 hours).Then I ll try 4x5mg (every 6 hours). If it still wont give good results then I ll drop down to 3x5mg or 2x5mg or 1x10mg and try bupropion.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Once again theres a link with glucose. I am not surprised.

http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(08)00075-2


> An important feature of glucose homeostasis is the effective release of glucagon from the pancreatic α cell. The molecular mechanisms regulating glucagon secretion are still poorly understood. We now demonstrate that human α cells express ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs) that are essential for glucagon release. A lowering in glucose concentration results in the release of glutamate from the α cell. Glutamate then acts on iGluRs of the AMPA/kainate type, resulting in membrane depolarization, opening of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels, increase in cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration, and enhanced glucagon release. In vivo blockade of iGluRs reduces glucagon secretion and exacerbates insulin-induced hypoglycemia in mice. Hence, the glutamate autocrine feedback loop endows the α cell with the ability to effectively potentiate its own secretory activity. This is a prerequisite to guarantee adequate glucagon release despite relatively modest changes in blood glucose concentration under physiological conditions.


http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/content/abstract/269/3/E551


> In conclusion, intravenously and orally administered glutamate stimulates insulin secretion in vivo via an excitatory amino acid receptor and improves glucose tolerance.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1874333/


> Oral (l)-glutamate enhances glucose-induced insulin secretion in healthy volunteers in a concentration-dependent manner.


*The above show the link between glutamate and glucose in the body.*
*The following link shows link between glutamate and glucose in the brain. In Layman's terms it says that Low Glutamate=High Glucose in Brain:*
http://ccforum.com/content/14/1/R13



> *Elevated brain glutamate can also result from insulin-mediated reduced glucose availability resulting in reversal of glutamate uptake processes **[**53**]. In vitro insulin impairs glial glutamate uptake by reducing expression of GLAST/EAAT1 transporter **[**54**] and by possibly impairing ATP-dependent pump processes resulting in transmitter exocytosis **[**55**]. These alterations could explain insulin-mediated increases in brain glutamate at low brain glucose levels below 5 mM compared with episodes in which insulin was not administered. At brain glucose levels above 5 mM, administered insulin did not influence brain glutamate, suggesting that underlying brain glucose level is important to prevent insulin-induced increase in interstitial glutamate.*


I am starting to think that yesterday I experienced an intense sugar high. This is what I think happened. The combination of my diet, liquorice and memantine might have increased the blood sugar in my brain.
-Liquorice increased my cortisol which in turn increased insulin resistance which in turn increased blood sugar.
-My Diet in Low glycemic index carbs also reduced the need for insulin and provided a steady influx of glucose to my body.
-Memantine reduced glutamate which in turn increased glucose metabolism in brain.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

rocknroll714 said:


> Your reaction is very.. atypical. Me and many other people here actually find memantine dysphoric, at least for the first few days. It's also turned me retarded and I'm still typoing all over the place.


I hope I wont turn manic and start cross dressing after a few days. lol
Its 08:00. I am starting to feel euphoric again. Not as euphoric as yesterday. Somewhere between my baseline and yesterday. But I felt big improvement in my mood since I ve woken up. My pupil dialation coincides with how I am feeling. They are a lot more dialated than normal but less than yesterday.
Heres whats my diet since I woke up:
A small ammount of cashew nuts left over from yesterday.
1 pear
1 banana
1 clementine
1 piece of 80% dark chocolate
3x420mg Licorice 
Protein Shake

I am curious to see if someone that will replicate my diet will have similar euphoric results with memantine, or if its just my neurochemistry. I dont want to change my diet at the moment. I am enjoying this a bit too much! lol


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

inVis420 said:


> Memantine is good stuff. I've been taking 5mg a day for several weeks now, and i'm just now starting to see its tolerance prevention ability. I took one 20mg adderall XR + 5mg memantine this morning after a 4 day break from adderall and it has worked great all day. I lost the magic there for awhile but today the addy is working like it did during the first few months and this is just from 20mg.


Thats great to hear.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

karoloydi said:


> Once again theres a link with glucose. I am not surprised.
> 
> http://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/abstract/S1550-4131(08)00075-2
> 
> ...


Very interesting.

Social anxiety has also been connected to high glutamate levels too (PMID: 18206286).


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Its 11:30. I just had my lunch.
Marks and Spencers pasta with chicken bacon and sweetcorn.
I am even closer to the state I was yesterday. I am close to getting hypomanic again.
My mood is definately improved after eating.
My blood pressure is 100/60. Thats pretty good for me. My blood pressure is a good indicator of my energy levels.
But I am also noticing my OCD is slowly creeping in. I am starting to move my legs and fingers and toes again.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

i'm on 20mg memantine and i think i have excessive sleep problem with it
i can't awake before noon(up to 12 hours sleep a day) while when i was on levodopa i had a very short sleep time(usually 4-6 hours a day)
has anyone experienced similar problem with memantine or this is caused after levodopa discontinuation?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Ehsan said:


> i'm on 20mg memantine and i think i have excessive sleep problem with it
> i can't awake before noon(up to 12 hours sleep a day) while when i was on levodopa i had a very short sleep time(usually 4-6 hours a day)
> has anyone experienced similar problem with memantine or this is caused after levodopa discontinuation?


So this started after you stopped taking ldopa? Why did you stop taking it?

How long have you been on 20mg?


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

crayzyMed said:


> So this started after you stopped taking ldopa? Why did you stop taking it?
> 
> How long have you been on 20mg?


yes, i started memantine after l-dopa discontinuation.
i usually stop meds after trying them for a reasonable period to try other meds and also to have some break.
i started memantine about 4weeks ago and have been on 20mg for about a week.
i'd heard that memantine reduce sleep because of its agoism on d2 receptors.


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## Rymdis (Mar 14, 2010)

OP:

What are u taking Memantine for? OCD, Social Anxiety or Depression?

Does it still keep you felling great?


/R


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Rymdis said:


> OP:
> 
> What are u taking Memantine for? OCD, Social Anxiety or Depression?
> 
> ...


I have OCD, anxiety and inatentive type of ADHD. But I mild case in all of them. Maybe ADHD is a bit bad.
So far mementine if great. but its just the first day. I ll be able to tell you for sure after a month.


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## Rymdis (Mar 14, 2010)

karoloydi said:


> I have OCD, anxiety and inatentive type of ADHD. But I mild case in all of them. Maybe ADHD is a bit bad.
> So far mementine if great. but its just the first day. I ll be able to tell you for sure after a month.


like me then  OCD and social axiety is worst for me. ADHD is only partial so it doesnt bother me too much. Also have a bothersome stutter. what have u tried before? And what were the experiences?

/R


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Ehsan said:


> yes, i started memantine after l-dopa discontinuation.
> i usually stop meds after trying them for a reasonable period to try other meds and also to have some break.
> i started memantine about 4weeks ago and have been on 20mg for about a week.
> i'd heard that memantine reduce sleep because of its agoism on d2 receptors.


If you stopped ldopa 4 weeks ago that cant be a discontinuation symptom from it. Ive never heared about this side effect with memantine before therefor wouldnt be able to say wheter it goes away again.

If it doesnt go away id go down to 10mg again, depends on the benefits, what benefits from memantine have you noticed? If any did you notice more benefits on this higher dose?

Before going down id try with LDOPA, maybe the combo gives you positives wich you didnt have with ldopa on its own.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Ehsan said:


> i'm on 20mg memantine and i think i have excessive sleep problem with it
> i can't awake before noon(up to 12 hours sleep a day) while when i was on levodopa i had a very short sleep time(usually 4-6 hours a day)
> has anyone experienced similar problem with memantine or this is caused after levodopa discontinuation?


I am not experiencing any problems with sleep. I am fully awake when I want to and I can go to deep sleep when I want to with memantine.
But I remember when I was on sinemet (l-dopa/carbidopa) that I was feeling a bit low in energy and sleepy for a few days after I took it. But nothing serious. But I was only taking it once a week. Probably if I was taking it for a long period I would be like you.


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## mark555666 (May 1, 2008)

My question has nothing to do with this thread (sorry for that) but can memantine also work to reverse tolerance for benzo's/amphetamines? (CrazyMed  ? ) tnx. I start tomorrow with 5 mg and after some days i will increase it to 10mg. See how that goes.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Freesix88 said:


> My question has nothing to do with this thread (sorry for that) but can memantine also work to reverse tolerance for benzo's/amphetamines? (CrazyMed  ? ) tnx. I start tomorrow with 5 mg and after some days i will increase it to 10mg. See how that goes.


Anecdotally it seems that memantine accelerates the speed of how a break reverses tolerance, nothing how illusionalfate and invis noticed how the effectiveness of amphetamine was restored to how it worked the first few weeks by just a break of a few days. Those ppl also take amphetamine only 3/4 days a week, so its possible that tolerance wasnt programmed as "hardcore" in the brain and needed less of a break then ppl that take amphetamine daily (this is just my own suggestion, i dont really know).

Id first go to 10mg, take a break of a few days, and test amphetamine again, if it is without succes take a longer break. A really bad tolerance could need a month break.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

For benzo's, i havent seen many reports so i dont know.

I also dont know how much you take amphetamine/benzo's, if you take both daily i highly suggest to take a 1 day break every week and go to a minimum of 30mg memantine a day divided in 2 doses.


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## mark555666 (May 1, 2008)

Thanks I'm excited to start with it.

I don't go over 10 mg because unfortunately i don't have the money for that.

I read (wiki) that sociability is related to low binding of the d2 receptor. Since memantine is a d2 agonist is could work very well for SA.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Freesix88 said:


> Thanks I'm excited to start with it.


Yeah, keep us updated.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I just experienced a bad trip from memantine.
At around 18:00 I started worrying about my health, that memantine and licorice are gonna cause me to have a stroke or something. Then I started checking my blood pressure every 10 minutes. The stupid blood pressure meter started giving me weird mesurements. I am not sure if its broken or something. One time it showed that I had high blood pressure, the other time it showed me low blood pressure. Thats within a matter of minutes. My disastolic pressure was ranging from 45 to 60, usually around 60. But the systolic was all over the place. One minute it showed 80. Then within matter of minutes it went to 136. Then back to 100 again. Then to 110. Then 120. Then 90. 
Maybe I was having a panic attack or anxiety attack and it was affecting my blood pressure. I was having that tight knot on my diaphragm again. 
And another funny thing happened. While I was taking my blood pressure I felt like a jolt of energy going through my brain.
Actually this was identical to the bad trip I had from MDMA. Yes folks, I am the only person in teh world that had a bad trip from MDMA.lol. And I am sure it wasd MDMA cause my friend took the other half and was feeling great. It was excactly the same again. When I took the MDMA that time I was having fear that something bad is gonna happen to my health cause I took it. Thats how the bad trip started.
At 19:00 I took another 10mg. 
Now its 21:00 and I am starting to feel a bit better. 
My pupils are dialated. Talking to people makes me feel better.
Is mamantine making me bipolar? I just thought a cool username. Bipolar Bear. lol 
Maybe yeaterday my serotonin was depleted.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

> I am the only person in teh world that had a bad trip from MDMA.lol.


Not the only person. After about taking MDMA 150 times i got nothing but bad trips. (not recommend lol ). It started on occasion and after a while i got bad trips all the time when i took MDMA, but ive used it way too much, took it twice a week.

It seems that the licorice root in combination with memantine gives you bad mood swings, either mania or feeling like this.

I would stop taking the herb for a while and see how memantine works out on its own.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> Not the only person. After about taking MDMA 150 times i got nothing but bad trips. (not recommend lol ). It started on occasion and after a while i got bad trips all the time when i took MDMA, but ive used it way too much, took it twice a week.
> 
> It seems that the licorice root in combination with memantine gives you bad mood swings, either mania or feeling like this.
> 
> I would stop taking the herb for a while and see how memantine works out on its own.


I ll reduce the dosage to 4 pills a day instead of 6. If I stop it cold turkey that could make my blood sugar and blood pressure to take a dive.


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

ah thats nothign popping a couple pramis cant fix! i heard a jaguar and lion come to you and cure your anxiety! seriously though i think starting out at 5mg a day would have been a better idea to see how your body reacts at a mild dose.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Its 23:00 and I am feeling great again. Like yesterday. A bit hypomanic. Not sure what happened before. Its the same MDMA like high.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

podizzle said:


> ah thats nothign popping a couple pramis cant fix! i heard a jaguar and lion come to you and cure your anxiety


lol


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

karoloydi said:


> Its 23:00 and I am feeling great again. Like yesterday. A bit hypomanic. Not sure what happened before. Its the same MDMA like high.


im jealous. mine should be here in a couple weeks


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## GnR (Sep 25, 2009)

This stuff ain't cheap. I might need another job to try this lol. Looks pretty cool though.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I was looking into studies to see if theres a link between the liquorice and the atypical reaction I am having to mamantine (MDMA like high).

Look at this guyz. I think its the liquorice after all:I couldnt find the original study. I found this in M&M forums
http://www.mindandmuscle.net/forum/lofiversion/index.php/t7690.html



> Results: Counterregulatory hormones significantly increased during hypoglycaemia in both conditions. Memantine treatment further enhanced the cortisol response to hypoglycaemia compared to placebo, while baseline levels of cortisol and other hormonal parameters remained unchanged. Also, rated symptoms and cognitive functions were not affected by memantine.
> 
> Conclusion: We conclude that NMDA receptor blockade enhances the counterregulatory hormonal response to hypoglycaemia. Hence, endogenous glutamate signalling may contribute to the hormonal response to hypoglycaemia, and NMDA receptor antagonisation could ameliorate defective counterregulation and prevent hypoglycaemia unawareness in patients with diabetes mellitus.


I also found this study they did to test cortisol levels in NMDA antagonists.
Ketamine increased cortisol levels but memantine didnt. 
(Maybe this has to do something with the fact that Ketamine gets you high and memantine doesnt.)
So it looks like memantine on its own doesnt affect cortisol, but it potentiates cortisol.

http://www.nature.com/npp/journal/v24/n5/full/1395602a.html



> Cortisol levels steadily declined during placebo and memantine infusion with nadir levels at 80 min. In contrast ketamine increased cortisol serum levels at 60 min after infusion, which differed significantly from the decrease observed after memantine or placebo infusion (F = 7.68, [df = 12]; _p_ < .001; Figure 1).


I am expecting my glucose monitor to arrive soon. I ll let you guyz know what I find. Maybe I am experiencing hyperglycemia, but when I checked Wikipedia the symptoms dont really seem familiar to what I am experiencing. I reduced the dose of liquorice for the time being.

This is something interesting I read in wikipedia:



> The acute administration of stimulants such as amphetamine typically produces hyperglycemia; chronic use, however, produces hypoglycemia


Does this have something to do with the fact that you build tolerance to amphetamins. And also with the fact that memantine reduces tolerance to amphetamine? Just some food for thought.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

If you guyz are from UK and are interested in a free glucose monitor go here. They give away free glucose monitors:
http://www.lifescan.co.uk 
On the right hand side of the website's page it says "Get a free meter". You have to pretend you have diabetes and are using one of the competing products. When they ask you for treatment type select "insulin". If you select "Unknown" or "Exercise and Diet" the website will say you have to call and provide more information. So just select "insulin". When they ask you your current meter select any of the Accu-Check products. If you say you are using one of their products it will ask you for a serial number. So just say you are using one of the competing products like Accu-Check.
I think the same company has websites in other countries that give away free monitors. Type lifescan and then your country in google and check.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I did a new search about Alzheimer's and glucose in brain.

Heres what I found:
http://www.futurepundit.com/archives/005819.html



> A new study from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine has found when the brain doesn't get enough sugar glucose -- as might occur when cardiovascular disease restricts blood flow in arteries to the brain -- a process is launched that ultimately produces the sticky clumps of protein that appear to be a cause of Alzheimer's.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Day #3. Its another awesome day! My mood is excellent! I am craving for social interaction today. And When I do I dotn stop talking. It feels so rewarding socialising! Is this how normal people feel? Or am I hypomanic? I dont know. This feeling is quite new to me. Usually I have to make an effort to socialise to the point that its not pleasurable any more.
But now, every time I talk to someone i slike a rush of dopamine in my brain! 
I reduced the liquorice to 2x420mg pills instead of 3 this evening. I didnt notice any difference. And in the morning I took 2 pills early at 05:00 and then another one around 07:00. Still didnt notice any difference.
I also noticed that I feel less tired since I started taking memantine. 
This afternoon when I woke up I felt like I I was normally before I started taking memantine. I think the effect of memantine wears of after around 10 hours.
I ll see how it goes. I might go for 10mg in the morning and 10 in the evening after 1 month. 
People reported that the side effect diminished after a week. But its day 3 and its exactly the same. maybe the duration is slightly less, but not the quality. And I am not 100% sure about the duration. It could be the same.
But I definately noticed that when I wake up I feel like the effects of memantine stopped. Then when I start becoming more active and eat something they come back again.


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

GnR said:


> This stuff ain't cheap. I might need another job to try this lol. Looks pretty cool though.


its like $1 a day sure beats a lot of recreational stuff


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

podizzle said:


> its like $1 a day sure beats a lot of recreational stuff


The generic costs considerably less. I get it for $0.35 a pill and thats for the 10mg pills. 
I can get $0.25 a pill for the 5mg pills.
So its about $10 a month for the pills per month. Not that expensive. I can think of a lot of crap that I can stop spending my money on to save money for memantine.


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## ElRey (Apr 9, 2010)

Slightly off topic (but I didn't want to start a new thread for it). Would it be safe to take aniracetam and memantine along with NAC? Would that even make any sense? Any opinions on it would be appreciated.
*
*


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

MDMA? Not sure I'd compare it to that. It does seem like you are having an abnormal reaction to it. MDMA for me is something else entirely.

I'm also on day 2 and the side effects (brain fog,etc) have diminshed. Today I feel bloody fantastic!! Life is worth living. It's great to be alive. Maybe something that antagonizes d2 receptors is what I have been in need of all along? This feels like an anti-depressant to me. Or even what an SSRI should be like 

Is there anyone here who has taken this long term? Do these effects last?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Thorsten said:


> MDMA? Not sure I'd compare it to that. It does seem like you are having an abnormal reaction to it. MDMA for me is something else entirely.
> 
> I'm also on day 2 and the side effects (brain fog,etc) have diminshed. Today I feel bloody fantastic!! Life is worth living. It's great to be alive. Maybe something that antagonizes d2 receptors is what I have been in need of all along? This feels like an anti-depressant to me. Or even what an SSRI should be like
> 
> Is there anyone here who has taken this long term? Do these effects last?


Hey, we know eachother from imminst i beleive, i posted some experiences on memantine+ a racetam.

I highly doubt its the agonism of the D2 receptors that causes all its positive effects, imo its just its NMDA antagonism. Since glutamate has been implicated in lot of disorders its no suprise that many ppl find succes with memantine.

Ive taken it for a month and the positive anti OCD effects lasted all month, needed to stop taking it as i ran out tough.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

ElRey said:


> Slightly off topic (but I didn't want to start a new thread for it). Would it be safe to take aniracetam and memantine along with NAC? Would that even make any sense? Any opinions on it would be appreciated.
> *
> *


Memantine and aniracetam may theoretically interact, but i havent seen many reports on the combo to say for sure. NAC may syngerize with memantine as its also anti glutaminergic (by a differend mechanism).


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

You post as Medievil on Imminst? 
These forums look great by the way and are probably more geared towards my condition although there is some good stuff on Imminst.

I really hope these effects do last. I'm pretty impressed with it so far. Like you say it might not be related to this effect entirely. Although seeing these beneficial effects so early on does make me wonder about the damage that glutamte must be doing each day that passes (if the positives are related to mainly the NDMA). On the other hand it is kinda vital otherwise our brain's would be like vegetables! Anything that makes me feel this good is alright by me though.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Thorsten said:


> You post as Medievil on Imminst?
> These forums look great by the way and are probably more geared towards my condition although there is some good stuff on Imminst.
> 
> I really hope these effects do last. I'm pretty impressed with it so far. Like you say it might not be related to this effect entirely. Although seeing these beneficial effects so early on does make me wonder about the damage that glutamte must be doing each day that passes (if the positives are related to mainly the NDMA). On the other hand it is kinda vital otherwise our brain's would be like vegetables! Anything that makes me feel this good is alright by me though.


Yeah, thats me.

Yes, glutamate is indeed vital and that is exactly where memantine shines, its only a antagonist with a moderate affinity wich doesnt interfere with normal glutaminergic transmission, but instead curbs unwanted overactivation of the NMDA receptors.

I havent read about memantine effects quickly pooping out before so your response is very promosing, keep us updated and i hope it stays working as good.

On the net there are a few reports of dramatic improvement upon starting treatment with memantine indicating that glutamate played a major role in their psychological problems.

Imminst is a excellent forum for learning more about achieving a optimal health and lifestyle.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> MDMA? Not sure I'd compare it to that. It does seem like you are having an abnormal reaction to it. MDMA for me is something else entirely.
> 
> I'm also on day 2 and the side effects (brain fog,etc) have diminshed. Today I feel bloody fantastic!! Life is worth living. It's great to be alive. Maybe something that antagonizes d2 receptors is what I have been in need of all along? This feels like an anti-depressant to me. Or even what an SSRI should be like
> 
> Is there anyone here who has taken this long term? Do these effects last?


Its great to know I am not a freak of nature. OK....maybe I did a bit.
Whats your dose?


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

I started at 20mg which is probably a bit high for a starting dose but I'm feeling the benefits already. I'm not gonna lie, day one was pretty bad in terms of the side effects. I had really bad brain fog, forgot what I was doing from one thing to the next but there was also this dissociation effect. 
Day two has been amazing so far. I am only taking Memantine, nothing else right now (well apart from fish oil). I've blitzed my house today and sorted out stuff that I've been procrastinating for ages. I feel really good. It's quite a unique feeling. Not sure I could even describe it lol. I don't think it's going to change my life completely but if these effects last then i'm looking forward to times ahead


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> I started at 20mg which is probably a bit high for a starting dose but I'm feeling the benefits already. I'm not gonna lie, day one was pretty bad in terms of the side effects. I had really bad brain fog, forgot what I was doing from one thing to the next but there was also this dissociation effect.
> Day two has been amazing so far. I am only taking Memantine, nothing else right now (well apart from fish oil). I've blitzed my house today and sorted out stuff that I've been procrastinating for ages. I feel really good. It's quite a unique feeling. Not sure I could even describe it lol. I don't think it's going to change my life completely but if these effects last then i'm looking forward to times ahead


I think I ll go for 20mg too. This evening I started feeling down again. It looks like when memantine effects diminish I start feeling down. Cause it always happens in the evening.
How long does memantine stay in your body?
Or maybe its the licorice effects are diminishing. I dont know.

But my energy levels are always high regardless of my mood. And I need less sleep than before. Before I was feeling lazy and sleepy all day. I did some housework today too. I figured its hard to relax if the house is a mess.
And unlike you guyz it actually cleared my preexisting brain fog from day 1 instead of causing me brain fog. And I didnt experience any memory problems. Maybe cause apart from taking sinemet a few times I was free of drugs for long time. I dont even drink alcohol.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

> How long does memantine stay in your body?


Thats largely dependent on your diet, it can get excreted 6 times faster on a acidic diet. Also the window of effects isnt the same as the half life, even tough it could have a half life of 100 hours, 2 doses a day are optimal.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Took another 5mg this morning. This is a total of 15mg a day. I ll try this for a while. 10mg and after 12 hours another 5mg. 
I am feeling really confused. Like I am stupid or something.lol
But I am feeling really energetic still. Normally I would stay at home and watcha movie or something. Now I find that boring. I am going out walkies with my son. 
Mood is good. But the extra dose didnt provide any extra happiness boost. Just confusion. 
Oh, wait. I forgot to take my licorice this morning! I am taking another 2 pills now. When I come back I ll tell you guyz if licorice improved my confusion.
CU


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Came back early cause I was afraid my stupidity was gonna get me in trouble (And I was kin of right. More about this later))
So, I am buying those cookies for my son. I give my credit card to the cashier and he goes to get the card scanner. When I see him coming back I start looking for my credit card. I totally forgot I gave it to him within a matter of 10 seconds. was like "Oh my god! I lost my credit card" (good thing I just though this and not said it out loud). Then the guy come back and I can see my card inside. Even then I couldnt recall I gave it to him.
Then I come back home. I found the front door open! Good thing I came back early. 
When I was out I could see lots of girls smiling and me and I was thinking "yeah, I am hot!" Then I came back home and I look in the mirror and I realised that I had toothpaste all over my mouth. lol
On a positive note, my social anxiety is totally gone. I even had a conversation with a complete stranger on the bus. Usually I would just smile and nod and feel awkward if a complete stranger tried to talk to me.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

> when i was out i could see lots of girls smiling and me and i was thinking "yeah, i am hot!" then i came back home and i look in the mirror and i realised that i had toothpaste all over my mouth. Lol


LOL :haha

Looks like the root prevented the cognitive side effects to occur (personally id trial memantine without taking the root for a few days, and see whats it like on its own).


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

crayzyMed said:


> LOL :haha
> 
> Looks like the root prevented the cognitive side effects to occur (personally id trial memantine without taking the root for a few days, and see whats it like on its own).


I am going to do 15mg(2x5mg and 1x10mg) instead of 1x10mg. Hard thing is cutting the pill in half. I dont have a pill cutter. I must invest in one. They are quite cheap.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I am still experiencing this pain/pressure in my diaphragm/solar plexus now and then. It doesnt really seem to be related to my mood that much. 
I know I sound like a hippy, but its like theres a blockage of energy there.
Edit: I just did a search about pain in solar plexus and I found the same answer in 3 different forums. They say its normal. Lots of people doing meditation experience it. Its a sign of your solar plexus chakra awakening.
Another use for memantine! Awakening your chakras! lol.

Read this:


> The third Chakra is the home of _*self esteem*_. This is the place where we feel anxiety.


I also noticed that when I am interacting with people that pain is gone. But when I am alone and bored it comes back.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

LOL!!!!
While I was looking for my pain I found one other guy having the samepain in the solar plexus as me. he is on Wellbutrin. Maybe I have too much norepinephrine in my body. Dont know.
Now, the reason why I am loughing! If you have OCD you ll get it :haha :



> Wellbutrin doing it's thing," and as it happened I had a choir audition (this is a new thing, about which more later), and I didn't want to have dry mouth when, while I was trying to sing. So I stop taking the Wellbutrin. My dry mouth goes away. I sing fine. I get in the choir. But then I'm like, "Well I'm still not sure that the Wellbutrin was causing the brain zap,"&#8230;and get this: I've already&#8230;I have this pill box that allows me to set aside two weeks' worth of pills at one time. And I take several supplements, so it's worth it to me to put them all in their two weeks' worth of boxes every other Sunday so that I have them for the next two weeks and don't have to think about them. Well, the last time I did this, I had budgeted in my distribution of pills my starting Wellbutrin again so that I had put the pills in the boxes. And here's the thing: I feel pressure to take the Wellbutrin simply because I have put them in the boxes. It is very hard for me psychologically to just take the ****ing pills out of the box and throw them away. And on top of it all, after I get in to the choir and figure it's not such a big deal if I have dry mouth if it's going to solve the riddle of the brain zap for me (I've become more obsessed with the experiment than concerned with whether the medication is doing me any good)&#8230;and so I start the Wellbutrin again a couple of days ago&#8230;and within a couple of days, no brain zap, no dry mouth. But I do have this peculiar resurgence of irritability and depression. Now, here's what you should be thinking, Garth Goldberg: "Why the **** - since you were doing fine-ish without the Wellbutrin - why the **** don't you just quit taking the ****ing medication???" "Because, you see&#8230;don't you see? I've put the pills in the boxes. And I want to make them neatly disappear, as I have planned. I have planned out for my taking them, and I want to take them. I can't put them in their bottles again, or throw them out, because that's not what I have planned."


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Its my second day on 15mg. 
I am feeling dizzy. Like I am drunk. I am totally uncoordinated. I keep dropping things. My hands feel weak.
My brain is still a bit slow.
My OCD nervous manifestations (shaking legs, moving toes & fingers) are completely gone.
Pain in the diaphragm comes and goes. The good thing is that it goes away when I am talking to people . So its gonna be a good way to condition myself like Pavlov's dog. Pain in my chest when dont talk to people, reward when I talk to people. Maybe really social people dont feel comfortable with themselves when they are alone and this is why they seek the company of others.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

Why do people consider Memantine a 'dirty' drug?


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

mike8803 said:


> Why do people consider Memantine a 'dirty' drug?


Where did you read that?


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> Its my second day on 15mg.
> I am feeling dizzy. Like I am drunk. I am totally uncoordinated. I keep dropping things. My hands feel weak.
> My brain is still a bit slow.
> Pain in the diaphragm comes and goes. The good thing is that it goes away when I am talking to people . So its gonna be a good way to condition myself like Pavlov's dog. Pain in my chest when dont talk to people, reward when I talk to people. Maybe really social people dont feel comfortable with themselves when they are alone and this is why they seek the company of others.


TBH that sounds a bit "dirty" to me :lol


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> TBH that sounds a bit "dirty" to me :lol


Thats just the side effects for about a week dude.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> Thats just the side effects for about a week dude.


I know, I was just teasing.

Mike likes to go around advocating MAOIs instead of just popping pills everyday, but as someone on MAOIs, I can indeed say that every single day, I still pop 'til I drop.


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## mark555666 (May 1, 2008)

My experiences so far with memantine after 5 days on 10 mg:


Totally destroys my OCD
It has some anti depressant activity / anti anxiety and it feels good
The first days I felt a bit 'out of this world' it sounds vague because it is but I like it. I didn't experience any brain fog or whatever.
It potentiates all drugs that I sometimes take. Like benzodiazepines, caffeine, amphetamines and nicotine.
It looks like memantine resets the reward area in the brain very fast. Memantine works very good on it's own.! wheee


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Freesix88 said:


> My experiences so far with memantine after 5 days on 10 mg:
> 
> 
> Totally destroys my OCD
> ...


Awesome news!!:clap:boogie


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> I know, I was just teasing.
> 
> Mike likes to go around advocating MAOIs instead of just popping pills everyday, but as someone on MAOIs, I can indeed say that every single day, I still pop 'til I drop.


Beware people! I think I found a really bad side effect of MAOIs.
THEY TURN YOU INTO A TROLL! :troll


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

I just feel popping pills everday isn't a way to cure or atleast try to diminish SP. I feel you should find 1-2 medications that work best for you and go from there, its about trying to get rid of the SP and not enjoy popping pills like there nothing as a drug addict would.

::2cents::


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

mike8803 said:


> I just feel popping pills everday isn't a way to cure or atleast try to diminish SP. I feel you should find 1-2 medications that work best for you and go from there, its about trying to get rid of the SP and not enjoy popping pills like there nothing as a drug addict would.
> 
> ::2cents::


Come on. Be honest. You work for the pharmaceutical company making nardill dont you?


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

This is my third day on 15mg. I am adapting quite quickly. The stupidity is almost gone. The dizziness too. Theres about 80% reduction compared to yesterday. Still taking 4x420mg licorice a day.
I ve been very talkative today. 
I also feel its more easy to talk to people. But in a different way than when I took sinemet+5HTP. When I took sinemet+5HTP I think my increased sociability was due to my increased confidence. With memantine its like confidence doesnt have to do anything with it. It just comes naturally to be social.
But to be fair I havent been into any "fish out of water" situations like a party yet. So I am not sure how I would react in a situation like this. But with people I have been around with before I feel very comfortable and sociable.
OCD is also severely reduced.

Theres a party I am supposed to go on Saturday. Its my wifes cousins. She asked me to go without her and she ll meet me there after a few hours. Thats a situation that will normally bring me huge amounts of anxiety. My wife is always my social crutch.
I think I ll take 15mg memantine + sinemet + 5HTP and see how it goes.
Or maybe just take 15mg memantine + bupropion? I have some and want to try this.
What do you guyz think?


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## csrpj (Feb 24, 2010)

karoloydi said:


> This is my third day on 15mg. I am adapting quite quickly. The stupidity is almost gone. The dizziness too. Theres about 80% reduction compared to yesterday. Still taking 4x420mg licorice a day.
> I ve been very talkative today.
> I also feel its more easy to talk to people. But in a different way than when I took sinemet+5HTP. When I took sinemet+5HTP I think my increased sociability was due to my increased confidence. With memantine its like confidence doesnt have to do anything with it. It just comes naturally to be social.
> But to be fair I havent been into any "fish out of water" situations like a party yet. So I am not sure how I would react in a situation like this. But with people I have been around with before I feel very comfortable and sociable.
> ...


that's 5 days from now... maybe by then you'll be fine with memantine alone?! wait as see, and feel out how you are thursday, friday, and especially saturday during the day (unless it's a day party).


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

karoloydi said:


> Come on. Be honest. You work for the pharmaceutical company making nardill dont you?


Nah, i'm just a regular ol' fellow looking to get rid of my SP :clap


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

Haha this Mike guy is great!! He is a character. 

My Memantine update. 
Abandoned my 20mg dose. Fog after the 7th day just wouldn't go away (it had gone down about 70% by the second day but the remaining fog just persisted). So it just lingered, holding back on the true beauty of Memantine. 

So today I decided as a change of pace I would pop 10mg for the first time and bang the positive effects are still there in equal measure but the fog is completely gone. Eradicated. This, for now, is my sweet spot. Less it is more it seems for me, well right now anyway. Plus the annoying stomach upsets seem to not be there too. So it seems I was just taking too much. Even better considering I bought 4 months of supply @10mg a day (I thought I would be taking 20mg maybe going up to 30/40mg in time).

I have also experimented with Afobazol on top of Memantine but for me it didn't work. The occasional tiredness you can suffer from on Memantine is not helped by Afobazol. I do plan on adding Trivastal when I get paid on the 25th and this will be the next experiment for me (I plan on taking Memantine religiously but with something added on on to help with mood,motivation). I was pretty dissapointed by the Afobazol experiment because it is a great stand alone drug for anxiety but it was pretty detrimental to the Memantine experience.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> Haha this Mike guy is great!! He is a character.
> 
> My Memantine update.
> Abandoned my 20mg dose. Fog after the 7th day just wouldn't go away (it had gone down about 70% by the second day but the remaining fog just persisted). So it just lingered, holding back on the true beauty of Memantine.
> ...


Poppin' baby!!


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

Pop baby pop!! I suppose we're all poppin' till we drop

Haha only kidding man...We're all in the same boat here....peace to you bruv


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> Haha this Mike guy is great!! He is a character.
> 
> My Memantine update.
> Abandoned my 20mg dose. Fog after the 7th day just wouldn't go away (it had gone down about 70% by the second day but the remaining fog just persisted). So it just lingered, holding back on the true beauty of Memantine.
> ...


If 20mg is too much for you why dont you have a go at my method?
Have 10mg when you wake up and then have another 5mg midday. I know its a pain in tha *** to cut the pill in half with your teeth evey day. But you can give it a go and if you think it works for you you can buy a pill cutter. They are cheap.


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

I think in time I may do this yeah. I have access to pill crushers but not pill cutters but they are cheap so I'll have to invest in one. 
It's gonna be my aim to get to 20mg again eventually but for now I'm happy at 10mg. 
By the way I still haven't heard from those guys about the glucose monitor:idea

What does the licorice do for you by the way? Reduces your blood pressure....Any other effects? I've never heard of it as a supplement before


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> I think in time I may do this yeah. I have access to pill crushers but not pill cutters but they are cheap so I'll have to invest in one.
> It's gonna be my aim to get to 20mg again eventually but for now I'm happy at 10mg.
> By the way I still haven't heard from those guys about the glucose monitor:idea


Yeah, me neither. :no 
I got one from ebay for £5 cause I got tired of waiting.
Liquorice increases your cortisol levels, which is good if your blood sugar is low. It will also increase your blood pressure. Cortisol is also high when you wake up and low when you go to sleep. So it should help you feel more awake.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

Thorsten said:


> I think in time I may do this yeah. I have access to pill crushers but not pill cutters but they are cheap so I'll have to invest in one.
> It's gonna be my aim to get to 20mg again eventually but for now I'm happy at 10mg.
> By the way I still haven't heard from those guys about the glucose monitor:idea
> 
> What does the licorice do for you by the way? Reduces your blood pressure....Any other effects? I've never heard of it as a supplement before


Licorice increases blood pressure... and can do so quite drastically.


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

ah right definitely not something I'm after


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

4th day on 15mg. The stupidity is 99% gone. Tonight I feel really concentrated.
I also have a strange feeling. Like I feel my brain working inside my skull.
Also for the past two days I ve experienced in a couple of occasions like a de ja vouz, but not exactly.
A stimuli like a sound or smell triggers a memory from the past. But that memory is only the feeling I was having in that moment in the past rather than actual memory of something. 
Theres no word in the dictionary to decribe it so I ll make one up!:b _Synemnemesia_ (Like synesthesia is a combination of two senses. Synemnemesia is a combination of two memories, one is the memory in the past, the other is the memory forming now in the present). Thats from the greek _syn_ meaning _plus_ and the greek word _mnemi_ meaning memory.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

karoloydi said:


> 4th day on 15mg. The stupidity is 99% gone. Tonight I feel really concentrated.
> I also have a strange feeling. Like I feel my brain working inside my skull.
> Also for the past two days I ve experienced in a couple of occasions like a de ja vouz, but not exactly.
> A stimuli like a sound or smell triggers a memory from the past. But that memory is only the feeling I was having in that moment in the past rather than actual memory of something.
> Theres no word in the dictionary to decribe it so I ll make one up!:b _Synemnemesia_ (Like synesthesia is a combination of two senses. Synemnemesia is a combination of two memories, one is the memory in the past, the other is the memory forming now in the present). Thats from the greek _syn_ meaning _plus_ and the greek word _mnemi_ meaning memory.


heh, I thought that was normal? I get that all the time. I just kind of thought of it as emotional memory.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> heh, I thought that was normal? I get that all the time. I just kind of thought of it as emotional memory.


Yeah. I had it before. but it was quite rare before. 
I think its related in the way the brain is storing memories. I think when the brain is finding two similar memories it is storing them in the same place to save space and thats what causes the experience.
Maybe memantine is doing some tidying up in the memory department. lol


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## ElRey (Apr 9, 2010)

After 3 days of 5 mg I took 10 mg today and there's definitely at least a subtle effect going on. I've had absolutely no brain fog, however I think my OCD is actually worse today, or at least the same. I have more a "Pure-O" type of OCD with some slight compulsions. Did anyone else experience this?

For those whose OCD symptoms improved on memantine, when exactly did it start to improve? Right away or did it take a while?


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## Vini Vidi Vici (Jul 4, 2009)

when i started Memantine, and then after every dose raise, it would take about 3 days before i really noticed any benefit for OCD. During those first 3 days, usually my OCD would stay the same or even get a little bit worse. But after 3 days, i definetly noticed immediate and strong reducing of my OCD symptoms..........my obsessions, would still come quite frequently...and as usual they would cause distress and panic, (this is the awesome part) - but without me doing ANYthing, ...I would just suddenly realize, that the obsessions were fake, and best of all, I could just let it slide away, and the obsessions would LEAVE !!! Totally awesome.....Im taking Dexedrine and other stuff with Memantine now......but, During my breaks from Amphetamine, I would usually only take Memantine, and my OCD would diminish greatly (due to the Memantine's effects, but also somewhat due to the Amphetamine not being in my brain) ** 

yay for Memantine. Im 100% sure, that I will be taking Memantine for the rest of my Life, (unless a better version of Memantine comes out, which I highly doubt). 

** I am not a Drug Rep for whatever company makes Brand-name memantine......I have no bias or ulterior motives influencing my reports of Memantine. I get my Memantine extremely cheap, from India......thus, I sincerely praise Memantine, in a completely honest/innocent manner.


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

does it work alone for SA? Im about ready to fire my current doc if she fails me again. Ill ask her for it if it works at all for SA.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

ElRey said:


> After 3 days of 5 mg I took 10 mg today and there's definitely at least a subtle effect going on. I've had absolutely no brain fog, however I think my OCD is actually worse today, or at least the same. I have more a "Pure-O" type of OCD with some slight compulsions. Did anyone else experience this?
> 
> For those whose OCD symptoms improved on memantine, when exactly did it start to improve? Right away or did it take a while?


Its the first time I ve read about Pure-O. After googling it, I realised that I am Pure-O and thats why the normal descriptions of OCD didnt fit me. 
I am having thoughts sometimes like:
"What if I jump off the balcony right now?"
"What if I drop my son on the rail tracks?"
This would be followed by a full blown scenario in my mind of what would happen and how exactly would happen at which point all reality has disappeared from in front of my eyes and I am absorved deep inside my thoughts. I think thats a good example of how OCD and ADHD are related.

Smoking weed made my Pure-O symptoms really extreme. I never realised before how obsessive compulsive weed was making me. I now understand what kind of nightmare people with extreme OCD are having. And what I read its true. When I was trying to fight it on weed I was just making it worse.

Now that I think of it, I think what you said about memantine making your OCD more Pure-O sounds possible. AFter taking memantine the physical manifestations of my OCD like having to move my fingers and toes have been severly reduced. I noticed on the first days that I started worrying that memantine would kill me and started taking my blood pressure obsessively. But I am not experiencing this any more.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Foh_Teej said:


> does it work alone for SA? Im about ready to fire my current doc if she fails me again. Ill ask her for it if it works at all for SA.


So far its helping me. I am just taking memantine at the moment. But I am still adjusting to it. I ll be able to know for sure in a couple of weeks.


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

right now im on inderal, klonopin, and remeron but they just dont cut it. of course ive been on this board for several years and tried nearly everything with little success. Memantine is the newest drugs ive come accross that i hadnt previously known about and willing to explore its potential. I dont have ocd so those effect are irrelevant to me. 

On a side note, im on my 6th guinness (+ klonopin) and dont give a damn about much right now


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

ElRey said:


> After 3 days of 5 mg I took 10 mg today and there's definitely at least a subtle effect going on. I've had absolutely no brain fog, however I think my OCD is actually worse today, or at least the same. I have more a "Pure-O" type of OCD with some slight compulsions. Did anyone else experience this?
> 
> For those whose OCD symptoms improved on memantine, when exactly did it start to improve? Right away or did it take a while?


After 3 days being on 10mg i noticed a improvement.


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## ElRey (Apr 9, 2010)

Thanks for the replies and advice, guys. It's weird, I thought I noticed a definite improvement on day 3 of being on 5 mg but then on day 1 of being on 10 mg it seemed like things got worse. I'm assuming because of the bump up in dosage.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

ElRey said:


> Thanks for the replies and advice, guys. It's weird, I thought I noticed a definite improvement on day 3 of being on 5 mg but then on day 1 of being on 10 mg it seemed like things got worse. I'm assuming because of the bump up in dosage.


Yep, that was the problem, after 3 days the improvement should return and be better then before.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

@Thorsten
Sucks that afobazol doesnt synergize with memantine, does it block the beneficial effects of memantine?


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

It made me feel pretty stupid at the doses I tried but I haven't given up.
I reduced my Afobazol dose to 5mg and this seems to synergize fine with 10mg Memantine. So in theory they do work together but for me it's all about the dose. When I was taking 20mg Memantine and tried 20mg Afobazol that was a bad idea (I almost passed out at my computer LOL)


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Cool, thats good news since i still have lots of afobazol lying around.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Today I feel like there are no positive or negative effects from memantine. I feel exactly how I felt before I started taking memantine. I dont feel as talkative or social or confident as the previous days. Energy is a bit low.
Hope the honeymoon period with memantine is not over. 
OCD is still reduced.

I took the memantine 1 1/2 hour later this evening (19:30) and liquorice about 2 hours later (19:30), so maybe it will start working a bit later. I ll report again if anything changes.

I was also hoping that memantine will put a stop to my headaches, but no such luck. I am still having headaches with the same frequency and severity as before. But to be fair my headaches seem to be coming from my eyes.


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

sinuses?


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I was right. Memantine hasnt pooped out on me yet. The problem was I took it a bit later than usually. 
I never realised how unhedonic I was before until now. It was like there were no highs or lows. Its like memantine enhanced my emotions. 
I am still nowhere near the MDMA like effects that I was noticing on the first few days, but its a noticable improvement over what I used to be like before.
I am not sure if memantine would be a good treatment for depression. Cause its not giving you that stupid happy that some other drugs give you. It is just enhancing your emotions. So it might make you even more depressed.
Overall I would say my experience with memantine is positive so far.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I ve noticed something really weird happening with memantine.
Every time I talk to people its like a surge of dopamine is rushing thourgh my brain. I just finished to someone for a few minutes. I am feeling kinda high.
Thats weird. Its like I am actually feeling reward from talking to people. Is this how normal people feel?


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

karoloydi said:


> I ve noticed something really weird happening with memantine.
> Every time I talk to people its like a surge of dopamine is rushing thourgh my brain. I just finished to someone for a few minutes. I am feeling kinda high.
> Thats weird. Its like I am actually feeling reward from talking to people. *Is this how normal people feel?*


Yes


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

I feel that sense of reward too. I am taking more risks without the annoying self doubts that would normally be there. I feel far more motivated on it.
I haven't mentioned this yet but since starting Memantine my libido has been much higher than normal. I have felt the rush of stimulation too, especially during these periods where I have experienced high libido, listening to music I love and just interaction during my day.

I hope the effetcs continue. If they don't then Memantine will have to join the long list of meds that need to be cycled. That would kind of suck but hey that's homeostasis for you.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> I feel that sense of reward too. I am taking more risks without the annoying self doubts that would normally be there. I feel far more motivated on it.
> I haven't mentioned this yet but since starting Memantine my libido has been much higher than normal. I have felt the rush of stimulation too, especially during these periods where I have experienced high libido, listening to music I love and just interaction during my day.
> 
> I hope the effetcs continue. If they don't then Memantine will have to join the long list of meds that need to be cycled. That would kind of suck but hey that's homeostasis for you.


Yeah, I noticed increase in libido too! Every day for the last week! I took the last two days off cause I didnt wanna mess my dopamine system.


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## mike8803 (Feb 21, 2010)

supz cracky


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

Who's Mike talking to now? LOL

some guy called Cracky? Mike, there is no-one called Cracky here. Keep taking your Nardil! lol


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Thorsten said:


> Who's Mike talking to now? LOL
> 
> some guy called Cracky? Mike, there is no-one called Cracky here. Keep taking your Nardil! lol


Yeah. We are not crackheads! We are memheads!


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

do you think mike looks at his nardil and talks it in a sinister voice "why cant you be more like memantine, dont you look at me like that!!!!!" and then smacks the bottle across the room and starts to cry


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

podizzle said:


> do you think mike looks at his nardil and talks it in a sinister voice "why cant you be more like memantine, dont you look at me like that!!!!!" and then smacks the bottle across the room and starts to cry


lol
Or he looks at memantine and says:
"My Precious!"










Memantine. One pill to rulle them all​


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

lol


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

I got my glucose meter today. It looks like I am right. My mood, energy and concentration correlates perfectly with my glucose levels.
I have devised a system of keeping track of those vartiables and I ll keep recording data and see it theres a clear trend.
I made an excel sheet with the folowing columns:
Date
Time
Energy
Mood
Concentration
Glucose Levels
Special Comments (like what I ate)
I will mark my mood/concentration/energy from a scale of 1-10. 5 will be how I was before I started taking memantine. I will mark right before taking my glucose readings to avoid bias.
If you think I can improve on this test please let me know.
I only had 4 tests so far, so its too soon to report. After a week or so I ll report back to you with proper results.
I am not so sure about the time of the readings. Should I take it in random times? Or whenever I detect a change in my mood? Or in scheduled times? 
I am thinking something between the first and second.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

In the afternoon I took my son out. Having a cute baby is very good for CBT in addition to a drug. Everyone is smiling at me and wants to talk to me whenever he is doing something cute. And good thing is that he is a show man. So he is attracting lots of attention easilly. I got to talk to three people I didnt know yesterday. It didnt feel unconfortable at all. It was actually quite enjoyable. 

In the evening I went to that party yesterday (they did it on Friday instead of Saturday). It was just close friends, so it was ok for my SA. I was very talkative. I think I was the one talking the most out of everyone in the house. My mood was excellent. I have a great time. Didnt feel drained at all.

I noticed that I am getting maximum benefit when I am taking 10mg, but the duration of the benefits is only about 8 hours. 5mg doesnt give me the full benefit. 

I also noticed that when I reduced the licorice to 4 pills a day the beneficial effects got reduced. When I increased to 6 pills a day the effects got better. This is definately due to the increase in blood sugar. I measured my glucose with my glucose meter. When the effects were maximum the blood sugar was the highest as well. I ran out of test strips at the moment cause the meter came only with 10 strips. I ll do a proper test when I get my test strips for the meter.

From what I am realising all my symptoms are related to my G6PD enzyme deficiency. I found that the G6PD enzyme is needed to break down carbohydrates. 


I bumped it up to 20mg today. 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the evening. I am feeling a bit stupid again now. lol. But from what I noticed form the previous times this will last about 4 days only.
I learned my lesson. I ll stay at home today.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Second day on 20mg. Yesterday I was feeling really well. But I have been feeling really low on energy all day today. I am not sure if its cause of the increased dose or cause I ve been eating junk all weekend.
If I keep feeling like this for the next week I ll lower down the dosage to 15mg again.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Third day on 20mg. Energy is slightly improved from yesterday, but its still very low. I have no motivation at all. And dont find it so rewarding talking to people any more. OCD is gone, but my ADHD is higher I think. My mood is quite good. I ll give it till Friday. If I am still like this on Friday I ll have two choices.
Lower the dosage back to 15mg or take wellbutrin. I ll see how it goes. Maybe I ll do both.
I am starting to think that too much glutamate is noi good. but too little is not good either. I ll do some reading and see what I ll find. I think the goal with memantine should be to find the perfect balance where we have just exactly the correct amount of glutamate in our brain.

EDIT: Unhedonia has just gone. I am feeling very euphoric but I still have no energy.
EDIT2: Make that very very euphoric
EDIT3: My Pupils are sooooooo dialated. They are taking about 85% of the iris.


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## podizzle (Nov 11, 2003)

wow all this from 20mg memantine?


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

podizzle said:


> wow all this from 20mg memantine?


lol. yeah. I dont know why I am the only one trippin' on memantine. 
My guess is that it has something to do with my G6PD enzyme deficiency or the licorice. But thats just a guess.


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## Thorsten (Apr 6, 2010)

karoloydi said:


> Second day on 20mg. Yesterday I was feeling really well. But I have been feeling really low on energy all day today. I am not sure if its cause of the increased dose or cause I ve been eating junk all weekend.
> If I keep feeling like this for the next week I ll lower down the dosage to 15mg again.


Do you normally eat very healthily then? If you suddenly bombard your body with junk then it will definitely effect your energy levels in a bad way. I normally eat healthily and it really makes a difference. When I don't it makes me feel stupid, depressed and fatigued. This should be the case whether you are on Memantine or not I would of thought. The increase dose to 20mg also probably played a part. I know what you mean though. At 10mg it sometimes feels like you are not getting enough but if you were to suddenly stop taking it you'd probably appreciate what 10mg was actually doing for you. I can tolerate 15mg but 20mg is too much for me.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

An update.
All the bad side effects I was experiencing are almost gone. I am not sure if they were cause I was adapting to the increased dose or not. 
Before when I was taking 10mg in the evening and 5mg in the morning I had euphoric effects in the evening but in the morning the effects werent that strong. Now I am experiencing the same effects both in the morning and evening. 
20mg looks like the optimal dose for me. From what I am experiencing the euphoric effects last for 8 hours after I take the pill. I am taking the pill around 19:00 in the evening and the effects start about one or two hours later and last up to around 03:00 in the morning.
When I take it again around 06:00 the effects last up to about 14:00. The effects dont seem to fade slowly after 8 hours. they seem to stop quite quickly from what I am experiencing. But I am not feeling down when the effects stop.

I am not planning to add any other medication at this moment. I am quite pleased with the results I am having. I ll wait for a while and see how it goes with memantine alone.


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## yogaflame (Jan 18, 2010)

karoloydi said:


> lol. yeah. I dont know why I am the only one trippin' on memantine.
> My guess is that it has something to do with my G6PD enzyme deficiency or the licorice. But thats just a guess.


Or the placebo effect.


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## meyaj (Sep 5, 2009)

yogaflame said:


> Or the placebo effect.


No way man it's the licorice!!!

Maybe you mentioned it somewhere already but why exactly are you taking licorice?


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

meyaj said:


> No way man it's the licorice!!!
> 
> Maybe you mentioned it somewhere already but why exactly are you taking licorice?


lol.
I have hypoglycemia


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