Post Your Current Medication / Supplement Stack

Overall, what supplement/medication has helped you the most?

 

Since Nootropics Depot is US-based, does anyone have a worthy alternative in Europe to buy this (simplified @slipkorneu) shopping list from:

7,8-DHF (Trk) + Asthanxanthin (NT3) + NMN (Antiox) + Q10 (Antiox) + NAC (Glutamate regulator)?

 

Hi FGG, could you give a little more info on why you chose Astaxanthin and how much did you take, of which brand? This is one supplement I've never heard of! A quick Google search says it helps with tinnitus and I see that there is a Tinnitus Talk thread on it.

I need to do some more reading, but would like to hear your experience.

 

Keep in mind that I took it while I was still relatively acute (but ended up taking it for more than a year). I chose it because it is an extremely powerful antioxidant.

I took the Sports Research brand. I was taking Nicotinamide Riboside with it, however.

Benefits:

- Tinnitus went down a few notches for me before it plateaued to where it is now.

- My reactivity is much better.

- Certain sounds that were muffled are about 15% louder.

- My night vision got a bit sharper but then I took BPC-157, got a migraine and then my visual snow got worse and my vision is screwed up bad enough where it doesn't matter.

No benefit:

- I still have moderate tinnitus and a year later it hasn't reduced it further for me.

- My hearing is still bad and I need captions on any media with background music.

- Music is still unlistenable to me (this one hurts the most for me).

Overall, I would say it may have helped turn my biggest problem into the hearing loss itself instead of a shared biggest problem with tinnitus (which still sucks but isn't as distressful as my hearing loss to me).

 

They do ship to Europe, though I understand this may be prohibitively expensive (though I would actually check). If I come across anything, I will let you know.

 

I'm sorry the hearing loss is still distressful, but glad to hear the tinnitus is becoming more tolerable. If it's any consolation, it took 2 1/2 years for me to be able to listen to music again, but my ability to enjoy it did come back even with hearing loss and tinnitus. The tinnitus still reacts to it, I just don't care. Or most days, that is.

Based on your experience and the other threads, it sounds like Astaxanthin is exactly what you said -- a good antioxidant. Doesn't seem to really be a tinnitus reducer.

 

Yeah - packages coming from the US (and now since Brexit this is valid for packages from the UK too) are taxed heavily by customs. - thank you.

Most recently had to pay 45 EUR on an 80 EUR package (keyboard stand).

 

I would have to say Xanax followed by Kava, but Kava seems pretty divisive with about 50% experiencing quieter tinnitus and 50% experiencing spikes.

 

Where do you purchase your Kava from? If you could provide a link that would be amazing. Thank you.

 

I get it on Amazon, though there are many vendors. I’ve had good results from Kalm with Kava Loa Waka. It tastes terrible just FYI, like soapy dirt.

 

Current stack:
Vitamin D3
NAC
Lion's Mane
Omega-3
Ginkgo Biloba
Curcumin
Nicotinamide Riboside
Resveratrol
Bacoba (with Synapsa)

I must say - since (re)adding NAC and Vitamin D3 this morning I have something 'peculiar' going on.

I 'm calling it light sensitivity. My MacBook screen looks a lot brighter all of a sudden and when looking away and blinking the light-streaks also stay on my eyes for a longer time. Seems light has more "trails" if that makes sense.

I also see blue streaks of light everywhere. My girlfriend even commented (out of the blue) that it looks as if I'm on drugs: "your eyes are way more open".
Also: I seem to be on Viagra or something (if you know what I mean) - very very peculiar and I'm not imagining things.

I wonder if I'm overdoing something, or if I'm actually doing something right. To be honest, this is the first time that I actually feel supplements doing anything. Must be either the NAC or Vitamin D3 because those are the only two things that are new since today. I've already done NAC a long time ago but quit for no specific reason. And I never had these 'peculiar' symptoms I have now, however I'm combining NAC with so many other stuff right now.

Any idea anyone (@FGG perhaps?)

 

I have no idea why this would be but if your pupils are dilated it would absolutely make you more light sensitive. My gut says it might be the Bacoba since, apparently, it decreases acetylcholinesterase, not acetylcholine. So it actually increases acetylcholine theoretically. Maybe it's a rebound effect in that case?

See if you can track when this occurs relative to when you take the supplements and see if a pattern emerges.

 

Coincidentally, I decided to go ahead and try this and ordered their 12 mg bottle just yesterday. It's good to see theirs is what you have used.

Would you say in general Sports Research is a trustworthy brand to buy from? There are so many brands out there that it is hard for me to decide, but they seem to get good reviews. I also like both the IGEN and cGMP certification. I just want to ensure what I'm buying is quality and legitimate.

 

Most recent list of things that have worked for me include:

CBD (THC free capsules)
Low dose Melatonin
N-Acetylcysteine
B12
Magnesium

Just got back from an ENT visit and I was encouraged to hear from him that all of these have worked to some degree for some of his patients with sensorineural hearing loss related tinnitus like I have. I learned that CBD has been showing some promise in emerging research, but that THC actually can limit the positive effects of CBD or even cause worse tinnitus. I didn't know that and had some instances where CBD seemed to work and others where it didn't or even felt worse, so maybe it was related to THC contamination. I just bought some CBD at a head shop that is guaranteed THC free, so hopefully that solves the problem. Unfortunately, it was much more expensive than the regular CBD drops I was buying.

ENT recommended a few products, and I will trial them ASAP and post my findings. One of them has many of the same ingredients I have been taking individually, so that is also encouraging. I will keep you all posted.

J

 

I can't remember who but someone else here had recommended that brand.

They seem legitimate from what I can tell but navigating supplements is a bit of a wild west approach. There is a certain amount of trust involved.

 

I'm now 4 months in. Do you think it would benefit me to try Nicotinamide Riboside at this point?

 

I don't think anyone knows who this would potentially help and who it wouldn't.

 

Blocking acetylcholine would absolutely do this. It may affect your hearing and balance as well long term. Same shit they give you at the optometrist to open your pupils.

I definitely would not take it long term systemically.

It is not targeting K channels which are modulated outside the cell. It's not a leakage pore, it's a burst one. I believe it's involved synaptically for memory, too.

 

Yeah, the lack of knowledge around this supplement is partly what has prevented me from investing into it, because it really is expensive. I also see many advise younger individuals (such as myself) not to take it. I've never gotten a clear indication why, but it is often marketed as something for older individuals.

 

Which Magnesium (type / brand / dosage) are you using, pretty please?

@FGG Today I'll skip Bacopa in my stack to see if the light sensitivity / light streaks / Viagra effect also stays behind.

 

Only in America could 1 person be taking this on a daily basis.

 

I think you're mistaking the extent to which I've been pushed with an enthusiasm for being here.

 

What I'm currently doing:

Ginkgo Biloba 120mg -- doesn't do anything for me, at this point I'm just finishing it so it doesn't go to waste. I was going to try CoQ10 after this.
Stress B-Complex -- I alternate it with Magnesium Glycinate for anxiety/stress.
NAC 1000mg
NAD+ 300mg
Resveratrol 500mg
The last three are for reducing further damage.
I'm taking a single dose of everything in the morning.

Supplements aren't a miracle for me. I tried Curcumin and Lipoflavonoids before, but haven't had luck with either. I would say I get the most out of the Magnesium and B-complex to keep my mood up. I've tried correlating my tinnitus nutritionally but haven't been able to pinpoint anything there, though I try to eat healthy regardless.

Ultimately, I think it helps a lot to know what's causing it. Ever since mine started, finding relief has always been a search in the dark.

 

I already chimed in here, but I realized I didn't give an exhaustive list of everything ELSE I tried, drugwise. In the order that I remember:
Trileptal
Cyclobenzeprine
Seroquel
Piracetam
Melatonin
SSRIs / SNRIs
TCAs incl Mirtazepine
A couple drugs I found in research papers I don't remember the names of
Potiga / Trobalt
Acyclovir and Valtrex


Trobalt did weird stuff to me that temporarily (6 weeks) broke my body worse than the tinnitus did, and that was where I gave up on "weird drugs" and why I never tried Keppra.

This is a long list, but I was pretty desperate to avoid the downward spiral of benzodiazepines. That said....

There's a point to be made here, but this isn't the place for it, and this comment comes off as pretty cold and unhelpful. I don't think @GBB wants to be in this situation.

Also, people I talk to in India and other places end up on all sorts of weird stacks. It's often more supplement based than pharmaceutical, but the US/UK are hardly the only culture to have a "ingest thing to feel better!" problem. It is a problem we've been real good at exporting to the rest of the world, though.... starting with the Opium Wars, at least.

 

Just started taking the 7,8-DHF today. Will report back if it makes a difference.

 

@linearb, how long have you been on Clonazepam, and has it lost its effectiveness over time?

 

1999-2005; no change noted in effectiveness.

2018-present: it's definitely still doing something substantial but let me get back to you in another 2-3 years :-p

 

Did you try all these supplements after you weren't on benzos anymore? Or did you take them whilst tapering off benzos? Did you find the supplements helpful?

Thank you!

 

All taken while not on benzos.

I found Valerian the most useful, and the combination of Valerian + Passionflower + Kava slightly more so.

None of these things vaguely hold a candle to the effect of pharmaceuticals.

 

I've never tried all of these together, maybe tomorrow I'll give it a shot.