water
- makes my headaches go away
- makes it easier to poop
- tastes good
- cools me down on a hot day
- super inexpensive, so cheap you can bathe in it
- only bad part is that it makes you need to pee
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Melatonin
I can't do sleep hygiene. My cell phone is the first and last thing I see every day. I stare at screens all day for work and for leisure. With moderate melatonin use I can somehow maintain regular and restful sleep.
No side effects if you use it responsibly (e.g. 5 days on, 2 days off, stick with low doses). Very safe. Can improve sleep even if you're already sleeping well. I don't know why more people aren't on it.
A fun hack for melatonin is that smaller doses work better than larger doses.
Yes! Scientific trials have shown that for most people, 0.3mg of melatonin gives better quality of sleep than 3mg.
I've seen pills as high as 10mg on the shelf and have to wonder wtf they're for. If you take too much your body becomes less sensitive to it and you become dependent on supplementation. 10mg is definitely too much.
It's crazy isn't it, 10mg.
I was prescribed (it's prescription-only in my country) 2mg but after I read up on it I cut it to 0.5.
Do you use NightShift and Dark Mode, those are helpful altho the name of the game is also brightness, no matter whether its a "good" or "bad" color relative to its effect on sleep
I do. I also messed with the iOS accessibility settings to color shift even more. It helps so much.
I even went to monochrome red at one point and it felt like me cellphone was actively putting me too sleep. Unfortunately monochrome also kills a lot of the enjoyment of using a phone. I was getting sleepier, but felt so bored I just wanted to find something too do to fill the dopamine void.
Fly agaric / Amanita muscaria
is the only thing that is actually mucus dissolving. You are stoned as fuck but when dried slowly they are nontoxic anymore.
They are also very funny, perfect party drug. Actually stoned, without head paranoia etc. dancing is really fun, you can lie down or move its all very funny. And no alcohol 70%-directly-in-the-liver pain the next morning.
Cannabis
is a very complex substance and not for just chilling in my experience. It can be very helpful with stress, it is like soothing the brain with this other entity. I am sure it is not, but it feels like your subconsciousness taking control. Helps a lot understanding yourself and breaking free from toxic Adrenaline-Stress-Coffee-Capitalist thinking.
It is not just for chilling, it is not "an alternative to alcohol" and it is extremely abused, especially in the US. These "roll a blunt" amounts are simply not possible with todays potent weed, and mixing with tobacco while pretending you are not addicted to that ugly goblin clinging to your brain (for me tobacco feels like that) is absurd.
I think it is immensely powerful and its by far my favourite cozy drug, it saved my psyche when I didnt even know it lol (had an unrelated accident when stoned, got stitched up without anesthesia and my ears where fucked up for over a year after that).
LSD
is also great. Its such a shame it was banned immediately. There where so many studies and psychotherapeutic sessions, it is such an intense magnifier of these therapies.
Instead you now either sit there and talk, which is only effective after a year or so (while in Germany it is extremely hard to find a place); or you work with symptoms which is more effective but can easily result in the expression of your illness just switching to another symptom.
LSD is fucking magic. The lack of the nasty body effects of Psilocybin mushrooms is very good, as these can get extremely uncomfortable. And what it does with your brain, and how you think, is just so enriching. I already cried in front of my family, had great conversations with my then still alive grandparents, and I am so thankful for the existence of this drug.
Basically all the common ones suck, Alcohol, Tobacco, Nicotine, Stimulants. They are extremely unhealthy and have no beneficial effect at all. They only help you keep running, but you can easily break during this.
LSD is illegal because the government doesn't want their working class plebeians to be happy and enlightened. we'd stop being obedient little work slaves if we were happy and enlightened.
LSD is reserved for the enjoyment of the people who make the laws. They are above the law so they can do whatever they want & enjoy life.
It really is tragic. Such an amazing class of life-affirming substances, altho I appreciate how important proper set/setting and supportive people around is to a safe and beneficial experience
Thanks and you are very correct, the legal drugs are the most damaging and harmful and mundane. No imagination to them :( Terrible, shitty drugs
Pramipexole
It's used for Parkinson's and restless legs, I use it for restless legs. I've suffered with this condition as far back as I can remember, I've always referred to myself as a part time insomniac because this would keep me up a lot of the time.
I had a period of mental health problems and was prescribed Metazapine for it, which kicked up the RLS a notch. Despite being off them now for nearly a year, the Restless Legs are still kicked up.
Pramipexole, when taken at the right time, sorts the RLS out, I can finally sleep and when I do sleep I don't kick my wife up the arse.
Side affects include hypersexualality and compulsive gambling, but I haven't experienced this yet. I have warned my workmates that it could come up in the future though so if I ever say "I bet you a fiver you can't wank me off" they know why.
Edited to bold Pramipexole
Metamucil (psyillium fibre)
It's kinda simple, but Metamucil. I would get terrible stomach aches, bloating and constipation whenever I had greasy food. Now, if I have 1-2 servings of Metamucil a day, then 1 extra right as I eat greasy food, I don't feel terrible!
Psyllium husk changed my freaking life. Probably TMI, but I used to have very severe hemorrhoid pain. I basically almost never do anymore, it's that drastic.
I'm glad to hear it! If you are lacking fiber, it can drastically improve your life.
I was shitting blood on the daily. Having had surgery for bleeding hemorrhoids, I cannot face that again. Been through some shit, but that was the worst pain of my life.
Psyllium had me back to normal in 1-week. Hope others read our words and it helps them.
Theyβre rather unpleasant, aren't they?
Dramamine!!
Oh, man.
You ever wake up on a day you want to do nothing but sleep in, but you're awake and you hate it?
Take one, rip the bong, watch some bs and take a nap π΄
Omeprazole
Got stomach bad acid? Want it go away for days or weeks on end without antacid? Omeprazole works like a dream and is available without prescription in most countries except Japan.
You don't, like, take that chronically do ya? I've heard that vigorously warned against...
Thanks for bringing this up, I'm curious about folks' experiences/thoughts regarding Proton Pump Inhibitors
I was warned not to use it chronically. I use it perhaps 2 days each month. You need to be aware of your triggers, such as fatty or spicey foods and alcohol. Also try and self diagnose stomach acid symptoms as early as possible.
It may be prescribed long term if the benefits outweigh the possible risks. If someone is taking it in their own, itβs probably better to talk to their doc about it. My understanding is that itβs safe but can have long term effects and needs to be stepped down if you stop after taking it a while
Naltrexone
I will start with naltrexone, which can help people who have difficulty regulating their drinking have a more natural and sustainable relationship with alcohol should they choose to not cut it out of their lives entirely.
Testosterone
I'd tried a few different combinations of HRT (for menopause), and was doing ok ish on oestrogen patches and micronised progesterone capsules. But I still felt like a shadow of myself, a barely functioning husk.
I ended up paying privately to see a menopause specialist (after finding out the waiting time for the NHS clinic I was referred to was at least a year and a half - just for my referral to get looked at), and she prescribed me testosterone. Within 48 hours I noticed a huge difference, I felt like I'd recovered a huge chunk of my energy and my personality.
It makes me furious that it's so hard to get. I'm not sure what state my mental health would be in if I hadn't been able to get it. I was definitely looking at having to cut hours in work to be able to cope, and that would have had a big financial impact on me.
And so many people I speak to - including women - are confused about why testosterone would help, there's so much misunderstanding about hormones, they don't know that women have testosterone and men have oestrogen. My aunt asked me whether it would reverse the menopause and I was just like er what... How would that even work?
What is usually the front line for HRT? Is it Oestrogen? Is that the same hormone that's in contraceptives?
So most contraception is a combo of oestrogen and progesterone (but there's also oestrogen only and progesterone only). Oestrogen is also the main hormone used to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, but you have to have progesterone on top of that to protect you from womb cancer (if you still have a womb).
Interestingly I struggled all my adult life trying to find hormonal contraception that didn't make my emotions out of control and spiral into destructive depression, and I gave up in the end. It happened again on my first go on HRT. After getting some professional advice I discovered that that's a known effect of the type of progesterone used in the most widely prescribed (ie cheapest) contraception and HRT. As soon as I was switched onto the micronised bio-identical progesterone it was like a dream, I felt normal. Not one doctor in all those years of trying different forms of contraception mentioned it could be the progesterone - maybe they didn't know? There definitely seems to be a scary lack of understanding about hormones that's for sure.
Testosterone in the UK isn't widely prescribed, on the NHS you can only get it through a specialist clinic, or you have to go private like I did (it cost me Β£185 for the appointment, and Β£90 for the prescription for 6 months).
The hormone doses that are prescribed in HRT are not the same amount as our natural levels have dropped by, really the 'R' in HRT is misleading as what is prescribed doesn't replace what we've lost, it just gives a little top up to lessen the symptoms.
Propranolol
Itβs a blood pressure medication that acts pretty fast. They give it to people who experience anxiety. If you sometimes get overwhelmed or have anxiety, just pop one of these bad boys and in 30 minutes youβre calmed the fuck down and you can deal with it rationally. οΏΌ
I've read studies claiming it can be used to address traumatic memories as well, because of the chemical calm and how memory works, when you visit one your brain basically opens the file, runs it on your braon, and then re-stores your memory of the current run, where you were chill through the reenactment.
N.B. Some people have a paradoxical reaction of becoming very depressed temporarily.
Idk if it's on the possible side effects yet but you can find discussions on forums etc going back decades. Very rare, and transient, but if trying for the first time something to be aware of as a risk.
Ketamine
Fast acting relief from treatment resistant depression. Personally I find ~0.8 mg/kg subcutaneously injected is about the magic dose.
After 20 odd years of living in a fog the first time I used that treatment was like night and day. I had forgotten how trivial most things are without depression. Exercise for example is just "I don't wanna but I know I'll feel better. Ugh fine" instead of something that takes about 3 days to psych up to on a good week.
I find it's very effective for about a week, dropping off over the next month or so. Unsure if lifetime sustainable at a frequency of ~2-3 weeks per dose but definitely useful to put in changes to life that make it easier to handle.
Crazy expensive medically though, if you can get it tested infusions can be prepared diy (most is diverted from medical supply so it's often not adultrated BUT NOT ALWAYS!) with bacteriostatic water and 0.22 um wheel filters. Obvs if you don't know what you're doing you could seriously harm yourself, and you absolutely must be able to secure safety measures like naloxone, but if the rope is looking mighty appealing it's an option if you can't get it medically.
It's worth noting that in the US there are ketamine therapy companies that send you oral ketamine in the mail. It costs about $120 per month and is accessible after a short zoom appointment.
Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine).
I know a lot of folks donβt like it for a multitude of reasons, but it works well for me. I take it about an hour before I get to work and Iβm actually able to focus on work as opposed to why I donβt wanna be there. Itβs great. Also helps that my job is pretty great overall, but being able to focus on actually getting up and doing stuff is great.
Yerba Mate
Honestly, I think Yerba Mate is probably the most pleasant and cleanest caffeinated beverage around. I've pretty much entirely replaced coffee at this point, as Yerba Mate seems to have all around superior effects. The unique blend of methylxanthine stimulants present (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline) in Mate provides incredibly clean stimulation with no crash and little anxiety (for me anyway). It doesn't make my stomach feel nasty after multiple cups, which I appreciate as well. The guayaki canned drinks initially got me into it, but I've since graduated to brewing the unsmoked loose leaf tea.
Nifedipine - vasodilator
This cheap and common calcium channel blocker has an effect more localized to the peripheral vessels than most other calcium channel blockers.
I started taking it as a cure for chilblains, which it was remarkably effective at despite not being officially listed for. Did my research and asked my doctor for it. Never had one since.
However I soon realized the joy of never feeling cold again. Gone are the days of taking swigs from a flask to keep my fingers thawed out while working on a stalled tractor at -30C. Gone are cold/numb feet in ski boots and rubber boots, frozen thumbs on quads and snowmobiles. I can work in my unheated shop all day!
Of course its main function is to drop blood pressure by decreasing arterial resistance, which I found provided a significant performance boost in someone with only high normal blood pressure. I box and jump rope, and realized a few days after taking nifedipine that I had been jumping so long that my legs were getting sore, but my endurance still felt limitless.
My blood pressure is down to totally normal too. So drop your blood pressure, boost your endurance and never feel cold again for under $30/month... It's a deal
L-theanine and caffeine
It's a combination that gives me energy and allows me to focus for a couple hours at a time without jitters or anxiety.
Escitalopram - Lexapro It took my anxiety from the point where I was having severe panic attacks for simple issues to where I was able to put down my problems.
Lexapro has been amazing for me as well, went from smoking weed everyday to deal with my depression and stomach issues, to not even smoking anymore, coming up on a month pot free. Its crazy how much better you feel with the appropriate amount of serotonin in your system.
symbicort
It's an inhaler corticosteroid and anti inflammatory often used for asthma but incredible for post infection cough.
If I'm ever sick and have a cough, this puts a stop to that symptom and recovery is so much faster. Don't even touch any over the counter cough medicine over this imo.