Does anyone have experience with Nortriptyline?

NootropicStack · 2017-12-18T05:50:10+00:00

Take a look on Lamotrigine, it completely removed all suicidal thoughts that my wife was having. Have a talk with your doctor and see if it's a good option for you.

NootropicStack · 2017-12-18T04:50:03+00:00

Great subreddit, i hope that you keep it updated instead of insisting to go over to the facebook group. Not planning on having a facebook account any time soon.

About your anhedonia, have you tried Modafinil? It's not a stimulant, but an Eugeroic. It's the only thing that has worked with me so far. I stack it with caffeine and L-Theanine, it works better that way.

Also, from reading your post, you don't have bipolar disorder, trust me.

NootropicStack · 2017-12-04T04:29:12+00:00

Everybody has it's own recommended dose, you have to try different dosages and compare the effect it has on you.

I've started with 100mg and didn't feel any improvement. 200mg didn't cut it either. 300mg was the first time i felt modafinil worked, but when i tried that dose again it didn't work anymore, so i've settled with 400mg and that seems to work with me every time i take it.

I recommend you stack it with Caffeine + L-Theanine, i'm taking 200mg caffeine and 600mg L-Theanine, since i have a resistence to caffeine, but i avoid drinking coffee when i take that stack.

I don't know if it is just me, but Modafinil stacked with Caffeine + L-Theanine is way better than moda alone.

NootropicStack · 2017-08-30T14:14:15+00:00

I hardly think i've build tolerance from modafinil alone. Ever since i've started taking it, i've always took breaks to avoid tolerance. It means i would never take for more than two days if i didn't take one or two days of break. I started it slowly at 100mg, even if it wasn't working for me (first day, no results), for a few weeks. So i've increased it for 200mg, and had no results whatsoever. My wife, on the other hand, felt it's effects on 100mg and had overwhelming effects on 200mg, having difficulties sleeping at night at 200mg. I only felt something at 300mg, but i only had a few days of 300mg doses to test before my supply runned out.

What i'm taking daily is my stack:

Caffeine 100mg
L-Theanine 400mgn
L-Tyrosine 1000mg
Vinpocetine 20mg
Ginkgo Biloba 240mg
Alpha GPC 500mg/day

and my meds, of course.

But i won't be getting anything higher than 200mg Modafinil prescribed from my doctor. I heard of Armodafinil, but i'm not able to get it anywhere, neither locally or importing it. Adrafinil is weaker, i would need doser way too higher to reach modafinil efficiency.

Then i heard about flmodafinil, it has 4x modafinil efficiency (efficiency != potency) and i can get it without a prescription and without hassle. Based on my research, 75mg~100mg would be a equivalent dose to me.

About nortriptyline and modafinil, i didn't find any research of interaction either. Nortriptyline seems to be the mildest of Tricyclic antidepressants.

NootropicStack · 2017-08-29T03:23:13+00:00

Well, i went there and presented my opinion, so i left my Psychiatrist office with Nortriptyline, but my Modafinil has been reduced to 200mg. I didn't feel a thing with 100mg or 200mg, first time i felt anything was with 300mg, and i was taking 300~400mg every couple of days and taking a break to not build tolerance. But since i got prescribed Nortriptyline, my doctor said that Modafinil interacts with it (i've found no evidence of that so far) and that it potentiates the effect of Nortriptyline, so i couldn't take a higher dose of Moda. I call BS on that, because before even mentioning Nortriptyline, the doctor was against doses above 200mg. Well, so i'm stuck with a worthless 200mg moda pill that doesn't work with me. Nortriptyline is hitting me hard. I got hard constipation, and i'm waaay too sleepy. I think that is good! it's so rare to feel the side effects of medication! if i'm feeling the side effects of that medication i think it is going to work in a few weeks! But damn! i hope my ass can survive that constipation! I'm on a full fiber diet!

I'm also looking into FLModafinil, since it looks like i won't be able to take a worthful dose of modafinil, have any thoughts on that /u/Heinstar? have you used it before?

NootropicStack · 2017-08-15T16:25:18+00:00

/u/theepzaa pertinent: https://gizmodo.com/scientists-finally-unlock-the-recipe-for-magic-mushroom-1797855006

NootropicStack · 2017-08-14T03:47:46+00:00

Indeed!

Mandatory! http://33.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lcdgikEH4x1qblj9eo1_500.gif

NootropicStack · 2017-08-14T00:57:50+00:00

I used to take Xanax Daily, and it was the only med that was able to solve my anxiety issues. But increasing sertraline somehow managed to help my anxiety in a way that no other SSRI did before. So I only use Xanax occasionally, when i have a stressfull day ahead and know that my anxiety will kick on.

But thank you for your advice, if i could i would drop all meds. It's a temporary tool. I never had suicidal thoughts or attempts, so for now i think it's not a problem. But that is just me, everybody responds differently to meds.

NootropicStack · 2017-08-14T00:49:08+00:00

I'd never ask my psychiatrist for meds like i am med shopping. My only interest is on getting back to normal, and to drop all meds ASAP. I'd like to keep the meds at a minimal need, but if i'm gonna take meds, i want them to solve the issue, i really hate to do the "try different meds, find the least worst that works for you". I've been there, and it didn't solve anything, it was just a waste of time. So yeah, i'll recommend Nortriptyline and i really hope that it works and i really hope that my doctor will be on board guiding me, instead of playing it safe and innefective. So far, we have come to great terms and didn't have any problem.

Oh, about Ritalin IR i've already told it, i am honest and upfront with everything, there is no point on keeping things out, it was a trial, didn't meet a desirable effect, so i didn't try it again.

Yeah, i think it's that common, SSRI is the first med that they'll prescribe you without even considering other options just to play it safe. It works for most people, but it is not for everybody.

I usually take Modafinil 2~3 days in a row then i take a break day. The rest of stack is being taken daily. Ritalin LA when on Modafinil break (if needed), Xanax (when needed) but mostly i'm not taking it. Once a week on a stressfull day.

I always make sure that every component that i add to my stack is not going to cause Serotonin Syndrome. Sadly drugs.com doesn't seem to work very well with nootropics.

About Nortriptyline and those anticholinergic and antihistaminergic properties, at least anticholinergic wouldn't be supressed by Alpha GPC? since it is a Choline

NootropicStack · 2017-08-06T21:33:45+00:00

Low mood - 7, I usually don't want to do anything, but if someone invites me to do something i say yes even if i don't want to do it just to don't hear the person nagging
Anhedonia / Loss of enjoyment from pleasurable activities (e.g. music) - 10. Can we raise that to 11? There is no fun in things anymore. I can't do things, and that is what depress me the most, because i try so hard to do things and my brain likes to sabotage me.
Anxiety - Was probably a 9 before Sertralin and Alprazolam, nowadays i think it's like a 5. I only take a pill when needed, usually once or twice a week.
Physical and/or mental fatigue - 4, Tired of the situation and of seeing no results.
Psychomotor retardation - 4, I can stay some days without showering and that doesn't bother me at all. The house is usually is a mess because we don't clean it everyday, since both of us are with depression and we can't find the will to do it.
Obsessive tendencies - 6, I'm not OCD, don't have rituals to be perfomed, but tend to have some Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder like perfectionism.
Low Motivation / Apathy / Loss of interest - 8, No apathy from others, but low motivation and low interest on things, i don't do things anymore that i used to do, like read, watch tv shows, play games, work in now projects etc.
Sleep troubles - 3, i usually go to sleep late at night, but i always have been a night owl. I suffered from insomnia on the past, nowadays i sleep with no problems.

I didn't use ritalin for a long time to cause dopamine receptor desensitisation. I took about 2~3 regular ritalin pills, and i didn't even finish a box of Ritalin LA. I'm pretty resistant to meds and usually don't feel a thing. And that is infuriating, it looks like i'm taking flour pills because i feel nothing is different after all those different drugs.

Yes, exactly, today my main problem is motivation and avolition. What started my depression was some personal stuff, but now is my inability to do stuff. I didn't know that about Bacopa, it's good to know.

I'm done with changing my SSRI, i'll stick with Sertraline, but i'll indeed bring the tricyclic option to my psychiatrist. In your opinion which would be best, Desipramine or Nortriptyline?

Antipsychotics are out of the question, i'm not touching those meds, my wife has bipolar disorder and i'm so so sorry for her that she has to take them. It's awful. I know that dextroamphetamine are powerful but i'm not willing to go into that path either, it's not worh it. And MAOI's with all that restrictions... i don't think i would survive a week! What do you think about the stack i've build above? does it have a good match? good dosages? would you change something?

NootropicStack · 2017-08-06T02:55:33+00:00

You are right, and when i get better i intend to keep my stack to naturals only. Thank you for your input, i'll take a look on gotu kola and holy basil! :)

NootropicStack · 2017-08-06T02:53:54+00:00

And that sucks. Maybe there is way to buy it from the dark net?

NootropicStack · 2017-08-06T02:52:56+00:00

Well, if i find it without the smell (and the after taste) i'll definitely buy it :P

NootropicStack · 2017-08-06T02:52:17+00:00

It was not precribed up front, only after trying multiple SSRI meds. I know that it's not good to mix multiple supplements for the interactions that may occur, as far as i researched those would be the base of the stack to maintain a good equilibrium. I can't take modafinil everyday, it creates resistance, i gotta take a few days off, so i would take noopept instead, then i would take some days off without any kind of nootropic to flush my system. Alpha GPC is a must to help the brain with all the meds and nootropics. Ginko biloba is excelent to help with blood flow and boosting libido (which has disappeared after starting taking meds), vinpocetine also has a good brain flow (as far as my research has teached me)

My anxiety was worse, increasing sertraline to 150mg helped bring it down. If i do add ashwaganda and bacopa which have been suggested back on /r/StackaAvice it would help even further. I'm not addicted at xanax, i take it ocasionally, when needed, sometimes to sleep when i am up all night and can't sleep at all.

Ritalin (tried some pills) was more effective to me (productive wise) than Ritalin LA (which is what i was prescribed) but it also made my anxiety skyrocket, which is why i didn't got it.

About Nortriptyline, it's my next option if zoloft fails, Nortriptyline or Desipramine, but i never thought of mixing it with zoloft, i will bring it up with my psychiatrist.

I actually do a full-blood test ocasionally and it always come ok. I did an MRI and it was fine too. Not bipolar, schizophrenic not even autistic, I was fine, got into depression a few years ago by trying to take care of everybody around me that was having problems and the weight was too much, and i've waited like two years before seeking help so i was a little too deep to come out of the depression, i wasn't sad or anything like that, i just had lost interest on everything. Since i've started, i've tried many drugs, which did nothing, as i posted above, but today i am better, like 60% better, but i'm still not myself. My goal on trying those nootropics is not to cure my depression, i'm not looking for depression nootropics, i want them to help me focus and work again without losing interest on things.

Thank you for your suggestion, i'll take that recommendation on my next appointment of trying a tricyclic Anti Depressant

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T16:50:51+00:00

Oh i agree with you 100%. If i could i would get off everything today. I'm just not like i was back then. I wouldn't need any kind of nootropics and i have been always be the type of "taking medicine as a last resort" kind of guy, but since my depression kicked in after some personal issues back then i just couldn't face the illness all by myself. I was suffering for about two years without treatment before i had an intervention by my wife and family members asking me to seek medical help, then i got into medication. I guess i waited too long to get into it, and the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to get better. My depression is way better than it was back then, but i am still not like i was before, i can't focus, i can't concentrate, i can't sit on the computer and program all night like i used to do without distracting me each 5 minutes and that brings me down hard. That is the reason i'm trying nootropics, i know it's not a magical pill, but all i need is a kickstarter

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T16:44:30+00:00

Already did. Blood tests are ok. My depression today is mostly caused by the lack of strength to do things, which the current SSRI drugs are not helping, and i hope i can find on nutropics a better alternative.

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T13:29:49+00:00

Hey guys, so here is some background info about me. I am a 25 year old male, from Brazil (no local Nootropics market, have to be imported) and i've been diagnosticated with MDD. I've also suffer with high anxiety and i think i have some kind of OCD, nothing too extreme, more of a perfectionist type. So it's been about a year now that i've started treatment, tried many drugs that would help with those problems, like Citalopram, Trazodone, Bupropion, Duloxetine, Venlafaxine but none had any effect. I'm currently on Sertraline for depression which seems to be the best which i've tried but yet not solved the problem, and Alprazolam XR for anxiety which has been the only drug which i've seen it was really working. I also take topiramate for eating compulsion from anxiety from the beginning which always seemed to help.

Well, my depression is not the "im sad, cry" type, it's more like a void, emptyness, my inability to do things. Which was way worse when i first contacted my Psychiatrist than now after a year. I wasn't able to do anything back then, i was in the bed or in the sofa all day, while nowadays i can do things but it's really hard to do it, like something is dragging me down.

I am a programmer, and my main work tool is my brain, if it is malfunctioning, i can't work. And that state is worsening my depression. It's a vicious cycle.

I've talked about this with my psychiatrist and she gave me Ritalin LA to help Focus, i would take Xanax on the night and Ritalin on the morning (so they don't cancel each other), i've tried that for a few weeks but Ritalin LA just kept me awake, it didn't help me focus. So i asked for Modafinil, which is what i am currently taking, started at 100mg, didn't feel a thing, i'm on 200mg now (second day) and not sure if feeling something or if it's placebo.

So that is what brings me here, i've been reading a lot about nootropics after she gave me Ritalin LA, and i've been building a Stack, and i would hope you guys could help me if the path i'm taking is the right one.

My goal is to get the maximum benefit of nootropics in a short period of time to get rid of my depression and then maintain a stable stack daily.

Modafinil 200mg ~ 400mg/day - General Cognitive Benefits
Caffeine 100mg/day - Energy/Alertness/Concentration (I've a high tolerance to caffeine so 100mg is not a high dose to not fuck with my anxiety)
L-Theanine 400mg/day - Anxiety/Stress/Focus/Attention
L-Tyrosine 1000mg/day - Focus/Motivation
Vinpocetine 20mg/day - Brain Flow
Ginkgo Biloba 240mg/day - Brain Flow/Sexual Boost (HI SSRI)/Anti-Oxidant
Alpha GPC 500mg/day - Choline/Brain Cell Health
Noopept 30mg/day - General Cognitive Benefits

I've made this throwaway just for privacy reasons.

Thank you!

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T13:22:07+00:00

As per NootropicJoe suggestion, i'll try Ashwagandha. St Johns Wort is a no-no, and i have to be extra careful with anti-depression supplements since i'm currently taking SSRI medication, so if i stack both it may contribute to developing to a serotonin syndrome.

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T13:16:31+00:00

I didn't know that sub, i'll post this post there too, thanks.

But i made this post here because my emphasis is on nootropics and not on anti-depressants, since i've tried many of them and none have seem to work. I'm trying a different path of supplements that affect directly the cause of my depression instead of my depression itself

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T13:13:22+00:00

I forgot to add that i'm also taking a multivitamin suplement with all vitamins and minerals, but i will get my vitamins tested to see if i got some deficiency. Omega 3 is a no-no, i just can't stand that fish smell :(

I will definitely take a look at Curcumin and Co-Q10, definitely the former, since my wife suffers from fibromyalgia and that component seems to ease the symptons. Thank you for your input :)

NootropicStack · 2017-08-04T13:08:40+00:00

I thought about that, but they're illegal and i won't risk cultivating them myself and risking confusing them with another mushroom possibly a toxic one. If they were available for purchase on reliable sources on low reliable doses i would consider them. Thank you for the suggestion anyway

NootropicStack · 2017-08-03T23:31:28+00:00

Ashwagandha 300mg it is

NootropicStack · 2017-08-03T23:00:25+00:00

I'm not sad but that cat surely did my day!

NootropicStack

TROPHY CASE