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I came across some interesting research today that may help you guys feel better about why you feel so dysfunctional for soooo long. What I read surprised me.
- Did you know that amphetamines also cause dysregulation in the dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine systems?
Those last two have a big effect on alertness, fatigue, and cognition. So, you’ve got three major brain systems affected.
In recovery, you’re not just producing less dopamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine, but for a substantial period of time your receptors are less sensitive to it, less efficient at transporting it, and using it (enzymes).
Apparently, the changes in new neurons don’t happen immediately when you stop amphetamines. For up to 5-6 cellular cycles, the daughter cells are still operating as if amphetamines are present. It’s only after 6 cycles that new cells begin to adjust, and it’s a slow gradual process happening over many generations.
TLDR: it’s normal to feel train wrecked for such a long period of time after amphetamines. Don’t let people tell you that you’re crazy for not feeling substantially better until 14-24 months!
Yeah, I’ve had glimmers, but nothing consistent (almost 11 months free high dose addy)
Yeah I’ll have to dig through my tabs. Give me a min lol
Doubtful. 99% of the resolution happens with time. Your brain has to sit with low dopamine, norepinephrine, acetylcholine, etc. levels for a while until it starts to say, “huh…. Guess the exogenous source has stopped.” And then it slowly begins up upregulate.
All we have are anecdotal reports (except one brain scan showing dopamine transporters at 14 months).
However, my guess is that for the first 6 months there’s very little movement, and then afterwards the upregulation process slowly starts and really builds steam from months 12-24.
That’s, of course, just based on what most people tell me.
It’s a very wavy line. Lots of ups and downs. The trend is positive, but it can be hard to see with the way the ups and downs are, until a significant amount of time has passed.
I so wish you could stop. You don’t want to become a daily user.
I used 60-90 (occasionally 120) mg for 2-3 years every fucking day, and I’m realistically facing a 2 year comedown.
Not for me. I was prescribed 90/day.
I’m all for trying and if it helps your general health, go for it.
Thanks. Yeah, no surprise I’m so fucked lol. Can you believe my doctor gave me access to that?
How much were prescribed? Did you take it every day?
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From what I understand, dopamine production is only one part of the equation. You also have to build up stores of dopamine, then it has to be transported properly, and then the receptors have to receive it correctly, etc. etc.
It’s far more complicated than we realize, and truthfully, the only thing that is really going to make a real difference is time.
For evolutionary reasons, the human brain upregulates very slowly.
Think about it like this:
If you’re in the wild and eat berries which quickly spikes dopamine, the brain that downregulates relatively faster is more likely to ensure survival (adaptability) than the brain that doesn’t (cave man is so high all the time he kills himself.
Now, why doesn’t it snap back quickly if the substance is taken away?
Well, imagine the potential danger: a brain that quickly goes back to normal, and then finds a substance reintroduced, may have potentially toxic high levels of serotonin or something.
In other words, it’s safer for the brain to put the brakes on quickly and accelerate slowly then to be slow to brake and quick to accelerate.