Can someone review my stack (ADHD)?

[LSD-Rumi]

I have discovered that I have some sort of ADD/ADHD and it has been the root cause for all my mental issues, so I have decided to support my brain with a bunch of nootropics to see if that really works. I am a little bit confused and there is a lot of information online, so I need some help to see if I should add/eliminate some nootropics from the stack. 

* I am specifically confused about Bacopa vs Rhodiola vs Panax Ginseng, their actions look very similar and I don't know which one to buy, should I experiment with all of them?

@Michael569 help, please?
 

Edited December 23, 2021 by LSD-Rumi

[LSD-Rumi]

My main problem is that my brain is hyperactive and sometimes starts thinking in "anal" ways, and I cannot use my mind in a good way, it is just too noisy. I tried nicotine gum and it is good, it re-establishes my normal brain chemistry. I also use NAC and inositol, they are good but I need something better, I sense like my normal brain chemistry is lost.

[Michael569]

@LSD-Rumi I don't know as much about ADHD as I'd like to, to give you an in-depth researched answer. You might consider connecting with @flowboy, Eric does a lot of research into this topic and has worked with other guys with ADHD. 

I know a little bit about the pathophysiology but not enough to be super helpful. You could start by considering some sort of genetic testing to identify any ongoing receptor mutations that could be complicating your dopamine reuptake (e.g. COMT, VNTR od DAT1 mutation). SOmething like 23andme maybe? Dunno if you'd be open to that. It is not cheap but could give you some preliminary answer. 

On the biochemical level, you want to stabilise your glutamate & glycine firing causing excessive neuroexcitation and stabilising your NDMA receptors also responsible for neurostimulation while making sure you stimulate GABA production and docking is maximised. You also want to make sure you don't manipulate your dopamine baseline too much and avoid activities that force increase of dopamine baseline levels. So basically you want to make sure not to overstimulate yourself with caffeine, stimulants, energy drinks, pre-workouts and hyper-stimulating herbs. 

You want to spend more time practising calming exercises, drinking warm herbal drinks that have been shown to stimulate GABA production like chamomile or lemon balm (do not combine lemon balm with any mental health meds tho). Things like QiGong , Thai Chi would be preferable to HIIT and Crossfit. 

Now, in terms of the supplement stack: 

It would require a huge amount of time for me to go and dig into the literature and see what's been found on each with relation to ADHD specifically, whether there are clinical (human) studies, what was the quality, size etc. But I'll just give you some of the research I did and a bit of my gut feeling. 

• Curcumin - Curcumin has been shown to correct levels of BDNF as well as suppress inflammation in the brain of people with Alzheimer's & Parkinson's. I can't see how this one wouldn't be helpful. Obviously you want to be careful if you take any medical anti-inflammatories or anticoagulants, diabetes pills or hear medication There are no randomized studies on curcumin & ADHD tho...so take that as a limitation
• Rhodiola - This has been on my blog list for some time. I recall a herbalist once told me that Rhodiola is stimulating and is more suited for people experiencing burnout. I fear it may be too stimulating. RHodiola is also overharvested and kinda endangered so I am on the fence with recommending it to anyone. 
• Uridine - I haven't found anything on it that would tell me it is useful for ADHD. . It seems Uridine is metabolised into Uric Acid at some point which may or may not be an issue if you were prone to gout development. But there seem to be some other clinical benefits of using Uridine. Dunno, doesn't seem like something I'd go crazy for. 
• Ginseng - Potentially useful but there is only one study on Korean Red Ginsengbut this is a small study and only done on 10-year old children so there isn't a lot to hold on to here. If you are going after adaptogens, I would reach out to a herbalist in your area and ask them to mix something for you. Herbs work better as tinctures (easier to cross BBB & easier to metabolism especially when taken sublingually). I don't think this product will make any difference to be honest. 
• Phosphatidylserine - potentially useful, got some nice benefits in depression, ADHD and cognitive health. I'd definitely give this a go. 
• Bacopa - There is one promising study out there but it was on kids with some level of mental retardation if I recall correctly, potentially worth trying tho. 
• Tyrosine - Might or might not help. Tyrosine is converted to L-Dopa and Dopamine. The problem is that tyrosine has very hard time crossing the blood brain barrier because it can be outcompeted by other amino acids and the transporter is also a bottleneck meaning there is a limit to how much tyrosine can get in brain per hour. Also there are huge genetic variations in people in terms of how efficient this shuttle is. I read that there are over 240 genes responsible for coding all sorts of BBB transporters and each can have snips and mutations. I would probably consider focusing on tyrosine rich foods before taking supplemental tyrosine. Google which those are and see if you can get more of them in. Split them across your main meals. But you can do supplement too, up to you
• French Maritime Extract - this one I don't know much about. Seems to have some antiinflammatory effects but that's not unique, most herbal supplements do to a degree due to their antioxidant properties. 
• Alpha GPC - so far we know very very little about this product. It has some potential effects but I wouldn't put my hand into fire for it. 

Anyways, hope that is helpful. 

Diet and lifestyle are very important in ADHD as well as Vitamin D, gut health, sleep etc. In terms of more guided support I'd consider reaching out to @flowboy for some one to one support.

Good luck buddy ! 

[LSD-Rumi]

@Michael569 Thanks dude! it seems like I am rushing things, I need to do more in-depth research. 
I wanna also ask you about something. I know I have OCD, but this ADD is a new thing to me. It seems like they contradict each other like ADD needs stimulants while OCD gets worse with stimulants, So I am wondering about the right way of approaching my brain? I think my brain is on short of dopamine like I feel it. when I start taking nicotine gum a couple of days ago I felt like my brain is re-establishing itself, but it needs more things, a more holistic approach. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by LSD-Rumi

[flowboy]

@LSD-Rumi  Rhodiola, Astragalus, and Reishi are good.

Fish oil or krill oil is essential to take care of the brain, you can take a gram a day.

What's missing is a holistic perspective.

I can tell you that supplements can be lifesavers in rough times, but there is a level you can reach where you don't need any.

I didn't see anything harmful in your stack, but if you start using all of these at once, you'll never know which of them are working for you.

Can you describe your diet in detail?

[LSD-Rumi]

55 minutes ago, flowboy said:

I didn't see anything harmful in your stack, but if you start using all of these at once, you'll never know which of them are working for you.

Yeah this is what I am concerned about

 

55 minutes ago, flowboy said:

Can you describe your diet in detail?

eggs for breakfast, chicken/meat/lentils for lunch. I went all vegan a couple of months ago for 2 months but then crashed because of mental illness, didn't notice any difference.

58 minutes ago, flowboy said:

What's missing is a holistic perspective.

 

Yeah, this is what I am looking for, something to work on multiple neurotransmitters. I am now using NAC, Inositol, and Nicotine and they seem good but not enough I think or they may need time. I am wondering what should I add to my stack. 

[flume]

Definitely have a chat with @flowboy. He's perfect for everything you're talking about.

[LSD-Rumi]

different stack that I might buy 

[Average Investor]

Blasting yourself with a bunch of different nootropics at once is not really going to work. Not saying that is your plan, but you have so much there it would take quite awhile to test. Some nootropics can literally take months to even work just for one. That and you would really need to know all of the best practices for each given substance. You might have a bad reaction to one, or a good reaction to another and still not be sure what did it. You would want to slowly try one at a time and actually note the effects. You might have issues from them that you don't even notice if you don't give them time to really look 

I really enjoy L-Theanine for a calming effect. It helps a lot with meditation, but isn't too great for productivity. It's one you would want to cycle in once a week or so for the best results. You might find it helpful.

Also, I feel as though diet can play a big role in this as well. So depending on your current diet you could possibly get some good results just on that. 

I had been diagnosed with ADHD, when I was younger and my Dad has it. I have tried some of those on there like ginseng and alpha GPC and they did not help. They were more for energy it seemed like. 

Edited December 23, 2021 by Average Investor

[Michael569]

1 hour ago, Average Investor said:

Also, I feel as though diet can play a big role in this as well. So depending on your current diet you could possibly get some good results just on that. 

 ^ 

[LSD-Rumi]

@Average Investor Yeah I was kind of desperate today. I just wanted anything to give me a push to return to normal functioning. Yesterday I blasted myself with acid and my brain felt like a rapid dog, and I got the insight that I habe ADD. Today My brain felt much better, but a haf hour ago I felt ADD creeping on me. It feels like my brain is on fire and unable to think or concentrate and it seems difficult to understand even basic things, this ADD right? It is just a vague disease. I have always thought I have Just OCD but now this is a new thing to approach. I am using inositol and NAC and they seem good. Do you have experience with them? Alao did you use nicotine? I use nicotine gum 1mg two times a day and it works well but I am afraid of addiction and tolerance, any advice?

I might get the second stack I posted and Experiment with one thing at a time, yeah blasting myself with nootropics is not a wise move.

Edited December 23, 2021 by LSD-Rumi

[Average Investor]

@LSD-Rumi Funny enough I forgot I even had ADHD for a good period of time. I have to admit there is a lot of reinforcement by simply saying "I have ADHD." However, I think there are some practical ways to lessen it for sure. Mediation is wonderful for this. If you can build a strong habit. I personally don't find acid to really help me with metal health at all. However, it has pros and cons to it. Still a lot to gain there, but I would not push that off as something that might be causing the problem too. 

I have found gut health and diet to be a huge part for my own mental health and energy. I would recommend doing an elimination diet. You would want to refrain from adding new substances in though while you did this. It would take some serious efforts for months, but you could get some serious results naturally. You would be shocked at really how powerful it can be to just fix your health at the source. It might seem obvious or not worthwhile, but it can have some huge gains. I can still see supplements helping though too. 

I can't really say that I have found a full cure or anything myself. I have got some serious results just improving my overall health though. I am open to exploring stuff like heavy metal detoxing and stuff. However, I find that getting into optimal health takes a lot of time and energy and really should be a perquisite to throwing in other things. I've spent several years really focusing on my health and it still seems there is more to work on. It's really tempting to find that one thing that will just fix it all, or get some quick results. It doesn't seem to usually work out like though. 

1 hour ago, LSD-Rumi said:

I am using inositol and NAC and they seem good.

I have no experience with these.

 

1 hour ago, LSD-Rumi said:

It feels like my brain is on fire and unable to think or concentrate and it seems difficult to understand even basic things, this ADD right?

I couldn't diagnose that. It's something you are going to have to explore and research. 

 

1 hour ago, LSD-Rumi said:

Alao did you use nicotine? I use nicotine gum 1mg two times a day and it works well but I am afraid of addiction and tolerance, any advice?

At one point I use to convince myself that nicotine was helping me with my problems. I would vape a 30ml of E-liquid a day sometimes. I was addicted to nicotine for 5 years. I had points where I actually had gotten nicotine poisoning from having too much. Quitting nicotine was a real pain in the ass. For even a year or two I would sometimes have a strong urge to get some even though I had not consumed some in so long. 

Some people do tout some benefits for nicotine. It isn't nearly as harmful in a more pure form. Synthetic is actually cleaner and purer. However, given the addiction element to it would automatically just be a no from me. 

Nicotine easily hits a point where you no longer get the desired effects. Then you have to continually consume more and more to really get much. Then skipping it is a problem eventually too. 

 

Also, I see some potential for this technique too:

 

[LSD-Rumi]

My ADHD got way better after more than a week of using NAC and Inositol and high dose omega-3. I still have other mental complaints like social anxiety and some depression, so  Today I went and saw my psychiatrist, he prescribed me Escitalopram, we will see how this goes, as previous SSRIs were not that much helpful. Oh yeah and my psychiatrist is not convinced that I have ADHD, he completely dismissed that.

[Michael569]

@LSD-Rumi i wonder if you upped foods rich in those 3 components whether your progress would be even better.

For NAC look up cysteine rich foods like sesame seeds

For phosphatidyllnositol mainly legumes and soy 

For omega 3 lineseeds, lineseed oil amd walnuts

This is what targeted nutrition is all about. Tou got this.

Good luck!

[LSD-Rumi]

3 hours ago, Michael569 said:

wonder if you upped foods rich in those 3 components whether your progress would be even better.

I did ? I prepared a huge feast of fresh sardines and literally felt amazing after eating it. I will try keep my omega 3 intake high. Omega 3 makes me feel peaceful but it is very short acting like for a few hours.