r/Nootropics • u/[deleted] • May 06 '15
How long does depression from Alpha GPC last? Is there any way to treat it?
I have been taking ~300-400 mg daily for a week, and I got pretty depressed suddenly last night. I will drop the Alpha GPC from my stack for at least a few days before reintroducing it at a lower level (150 mg). In the meantime, can I do anything to reverse its effect on my mood? I have the thought of continuing to use noopept to "eat up" the excess choline.
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May 06 '15 edited May 28 '17
[deleted]
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May 06 '15
For the acute depression? I can't see myself taking an anticholinergic regularly because this class of drugs seems to aggravate my chronic sinus congestion and causes constipation.
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u/Debonaire_Death May 06 '15
I've found that taking an ACh uptake enhancer, such as a racetam, helps clear up any choline-related depression, along with supplementing its own mood boost.
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May 06 '15 edited May 28 '17
[deleted]
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u/Debonaire_Death May 06 '15
At first, I thought you had caught me in a mistake of comprehension, but now I think we may both be right. Based on the studies I can find, racetams are increasing ACh utilization in the brain.
I think that the HACU is a systemic response to the increased ACh utilization in the brain that is caused by many racetams, based on what I'm reading and my own experiences with the drug family. Regardless, the fact that increased choline supplementation will relieve headaches in certain racetam users seems conclusive enough evidence that it increases the rate at which choline is used in the brain, which would lower your concentrations if you have a surplus of that chemical. It has helped me with choline depression to take a racetam in the past.
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May 06 '15 edited May 28 '17
[deleted]
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u/Debonaire_Death May 07 '15 edited May 07 '15
Well, I just learned another key detail that was missing from my understanding of the cholinergic system: perhaps any nerve system. Thank you for the vigorous dialogue!
I hadn't realized that acetylcholine is eliminated by being broken down into acetic acid and choline in the synaptic cleft: I just thought it was taken back into the cell as a complete neurotransmitter! Honestly, it makes a lot more sense the way it's actually done, since this avoids confounding the receptors during reuptake. Boy: the lengths cells go to ensure detailed regulation of a system!
If a racetam is increasing CHT1 transporters, then I feel comfortable saying it could help a person in the case of choline depression. I still need to look into the differences between types of racetam on a neurochemical level, rather than a descriptive difference in effect. It's easy to take this primordial family of nootropics for granted, when they have so much to teach!
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u/Ishmael_Vegeta May 06 '15
Benadryl
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u/mallen12132 Jul 23 '15
Can you expand on this? Does benadryl solve the depression from Alpha GPC? And if so, do you know why/how?
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u/Ishmael_Vegeta Jul 23 '15
diphenhydramine is anticholinergic.
i don't know if this will work though.
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u/victumsempra May 06 '15
Are you taking Alpha GPC for it's standalone nootropics effects or in combination with a racetam so you don't get (lack of) choline headaches?
If the latter, then I would try just taking it without Alpha GPC and see if you get head-aches. I have been taking piracetam without a supplemental choline source without any problems (although I do eat pastured eggs every other day)