Harm Reduction
In the spirit of BollWeevil's very sensible post on this being a harm reduction forum, thought I'd gather my thoughts on the last couple of pages:
As a rule of thumb, if a drug has an effect on the dopamine system in your CNS, chances are abuse can lead to parkinsonian symptoms. Several people have posted reporting unintended twitches in the days following taking meph. This is a sign that your body is low on dopamine - Parkinson's is essentially the death of neurons responsible for making dopamine, and uncontrolled twitching is usually the first symptom.
This is not to say anyone experiencing twitches is suffering Parkinsons - this is due to a temporary deficiency in the neurotransmitter, not cell death. However, I would definitely consider it a warning, as it means this system has been disturbed. Think of it like Diabetes - having too much suger in one go can make you hyperglycemic, but that doesn't mean you're a diabetic. However, it does put you at a greater risk of developing it later in life.
Like BW said, this is an RC with very little evidence about its long-term effects. I'm not going to be hypocritical and advise people not to take it, I'd just recommend being extra careful. If you're starting to twitch, that may indicate your body is more sensetive to it (in a physiological, not psychological sense - it doesn't make you a lightweight), or that it is less able to adapt and restore function after use than normal (a clear sign to cut down). I've taken it a few times in the last month or so, but in small doses, and I haven't had any of these neurological side-effects. I may be less prone to them in general for all we know, but I'm inclined to think that it's due to others taking higher doses.
And bear in mind, you never know what varied and rather horrific neurological disorders may be found to be associated with abuse - and you never know how little may be considered abuse. This doesn't even include the rather high likelihood of its cardiogenic effects.
To clarify, I plan on still taking it now and again, but definitely no more than once a week, probably only 2/month. And I'm not buying anymore once it's criminalised. It's up to each person how they want to take it, but my advice would be to take it easy.
