Why is DXM a nootropic for me?

[jambabomba]

I have used DXM during my benzo withdrawal (not in few weeks anymore) and it has worked wonderfully. I've wrotten my experiences to here and also to psychedelic drugs because of "nootropic" experiences I had with DXM. To put it short, my memory was enchanced and overall processing ability increased. I got allmost picture memory so that I saw numbers etc. in pics front of me and could remember ex. 14 long number buy allmost one looking (because number formed a picture in front of me). I get a sense of logic in things I haven't saw before like my eyes were opened and some cloud removed from my mind. I didn't have any hallucinations or similar ever with DXM despite my bid doses. So I'm interested to hear theories for that, what would be cause for increased memory and better cognition overall etc. during DXM use?

I was thinking that maybe DXM acted kind of indirect AMPAkine in my situation. I mean it acts as an NMDA-antagonist and prevents glutamate to binding those receptors. It leaves AMPA/Kainate receptors free so glutamate could possibly then affect more those receptors? If it does, then the net effect could mimic some ampakine, or what do you think? During benzo withdrawal - when I used that DXM and got those effects - I suppose glutamate secretion is vastly increased.

Of course I believe effects were also from serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine, which DXM affects but could those alone increase memory etc. so much?

Opinions?

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

This is better suited for Psychedelic Drugs

Other Drugs - Psychedelic Drugs

 

[Ektor]

i have read somewhere, probably ketamine's wikipedia page that the reason why ketamine exerts its antidepressant action was an indirect upregulation/agonism at AMPA receptors, by like you said blocking NMDA rec and leavin somehow more glutamate for the AMPA one.
DXM is a dissociative NMDA antagonist too, couple that with other actions at serotonin and dopamine levels and than you get the aforementioned nootropic effect you said.
DXM in lower doses was kinda nootropic even for me, alough in a strange way but i had gotta stop it for the bad reactions i started to have to drinking syrup as here we dont have DXM caps, and a general avversion to DXM effects by themselves, horrible confusion and skin rashes.
I have to say that low dose ketamine is BY FAR the best nootropic (and antidepressant) i have ever encountered, a lot cleaner and better than DXM, and i love to use it that way.
So, long story short, the answer is yes DXM can be nootropic!

 

[Muscle_Predator]

I think the effects on the serotonin and dopamine are meant to increase memory - especially serotonin where you find people who have low levels of this and who suffer from depression also suffer from memory loss.
In terms of dopamine i know a new supplement that has a few studies on - 9-mbc works a nootropic through the dopamine pathway and increasing dopamine levels - you can get it from Predator Nutrition soon i think so it might be worth a try if your looking at dopamine pathways specifically. how long have you taken DMX - although its stopping your benzo withdrawl symptoms do you get withdrawl symptoms from DMX aswell?

 

[Solipsis]

IMO it was the benzo withdrawals. I went through them without using anything else and I too had a phase when everything seemed crisp and sharp, I came back from this haze. If it seemed like it was mostly during DXM effects, not sure what interaction caused that.

Yes you do leave other glutamatergic receptors open, but under normal circumstances you really don't want to do without NMDAr as it still dumbs you down to do DXM and other dissociatives.

Just use normal nootropics or use DXM for what it is, but I wouldn't try to justify using it as a nootropic unless we're talking 25 mg or so.

The only way I would ever consider dissociatives nootropic is if you consider that some mental faculties are suppressed making it apparently easy to do certain things without as much interference. It reminds me of the way opioids can seem nootropic: it is also a sort of calming/numbing that just makes it easier to perform in certain ways - I wonder if it's like propanolol in that respect.

Ketamine acts via a very special pathway connected to NMDA antagonism and this is not known to translate to other dissociatives, although I have some suspicion that the very similar MXE may have the same sort of metabolites that produce this effect. If DXM seems like a very temporary anti-depressant it is probably from SRI effects. There is another thread currently discussing this matter.
No it is not from AMPAkine effects but the 'mTor pathway', a kind of complicated chain of effects leading to changes in the way / speed synapses are formed.

9-MeBC does sound interesting though.

 

[queenscarlet88]

IMO it was the benzo withdrawals. I went through them without using anything else and I too had a phase when everything seemed crisp and sharp, I came back from this haze. If it seemed like it was mostly during DXM effects, not sure what interaction caused that.

Yes, this is bento withdrawal. To make up for the insomnia and rebound anxiety there is a crisp clarity to your perceptions. I've never experienced anything quite like those first few months after quitting benzos. Windows of beautiful clean sharpness amid all the suffering (and there is a lot of suffering in the process).

 

[Solipsis]

The reason for it will be the same as the reason for the insomnia and anxiety: excitation of your nerves (rebound) when there is not the inhibition anymore from the benzos. This inhibition was relied on before due to dependency, without it the 'gain' goes up which makes you anxious, insomniac but also stimulated in less negative ways.
Definitely serious suffering involved... but I'd probably choose the acute detox over the chronic after effects.