Experience with attention or focus enhancing medicines...?

[Kenworth]

Hello all, I'm new to this forum, just signed up tonight as so many times my Google searches have brought me to a page on here where there was a discussion about something I was searching for info on.

I'm a mid-40's professional male, with no interest in recreational medicines (but seriously, no judgements, ever!) I don't even smoke or drink, just never got into it. But I do have serious issues with a general fog, a lack of an ability to concentrate, even for short periods of time- it's not like I'm trying to put in 20 hour day instead of 15 hours, or something like that... most of every regular 8-hour work day is a struggle to focus and concentrate, and I have over the years seen doctors and psychiatrists for this.

The problem has been, 98% of everyone I've seen are more worried about securing my return visit (so they can bill me for the visit) than they are in solving the problem. Or, they are hesitant to prescribe anything that's a certain class, I imagine because of liabilities or limits or something. I have a zillion ways to get nearly anything I want, and I want to tell them that, but somehow I can't imagine that doing anything but backfiring.

Anyway, since most of the doctor visits have been pointless and unproductive over the years, I thought I'd come on here and ask if anyone has had good results in the area of focusing and concentrating by taking something in particular. I think between the experienced people here, as well as the more open-mindedness I could get a better, real-life solution to explore than what I have been. I have tried Adderall, and D-Amphetamine Salt combo, and the only other thing I've noticed a fairly good result with was Tramadol. If anyone would have any suggestions and/or experience with something that is a help to concentrate, I'd be very appreciative if you'd share. As time goes on, I get more frustrated and desperate for a solution, even if it's not something I can do/take on a daily basis. By the way, even though coke sounds like every bit the solution I'm wishing for, something like that isn't something I'd want to try. But I'm very open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

[vacuole]

Have you tried nootropics? Do a google search on nootropics, or "smart drugs." Those might be what you're looking for. (BTW, if anyone else wants to go into detail, feel free; am on a phone at work.)

 

[Kenworth]

Wow! Such a quick reply, and "nootropics" is not even a class or subject I've heard of before (that I remember)... already I'm learning something new. Thanks so much!

 

[d1nach]

I dont mean to be a buzz kill but I have yet to find anything that produces effects beyond similar to 20 mg of adderall.

I find attention and focus for
provigil 200 to 400 mg
Nuvigil 100 to 200 mg
Caffeine 400 to 600 mg
Adderall 20 mg
All to be roughly the same


With caffeine adderall and provigil together roughly additive at low doses with provigil not being detectable at all at the peak of 55 mg adderall

And nicotine furthee enhancing focus and attention.

Ive tried piracetam l theanine egcg cdp choline alpha gpc sulbutamine noopept bacopa ashwaganda surfiram aniracetam tianeptine and a ton of others and generally found them to be inactive relative to adderall 20 mg.

 

[Kenworth]

I dont mean to be a buzz kill but I have yet to find ......

D1nach, just your experience is priceless... and maybe some of those might give me less of a headache than the adderall. The response so far has given me SO much to research, and is SO appreciated. Thanks so much.

 

[d1nach]

By focus and attention I mean I consider them effective inbthat they can predictably and dose dependently reverse amnesia and cognitive dysfunction of escalating doses of dph. Caffeine nicotine provigil and amphetamine cam reverse my trouble focusing forgeting planning and thinking even at diphenhydramine doses in the 250 - 400 mg range including things like speach and motor skills and hallucinations something ive never been able to do with others

 

[d1nach]

Strattera improves my attention and focus similarly to adderall but it gives me zero happiness. So, I dont take it anymore its hard to get a habit for just focus. Its weaker then high dose amphetamine but youd prob never take that much amphetamine anyway because youd feel very high. Like not im focused and alert like im wide awake lets goo I got my horse blinders on and its off to the races.

 

[Keif' Richards]

OP, you mentioned Tramadol worked well for you. You might already be aware, but Tramadol has Serotonin/Norepinephrine activity in addition to it's Opioid activity. It might be a longshot, but perhaps a drug like Venlafaxine (Effexor), which is also an SNRI, could help you with your attention issues.

 

[d1nach]

I agree with kief. Now i realize ive reached a new level of hypocrite telling you how i find amphetamine to be the strongest out of anything ive ever had and nothing comparing beyond similar to theraputic doses of amphetamine. But its because you dont want to bring a weapon of mass destruction to a fist fight. Sure itll work but you might endup just hurting yourself and people around you.

I take effexor the advantage of yo taking drugs that inhibit the norepinephrine transporter is that you can grt a amphetamine like focus and clarity without running the risk of addiction.

Amphetamines sneak up on you in highschool it was 2.5 or 5 mg here and thrre for papers now its like a marrage 55 mg everyday and if i dont take it dont even try talking to me lol.

Id consider first
Effexor
Tenex
Strsttera
Caffeine
Nicotine only in form of patches gum or vape again im a hypocrite lol

Before using ritalin or adderall

 

[JahSEEuS]

have you talked to your doctor about it yet?

 

[Kenworth]

have you talked to your doctor about it yet?

Yes, the lack of help with about 20 doctors over the last 10 years is what brought me here- and while I am VERY familiar with addiction and the damage it can do and so on, at this point my focus is finding a solution. As mentioned above, I don't so anything for recreational purposes, and very careful about what I try or take, and if at any point something becomes dangerous or even appears to have that ability, I would value saftey over the solution. Just so far doctors have been so careful (too careful?) and reluctant to give me anything of substance to try, that I haven't been making any marked progress.

I've gotten more suggestions and new ideas in 2 days on this forum than I have in 10 years with regular doctor visits.

 

[Kenworth]

I agree with kief. Now i realize ive reached a new level of hypocrite telling you how i find amphetamine to be the strongest out of anything ive ever had and nothing comparing beyond similar to theraputic doses of amphetamine. But its because you dont want to bring a weapon of mass destruction to a fist fight. Sure itll work but you might endup just hurting yourself and people around you.

I take effexor the advantage of yo taking drugs that inhibit the norepinephrine transporter is that you can grt a amphetamine like focus and clarity without running the risk of addiction.

Amphetamines sneak up on you in highschool it was 2.5 or 5 mg here and thrre for papers now its like a marrage 55 mg everyday and if i dont take it dont even try talking to me lol.

Id consider first
Effexor
Tenex
Strsttera
Caffeine
Nicotine only in form of patches gum or vape again im a hypocrite lol

Before using ritalin or adderall

The straight answers of what does and doesn't work, the dangers, and other suggestions of things to try is EXACTLY what I was hoping for by coming here... you can't imagine how grateful I am for these replies.


When people suggest "Caffeine" what exactly are you suggesting? A strong coffee or two? Some kind of caffeine tablets?

Also, in all my research, I NEVER heard or thought or read ANYTHING about Nicotine being a concentration aid- now that I Google it after your suggestion, WOW there's a lot of info on this.

Thank you a million times over to the people who took the time to answer on this...

 

[d1nach]

By caffeine i mean on average 200 to 400 mg per day for similar effects on focus attention and wakefulness as 100 to 200mg of modafinil or 10 to 20 mg of amphetamine

More specifically i mean 80--600 mg with increasing doses generally increase effects but over 600 mg at one time greatly incressing side effects .

80 mg where you start to see measurable effects
400 to 600 mg where you see effects theraputic drug like able to speed the reversal of anesthesia and recovery of cognition

Generally the fda recommends noone consume more than 400 mg of caffeine

While legal in this dosing ranges it has the same risks of amphetamine panic, shaking hands, arthymia, hypertension, ect.

I consume 1250 mg per day in the form of bkack coffee in 4 divided doses. This level of caffeine is not considered safe by the fda.

Taking too much caffeine is extremely unplesant evennif its coffee treat it like the drug it is

In the short term coffee and caffeine pills arenequal however other compounds in coffee may help keep your brain attentive and focused in old age similar to fruits and vegies

 

[Kenworth]

Here I am back after about 2 years, this thread got me some temporary solutions so I could get my ducks in a row and get a doctor. Thank you guys SO MUCH. Now, with the doctor I've been on 30mg XR Addrall, which I split between the first and second half of the day, and also (because of things I read on here) I was able to get a month of Methamphetamine 5mg. My main goal is to actually FOCUS, and concentrate, not so much for a rush or high, though if it's a package deal, I'll take it. So far the Methamphetamine 5mg (I'm up to 15mg a day now) only seems to give me an "upper" feeling, not really any help to actually focus. The Adderall was a great start but the concentration effects seem to be fading (over the last 6 months) though I still feel the boost when I take it. It's just not a boost in the way that helps with focus and concentration.

Is there anything I could ask my doctor for or try or find somewhere else to maximize my cognitive abilities, or to specifically help with concentration and focus...?


Thank you everyone here again, this forum has been life changing.

 

[TimJ86AU]

Dexamphetamine helps in so many ways though its an addictive medication. Been on them since 14 and im nearly 33, currently using Cannabis Oils to help get off the pills.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Sadly, this sort of thing is not what we're about here. We can't just give medical/psychiatric advice at random based upon our own subjective, personal experiences. Different things work for different people, but we truly are not here for straight-up Psychiatry. If you are trying to improve your life and are more or less trying to do it in the "licit" way, then this is a conversation to have with your prescriber. If you need advice regarding your use of a particular substance we're here for you, but this sort of thing scares me for obvious reasons.

The last thing I want is Michael Strahan talking about world-famous cyber-criminal and amateur Psychiatrist Keif' Richards being responsible for the shrinking American life expectancy on Good Morning America.

 

[Latrobegirl]

Here I am back after about 2 years, this thread got me some temporary solutions so I could get my ducks in a row and get a doctor. Thank you guys SO MUCH. Now, with the doctor I've been on 30mg XR Addrall, which I split between the first and second half of the day, and also (because of things I read on here) I was able to get a month of Methamphetamine 5mg. My main goal is to actually FOCUS, and concentrate, not so much for a rush or high, though if it's a package deal, I'll take it. So far the Methamphetamine 5mg (I'm up to 15mg a day now) only seems to give me an "upper" feeling, not really any help to actually focus. The Adderall was a great start but the concentration effects seem to be fading (over the last 6 months) though I still feel the boost when I take it. It's just not a boost in the way that helps with focus and concentration.

Is there anything I could ask my doctor for or try or find somewhere else to maximize my cognitive abilities, or to specifically help with concentration and focus...?


Thank you everyone here again, this forum has been life changing.

Kenworth, I just joined today....like you, not a recreational user (and like you, no judgment here!). I, too, am looking for something to help with focus, mood-enhancing....but have anxiety and don't want to send it into high gear. I have ordered something called hordenine and another "supplement" called phenylathylamine (also known as PEA). I found this site while googling info on the best dosages of these.... I also ordered something called phenibut. It was developed during the Russian space program to help cosmonauts get through stressful situations with focus and clarity. The main thing about phenibut is it's potential for addiction....it apparently has a very long half-life so it can only be used once every 3 days or risk developing a tolerance that leads to dependence.

I mention all this to see if you want to join me in my experiment to find a clarity/focus/motivation that doesn't involve traditional pharmaceuticals.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Hey there! Welcome to Bluelight I wanted to make a very quick statement regarding Phenibut. You mentioned it being used in the Russian space program. This is true. You can certainly read the information for yourself, but essentially they were looking for a sedative/anxiolytic drug that would not decrease the Cosmonaut's ability to think critically and function physically in the same way that Benzodiazepines can and often do. Phenibut is an effective anxiolytic for a lot of people and it has become a very popular substance over the years owing to the aforementioned qualities and its current status as a Dietary Supplement (available over the counter).

The thing is, Phenibut is a Gabapentinoid. This is a class of drugs containing, among others, Gabapentin (Neurontin) and Pregabalin (Lyrica). The way I have always looked at it, is that these 3 are on a spectrum, with Pregabalin the most potent and Phenibut the least. Don't get it twisted though, Phenibut along with the other Gabapentinoids are liable to produce both addiction and dependency. As Phenibut can be ordered over the internet with ease, many users have found themselves in an utter nightmare situation, as their dosages have escalated to massive proportions. The withdrawal from Gabapentinoids is nothing to laugh at. I've been through Opioid and Alcohol withdrawal a few times in my life and although these are certainly more severe, Pregabalin withdrawal has left me non-functional and very sick in the past.

I just wanted to say that, because it seems like Phenibut is completely new to you. Good luck. When used properly, Gabapentinoids can be very effective and you are ultimately less likely to become addicted/dependent. The withdrawal is also less severe.