For the past month, I have been taking Bacopa extract aka Brahmi monnieri (daily dose: 300mg) for its purported long-term memory enhancement.
Last week, I was prescribed 27mg of Concerta for ADHD, which lasts for roughly 12 hours.
Methylphenidate (MPH), being a dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitor, has the effect of increasing their extracellular concentrations.
Bacopa, on the other hand, has been shown to increase DA, meanwhile decreasing NE (at least in rats).
So,
#1. What possible interactions (pharmacologically) might arise from the combination of a NE reuptake inhibitor and something that decreases NE? Are there any (potential) long-term or short-term implications to consider? Might this dynamic perhaps prevent downregulation of NE receptors?
Given that Bacopa counteracts the NE increase afforded by MPH, I have decided to take it right before bed. This way, I'll minimize any interaction between the two and still be able to benefit from Bacopa's memory enhancement. This leads me to my second question:
#2. Will the noradrenergic interaction between the two be avoided this way, if Bacopa is taken during or shortly after the comedown from MPH?
That, I suppose, depends on whether MPH is still appreciably inhibiting NE reuptake (i.e., if there is appreciable NE activity during/after the comedown). To answer that, I'll pose a simpler question instead:
#3. How long after the comedown period should I expect NE levels to normalize? Or rather, how long until MPH stops inhibiting NE reuptake?
For the first part of that question, I'm inclined to think that it takes a while. This would be consistent with the sleep difficulties even hours after the comedown that many MPH users report. I don't know whether that's on account of elevated NE or DA levels, or some other residual effect entirely. For the second part of my question, there's definitely decreased reuptake inhibition (given the crash resulting from the comedown), but is it negligible?
Sorry if the way I've communicated all these concerns is too disjointed or if I've injected too much of my own (possibly unfounded) speculation.
Any partial answers or speculations are welcomed. Thanks in advance.
tl;dr
#1. What possible interactions (pharmacologically) might arise from the combination of a NE reuptake inhibitor and something that decreases NE?
#2. Will the noradrenergic interaction between the two be avoided if Bacopa is taken during or shortly after the comedown from MPH?
#3. How long after the comedown period should I expect NE levels to normalize? Or rather, how long until MPH stops inhibiting NE reuptake.
Last week, I was prescribed 27mg of Concerta for ADHD, which lasts for roughly 12 hours.
Methylphenidate (MPH), being a dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) reuptake inhibitor, has the effect of increasing their extracellular concentrations.
Bacopa, on the other hand, has been shown to increase DA, meanwhile decreasing NE (at least in rats).
So,
#1. What possible interactions (pharmacologically) might arise from the combination of a NE reuptake inhibitor and something that decreases NE? Are there any (potential) long-term or short-term implications to consider? Might this dynamic perhaps prevent downregulation of NE receptors?
Given that Bacopa counteracts the NE increase afforded by MPH, I have decided to take it right before bed. This way, I'll minimize any interaction between the two and still be able to benefit from Bacopa's memory enhancement. This leads me to my second question:
#2. Will the noradrenergic interaction between the two be avoided this way, if Bacopa is taken during or shortly after the comedown from MPH?
That, I suppose, depends on whether MPH is still appreciably inhibiting NE reuptake (i.e., if there is appreciable NE activity during/after the comedown). To answer that, I'll pose a simpler question instead:
#3. How long after the comedown period should I expect NE levels to normalize? Or rather, how long until MPH stops inhibiting NE reuptake?
For the first part of that question, I'm inclined to think that it takes a while. This would be consistent with the sleep difficulties even hours after the comedown that many MPH users report. I don't know whether that's on account of elevated NE or DA levels, or some other residual effect entirely. For the second part of my question, there's definitely decreased reuptake inhibition (given the crash resulting from the comedown), but is it negligible?
Sorry if the way I've communicated all these concerns is too disjointed or if I've injected too much of my own (possibly unfounded) speculation.
Any partial answers or speculations are welcomed. Thanks in advance.
tl;dr
#1. What possible interactions (pharmacologically) might arise from the combination of a NE reuptake inhibitor and something that decreases NE?
#2. Will the noradrenergic interaction between the two be avoided if Bacopa is taken during or shortly after the comedown from MPH?
#3. How long after the comedown period should I expect NE levels to normalize? Or rather, how long until MPH stops inhibiting NE reuptake.
