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Mood lifting alternatives to Nicotine patches

H

highonlife40

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
45
So I find myself getting quite a lift from the thinflex nicotine patches which are rated to deliver 21mg/24hr containing over 100mg so that hourly figure may be higher.
I feel my mood is far too neutral and flat normally, I feel an almost uncomforatble contentness with life that often makes it hard for me to find excitement or motivation,
SO I put a patch or part of on when I feel my mood would be better lifted for socialising etc....

Is there alternatives I should consider?
I like nicotine patches because the short acting nature means I never have a sleepless night, and it has a rather decent track record compared to many other drugs...

I also have access to unlimited dexies, they just don't do it for me as smoothly

I have heard good things about buphrenorphine(tried and liked once) and tramadol and am not concerned about addiction as opiate withdrawal after 5+ times no longer worries me.

I was on morphine for a few months on and off however that was for depression and lack of meaning in life, however left me feeling too numb after the depression and meaning of life issues got solved and with ongoing stomach upsets so I am trying to never touch anything quite like that again
as every time I do I get a week of stomach upsets.

Antidepressants I know little about although did try a zoloft once and just felt edgy and sleepless in a bad way, however I am open to suggestion but really don't like the idea of going on a course of anything for any extended period of time

I also don't like chems that screw my blood pressure heart rate too much anymore, please help me BL
 
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hey mate, just as a suggestion have you considered 5htp, works as a serotonin booster, sorta gives ya that extra zap and is quite a smooth alternative, not a rocky and harsh as SSRI's
I use it to prevent neurotoxic effects of mdma, but i know various of other people that use it all times of life.
hope that helps ya.
 
Thanks misteee tryptophan or 5htp look like options I did not know much about, however there are some slight risks just as nicotine does, as I expected.

I've decided I've felt good in life before so if I exercise eat well etc I will feel good again.

will consider other options though if someone has another idea
 
I don't have experience by which to recommend it but I'm curious about trying Sceletium as a mood elevator someday. Some folks swear by sam-e and other stuff. I found DMAE to help with mood quite a bit but it could get kind of over stimulating at times.
 
^ To share personal experience, I have tried all these except DMAE and none of them work for mood and concentration like Nicotine (patches - not cigs, not snuff, but only pure, extended-release nicotine) does. I'd say don't waste your money on sceletium - its most notable effect is headache. I felt no effect whatsoever from SAM-e.

OP: You're not the only one. I use Nicotine patches on-and-off and am absolutely in love with them - they fully substitute for Amphetamines performance-wise for me and in fact I discovered their value when I tried them to help escape my dexedrine habit several years ago. I tried almost everything you suggest, and although they all have their specific uses, they simply will not substitute for the patches.

I have tried just about everything else mood-related I could get my hands on, and found that there are only four substances that mimic or complement Nicotine's effect:

- Gabapentin: gives a very similar mood/motivation lift, but lacks the mental sharpness (in fact, it probably dulls the mind a little, but nothing too serious). I find Gabapentin's effect to be greatly enhanced with Nicotine.

- Bupropion: there is a reason why this has shown some marked success as a smoke-cessasion aid. It has similar effects and does in fact make Nicotine somehow undesirable. But once I stopped the bupropion and returned to the patches, I noticed that Nicotine is far superior at what it does.

- Worthy of mention, but will NOT feel like nicotine at all, only help "in the background", is Ergoloid Mesylates (Hydergine). I recently started using it and am amazed by just how noticeable its benefits are.

- And no brown post on BL is complete without mention of humanity's greatest invention: Ketamine :D. In low doses (avg. 12mg for me), Ketamine reproduces all of Nicotine's beneficial effects, including Alertness, sensory accuity, and memory recall. If this sounds a bit odd for a drug used to knock out people for surgery, it should, because as soon as a high-dose is taken chronically, all of these effects are instantly flipped to their opposites, but can be restored by controlled administration of these low doses. That has been my experience for 6+ years, on and off.
 
It has similar effects and does in fact make Nicotine somehow undesirable.
Click to expand...

Buproprion is antagonist at muscarinic nicotinic receptors, rendering nicotine nigh inactive. It must have a higher affinity at these receptors than nicotine itself.

ebola
 
Jamshyd said:
^ To share personal experience, I have tried all these except DMAE and none of them work for mood and concentration like Nicotine (patches - not cigs, not snuff, but only pure, extended-release nicotine) does. I'd say don't waste your money on sceletium - its most notable effect is headache. I felt no effect whatsoever from SAM-e.

OP: You're not the only one. I use Nicotine patches on-and-off and am absolutely in love with them - they fully substitute for Amphetamines performance-wise for me and in fact I discovered their value when I tried them to help escape my dexedrine habit several years ago. I tried almost everything you suggest, and although they all have their specific uses, they simply will not substitute for the patches.

I have tried just about everything else mood-related I could get my hands on, and found that there are only four substances that mimic or complement Nicotine's effect:

- Gabapentin: gives a very similar mood/motivation lift, but lacks the mental sharpness (in fact, it probably dulls the mind a little, but nothing too serious). I find Gabapentin's effect to be greatly enhanced with Nicotine.

- Bupropion: there is a reason why this has shown some marked success as a smoke-cessasion aid. It has similar effects and does in fact make Nicotine somehow undesirable. But once I stopped the bupropion and returned to the patches, I noticed that Nicotine is far superior at what it does.

- Worthy of mention, but will NOT feel like nicotine at all, only help "in the background", is Ergoloid Mesylates (Hydergine). I recently started using it and am amazed by just how noticeable its benefits are.

- And no brown post on BL is complete without mention of humanity's greatest invention: Ketamine :D. In low doses (avg. 12mg for me), Ketamine reproduces all of Nicotine's beneficial effects, including Alertness, sensory accuity, and memory recall. If this sounds a bit odd for a drug used to knock out people for surgery, it should, because as soon as a high-dose is taken chronically, all of these effects are instantly flipped to their opposites, but can be restored by controlled administration of these low doses. That has been my experience for 6+ years, on and off.
Click to expand...

you and I have this in common also. Nicotine is the drug of the gods. Its pure and unadulterated win. The patches are great because they dont fuck your lungs or gums up like cigs or snuff does.

I try to steer away from them though havent used in a long time. They are great for lifting and driving long distances though. And thinking.
 
I try to steer away from them though havent used in a long time.
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That's right, and you WONT ever use them again. That is some nasty, unhealthy shit to do to yourself. That is NOT "win".
 
MynameisnotDeja said:
That's right, and you WONT ever use them again. That is some nasty, unhealthy shit to do to yourself. That is NOT "win".
Click to expand...
Why? Nicotine on its own, without smoke or mixing with saliva, is a rather innocuous substance unless you take toxic doses...
 
Why? Nicotine on its own, without smoke or mixing with saliva, is a rather innocuous substance unless you take toxic doses...
Click to expand...

It was my understanding that some of cigarette smoking's cardiotoxicity could be accounted for by nicotine's stimulant effects. Is this not the case in the absence of other toxicities which provide a springboard for synergistic damage?

ebola
 
I would definitely recommend coca leaves.

Also electronic cigarettes in place of patches.
 
Nicotine is problematic, in my experience. 've used Snus, patches, gum, and cigarettes. When I'm using nicotine, I enjoy it, and I can pop a snus and have the urge to call an old friend or something. The problem is that once I go off nicotine for a while, I look back and realize that I was just irritable and miserable while I was on it. Its a sneaky, sneaky drug.

This last bout with nicotine addiction, I used wellbutrin to quit, and it worked wonders. Makes nicotine inert--smoking / gum is pointless. And it gives you a baseline mood lift, a little more energy and "get up and go." I'm not constantly thinking about getting high, I'm in the best shape I've been in in years, and I even lost the urge to drink! Went to a bar last weekend with friends, and when I had my inaugural tequila shot, it tasted like poison. So I just didn't drink anymore, and I had a great night.

Antidepressants get short shrift on sites like this. Teenagers hate them, and I can understand that. They're also "mainstream" so they don't have that hip esoteric flavor about them. But the thing is... they work. Look into bupropion/wellbutrin.
 
Betel nuts hit the nicotinic receptors. Betel nuts are regarded as carcinogenic though. Arecoline is the active agent if you want to research it. Betel nuts are most associated with oral cancers. Betel nuts are generally chewed. I don't know if a different ROA might make them less of a cancer risk.

I'm not recommending betel nuts or arecoline necessarily but thought that I'd mention it as a research point on tobacco substitutes.
 
Percussion_is_Free said:
Antidepressants get short shrift on sites like this. Teenagers hate them, and I can understand that. They're also "mainstream" so they don't have that hip esoteric flavor about them. But the thing is... they work. Look into bupropion/wellbutrin.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't lump bupropion with other antidepressants, as it clearly is a wildly different animal that has very little in common with the SSRIs and co. In my experience, bupr. is a very active drug that produces tangible results. It is just that I don't personally think it is useful in the long-term, as IME after using for 4ish months, toward the end, it lost all its beneficial qualities and turned me into a very reclusive and depressed person. It induces some truly ugly social-anxiety (not being able to answer the phone...etc).

From what you say, I'm inclined to think that your real problem was with Tobacco, not Nicotine itself. Also the ROA seems to be very important - it seems irritability comes about from constantly fluctuating levels brought about by smoking or chewing. IME (and I never was a smoker), patches create a rather tranquil state of mind, even after many months of use, and aren't nearly as addictive as other forms of tobacco (although still addictive for sure).
 
dammit now i feel like going to grab a box of patches.

when i'm having a shitty morning and REALLY feel like just calling in sick i pop 100mg of 5-htp and drink a mild cup of joe, find it to help raise my mood quite well without any psychoactive "side" effects getting in the way of me having a normal day.
 
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