OTC and Perscriptions to help with the effects of drug use

[TheLoveBandit]

We have recurring questions in the New2XTC and Bluelight Discussion forums about St. John’s wart, 5-HTP, Prozac, and other drugs which are used to help minimize the damage caused by drug use and to bring us back to being a bit more normal. I am asking that this thread be built (perhaps to later become a FAQ) to describe the various over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription drugs available to us, what they are intended to combat, how they work, and what the side effects are so that we can help each other be smarter about what some of us do.
I ask that you post your replies in this form, for readability and easier cleanup later:
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Drug: 5-HTP
Goal – to reduce damage to the brain and help alleviate depression associated with the after effects of ecstasy use.
How it works – It is made of natural ingredients X, Y, and Z. It is an OTC purchased at most nutrition stores. The way it works is by raising the level of seratonin in the brain….
Side Effects – If taken near the time of rolling, it tends to kill the roll for some users.
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Now, obviously, my example is not complete. If you know the FACTS about something, please add to the thread. If you have questions about mixing different drugs, please keep that in the Medical Q&A forum. Please, only state what you know to be true, not just opinions as we would like to educate each other and not mislead with myths and bs.
We still advise talking to your pharmacist and doctor before trying to medicate your way out of a funk or streak of depression, or before taking any drugs for that matter. The use of drugs to change our behavior and improve our moods can cause serious problems for us both mentally and physically. If you are trying to find a way out of the mental/physical prison you find yourself in, please start another thread (or ask a mod to start one for you anonymously) and we’ll do our best to help you find your path. We are offering this as some insight into the drugs that are available, not as a map to migrate from drug to drug. Thank you for you contributions.

 

[unicorn83]

prescriptions drugs...hence the name drugs..are the same as the illegal drugs but with less side effects..hence they are legal.
through experience prescription drugs sedate the mind in the same way as illegal drugs, plus they are even harder to get off!!
so if you want a good life..prescription drugs won't help (though some people may say they do) as you are just replasing one drug for another, even if they are legal.
that's my contribution to this post, hope it helped
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'id rather live in an illusion than face harsh reality' me
[email protected]

 

[brownman]

I suggest eating fresh fruits and vegetables. Allow the natural vitamins help clear your head. Also, like anything, abstinence will help clear some of the cobwebs and clouds.
I agree with Unicorn, I would not recommend trying prescription drugs. I have met many that got hooked on prescription drugs..I used to depend on xanex to go to sleep, and it is not only hard to get off, but the side effects are consequential.

 

[djtonedeaf]

Can you list some of the side effects, Brownman? Just so I can compare notes? I had a long-standing benzo habit (mostly Ativan and Xanax), and kicked it a couple of months ago. Felt like I was living underwater for a while.

 

[special k]

djtone- are you looking for the effets of how you feel after quitting one of the benzos you mentioned?

 

[djtonedeaf]

I'm looking for info on both the side effects of regular benzo/sleeping pill use and what a person can expect to go through when stopping cold turkey. Just wanted to know if the stuff I went through is common or particular to my own experience.
Here's a brief summary of my own experience:
After having stopped recreational drug use (mostly E, coke, and K) for a period of five months, I was still experiencing terrible insomnia and pretty constant anxiety, so I turned to benzos and sleeping pills (Imovane)in the hope of normalizing my sleeping habits. I wasn't taking the Ativan or Xanax during the day, but at night in combination with a sleeping pill. This lasted for about a year and a half, and by the end I needed larger and larger amounts to achieve the desired sedative effects. A bad night would go something like this--I would take 4mg of Ativan (a little less if Xanax) and 7.5mg of Imovane, go to sleep, and wake up three hours later with my heart racing, bolt awake, then take a little more of each. But I often wouldn't go back to sleep, because I would be worried about being able to get up for work the next day.
The side effects I experienced during the final months of this run were many, and I'm not sure how much were due to the benzo/sleeping pill use, or what was due to sleep deprivation or underlying psychiatric problems. That's basically why I'm asking. Here's the side effects I can remember:
extreme grogginess; mild hallucinations; inability to concentrate; paranoia; aching bones and sore muscles; numbness in hands and arms; decreased sex drive; lucid or waking dreams; a cough/cold that lasted for two months; nausea; decreased appetite; impaired memory.
2mths ago I moved to another city and quit both benzo and sleeping pill use cold turkey. For the first week to ten days, I really didn't sleep at all--just an hour or two per night. The second week I was able to sleep for longer stretches but the dreams I was having were so intense I would often wake more exhausted then when I went to bed. My sleep is finally somewhat regular again, but there is still a mental sharpness that seems to be returning incrementally.
I'm sorry if this post doesn't fit the forum guidelines. I know how these drugs work pharmocologically, so if you want a more formal post on benzos and Imovane, let me know and when I have more time I'll try to put something together.
Thanks.

 

[PhreeX]

Imodium AD is like OTC methadone, it will all but totally kill the physical withdrawal from narcotics... I am living proof, I always keep 4 or 5 bottles on hand...
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PAK CHOOIE UNF! Do not trust the pusher robot, he is malfunctioning, we are here to protect you..

 

[chronic77]

karbamezapin could be used as anti-epileptic during benso withdrawal, the brand name of it in sweden is Hermolepsin,Tegretol, its very importatnt to use this if u quit cold turkey after using strong benso's for along
time, i myself had an epilectic attack after i quitted cold turkey from a couple of months heavy rohypnol abuse...

 

[luv rolling]

Personally, I have used the drug Prozac to quit ecstasy. While this may work for some and not others it has worked for me.
Drug: Prozac
Ingredient: Fluoxotine (sp)
Effects: Anti-depression, Sleep-aid, good for preventing neurotoxicity when rolling (fact per dancesafe).
Side Effects: Main one I have noticed if you want to call it a side effect is sexual disfunction what I mean by this is I did not have a problem getting it up but more of a problem getting the job over with if you know what I mean. Another side effect is the super comedown you get if you roll after recently quitting prozac. I have stopped taking prozac and have not become dependent on it luckily and have not rolled yet. It has been a month since the last time I took prozac. I want to roll again but not bad enough to actually go through with it because it personally disgusts me now. My depression is starting to come back but I can at least cope with it now.
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Now as for food, all I have to say is take your vitamins, eat your turkey, and eat your bananas. (both proven to help produce serotonin)

 

[abygale]

The discussion about benzos and xanax is good, but would be better served in its own thread, I think. Would one of you guys mind starting a new thread for it?
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More on Prozac:
See the ecstasy slideshow at dancesafe for a graphic explanation of how prozac is believed to work in combatting neurotoxicity.
Prozac should be taken no more than 6 hours after taking MDMA in order to be effective. Note that there is a difference between using Prozac solely as an ecstasy postload and using it on a regular basis. The long-term negative affects associated with Prozac, like the sexual disfunction mentioned by luv rolling, should not occur if you're only using it a few times a month after you roll.
- aby

 

[luv rolling]

very true, the side effects are minimal when postloading.. the only true way to understand everything is to read the slideshow

 

[bluglostix]

There is alot of negative reaction to using perscription drugs to deal with the effects of drug use. I feel I need to restate what I said in the depression thread: why is it easier to pop a pill that some crackhead you barely know, that's your age or younger, hands you at a party, than to listen to your doctor?
Anything will fuck you up if you don't take it in moderation and follow instructions. Anything that slows down or speeds up your body's metabolism (sleeping pills or diet pills, etc...) is habit-forming because your body gets used to the speed the drug keeps you at, when you're not on it there is strain from trying to maintain itself at an abnormal rate.
Anti-depressants are not uppers or downers, they regulate your brain chemistry- when you cry for no reason and can't get out of bed in the morning it doesn't neccesarily have anything to do with your life, its a chemical imbalance that can be regulated somewhat with medication.
I resent the boyfriends, friends, and people I barely know telling me that I don't need to be taking this stuff when they are often self-medicating themselves with more dangerous chemicals. The bottom line is listen to your doctor and follow directions.

 

[Housekid5]

i read on erowid that DXM can be used to get rid of withdrawl symptoms from many different drugs including alcohol, coke, and i believe heroin also. but DXM is also addictive and can cause lots of damage to your brain and body.
Peace!
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"A thousand mile journey starts with one footstep"