Comment · Wed, July 16, 2014 · Ceretropic
Nootropics effects on recreational drug use?
Original post in this thread
imissedc · 5 points
I've recently been delving into the world of nootropics to better perform in my daily routines at work etc... I've mostly been experimenting with the recommended doses of caffeine + l-theanine. some piracetam, although it didn't really have an effect on me, and recently aniracetam and modafinil.
However, after reading about the possible mode of actions of these and their effects on dopamine (forgive me my understanding is still in the basic levels) it makes me wonder if one were to use these on a regular basis, and then if one wanted to use a recreational substance such as mdma (again, a safe amount, and just once or twice a year) is that going to cause problems? Will a persons brain that has been subjected to regular nootropic use not feel the same effects from recreational drugs like mdma, or are there other possible negative consequences besides just not having the full recreational experience?
Yes I know that things like modafinil shouldn't be in your blood stream when you take mdma. If one was going to take mdma or any recreational substance one would take at least a 4-5 day break from any nootropic substance.
thanks in advance.
What they were answering
imissedc · 1 points
I would hope one would never take a large amount of caffeine with mdma, that seems like common sense. The nature of my question was more along the lines of "does regular nootropic use (daily or 3-4 times weekly) create a sort of tolerance (diminshed experience) to recreational drugs like mdma? in particular interested in the racetams and modanifil."
My thinking is that it would, seeing as how the prior might get the brain adjusted to tweaked levels of dopamine and other chemicals that mdma stimulates.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · Ceretropic
Non scientific subjective answer: yes. Racetam use seems to have diminished the effects that I get from recreational drugs. After ceasing racetam use, and getting on a memantine regimen, I noticed stimulants have affected me more. I have not taken MDMA in a while, but I have a feeling that the effects will have largely returned to normal.
Tolerance to things like MDMA, amphetamine, opiates, etc is all mediated by the NMDA receptors. Taking racetams increases calcium influx through the NMDA receptors, which may be leading to increased tolerance buildup to recreational substances. There is not a lot of hard data to go on, but the mechanisms make sense. It also fits into my subjective results.
TL;DR: I think that racetam use can increase/speed up tolerance to recreational drugs like MDMA and amphetamine. This is due to excess calcium transmission though the NMDA receptors, most likely leading to immediate early gene down-regulation.