Bacopa Monnieri

[Ghost]

I know I've talked about Bacopa a bit on the forum before. I decided to get some and try it at a low dose (Brand: Swanson, 50mg extract) for a few days.

The first time I took it, I only took it for 1 day.

Then I took a break for a few weeks, and recently took it for 3 days and then stopped again.

I know it takes a long time and a higher dose to get memory effects, but I've heard that it works faster for anxiety (and I was hoping for quick SERT increases).

I didn't notice any sexual changes, but it definitely felt like it increased my emotional capacity. This was good and bad (I could be more upset about things, but also could have more love/caring). I usually don't have much anhedonia anymore, and I'd consider any hinderance that I had with it erased even in the few short days I tried Bacopa. It could just be luck, or maybe just placebo, but it's probably worth a shot for anyone with anhedonia.

I also had seen enough talk about Bacopa on the forum that I figured it deserved its own thread.

[DoIt]

I tried it, got more emotional numbness (I gues it rised serotonin) after a month on it, returned to baseline after I stoped it.

[Coraggio]

I tried it, got more emotional numbness (I gues it rised serotonin) after a month on it, returned to baseline after I stoped it.

Also other people reported the same. Bacopa induces an increase of SERT expression, but also an increase of THR2 = increase of serotonin pruduction.

[fablecloth]

I've done a fair bit of background work on supplements. I took a whole heap of supplements a while back (about 40 tablets a day) and I felt fine, but foolishly, I never tried supplements one by one, or documented my experience.

From reading a lot of different sources, these were my notes on how to take bacopa. This might help you pick the "right" brand of bacopa.

Take in the morning.
300mg, total bacosides 55% (need 150 mg bacosides)

Fat soluble; supplemented alongside a meal
improvements much better at 8-12 weeks than at 4-6 weeks;
Complements ashwaghanda
Take with food

[Ghost]

I tried it, got more emotional numbness (I gues it rised serotonin) after a month on it, returned to baseline after I stoped it.

Also other people reported the same. Bacopa induces an increase of SERT expression, but also an increase of THR2 = increase of serotonin pruduction.

yea, I'm wondering if cycling it in a certain manner would change the THR2 aspect. I don't think that researchers have ever tried that.

That's how I got my idea for low dose, with a few days on/ off at a time before ever increasing length or dosage.

[Ghost]

Hard to tell if it's really changed anything, but it for certain hasn't made anything worse. I've taken 50mg extract for 7 of the past 9 days. I'm wondering what would happen if I added something else to it (Ex: Zinc, Curcumin, forskolin, Inositol etc...).

I'll keep watching out for the anti-dopamine side effects, but they haven't hit yet.

Inositol + Bacopa could combat the dopamine problems, and also help resensitize 5ht2c receptors.

Forskolin might help increase SERT even more.

[Ghost]

Re: Nystatin
Postby Ghost » Wed Apr 05, 2017 12:09 am

More people should try Bacopa. Both times that I've tried it, it has helped. I've only come off of it both times becuase I am trying to see if I can get the SERT increase without the serotonin increase and dopamine decrease, so I've been playing around with dosage and duration.

[Ghost]

Re: Nystatin
Postby Kk88 » Fri Apr 07, 2017 6:41 am

Ghost wrote:
More people should try Bacopa. Both times that I've tried it, it has helped. I've only come off of it both times becuase I am trying to see if I can get the SERT increase without the serotonin increase and dopamine decrease, so I've been playing around with dosage and duration.


Hi Ghost, I got some Bacopa today - thanks for the tip. Through what mechanism do you think this works? Does this just increase serotonin/dopamine levels or do you believe it might actually be working to reverse PSSD? Will start talking today so I'll report if anything new.

Is there any concern that this may be working while you're taking it but may make your base level worse when you stop?

[Ghost]

Re: Nystatin
Postby theloneranger86 » Fri Apr 07, 2017 8:17 am

No improvement from Bacopa yet . Iv been on Bacopa for over 20 days now. How much are you taking Ghost ?

[Ghost]

Re: Nystatin
Postby Ghost » Fri Apr 07, 2017 9:36 am

I mean, there is always that concern. It's something that is just a risk of trying anything for PSSD/ anything at all for that manner. That being said, I have never ran into a drug that has made PSSD worse permanently. I think that the persistent problems that we see are a different mechanism of any of these other drugs. You can desensitize 5-HT1A in many ways (stress/Trazodone), but for me, it's always bounced back. The SSRI was the only thing that has been persistent.

Bacopa is working through SERT expression. However, it actually is increasing 5-HT levels and decreasing Dopamine at the same time. That's the one thing that it has working against it.

I'm fairly confident that our SERT levels are low, but I don't know how to increase them. My idea has basically been to cycle Bacopa to try to knock SERT expression out of whatever negative feedback loop it's been stuck in for the past 2.5 years.