A little weekend blog:
So, being the irrational experimenter that I am, I am willing to try the more problematic supplements/drugs in search of things that increase healthspan, lifespan, or perhaps just make you feel better.
Current menu:
Kratom
BPC-157 peptide
Epitalon
Kratom:
Of course, I have been reading for a decade the raves of self-medicators have made on Reddit and other forums. After researching, I found that is considered relatively safe, even in high doses. It is in the gray area of not being approved and not yet illegal. It is readily available from a few reputable botanical suppliers.
“Active Compounds
Kratom contains over 40 structurally related alkaloids ([1])
Key alkaloids include mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine
Mechanism of Action
Partial agonists of the human μ-opioid receptor ([1])
Demonstrate functional selectivity for G-protein signaling without β-arrestin recruitment ([1])
Exert α-2 receptor agonistic, anti-inflammatory, and mild stimulant effects ([2])”
Benefits often mentioned in user forums; "feels like a Percocet, moderate dose of codeine,
Depending on the dosage and vein/type can be anything from highly stimulating to sedating.
“Makes you full of energy, easy to talk to people, a bit of a buzz reminiscent of nic or alcohol”
Dosage is supposedly key to the effects, basically low-dosage stimulation and high-dosage sedating.
“Kratom use may not be detected in standard drug screens”
My take: I ordered three different varieties of Kratom from two different suppliers.
The Kratom powder all looked the same, a kind of dark khaki green. The powder is kind of messy and tends to cling to things. Maybe, because it isn’t really dry. It doesn’t lend itself that well to capsule-filling machines, but that is what I did. I filled a number of 000 capsules to approximately one gram each.
The dosages most often mentioned is 1-6 grams for mental alertness stimulating effects and 6-15 grams for analgesic meditating effects.
My experience: from 1-6 grams, I felt nada, at about 8 grams, I experienced a slight euphoria.
At 10-12 grams, I felt some of the effects most commonly described. Yes, the effect was much like taking a Percocet, a little euphoria and numbness. It is also has some of the same feeling and effects you get from taking phenibut. It does seem to make one a little more talkative and social.
So, I can see that it might help wean someone off of opioids. One of the best things is that the effects last for several hours with a slow tapering off. No adverse effects were felt. i.e., no hangover, letdown, etc. In that respect, it seems to be a very clean drug.
From the literature I looked at, there seem to be few adverse effects unless taken at high doses for a long period of time. When taken at high doses, you should monitor your liver.
That being said, there are some reports of severe adverse side effects. But considering the tens of thousands who consume this daily, the actual percentage seems quite small.
I think the bogeyman warnings about addiction, side effects, etc, surrounding Kratom are overblown, much the same as with cannabis and its derivatives.
Kratom might offer some pain relief as an alternative to opioids. but for most people like me, I see it more as a recreational drug. I will be using it as an alternative to phenibut, which for some reason, is now quite difficult to obtain.
Kratom would be the ideal thing to take before attending a Grateful Dead or David Gilmore concert. Again, I was pleasantly surprised at how long the effects at a high dose last, much longer than a beer buzz or cannabis edibles.
The main downside is the inconvenient high dosages required for the desired effect.
Twelve grams will absolutely limit it to occasional use for me, and at twelve grams per dose, it is also a little pricey. I will keep some on hand to use if I get the chance to go to a David Gilmore concert.
BPC-157 peptide:
"Potential Therapeutic Applications
Musculoskeletal Injuries
Tendon healing
Ligament repair
Skeletal muscle recovery
BPC-157 has shown consistently positive effects in animal models for various traumatic and systemic soft tissue injuries ([1]).
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Inflammatory bowel disease
Ulcerative colitis
Fistula healing
Short bowel syndrome
Clinical trials have shown promise for IBD treatment with no reported toxicity ([3]).
Cardiovascular System
Myocardial infarction
Heart failure
Pulmonary hypertension
Arrhythmias
Thrombosis prevention
BPC-157 has demonstrated cardioprotective effects and the ability to counteract various heart disturbances in animal studies ([2]).
Wound Healing
Skin wounds
Burns
Diabetic ulcers
BPC-157 has shown efficacy in promoting healing of various types of wounds, including deep burns and diabetic ulcers ([4])."
My main reason for trying BPC-157 is because as I have grown older my gut has become increasingly more sensitive to my food and supplement choices. I would say I have borderline IBD. This manifests when I eat too much fat or take too high of a dose of rapamcyin resulting in diarrhea. My gut often feels a little gassy or bloated. “The antiulcer peptide, stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (previously employed in ulcerative colitis and multiple sclerosis trials, no reported toxicity”
I am taking twice daily injections of BPC-157. I felt nothing for the first few days, but now it has calmed down my digestive tract and I feel normal. BPC-157 is relatively cheap and I plan on taking it indefinetly
Epitalon:
“Epitalon is a synthetic tetrapeptide (Ala-Glu-Asp-Gly) based on a natural peptide extracted from the pineal gland. It has shown promise in various studies for its potential geroprotective and neuroprotective properties.”
"Potential Clinical Applications:
Neuroprotection
Intranasal administration of Epitalon activates neuron activity in the rat neocortex ([4])
It may have beneficial effects on the eye retina, particularly in cases of retinitis pigmentosa ([5])
Reproductive Health
Epitalon protects against post-ovulatory aging-related damage in mouse oocytes ([2])
It may help correct impairments in reproductive cycles in rats ([6])
Cancer Prevention
Epitalon has shown anticarcinogenic effects in various experimental models ([7])
It inhibits the development of leukemia in mice ([8])
Lifespan Extension
Studies in mice, rats, and fruit flies have demonstrated increased lifespan with Epitalon administration ([8], [9])
It may slow down age-related changes in estrous function and decrease chromosome aberrations in bone marrow cells ([8])
My main reason for taking Epitalon:
“Epitalon is a synthetic peptide that has gained attention for its potential effects on telomere length and biological aging.”
Of course one wouldn’t expect to experience any particular subjective benefits from taking Epitalon and I didn’t for the first week.
Then I experienced an unexpected benefit. I am experiencing the best sleep that I have experienced since childhood, a good clean restful sleep with no wakeup grogginess.
I suppose this must be the effect that Epitalon has on melatonin production.
“Epitalon has been demonstrated to increase melatonin production in the pineal gland ([1]). This effect is particularly significant as melatonin plays a crucial role in regulating circadian rhythms and various physiological functions”
What is strange is that I have been taking high-dose melatonin, one gram or more nightly, and have been sleeping well, but the Epitalon is icing on the cake.
I plan on taking Epitalon indefinitely. I inject it right before bedtime.
