Allright, I admit, I'm taking stimulants!

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Toadkiller Dog

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Like many students, I've been having trouble studying 8 hours a day plus class plus lab, and as a result, my grades have slowly been slipping from above-class-average to at-class-average to below-class-average to well-below-class-average-and-almost-failing.

Sooo......with 3 exams and 3 quizzes this week, and 2 exams next week, the pressure is building. Monday night I popped a couple of pseudoephedrine HCL's (better known as Sudafed--so safe they give it to astronauts and pregnant women!) and a cup of coffee and stayed up till 2 am studying Embryo. Guess what? I got a "B"--about the class average! Cell Bio quiz was today--Got a 90! :eek:

Unfortunately, my quest to stay at the class average is waning. On the 3rd day of my Sudafed high, I am awake but spacy.

Anybody got any tips for anything stronger (but legal)?
:D

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>Hey guy that?s not very safe. Maybe you shoule think of an alternate solution for your problem. I and everyone else has heard the whole gateway drug thing. Stop now don?t try to get into any thing stronger. Be strong study harder you will do better.
 
Ripped fuel. You can get it from GNC.
 
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I wouldn't waste your money on any supplements. Stick w/ a good 25mg ephedrine and 200mg of caffeine. I would actually recommend taking a caffeine pill instead of drinking coffee since the caffeine content of coffee is so variable.
 
I agree with the ripped fuel, diet fuel, or any EPHEDRA-based performance enhancer. ephedra is structurally similar to speed, and has the same great effects. i would highly recommend it, although you can get pretty dependent on it...oh well!
 
Cold Gatorade always helped me when the finals got tough. Lemon-lime or fruit punch.
 
Hercules- ripped fuel is exactly what you just referred to, ephedrine and caffeine.
 
I guess I must be a prude ... I don't get why you need all that stuff. But, you could probably say the same thing to me when I drink that 3 cups of coffee a day during exams week.

Don't get me wrong, I've done my share of chemicals, recreationally. But, aren't you y'all afraid of dependence? I mean, after exam week, I have headaches for a bit because I stop the caffeine (and maybe cause I drink like hell after the tests, hehe). I just wouldn't want to be hooked on stuff like that. Plus they give me jitters like no other.

On the other hand, you gotta do what you gotta do. Or maybe you could just sleep more, lose a few points on the test. I guess it is a judgement call, and who am I to judge?

Well, just be careful...

Simul Parikh
Tulane Med '05
 
In most states ephedrine is available over the counter (especially at gas stations). They may be called "Mini-thins" and are marketed to be for asthma (which they do help with). They have a strong stimulant effect. If you're in California you can't get them though. They were used by people as a base ingredient to make metamphetamine. Watch out though, most stimulants will raise your blood pressure when you're on them and may lead to dependence. Use them sparingly.
 
I would stick with caffeine, ephedra is supposed to be pretty damaging to cardiac muscle. No, I haven't done any research to back this up, just heard it from several pharmicists and my biochem prof. (We were talking about Xenadrine)
 
Originally posted by DoctorB19:
•In most states ephedrine is available over the counter (especially at gas stations). They may be called "Mini-thins" and are marketed to be for asthma (which they do help with). They have a strong stimulant effect. If you're in California you can't get them though. They were used by people as a base ingredient to make metamphetamine. •

You can still get mini-thins here in California. Many years ago my friends used to crush them up and snort them. At least til one girl did about 15 of them and passed out on my front lawn.

As for me, I just sleep when I get tired and study when I wake up. Anything else is too unhealthy.

Andrew
 
This conversation scares me a little.

First of all, studying 8 hours a day? Isn't that a little excessive? Perhaps it's a difference between curriculum, but I never studied that much (and I've done pretty well in school and on the USMLE).

Also, coffee and tea are one thing. But taking pills confers a kind of dependence because they're so easy to pop in and forget about. You should avoid pills, and stick with instant coffee, as I do. I'm addicted, I'll admit, but there's nothing quite like a good jolt of thick, black coffee to get your mind racing.

What's more, the best thing you can do to improve your concentration and your memory, and your body, for that matter, is to take 20 or 30 minutes a day and jog. Just run around a park or whatever. You'll find that you feel better in the morning, and that your stamina and concentration improve (almost overnight).

Natural endorphins are much better for you than anything mentioned previously.

Oh, and it will get worse down the road, so you better cut out the ephedrine now.

If, when you're an intern, you still have trouble, you'll have put in 5 or 6 years on this "wonder-drug." You don't want to be one of those 30 year olds we've seen in the ER who's just had a MI. Respect your myocardium more.
 
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PS, didn't you ever see the episode of "Saved By the Bell" where Jessie starts taking Ephedrine? Very scary.

If you don't stop now, it could be you in "Showgirls II"
 
I don't know if its funny or pathetic that I remember that episode of "Saved by the Bell" too.
 
Metabolife is my drug of choice. It speeds me up, but not in a really extreme manner. Of course, I also drink about 5 cups of coffee a day, which REALLY speeds me up. Metabolife has ephedra, and a bunch of other herbs which I can't pronounce. I only take it when I think of it, which is only occasionally.

For a little perspective, one of the attendings told me that twenty years ago, dexedrine (dextroamphetamine) use was rampant among the interns and residents. They would get it as samples from the drug reps. This obviously doesn't happen much today. Coffee and ephedra are much tamer than this.

-mrp
 
Damn sad to say it but i remember that saved by the bell episode as well.

Anyway I just use a caffeine drink called Bawls, comes in a nice blue bottle. Drink it and you can easily stay up till 3 studying Biochem.
 
I remember that I felt bad for Jesse in Saved By the Bell when she was on that stuff. I think it was one of the more meaningful episodes. There was also that episode on Punky Brewster where the Chiclets tried to make Punky try drugs. The episode ended with Punky in a Just Say No Parade with Nancy Reagan.
 
Vivarin worked well for me. It's 200 mg (I think) of caffeine and you don't have to burden your bladder with the coffee. Last thing you want is to get dependant. Plus what the other folks say about myocardial damage is true. Don't go there.
 
Just find someone with a ritalin script and get some from them. I have used about everything mentioned so far except for that cold gatorade bit. Maybe that would work with a little crushed up ritalin in it!!! Anyhoo, I used stimulants besides caffeine only during the first two years of med school. Suprisingly, I just adapted to less sleep and didn't need any more things like ritalin. Have fun and take drugs, but when it comes to actually seeing patients, stick to the coffee!!
 
If you guys need that sh**, you shouldn't be in med school.
 
One of my classmates actually had a girl ask him "how do I convince my doctor I have A.D.D?"...he then asked her if she DID have A.D.D. to which she replied "no, I just need to pretend like I do so I can get some Ritalin". Sad....
 
I have to say that this is one of the more disturbing threads I've read on SDN. And here I was feeling bad when I had 3 lattes in a day... :rolleyes:
 
You gotta do what you gotta do...like everything in life...moderation is the key.
 
Sleep enough and study efficiently!! Caffeine binging got me nothing but an ulcer...no joke, a "real" duodenal ulcer for which I have to take prescription-strength H2 blockers and proton-pump inhibitors. Allright? Stay off the crap!!! We all do sleepless nights...but limit them and get sleep...you'll need your central nervous system for residency man, believe me!!! Good adventures!!! :mad:
 
Punky said no to drugs even after she was in the chiclets and she had to drink the raw egg. Also, remember the episode on Differn't strokes when arnold's friend ricky was drinking in the bathroom (6th grade) and the episode when arnold's friend robby admitted to trying drugs when Nancy Reagan visited the class.

If you are in Med school and not smart enough to know that taking drugs is not worth it then Med schools need to change thier selection criteria because they obviously made a mistake in picking you to be in the class.
 
enough about stimulants! let's talk depressants. who's getting drunk this weekend? :D :D :D
 
I'm in total agreement with the exercise bit. if i run and/or lift wieghts, and get some sleep i feel lots more energized. Plus i've noticed, when i get more sleep AND drink caffeine, it's like "BING". Joe's on today! lol ;)
 
i love it when the prudes get upset and start citing old 80s shows with nancy regan! too bad the rest of different strokes cast missed the point of that episode!! lol!

change selection criteria for med school? that is bullsh#t. they select for people who will kill their own grandmother for a spot if necessary. also, are you going to get up on your soapbox every time some loser comes to the ED all hopped up on goofballs!!! (i love to say goofballs)
 
They select people that would kill their own grandmothers???? just not for student spots, but for research studies on chronic obsession and psychopathic thought patterns. They want strong, educated, and dedicated people with a strong desire to serve others in need and contribute to the science and art of medicine. I hate to think that they are looking for cut-throat, heartless, obsessive folks that would do anything for a spot. For those of you that sre like that, you may be better suited for corporate america, as a ceo or a lawyer ;)
 
gotta say - i am not a big drug user myself, but i'll admit that ripped fuel mixed with alcohol is a pretty interesting high. i don't know about its helpfulness as a study aid: the heart palpitations might get in the way.

my advice: get your heart rate up the old-fashioned way (run around your parking lot or something) - it really helps jolt your system back to functioning. also, the fresh air might help defeat the 8-hours-studying blues.
 
Geez, I really started a winner!

I started this topic as sort of a joke. I really had a cold last week, and the Sudafed kept me awake for quite a while, which was a handy side effect.

I had to laugh at several of the posts, especially the one about the "Different Strokes" cast members "missing the point" of their own episode!! LOL!

I think the biggest reason I won't take stimulants on a regular basis is that I build up a tolerance too quickly. Even coffee loses its effect after about a week.

Also, regarding the curriculum at our school, it can be summed up in two statements:

1. Require the students to be at school as many hours as humanly possible (8-5 every day), and
2. TEST, TEST, TEST! At least one biggie a week, preferably two or three. Then throw in some quizzes for good measure, around 3 per week. B/c we are a small school, our students must be idiots, so they must be tested frequently or they will forget everything.

P.S, I think I'll try some of that Ripped Fuel--is it a pill or a powder?
 
stimulants are good but caffene makes me pee too much!! studying with others and exercise helps to keep me awake.
 
All time Saved by the Bell cheesy line...
"I'm so excited, I'm so excited...I'm, so scared..." :D
 
Sadly, I can offer some first hand knowledge to this topic. Some back ground first: I was working as a deep sea diver out of New Orleans LA, but lived in Los Angeles. I worked a 30 day on 30
day off schedule. So, once a month I would drive either from LA to New Orleans or back. It was a 2200 mile trip one way. (By the way, texas gets about 100 miles wider every freaking time it rains I
swear!!) Why would I drive? Well, long story short, I LOVE taking road trips. (I put 170k miles on my toyota truck before the speedo broke. Then put another 100k on it. Sold it just this year<sniff>
GREAT truck!) I would take just about every side road I could find on these trips and take in all of the tourist traps. Loads of fun and I would recommend that everybody try it just once. Really miss
htat part of my life too.
There were occasions where I was called to the ship on an emergency job or they needed a diver to replace somebody that got hurt. I would have to drive from LA to work in a hurry. I have made
that drive, all 2200 miles of it, several times in a single shot. On a few occasion's I used "Mini-thins" that every truck stop sells. Coffee was obviously choice number one. I currently work for an
ISP on the night shift and one thing that I have found out is that if I go the the gym before I go to work at midnight, my ECA stack REALLY keeps me wired until 10 AM when I get off.
Right now, I take Hydroxy-cut. (1 month on with 2 months off cycle), DHEA, Andro 6 poppers, and whey powder. I started cycleing this when I started diving. Our comapnys doc approved the
stack for the divers and it worked really well so I'v stayed on it, but with smaller doses. We really had to be in good shape for the work we did.
I'v done the Ripped Fuel thing but it was a bit harsh for me. Vivran is just flat out EVIL stuff. KILLS my stomach. Mini-thins are ok I thought. One time I had to drive From my base in San
Diego to Gering Nebraska and I did it in one shot after having been up for 24 hours before I even started the drive. Mini-thins got me through that trip but I was in physical pain for 2 days after. All
of my joints hurt, headache, nausea. (for those fuzzy on the good bad thing, that's bad). That was the last time I did the stuff.
Having worked in the oil patch I have seen so serious substance abuse. I myself try not to judge others. If you feel that you need to take "something" to hold your edge I could not say if you
should or should not. I have. Am I a bad person for doing this? I hope not.
 
Probably the best reccomendation I can offer is to find a friend with ADD. Convince him/her to get an extra prescription of ritalin or adderol or dexedrine - i prefer adderol myself for those long nights - and you will be set. Watch your grades shoot up!!

-F
 
I know one second year med student who used to SNORT Vivarin. He loved it cause it wears off fast enough so he could still get some sleep. Snorting seems a bit extreme, and makes caffine seem a lot more like the drug it really is.

I'm sure the effects it has on your sinuses can't be good. Imagine him burning a whole in his septum from snorting caffine pills! :D
 
i use SOBE ADRENALINE>.i drink like 5 cans of that before i pull hardcore allnighters. Damn they taste well and work!!!
 
I am from buffalo, and was listening to the radio one time (103.3) and they were talking about this new product they sell in Canada called BUZZ water I think. There bringing it to the U.S., it tastes just like water but is loaded with caffine. There are diffrent levels two, I think the one is illegal in the U.S. it's called Zombie or something... Don't really remember, it was a while ago. Now that I think about it, they have a website... I just went, check it out...
<a href="http://www.buzzwater.com" target="_blank">http://www.buzzwater.com</a>

-Jeff
 
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