Scientists and those with research interests. (T-Rock, Cass. etc.)
I am looking for research information on the following theoretical notion I have regarding a possible usage of ephedra (or positive side effect)
Assume ADHD is a realistic clinical phenomenon (or at least what can be referred to as cognitive noise inhibiting the fluidity of mental thought processes). Given that one pharmacological treatment for ADHD is Ritalin, which is a stimulant, would ephedra have the same benefits, or at least some of the same “clarifying” properties as Ritalin.
I am looking for a detailed description (beyond the normal) of the neurological effects of ephedra. Particularly in regards to epinephrine and norepinephrine. If increased clarity and reducted background noise when doing cognitive tasks such as math problems, relative geometry etc. is brought about by ephedra, it would be interesting in regards to my testing process.
I have noticed much more acquity when effected by Ephedra and doing Math problems. Almost as if the increased neuronal flow has a calming “mental” effect, thus reducing internal noise that may lead one to proceed to fast or “innacurately” on math problems.
This is a very interesting topic. I’m going to do some reading on this area and see if I can find anything to back it up in the literature.
Have you found anything that would support your idea?
Personnally, I’ve not been able to take ephedra, because it turns me into Super Bitch. But, I’ve also never tried it while I’ve been studying, and perhaps it might affect me differently when I am in that context.
One important thing to note: ADD and ADHD are different disorders, and their treatment can be different. There are also different rates of ADD and ADHD in adults. Males tend to have ADHD, females tend to have ADD.
Which one are you asking about?
And for those of you already asking if ADD is a ‘real’ disorder, yes it is. Just ask me, my family, my close friends and anyone I’ve dated - they live with it because I live with it.
Yes, I know, for quite some time it has been the ‘disease of the month’ used as an excuse to medicate children at the recommendation of schools at the behest of overworked teachers. It is a convieient catch-all to deal with a host of problems that are probably more related to shitty diet, not enough exercise and not enough attention at home.
ADD is like obesity in this respect. Ask most fat people why they’re fat and you will get one one of a million allergies, thyroid problems, glandular problems, genetic problems or other reason for their lack of disipline with food and exercise. But out of 100 fat people, there are 5 who really DO have a problem and can’t help being overweight.
Yes, ADD is real. There are many symptoms and behaviors that point to the disorder, and while everyone can identify with one or two (just like everyone has one or two symptoms of cancer) when you have the full list and more you are dealing with some real issues.
Also, Ritalin is not the drug of choice anymore, especially for adults. The drug in Ritalin, methylphenidate, is short acting - about 4 hours or so. This is not good for most working adults, as life gets in the way of remembering a pill three times a day. Children and college students prefer the short acting. Most post-college adults prefer the long acting 12 hour release drugs. There are also other drugs such as wellbutrin that are used in conjunction with the stimulant drug.
First and foremost, while I will keep my thoughts on ADD/ADHD mum at this point in time, I can say that I have extensive personal experience working with children who have been diagnosed with either and have seen the developmental sequalae that most present with. Let me say that I believe in a constellation of traits, while perhaps not yet sold on what the actual diagnostic construct has as far as biopsychological implications.
While my personal stance is to completely revamp the underlying taxonomy’s of that which are included in the DSM-IV because of their redundancy and lack of discriminant validity in terms of etiology, I do indeed believe that for the time being, we must work with what we have.
Rather than pull hairs about the diagnostic entity itself, I am more interested in the particular neuronal pathways involved in what might be referred to as “internal noise.” Almost as if there is so much thought process occurring, that the brain is literally jammed electrically. Perhaps, ephedra, by some novel pathway streamlines this jam, or focus attention to the task at hand. At low doses, I find very few side effects of ephedra, particularly after establishing tolerance. However, the mental clarity is very noticeable. Particularly for a period of about three hours. This allows me to fight off the deleterious effects of the transition “fogginess” into keto. However, once metablic fuels are transitioned, mental alertness returns to baseline. In either case, ephedra seems to focus the thought process very crucially at low doses.
I saw a news story that mentioned that, of the kids on Ritalin, without behavior or psychological treatment in addition to the drug, 50% end up in prison.
Check out this book for ADD and ADHD info. I haven’t read it myself, but I have heard good things about it. Plus one of the authors is a genius in the field of psychology and hypnosis. He is also a nutcase, but that is another story.