@studhammer - I live in Knoxville. My parents and in-laws both worked there.
I was in Oak Ridge for a couple of years. Loved east Tenn, hated my job.
That area is such a huge dichotomy, go to walmart and you could be next to a guy who splits atoms for a living OR a dude with no teeth and lives in a bus in the woods
Thereās so much truth in that statement. LOL!
Time to start thinking about college and a future. You have a lot to offer, it would be a shame if you wasted it.
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Two years before my dad retired, he absolutely hated going into work. His work ethic is beyond reproach, but all the red tape, etc. just to do his job (instrument calibration / electrician) was ridiculous. He would get paid double time to just sit half the time. It drove him insane.
I miss Tenn a lot. The southern women (I love Texas women too, but the southern drawl OMG), the hospitality, the water, the trees so green it hurts to look at it. The rocking chairs in the Knoxville airport! Have never seen that anywhere else.
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Plus there are the locals and the ones who come from outside and its rare that they mix. My boss was a big stuck up snob who never spoke to anybody in the services.
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Already been accepted into college, biomedical science. Iāve enrolled but deferred a year
Donāt worry, Iām not going to fuck up my future due to excess partyingā¦ I probably go out clubbing/partying once per month or so. I believe there is a happy medium between responsibility and hedonism, especially at my age.
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Yes sir! Born and raised here. I traveled a lot during my time in the service and always missed āhomeā while stationed overseas, etc.
Still, the ticks and chiggers!! I am glad to be free of that
Whatās a chigger?
Down under we have mosquitosā¦ and spidersā¦ snakes, jellyfish, sharks, crocodiles, bull antsā¦ itās one of the only countries I know where a ton of the wildlife/insects are actively out to kill you (jokesā¦ sort ofā¦ Iāve found a red back spider dangling around in my shower before!)
Lol. Where were you living to encounter so many ticks and chiggers? I rarely see them in Knoxville.
I had ticks in my office and when I would go out in the woods. I also had chiggers from mowing my front yard!
A little critter that gets down in your skin and does this
Its been as high as 150/90. I havent checked recently but I think it may be elevated but not that high.
Whats your opinion on the use of ecstasy once or twice every 6 months? Im not going to but just curious with its interaction to AAS.
SB
Yikes! In all my years living here Iāve never seen or heard of someone having such a bad experience. Did you live in Oak Ridge / Anderson County?
Yep. Our field staff used to come back literally covered in ticks. They had to wear protective equipment. We had annual safety meetings on the various ticks in the area and were taught how to check for ticks and removal.
Edit: I worked with a guy who thought it would be a good idea to have a picnic in a grassy field, he ended up with his nutsack covered in ticks!! 
Well I woke up this morning with about twenty mosquito bites, soā¦ yeet
Alrighty, there are a few things Iād like to clarify. First and foremost (many people apparently donāt know this)ā¦ ecstasy and MDMA (3,4 methylenedioxymethamphetamine) are the exact same drugs. Ecstasy is slang for the pressed tablets you get, MD is typically sold in see through capsules wherein the crystallised substance is visible inside, but theyāre (supposed to be) the same substance. Whats actually in the capsules/pills is an entirely other story (more on that later)
MDMA elicits itās prime pharmacological effects via serotonin agonismā¦ Acting as an MAT substrate (SERT, VMAT2 etc) leading to reuputake inhibition of whichever MAT it binds to
The result is a mass release of the following
- serotonin
- dopamine
- noradrenaline
The drug also shows affinity for 5HT receptors, a2a adrenergic receptors, beta adrenergic receptors etc. An increase in net noradrenaline concentration induces inotropic stimulation of the myocardium, so an increase in the force of cardiac output, heart rate etc.
This drug doesnāt just release a little bit of serotoninā¦ it releases MASSIVE amounts of serotonin, hence why one typically doesnāt feel ānormalā for a few days after rolling. It should be clarified Iāve never used ecstasy, therefore all my knowledge it strictly scientific in nature. When I say I go out clubbing/partying, I donāt take MDMA, thatās not what I was referring to. I was talking about staying up all night, clubbing/going to house parties etc. Iāve taken drugs before but thatās never the highlight/main focus of my night.
Rodent models indicate supra therapeutic dosages of AAS (not just deca) dysregulates 5HT receptor expression, depending on where in the brain, may even decrease the number of receptors/amt of serotonin (basal forebrain for example)ā¦ When youāre generally interfering with the regulation of serotonin, throwing in a drug that completely depletes serotonin probably isnāt the greatest idea
Then thereās the synergistic effects. Both compounds induce vasoconstriction, HR increase (MDMA dramatically so), hypertension, cardiac toxicity (5ht2a receptor agonism, hypertension, vasoconstriction, dehydration = electrolyte imbalance = arrhythmia) and more. When taken alone, if youāre 100% sure youāve got pure MDMAā¦ used reasonably itās arguably safer than alcohol (not saying much). Thereās a HUGE stigma against both this substance and GHBā¦ if youāre going to crucify people for using this, crucify those who go to āwine clubā or make āwine o clockā memesā¦ anyway, the argument that one pill has a decent chance of causing you to drop dead is hogwash, the LD50 for MDMA is hypothesised to be between 10-20mg/kg, so between 750/1500 milligrams for me. Dehydration, heat-stroke (the compound increases body temp due to drastic release of norephinephrine) etc are different variables that can be mitigated. This is coming from someone who has seen numerous overdoses stemming from āMDMAā (that had methamphetamine/other adulterants in it), so Iām not exactly naive.
When MDMA is taken in conjunction with lets sayā¦ over 200mg hormones/wk, the risks increase dramatically, no longer is it relatively safe. Furthermore both potentiate the neurotoxic, cardiotoxic actions of one another. AAS appear to reduce levels of scyllo inositol, a protein of which protects against deleterious effects mediated by beta amyloid. MDMA over time appears to enhance beta amyloid deposition within numerous parts of the brain, granted much of this pertains to rodent models. With AAS, MDMA is legitimately risky, the media hysteria over the compound wouldnāt be exaggerated if this pertained to everyone who took it.
MDMA and cognitive deficit is complicated. Rodent/animal models certainly show the drug to be profoundly neurotoxic but human data remains conflicting. Some studies indicate cognitive deficits to have developed after prolonged usage (even occasionally, but over time), others say the deficits are reversibly whilst some say no cognitive abnormality is present at all. That being said frequent use, and combined with AAS probably magnifies this risk. For those who make the argument āaha, itās neurotoxicā, so is alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and more. Obviously to varying degrees, even AAS appears to elict a significant neurotoxic effect over time. Iād hypothesise prolonged use does induce dopaminergic/serotonergic neurotoxicity.
Iād say pick one or the other and preferably neither, if youāre going to blast large dosages, at least whilst on blast stay away from stimulants/substances known to elict a net cardiotoxic effect. There are those within the bodybuilding community who like to stigmatise those who make the other decisionā¦ But I find this mightily hypocritical, theyāre both poison. Take for example 600mg tren, 500mg test, 50mg dbol etc vs dropping MDMA once every six months? The aforementioned cycle is 10x more deleterious to oneās longevity.
The biggest risk is not knowing what youāre actually getting. If you canāt have that pill/capsule/whatever testedā¦ donāt use it, throw it out. Adulturants (say n ethylpenylone, para-methoxy-N-methylamphetamine etc) elict similar effects but have a MUCH higher established profile of toxicity. When theyāre cut/substituted with what youāve purchased, one pill actually can kill, given the statistical averages regarding MDMA purity on the street (esp in Australia when itās like 30% on average) odds arenāt in youāre favour
Oh, I forgot, both strain the kidneys tremendously, MDMA is hepatotoxicā¦ other risks exist but Iāll edit this response and include them later
A few case reports exist linking prolonged, frequent abuse of MDMA to elevated liver enzymes, acute hepatic failure etc. Dehydration/hyperthermia induced renal injury is also a legitimate concern, concurrently with the use of AAS (strain on the kidney, some moreso than othersā¦ small scale studies have found FSGS within the majority of bodybuildersā¦ whether this be due to dieuretic abuse or AAS aloneā¦ probably both, androgens are known to elicit a direct nephrotoxic stimuli)
Both compounds induce oxidative stress, significant amounts induce cellular death.
All substances of recreation/vices carry risks, MDMA is no exception. Before anyone takes such a powerful mind altering substance they should be well aware of the potential, neurological, cardiac etc effects. Thereās no such thing as āsafeā drug use, but there is such a thing as taking precautions in order to minimise the level of harm induced.
Furthermore, donāt combine MDMA with other drugs known to inhibit serotonin reuputake. SSRIās, SNRIās, synthetic painkillers that act upon serotonin (tapentadol, tramadol, pethidineā¦ metabolite norpethidine is responsibleā¦) generally a bad idea to combine. MDMA alone in excess can lead to serotonin syndrome, combining MDMA with drugs that inhibit the reuputake of serotonin is a terrible idea
Data indicates within rodents (and human reports) that nandrolone, and perhaps other AASā¦ dulls the rewarding/pleasurable effects acquired from MDMA, amphetamine, cocaine and cannabisā¦ thus the user will want more. Lack of pleasure for those who use doesnāt equate to lack of deleterious pharmacological effect. The higher dosages one might use in order to chase an initial feeling could contribute to a dangerous outcome. Obviously this would be dose dependent, 200mg deca, test or whatever is very different from 2000mg etc
Interestingly there is some data suggesting MDMA usage amongst those with autism has long lasting effects regarding the ability for said person to socialise, empathise and communicate with others. Same goes for those with PTSD (reduced symptomatology). Itāll be interesting to see what big pharma does with this (probably attempt to suppress data relating to it. God forbid itās actually true, one can take one pillā¦ feel better for a while rather than require expensive refills every couple of weeks)
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looking solid SB, lots of progress made since your last picture update. looking much leaner, keep it up!
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