What are your hidden gem medications/drugs/substances and what makes them ideal for your usecase

water
makes my headaches go away
makes it easier to poop
tastes good
cools me down on a hot day
super inexpensive, so cheap you can bathe in it
only bad part is that it makes you need to pee
- Hydrohomies unite.
- Pure waa a
- tastes good
  Sir, let's discuss the taste of water.
  My sister tells me water is tasteless. I disagree. Water definitely has a taste. I have yet to find water with a taste I like except when I am very dehydrated.
  Tap water? Definitely no. Filtered water? Nope. Mineral water? Nah. Flavored water? Eugh.
  Tea, though. Tea is amazing. Especially coffee tea. Coffee tea is amazing. You take coffee beans, grind them up, and pass hot water through it. It's so amazing.
  
  Not every tap water tastes the same. I have had tap water that is a bliss to drink but I’ve also had tap water that was barely drinkable without being filtered…
  Also, tea and coffee also profit from using good water while making them.
  
  No idea where you live, but the tap water is amazing where I live (somewhere in the western United States). And it comes from a set of glaciers that’s basically behind my house.
  If my tap water tasted bad I’d probably set up a solar still to purify it.
  
  Rain tank water is bloody lifechanging. Tap water tastes too strong, and filtered water doesn't seem to do much to the water (although lifestraw filtered water does seem to remove the unpleasant flavours better) but water from our galvanised iron tank is recognisable and downright pleasant. Also the concrete tank is pretty good too. You can taste if anyone gets water from the plastic tanks on the east side of the house though. Ick.
  These days I run rainwater through a lifestraw and call it good. No tea beats that.
  
  You tried Fiji or Evian? I find them so damn refreshing and "palatable" even tho I am at baseline a HydrationHomie

Melatonin
I can't do sleep hygiene. My cell phone is the first and last thing I see every day. I stare at screens all day for work and for leisure. With moderate melatonin use I can somehow maintain regular and restful sleep.
No side effects if you use it responsibly (e.g. 5 days on, 2 days off, stick with low doses). Very safe. Can improve sleep even if you're already sleeping well. I don't know why more people aren't on it.
- A fun hack for melatonin is that smaller doses work better than larger doses.
  
  Yes! Scientific trials have shown that for most people, 0.3mg of melatonin gives better quality of sleep than 3mg.
  I've seen pills as high as 10mg on the shelf and have to wonder wtf they're for. If you take too much your body becomes less sensitive to it and you become dependent on supplementation. 10mg is definitely too much.
- Do you use NightShift and Dark Mode, those are helpful altho the name of the game is also brightness, no matter whether its a "good" or "bad" color relative to its effect on sleep
  
  I do. I also messed with the iOS accessibility settings to color shift even more. It helps so much.
  I even went to monochrome red at one point and it felt like me cellphone was actively putting me too sleep. Unfortunately monochrome also kills a lot of the enjoyment of using a phone. I was getting sleepier, but felt so bored I just wanted to find something too do to fill the dopamine void.
  
  Unfortunately I have to keep my brightness quite high. My eyes can't focus well in the dark.
- I love melatonin. It's gentle and natural. I guess I stopped buying it years ago because my husband took it all.
  
  Makes me wicked drowsy all day.

Pramipexole
It's used for Parkinson's and restless legs, I use it for restless legs. I've suffered with this condition as far back as I can remember, I've always referred to myself as a part time insomniac because this would keep me up a lot of the time.
I had a period of mental health problems and was prescribed Metazapine for it, which kicked up the RLS a notch. Despite being off them now for nearly a year, the Restless Legs are still kicked up.
Pramipexole, when taken at the right time, sorts the RLS out, I can finally sleep and when I do sleep I don't kick my wife up the arse.
Side affects include hypersexualality and compulsive gambling, but I haven't experienced this yet. I have warned my workmates that it could come up in the future though so if I ever say "I bet you a fiver you can't wank me off" they know why.
Edited to bold Pramipexole
- Have you noticed any issues with induced impulsivity from med, there's crazy stories of folks getting on dopamine agonists like that who go wild and end up with gambling and porn addictions, criminal charges, etc. Really wild stuff
  
  From my reading on Pramipexole it's about 10% of people that have these side effects. It worried me when I started taking the pills.
  I read the documentation that came with them and it had in bold DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION WITH ALCOHOL AS THIS CAN MAKE SIDE EFFECTS WORSE so I read the side effects and it was compulsive gambling and hypersexuality.
  So I gave up my nightly rum for a few weeks. Then I thought "Meh, let's see what happens" and reintroduced my nightly rum and coke before bed. Honestly I've not had anything noticeable.
  Nothing compulsive. But I can spend an hour or more solving Rubik's cubes or playing the guitar without even noticing. I had that before the pills though.

Fly agaric / Amanita muscaria
is the only thing that is actually mucus dissolving. You are stoned as fuck but when dried slowly they are nontoxic anymore.
They are also very funny, perfect party drug. Actually stoned, without head paranoia etc. dancing is really fun, you can lie down or move its all very funny. And no alcohol 70%-directly-in-the-liver pain the next morning.
Cannabis
is a very complex substance and not for just chilling in my experience. It can be very helpful with stress, it is like soothing the brain with this other entity. I am sure it is not, but it feels like your subconsciousness taking control. Helps a lot understanding yourself and breaking free from toxic Adrenaline-Stress-Coffee-Capitalist thinking.
It is not just for chilling, it is not "an alternative to alcohol" and it is extremely abused, especially in the US. These "roll a blunt" amounts are simply not possible with todays potent weed, and mixing with tobacco while pretending you are not addicted to that ugly goblin clinging to your brain (for me tobacco feels like that) is absurd.
I think it is immensely powerful and its by far my favourite cozy drug, it saved my psyche when I didnt even know it lol (had an unrelated accident when stoned, got stitched up without anesthesia and my ears where fucked up for over a year after that).
LSD
is also great. Its such a shame it was banned immediately. There where so many studies and psychotherapeutic sessions, it is such an intense magnifier of these therapies.
Instead you now either sit there and talk, which is only effective after a year or so (while in Germany it is extremely hard to find a place); or you work with symptoms which is more effective but can easily result in the expression of your illness just switching to another symptom.
LSD is fucking magic. The lack of the nasty body effects of Psilocybin mushrooms is very good, as these can get extremely uncomfortable. And what it does with your brain, and how you think, is just so enriching. I already cried in front of my family, had great conversations with my then still alive grandparents, and I am so thankful for the existence of this drug.
Basically all the common ones suck, Alcohol, Tobacco, Nicotine, Stimulants. They are extremely unhealthy and have no beneficial effect at all. They only help you keep running, but you can easily break during this.
- LSD is illegal because the government doesn't want their working class plebeians to be happy and enlightened. we'd stop being obedient little work slaves if we were happy and enlightened.
  LSD is reserved for the enjoyment of the people who make the laws. They are above the law so they can do whatever they want & enjoy life.
  
  It really is tragic. Such an amazing class of life-affirming substances, altho I appreciate how important proper set/setting and supportive people around is to a safe and beneficial experience
- Thanks and you are very correct, the legal drugs are the most damaging and harmful and mundane. No imagination to them :( Terrible, shitty drugs

Metamucil (psyillium fibre)
It's kinda simple, but Metamucil. I would get terrible stomach aches, bloating and constipation whenever I had greasy food. Now, if I have 1-2 servings of Metamucil a day, then 1 extra right as I eat greasy food, I don't feel terrible!
- Psyllium husk changed my freaking life. Probably TMI, but I used to have very severe hemorrhoid pain. I basically almost never do anymore, it's that drastic.
  
  I'm glad to hear it! If you are lacking fiber, it can drastically improve your life.
  
  I was shitting blood on the daily. Having had surgery for bleeding hemorrhoids, I cannot face that again. Been through some shit, but that was the worst pain of my life.
  Psyllium had me back to normal in 1-week. Hope others read our words and it helps them.
  
  Delicate question: does your butt ever go back to normal after a haemerhoid "heals"? Like functionally and cosmetically lol?

Omeprazole
Got stomach bad acid? Want it go away for days or weeks on end without antacid? Omeprazole works like a dream and is available without prescription in most countries except Japan.
- You don't, like, take that chronically do ya? I've heard that vigorously warned against...
  Thanks for bringing this up, I'm curious about folks' experiences/thoughts regarding Proton Pump Inhibitors
  
  It may be prescribed long term if the benefits outweigh the possible risks. If someone is taking it in their own, it’s probably better to talk to their doc about it. My understanding is that it’s safe but can have long term effects and needs to be stepped down if you stop after taking it a while
  
  I was warned not to use it chronically. I use it perhaps 2 days each month. You need to be aware of your triggers, such as fatty or spicey foods and alcohol. Also try and self diagnose stomach acid symptoms as early as possible.
- Esomeprazole works way better for me.
  
  Isn't that an inversion of the same?

Testosterone
I'd tried a few different combinations of HRT (for menopause), and was doing ok ish on oestrogen patches and micronised progesterone capsules. But I still felt like a shadow of myself, a barely functioning husk.
I ended up paying privately to see a menopause specialist (after finding out the waiting time for the NHS clinic I was referred to was at least a year and a half - just for my referral to get looked at), and she prescribed me testosterone. Within 48 hours I noticed a huge difference, I felt like I'd recovered a huge chunk of my energy and my personality.
It makes me furious that it's so hard to get. I'm not sure what state my mental health would be in if I hadn't been able to get it. I was definitely looking at having to cut hours in work to be able to cope, and that would have had a big financial impact on me.
And so many people I speak to - including women - are confused about why testosterone would help, there's so much misunderstanding about hormones, they don't know that women have testosterone and men have oestrogen. My aunt asked me whether it would reverse the menopause and I was just like er what... How would that even work?
- What is usually the front line for HRT? Is it Oestrogen? Is that the same hormone that's in contraceptives?
  
  So most contraception is a combo of oestrogen and progesterone (but there's also oestrogen only and progesterone only). Oestrogen is also the main hormone used to alleviate the symptoms of menopause, but you have to have progesterone on top of that to protect you from womb cancer (if you still have a womb).
  Interestingly I struggled all my adult life trying to find hormonal contraception that didn't make my emotions out of control and spiral into destructive depression, and I gave up in the end. It happened again on my first go on HRT. After getting some professional advice I discovered that that's a known effect of the type of progesterone used in the most widely prescribed (ie cheapest) contraception and HRT. As soon as I was switched onto the micronised bio-identical progesterone it was like a dream, I felt normal. Not one doctor in all those years of trying different forms of contraception mentioned it could be the progesterone - maybe they didn't know? There definitely seems to be a scary lack of understanding about hormones that's for sure.
  Testosterone in the UK isn't widely prescribed, on the NHS you can only get it through a specialist clinic, or you have to go private like I did (it cost me £185 for the appointment, and £90 for the prescription for 6 months).
  The hormone doses that are prescribed in HRT are not the same amount as our natural levels have dropped by, really the 'R' in HRT is misleading as what is prescribed doesn't replace what we've lost, it just gives a little top up to lessen the symptoms.
- Sure I'll have a go!
  Edit - hope that's better?

Dramamine!!
Oh, man.
You ever wake up on a day you want to do nothing but sleep in, but you're awake and you hate it?
Take one, rip the bong, watch some bs and take a nap 😴
- Thats like Benedryl/diphenhydramine, right?
  
  Dramamine is a motion sickness medication. Also an antihistamine like Benedryl, but a different compound: Dimenhydrinate
  Both can have drowsiness as side effects
- This is very subjective and also highly dependend on the mix of Cannabinoids in the plant. The Terpenes where found out to have no real effect (some strains called "Sativa" have the same as others called "Indica")
  The more CBN is in the plant (Cannabinol) the more sleepy and less psychoactive it is. CBN comes from degradation of THC, so old plants (more UV, older resin) have more CBN.
  "Sativa" Strains like Haze are often harvested very early, while "Indica" strains like Afghan Kush are harvested very late.
  So Indicas are probably very good for sleeping, but for me personally Sativas make it impossible for me to sleep

Naltrexone
I will start with naltrexone, which can help people who have difficulty regulating their drinking have a more natural and sustainable relationship with alcohol should they choose to not cut it out of their lives entirely.
- How do you find it? I've been curious but it's very expensive. I come from a long line of alcoholic suicides and have had issues with it. Not like permadrunk but 4-6 drinks each evening when it gets out of hand (I also homebrew quite delicious beer and wine which does not help but is fun and I don't want to stop that :/).
  I enjoy a good beer or wine and would love to have a sustainable one bottle on the weekend type relationship with the drug again rather than cutting it out totally.
  
  Just talk to your dr and tell him you suspect you have AUD (alcohol use disorder) and you'd like to trial naltrexone (50mg+generic) to see if it helps you handle booze+moderation.
  Its called
  Sinclair protocol/method
  All it is and requires is:
  If you are going to drink, pop a naltrexone 50mg
  Set a timer and wait 90 minutes (==1.5 hrs)
  Once you've taken naltrexone and waited that 90 mins, YOU MUST HAVE AT LEAST 1 alcoholic beverage, don't get hung up on how many.
  Count your drinks each time you have one and keep that data in an app or spreadsheet to track over time.
  Just show your doctor this reply to give them an idea
  Do not take no for an answer. You have a family history of alcohol-related pathology and let him know you'll be drinking with/without their help as a last resort.

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine).
I know a lot of folks don’t like it for a multitude of reasons, but it works well for me. I take it about an hour before I get to work and I’m actually able to focus on work as opposed to why I don’t wanna be there. It’s great. Also helps that my job is pretty great overall, but being able to focus on actually getting up and doing stuff is great.
- Oh my God Vyvanse is amazing. I was on Adderall XR for years, but I got sick of getting a huge burst of energy for 5 hours, feeling ok for 3, and then crashing hard after that. It was really hard dealing with that while work a 4/10 schedule.
  Vyvanse is so smooth, I get a gentle push through most of the day, and a subtle let down after 10 hours or so.
  Now if I could just be more diligent with my sleep...
- Same deal here. It makes a big difference for motivation for me, too. ADHD sux.

Propranolol
It’s a blood pressure medication that acts pretty fast. They give it to people who experience anxiety. If you sometimes get overwhelmed or have anxiety, just pop one of these bad boys and in 30 minutes you’re calmed the fuck down and you can deal with it rationally.
- I've read studies claiming it can be used to address traumatic memories as well, because of the chemical calm and how memory works, when you visit one your brain basically opens the file, runs it on your braon, and then re-stores your memory of the current run, where you were chill through the reenactment.
  
  Agreed. For me, if I’m anxious I can’t process as well. Approaching a difficult memory/situation with a relaxed physical state makes the process easier.
  There’s less of that “this memory of me being panicked makes me panic” and more of “that memory of me being panicked does not make me panicked now, and I can look at it from a new perspective”
  
  Will have to investigate this :) Thanks, guy
  
  Would love to hear more about this in particular. Chime in folks
- N.B. Some people have a paradoxical reaction of becoming very depressed temporarily.
  Idk if it's on the possible side effects yet but you can find discussions on forums etc going back decades. Very rare, and transient, but if trying for the first time something to be aware of as a risk.
- I use nebivolol instead which is highly cardioselective, I recommend it. It has a longer half-life, too. My stress and panic response is a lot more reasonable now.
- To what extent does it address the mental aspect or does it do that indirectly on the meta level by making you less anxious because there is less physical anxiety to take notice of?
  Edit: I know lots of musicians in orchestras and other professional performers use them to steady hands etc
  
  Part of anxiety is the physical effect of it. The tight chest, the elevated heart beat, the panic mode. It reduces that physical aspect so your brain can focus without FEELING like you’re under attack.
- Why, you trying to scrape it? ;)

Ketamine
Fast acting relief from treatment resistant depression. Personally I find ~0.8 mg/kg subcutaneously injected is about the magic dose.
After 20 odd years of living in a fog the first time I used that treatment was like night and day. I had forgotten how trivial most things are without depression. Exercise for example is just "I don't wanna but I know I'll feel better. Ugh fine" instead of something that takes about 3 days to psych up to on a good week.
I find it's very effective for about a week, dropping off over the next month or so. Unsure if lifetime sustainable at a frequency of ~2-3 weeks per dose but definitely useful to put in changes to life that make it easier to handle.
Crazy expensive medically though, if you can get it tested infusions can be prepared diy (most is diverted from medical supply so it's often not adultrated BUT NOT ALWAYS!) with bacteriostatic water and 0.22 um wheel filters. Obvs if you don't know what you're doing you could seriously harm yourself, and you absolutely must be able to secure safety measures like naloxone, but if the rope is looking mighty appealing it's an option if you can't get it medically.
- It's worth noting that in the US there are ketamine therapy companies that send you oral ketamine in the mail. It costs about $120 per month and is accessible after a short zoom appointment.
  
  I don't know if it's effective that way; all papers I've read that show affect are using nasal, IV, or subcutaneous.
  That said you should probs try that before risking infection and gaol if it's an option. It's about that much a dose in Australia (has to be administered under supervision) and requires extensive screening.

Nifedipine - vasodilator
This cheap and common calcium channel blocker has an effect more localized to the peripheral vessels than most other calcium channel blockers.
I started taking it as a cure for chilblains, which it was remarkably effective at despite not being officially listed for. Did my research and asked my doctor for it. Never had one since.
However I soon realized the joy of never feeling cold again. Gone are the days of taking swigs from a flask to keep my fingers thawed out while working on a stalled tractor at -30C. Gone are cold/numb feet in ski boots and rubber boots, frozen thumbs on quads and snowmobiles. I can work in my unheated shop all day!
Of course its main function is to drop blood pressure by decreasing arterial resistance, which I found provided a significant performance boost in someone with only high normal blood pressure. I box and jump rope, and realized a few days after taking nifedipine that I had been jumping so long that my legs were getting sore, but my endurance still felt limitless.
My blood pressure is down to totally normal too. So drop your blood pressure, boost your endurance and never feel cold again for under $30/month... It's a deal

Yerba Mate
Honestly, I think Yerba Mate is probably the most pleasant and cleanest caffeinated beverage around. I've pretty much entirely replaced coffee at this point, as Yerba Mate seems to have all around superior effects. The unique blend of methylxanthine stimulants present (caffeine, theobromine, theophylline) in Mate provides incredibly clean stimulation with no crash and little anxiety (for me anyway). It doesn't make my stomach feel nasty after multiple cups, which I appreciate as well. The guayaki canned drinks initially got me into it, but I've since graduated to brewing the unsmoked loose leaf tea.
- What are the products to look for, brand-wise and things to look out for in terms of anything else to know when considering a product
  
  Personally, I prefer the unsmoked varieties of the loose leaf tea (although it is traditionally smoked). I do however prefer the traditional cut, which includes the stems and makes it less bitter. I get the "Eco Teas" brand, just because it seems to be available at one of the local, ritzy grocery stores. There are a million brands out there, I've only tried a few. Guayaki sells their loose leaf Mate at whole foods, but I have not tried it myself. I think the canned drinks are a good place to start to see if you like the effects, they just have a significant amount of sugar in them.

L-theanine and caffeine
It's a combination that gives me energy and allows me to focus for a couple hours at a time without jitters or anxiety.

symbicort
It's an inhaler corticosteroid and anti inflammatory often used for asthma but incredible for post infection cough.
If I'm ever sick and have a cough, this puts a stop to that symptom and recovery is so much faster. Don't even touch any over the counter cough medicine over this imo.
- Yes, just incredible resource for various breathing issues. It really is a miracle drug in my eyes.
  Very handy to have a corticosteroid in hand to smooth out some of these situations that woulf screw over someone without that at their chronic disposal
- That could be a game changer for me! I'm using Advil Cold & Sinus to pop my lungs open as needed.
  
  You are in for a treat, it (Symbicort) is efficacious as fuck for breathing issues/wheezing etc. Make the appointment
  Edit: that's just ibuprofen + pseudoephedrine btw. Might be the vasoconstricting effect of pseudoephedrine

Escitalopram - Lexapro It took my anxiety from the point where I was having severe panic attacks for simple issues to where I was able to put down my problems.
- Meanwhile it screwwed my body up. It caused a cascade that resulted in nearly losing my feet.
- Lexapro has been amazing for me as well, went from smoking weed everyday to deal with my depression and stomach issues, to not even smoking anymore, coming up on a month pot free. Its crazy how much better you feel with the appropriate amount of serotonin in your system.
- oh weird, Lexapro failed entirely at managing my anxiety. worked great on the depression side, which meant that dampener of the anxiety wasn't in effect. spiraled quick, had to email the doc for an emergency appointment.
  Effexor (venlaxafine) is the first SNRI I've tried and it's been like magic.
- Can you modify so its like
  Escitalopram (Lexapro)
  Body of text
  Thanks, it helps keep everything consistent and easily readable/comparable
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DXM/dextromethorphan (Robitussin Cough Gels)
Its technically a dissociative and NMDA-antagonist, anaesthetic.
DXM can be an amazing agent for inducing what I would term a hard reset, that is dissociating you the f-out to the extent you may be able to reevaluate and see things in a new light. You will need to take care it doesnt react with other ingested substances you take and there are different thresholds (plateaus) that purportedly have distinct characteristics.
The best source is Robitussin Cough Gels, take care it is a single-ingredient product that you are considering trying. Have a pan to throw up in (you will vomit to some extent) and do not trust any farts.
If you have urinary retention, take a super hot bath but be very careful, maybe have someone check in on you. The hot water will relax your muscles and basically force you to have to and be able to get it out. Limit liquid consumption before/during/after to avoid an unduly full bladder
Edit: it might be a secret antidepressant akin to ketamine (similar profile) and the music euphoria is incredible
- Absolutely, it is as much poison as it is medicine altho I think the therapeutic/recreational index is unusually and extremely robust. Read your Erowid trip reports, kids

Ritalin
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Zomig, it magically makes migraine disappear
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Iron bisglycinate (supplement)
Need an iron supplement but the regular ones (iron sulfate) plug your bowels up? You want iron bisglycinate.
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Primatene (ephedrine)
For alertness and appetite suppression.
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Got COPD "light" (my doctor's words) and use Advil Cold & Sinus to pop my lungs open. Works great.
Daily kratom user. Gives me energy and kills pain. Weird stuff. I can be bouncing off the walls, lay down and still go to sleep.
Some people get addicted I hear, and I can understand that. For me, stopping is no big deal, just leaves me wishing I had more energy. Tolerance drops fast if you start taking too much.
Green makes me low-key nauseous, red is supposed to help one sleep. White kratom is my jam.
- I realize this is going to apply to a small fraction of people, but there is an additional caution I would like to add about kratom. There are two compounds in kratom that work as mu-opioid receptor partial agonists. I think of it like a natural analog of buprenorphine. As such, try to avoid taking kratom with full opioid agonists.
  Anecdotally, this became relevant one time in my experience. I saw someone undergo elective orthopedic surgery, and he was using large doses of kratom up to the day of surgery. 24 hours after the surgery, when the nerve block had worn off, his usage of oxycodone and hydromorphone skyrocketed due to uncontrolled pain. And even then, he looked like he was going through opioid withdrawal.
  At that time, it was hypothesized that some of the kratom had been eliminated from his system to have him go into withdrawal, but enough remained to block the action of the regular opioid medication. The pain crisis period eventually passed, but man did he have a really bad time.
  
  That's rather horrifying and good to know. Cut the kratom 2-weeks pre-surgery. Got it.
- [Please reformat and elaborate in a new paragraph]
- Advil Cold & Sinus (ibuprofen/pseudoephedrine)
  Yada yada yada
  Kratom (red, green leaf)
  Yada yada yada
  Could you reformat to bold and title the things you mention, followed by description? Sorry and thanks, it helps with scrolling thru to what folks are interested in or makes it easier to navigate :)
  Feel free to copy paste this and I'll remove when you've had a chance to grab it :)
  I upvoted ya, good addition

Meclizine
Meclizine is an antiemetic that works far better than Dramamine, imo. You can find chewable tablets, but it's far cheaper and more efficient to just get the pills. I get migraines + have IBS, so I'm constantly nauseous. (And have emetophobia, so I'll do anything I can to avoid it.) It doesn't make you drowsy like Dramamine might, either.

Primatene (ephedrine) for alertness and appetite suppression.