Hack Your Head: Stimulants for the Uberhacker
by Met-Enkeph
Hackers love caffeine. And Ephedrine. And anything legal or otherwise
that promises to keep you up, alert and eleet. Ever wonder why your
last Jolt didn't wire you as much as your first? Every try to solder an IC
after a couple of Mini-Thins? Well, read on. Remember, if you're sleeping,
you're not hacking. And if you're not hacking... what the hell are you
doing?
Basic Biology
Most, if not all, stimulants work on the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS).
This is your fight or flight system. Adrenaline (epinephrine), noradrenaline
(Norepinephrine), and dopamine are the major neurotransmitters of the SNS.
A neurotransmitter is just a chemical that transmits a signal. Different
stimulants either mimic, block, or prolong the actions of these
neurotransmitters. Methylxanthines (caffeine and theophylline in tea) cause
an increase in a chemical (cAMP) within cells that mediates the effects of
SNS. Ephedrine mimics epinephrine as well as causing the body to release its
own epi. Cocaine blocks the destruction of dopamine, norepinephrine, and
serotonin (another neurotransmitter), allowing prolonged action of these
neurotransmitters. Got all that? Now on to the practical uses...
Caffeine: Breakfast of Champions
Just about everyone uses caffeine. Either from coffee (100 mg/8 oz),
tea (80 mg/8 oz), soda (40-60 mg/8 oz or 100 mg/8oz Jolt!), or those funky
yellow tablets (100-200 mg). The effects are identical and dose dependent.
Don't buy into the idea that natural is better. Guarana, Goto Kola, Yerba
Mate, and Cola Nuts are all caffeine. Expensive caffeine. Effective dosages
range from 100-300 mg with the toxic dose (where the bad side effects
predominate) at about 600-1000 mg. Tolerance develops quickly due to an
increase in the level of enzymes which destroy the caffeine and its mediator
(cAMP). So how do we avoid this? Take is less often. That sucks - anything
else? Grapefruit juice. The bitter bioflavonoid Naringin in the grapefruit
juice inhibits the enzyme that destroys caffeine, but not theophylline.
It also prolongs the time that caffeine is active by 30 percent or so. As a
side note, canned grapefruit juice contains more Naringin. Mo bitter = Mo
better.
Ephedrine: Herbal X, Mini-Thins, and Primatine Tabs
Yes, all the above contain ephedrine (the chemical) or ephedra (the herb).
Ephedra contains 0.75-1.0 percent ephedrine. With the effective dose of
ephedrine being 25-50 mg, the effective ephedra dose is 300-600 mg. As with
most herbs, the absorption of ephedra is pretty crappy. Eating a high-protein
meal with the herb will keep them in the stomach longer allowing for better
absorption. You can also boil the herb in lemon juice; the alkaloids (the
good stuff) tend to heat stable and soluble in a weak acid. Tolerance to
ephedrine can be temporarily avoided by the addition of caffeine and/or aspirin.
Aspirin inhibits prostaglandins which in turn inhibit one of epinephrine's
mediator chemicals (Adenyl Cyclase).
Other Assorted Goodies
Yohimbe: Yohimbe, the herbal form of Yohimbine, is also moderately
stimulatory. No, it doesn't increase testosterone or libido. It does block
the feedback loop that regulates epinephrine levels. This causes more
epinephrine and norepinephrine release. Absorption of yohimbe is particularly
crappy. Works really, really well with ephedrine. Also, if any of you
ephedrine popping males notice any difficulty with... ah..., er... "wood,"
then Yohimbe may be for you. It reverses ephedrine nasty side effects "down
there."
Phenpropanalomine: This active ingredient of Dexatrim is chemically
related to norepinephrine. It primarily decreases appetite. Not a good choice,
as any caffeine taken with it causes massive increases in blood pressure. Comes
in 25 mg tabs and 75 mg time release tabs.
Ginseng: Crap. The panax species (all but the Russian variety) are
estrogenic. What the hell is that? It means that if you keep taking it you
can develop breasts. Knockers. Yabbos. Also increases blood pressure.
Choline and DMAE: Supposedly increases ACh, a neurotransmitter involved
in muscle control. Haven't tried it and have heard mixed results.
Tyrosine: The precursor to epinephrine, norepi, and dopamine. When I
notice that ephedrine isn't working for me, I take 500-1000 mg per day for a
week or so to rebuild the epi stores. Tends to be only mildly stimultatory
on its own.
Nicotine: No, I don't smoke. I have used the 3 mg Nicoderm patch to
good effect. The 5 mg tends to make me sick. Average cigarette contains
4-6 mg nicotine.
Valarian Root: An odd one. Contains methyl-diazapam (a.k.a., Valium).
As in the tranquilizer. So what the hell is it doing in an article about
stimulants, you ask? One nice side effect of a low dose (one capsule) is a
huge reduction in the jitters associated with caffeine and ephedrine.
A must for delicate electronics.
Gingko Biloba: God, I love this stuff. Contains gingkosides that
increase the perfusion (amount of blood flow) of the brain. I've found it
particularly useful for "focusing attention" and as with Valarian, for reducing
caffeine jitters. Dosages of 120-160 mg (three tabs). Can cause a headache
if you're prone to migraines.
Toxicity: How Not to Kill Yourself
Don't use any of these if you're on MAO inhibitors (a kind of anti-
depressant). These inhibit the enzyme that destroys the stimulatory
neurotransmitters. Also, don't OD on the Mini-Thins. Tissue saturation
(the dose where all tissues are getting the drug) occurs at around 35 mg
for ephedrine, and at around 300 mg for caffeine, depending on your weight.
Anything higher just increases the side effects.
The Bottom Line
My stack for full-bore psych without regard to hand-eye coordination:
Caffeine - 200 mg
Ephedrine - 25 mg
Aspirin - 325 mg
Yohimbe - 2 tabs
all washed down with 12 oz grapefruit juice and a high-protein meal. I like
peanut butter because of the extra fat. This will tend to hit in about
45-60 minutes.
If I'm soldering or need to decrease jitters:
Ephedrine - 25 mg
Caffeine - 200 mg
Aspirin - 325 mg
Gingko Biloba - 3 tabs
Valarian Root - 1 capsule
Again, I take it with a high-protein meal.
When the ephedrine stops working I go with:
Nicotine - 3 mg
Tyrosine - 1000 mg
for about a week.
The effects of caffeine last about 2-4 hours, 3-5 with grapefruit juice.
Ephedrine effects last 6-8 hours. Re-dosing should be done every 3-4 hours
with caffeine and every 6 or so with ephedrine.
That's pretty much it for the legal stimulants. If there is interest I
can go into import meds and the like. Have fun, don't kill yourself and say
eleet!
The writer is a chiropractic student with a background in pharmacology.
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